altoncustomtech

Because you don't want to. It will be a complete waste of time and will also not likely fit behind the door panel.

M5 is right, those flimsy plastic mounting rings are NOT baffles. They're horrible to mount speakers to in the first place, add the extra weight of an aftermarket speaker motor structure and the extra force from more power (if you're amping them) and you have a recipe for horrible results, honestly. There's a ton of different ways to do it, I did mine like this in my 2001 Jimmy using the existing holes from the rivets that hold on the cheap plastic. Here's where I cut out the base for the baffle. I just traced the factory plastic crap for the shape. Working on the finish Finished and mounted in the door. I used the factory rivet holes but obviously used considerably heavier hardware than was required. Here's what it looks like complete.

It was the mid 90's and I was the very broke son of a small time farmer, so I had NO real Money to spend on things like audio. My first vehicle was my '70 Chevy heavy half ton two wheel drive truck with a 388 stroker, lowered with dual working hood scoops and other fun mods. Since the gas tank was behind the seat there was no way to put subs there and my old man wouldn't let me cut holes in the doors mount speakers. So my first system consisted of the cheapest Pioneer tape deck I could get my hands on with the cheapest coax speakers mounted in boxes I built to mount just under the front of the seat. I traded an enclosure I built for a guy for a pair of 12" Thump subwoofers which due to the gas tank location had to be installed in a ported weather proof box in the bed. They were powered by a US Amps A50HC that was traded for repairing an Alpine HU for a guy I went to school with. While I wish I still had that A50HC, I sure learned a lot about what NOT to do in car audio with that truck.

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Damn that's a hell of a price. Sure wish I had a good reason to purchase it, I'd snatch it up in a heartbeat. So how did it test out?

I've never been a fan of the packaging either. Just too flimsy for the weight of the subs IMHO. Knowing that we have to pay for the packaging anyway, I think it should be an option too. Pay XX number of dollars for the heavy duty reinforced packaging for those of us who don't trust or have had bad experiences with the shipping companies. Just my little idea.

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Congrats dude! Kids are the biggest and best thing that happens in life!! I just wish they didn't grow up so fast. My youngest is starting 2nd grade this year and my oldest will be getting her drivers permit in a tad over a year. Just scary. Enjoy it man, it just doesn't last long enough.

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Perhaps it's a loading issue? Could you have developed a leak in the enclosure on that side? I can't see a thermal issue being the problem being that the subs are connected to a mono block amp. It almost has to be a mechanical over an electrical problem. Or so it seems to me.

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to the forum!! Nice choice in equipment too! You're gonna love that GCON and Leviathan. Unfortunately I can't speak to the IA coax's or comps since I've not had a chance to use or listen to them, but they get a lot of good word from others who've used them. With a good enclosure and install on the speakers I'm sure you'll be enjoying it all very much!

Why does everyone have to be from so far north of me in this damn state... lol to the forum fellow Hoosier!

Sure wish we could get a break in the heat and some good rain falls.... my mother's water well went dry yesterday, mine isn't far behind it I fear..... and the heat is the only reason I'm not kicking ass on my build right now..... ugh...

Awesome dude, love everything I'm seeing. So even with a "bottleneck" in power and a blown channel on the 100.4, how are the GCON's performing?

Thanks man! AND You aren't kiddin', would love to see your rides and meet you and your family as well. I'm hoping to make it sometime soon. I know for a fact I'll be in Indy on Oct. 5th, maybe some sort of plans can be made for that trip? Thanx! I wouldn't have if I really had much of a choice and weren't being lazy. However, keeping them evenly spaced away from each other like I have them should pose no issues. Also, forgot one picture of the wire runs. Here's the last of the run as it comes out from the installed interior panel. Also, finally got my banner on the truck as well. Woohoo, SSA!!!!

