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Sound Quality stereo install project

gabrialm

Full Member
Joined
Jul 2, 2018
Messages
40
I finally got around to ordering all the consumable's I needed in order to complete the install into the truck. I'm going old school, all Alpine (some temp substitutions are being made).

Into the truck is going the following equipment:
  • Alpine CDA-9887 Head Unit
  • Alpine MRV-353 5 channel amplifier - Total of two
  • Alpine MRV-1507 2/1 amplifier
  • Alpine SPX-F17T 3-way component speakers - Run actively
  • Alpine SWR-10D2 1000w RMS 10" subwoofer - This will actually be installed later, as I need to get a custom center console enclosure for it, or if one will fit, a custom ported box to replace the under seat pre-fab
  • Skar Audio IX-10 10" 200w RMS Subwoofer - Total of two - These are going in temporarily installed in a prefab box designed to fit under the rear seats

Eventually I will be adding an Alpine DSP in order to gain better control over tuning, for now I'll be relying on the sophistication of the 5 channel amplifiers and the built in 3-way crossover and time alignment settings in the head unit to get me into an okay state.

I'll be applying a full compliment of sound damping material, as close to 100% coverage on the roof, floor, doors and pillars as well as under the dashboard. At least as close to 100% as I can with 72 square feet of material I bought.

But before I can get to the fun stuff, I need to tear apart the interior, uninstall some equipment that came in the truck (CB radio, cell phone booster antenna) and clean up. So, here's the progress from the couple hours a day during the week and 6-8 hours a day from this weekend (all while entertaining my 4 year old daughter during this weekend while the wife worked).



First up was getting all of the old equipment out of the truck, as well as uninstalling the old stereo (it's a nice aftermarket unit from Kenwood, but just doesn't fit the build I'm going for)



Next up was getting the dash off and fully removing the center console. In behind the steering wheel you can JUST get a peek of the CDA-9887 that I decided to wire in while putting off clean up duty. I reused the existing 12v switched and ground wires that were used for the CB radio for the aftermarket bluetooth module I got off eBay. $20 bucks for basic bluetooth streaming that has the Alpine Ai-Net connector on one end, and just 12v switched and ground needed. I wrapped it all up nicely in tesa tape to avoid any chaffing from metal or vibrations in behind the dash. Didn't get pictures of this though.



The original owner since new must not have cared much to vacuum occasionally. I got the truck off the 2nd guy who owned it for maybe 6 months or so until I got it, so I doubt he created all this mess in that time. Fun fact, the Bank of Canada and the Canadian Government phased out the penny in 2012, I found two of them! So this mess is at least 6 years old. I also found in total $4.86 enough for a couple of double doubles! Gotta clean up the grime off the coins first though.



Got the front seats out and the rear bench, along with the B pillar trim and rear pillar trim pieces then spent 10 minutes with the shop vac cleaning up most of the crap. I do plan to shampoo the carpet entirely (there are some spillage stains that need to be extracted, my OCD will not let that stand). Looking pretty good so far!

That's where I got to as of this evening, I'll be getting another shipment of parts tomorrow I believe, that being the box and a couple of amp kits, as well as my much needed sound damping material roller.

I'll take some more shots of the progress maybe this week, but likely next week. I'm taking a full week off work so I can power through this build and get the truck re-assembled. One of the nice things is that I work from home, so no need to commute daily. I can afford the down time.
 
I found an old system diagram I drew up when I was planning out the system for the truck. A few things have changed slightly, like no dual batteries (at least not yet), and I'm doing 3 separate runs of 4 gauge, one dedicated for each amplifier, running into a 3 in 4GA to 3 out 8GA fused distribution block, then running 8GA directly to the amps... and running smaller speaker wire, I think I'm going with 14GA? I could be wrong, although I'm wondering if I should just do it right once and pony up for the 10GA.

 
Nice start...

Is that a 2002 Truck? Guessing from the console that it is.

With your setup you may or may not benefit from a second battery but certainly consider a bigger alternator. There are some "cheap" ones available on Amazon that will help dramatically...

I actually picked up a dual alternator bracket, left my factory alternator running the truck and added a "250" amp alternator for less than $200. If my Factory alternator eventually dies I will replace it with one of these same units. I did add the second battery in my truck and running everything off the second battery other than the factory radio I am still using for now.

Since it looks like your arm rest is just an arm rest you should be able to make an impressive speaker box. In the '03-'06 trucks it is possible but likely require some fiberglass skills.

Also running 1/0 gauge wiring in my truck from both the alternators to the batteries and from the secondary battery to the rears... Works out well but the large wire can be hard to route. Can't imagine how your running 3 4 gauge wires is going to work out. You may want to consider running a ground directly to the battery as well to prevent alternator whine. I had to on mine otherwise the whine was almost unbearable from the factory head unit.  Unless the AI-Net transports your sound via fiber optic. I know my old Clarion setup did but not sure about alpine. If you ever want to tie into your AI-Net I do believe someone cracked the network protocol and you can possibly add some PC stuff to it if you so desire.