Thanx brother! I'm glad the ball is rolling on this thing again. I'm really looking forward to showing it off at some of the later shows this year. I think anyone that listens to it is going to completely flip when they find it's only a single 10. On that note, wire runs are completed and it's time to start building the amp rack. Here's the power wires coming out of their respective holes and grommets. The angle on that part of the sheet metal will make it much easier to get the wires and carpet to lay down as they should. Here's the wires coming up to the fuse holders. Yes, there's a bit of excess there, but that's only so I have the give/play for inserting the fuse. Both wires go down in between the fender well and AC lines and follow the frame back to the point where they come up through the sheet metal. These trucks really make that part much easier than I would have imagined. Here's the wires all tucked away under the carpet there. Worked out pretty good. Here's the wire bundle making it's way to the back. I went right up on the wall/rear fender well of the truck so it will all hide nicely under that part of the interior. Finally, I chose this mounting location for the remote gain knob for two reasons. One, it keeps it hidden so that strange fingers aren't tempted to play with it. Two, that little LED is brighter than hell and I couldn't find a good location anywhere else that it wouldn't be shining right up at me. It should work out pretty good there tho. AND MY PARTNER IN CRIME!!! My son Austin, who some may remember, recognize from the pictures of the build of the enclosure for the van. He's got a great deal of interest in all this stuff and the older he gets, the more he's interested and understanding everything I explain to him as we're doing this. I had him taking the dash apart to get to the wires on the HU to run the RCA's and remote power wire, had him helping me with the remote gain knob, and he helped run the power wires up to the engine compartment. He's a hell of helper to have!

They'll go boom like so.....?

Sean is quite right, and the seats really do not muffle the sound that much at all. Even in my Venture the rear row seat passengers can hear the music just fine. Even in my Jimmy which has only the front components installed in it with the HU right now I can get a sense of space around me (i.e. hearing room effects behind me) when listening in it and that includes back seat passengers as well. I've been asked several times if I had speakers in the cargo area. Getting the proper sound for staging and imaging is still on my list of things to learn but I've learned enough to know that rear speakers aren't needed in any case. If I were you I would do as suggested earlier and get the cheapest set of 6x9's possible to make the guy happy and focus the rest of the budget where it really matters. He wants new rear speakers, he'll have them, but will be much more impressed with the results in the long run when the money is spent where it counts.

It's all designed to work together. The built in power, primary EQing, crossovers, in some cases even time alignment is setup to get more from it, none of it user adjustable tho. It all depends on the company and the vehicle but the little I've read on it leads me to believe that the manufacturers are trying a fair bit harder to have people keep the factory equipment without forcing them to by poor design. Between real improvements and designs that limit aftermarket equipment use, they're doing so and have been for years. But here in the last few years it's actually due to better equipment, design and installation. For example, last year the company I work for sent me out to Cali for some training. The rental car provider upgraded me to a convertible Eclipse for free. It was obvious after listening to it intently for a week that they put a fair amount of processing into the sound and while it wasn't anything I'd ever write home about I could see many people who aren't audio addicts being quite happy with it.

While awaiting the opportunity to get my amps installed I've been forced to listen to my PG RSD and Bravox components on the HU. Quite honestly they're fine and would be plently loud enough for anyone who isn't bitten by this hobby. It's obvious when listening to them that they have a great deal more output to offer and the quality of sound is also limited due to the lack of real power tho. You CAN put a set of speakers in without an amp, they'll work fine, but no where near as good as they can with proper installation and a decent amp to power them with. I would recommend doing so, in steps if necessary, to get the most out of the money you spend. Buy the speakers, install them. Buy some sound deadener, install it. Make sure the install is as good as it can be first, then buy the amp. It may take some time, but you'll be way ahead in the long run.

Small updates. FINALLY started to run wires for this thing and not easily in this tight spaced and cramped little truck. It's so difficult to get to certain things that I'm driving it around with the passenger side compartment/armrest removed and both back seats unbolted until everything is ran. I don't want to have to remove/install that stuff over and over. So far not much is ran due to the fact it's taken more time to figure out exactly where and how it's going to run than actually doing it. Drivers side speaker wire is the only one that's completely done. The RCA's, remote wire and passenger side speaker wires are starting to get in tho. I got the holes for the power wire entry into the cabin drilled yesterday and the fuse holders mounted as well. I got a couple of pics of the RCA's and passenger speaker wires getting bundled to be ran and the fuse holders to post up. Some progress is better than no progress and the more of some progress I can make the sooner it will be done!! Here's the passenger side of the truck as I mentioned before. Using the zip ties in this manner helps to keep things bundled and spaced. A cheap easy solution. I found an old license plate from my DRZ and bent it for this job. If I were doing this install for someone else I would have found a better looking solution. Personally I don't really care as long as it doesn't look like complete crap and functions well. That's it for now, hopefully things continue to work out as they have and I'll get a little done each day after work for awhile. Once the wires are ran I can begin on the amp rack, which should go fairly quickly.

Where's the volume at when it's happening? Are you sure you're not bottoming the coil on the backplate? If that's even a remote possibility I'd stop turning it up so much until you adjust the gain or a crossover setting to keep it from happening before you destroy them.