Good Luck!
 
redheadedrod said:
Nice start...

Is that a 2002 Truck? Guessing from the console that it is.

With your setup you may or may not benefit from a second battery but certainly consider a bigger alternator. There are some "cheap" ones available on Amazon that will help dramatically...

I actually picked up a dual alternator bracket, left my factory alternator running the truck and added a "250" amp alternator for less than $200. If my Factory alternator eventually dies I will replace it with one of these same units. I did add the second battery in my truck and running everything off the second battery other than the factory radio I am still using for now.

Since it looks like your arm rest is just an arm rest you should be able to make an impressive speaker box. In the '03-'06 trucks it is possible but likely require some fiberglass skills.

Also running 1/0 gauge wiring in my truck from both the alternators to the batteries and from the secondary battery to the rears... Works out well but the large wire can be hard to route. Can't imagine how your running 3 4 gauge wires is going to work out. You may want to consider running a ground directly to the battery as well to prevent alternator whine. I had to on mine otherwise the whine was almost unbearable from the factory head unit.  Unless the AI-Net transports your sound via fiber optic. I know my old Clarion setup did but not sure about alpine. If you ever want to tie into your AI-Net I do believe someone cracked the network protocol and you can possibly add some PC stuff to it if you so desire.

Good Luck!

It's a 2002 truck  (y) The console is the one that swings open for storage, which I'm loath to be rid of, I only need 6 3/4 inches of mounting depth, the current prefab gives me 5.5" so not much finagling will be required to fit under the seats. Those cavities in the back of the rear seats should help for extra clearance.

I'll eventually be adding a second battery, possibly a bigger alt. My entire system draw is only 180A, so there should be a 40A deficit or so of which a yellow top optima should be able to handle for now. As for the wire runs, I'm going to go straight down the middle against the trans tunnel instead of in the door sills. Power on the driver side and rca's and speaker cable on the passenger side. I'll be snaking the speaker cables up underneath the dash and branching to either side of the truck.

Good to know about these trucks electrical systems and the ground noise. I'll add another grounding cable direct from the alt to the battery in addition to the rest of the big 3 I'll be doing.

I'm counting down the days until vacation, lol.
 
I'm also toying around with the idea of plasti-dipping the interior panels matte black, and darkening the headliner to match they grey carpet, go for a two tone matte black - grey look with the leather seats etc. I've already got them all outside the vehicle so why not? I used carpet dye on the carpet and headliner of the Mustang before trading it, completely blacked out the interior, but I did that one with vinyl paint and didn't like the shininess the plastic had. Plus it should help to protect the 16 year old plastic panels especially the dash which is pretty much in perfect condition, no cracks or gouges or anything.
 
Box, amp kits and deadening roller came in:



The box is pretty good quality for a pre-fab, I'm genuinely impressed.
 
Time for an update. Finally got through a stressful week of work and now officially on vacation, so got to work on some more of the truck.




Got the carpet, the underlay and the air ducting out, cleaned up the slime and did a decent cleaning (though not evident) with some general cleaner, then a pass with wax and grease remover.




Full coverage of 80 mil Noico branded sound deadening. Between this, the underlay and the carpet the cabin should be a bit quieter in terms of road noise. I still need to do the doors, and use any off cuts to apply to the pillars and other random areas.




Cleaned the slime off, sanded down to bare metal to get the surface rust off, blasted it with some primer then a couple coats of semi gloss black (what I had on hand). It's not pretty, but then this piece is covered by the center console anyway.



Picked up a sheet of 4x8 1/2" MDF. Needed full length of 52" so a simple 2x4x1/2" sheet wouldn't have been useful. Removed the rear glass and used it as a template then rough cut the MDF so it was more manageable. That gouge was my cordless circular saw running out of juice mid cut, finished off with my plugin circular saw. Didn't have quite enough extension cord so the cut ended up all fugly.

Waiting for my new jig saw to come in from Amazon prime, then I'll cut it to size. I mocked up the 5 channel amps, and made reference points to their placement as well as mounting locations. I had thought about cutting access holes and routing cables down underneath the amp rack and to the floor, but the design of this is such that it's a perfect flush fit with the existing retention tabs and mid-gate locks intended for the rear cab glass. I'd have to hack up and hollow out the mid gate in order to have room to fit the cabling. I may still yet do that, not sure exactly. I'd have to sound deaden the mid gate for sure if I did that.

Anyway, thats where it sits for now. I've started running cables in the engine bay for the big 4, but I need to wait for a shipment from amazon for supplies, and will need to hop on down to the store and pick up a new battery, one that has both the GM side mounts for the factory cables, and the top mount posts. I could get side mount extensions, but the battery is old and weak and needs to be replaced anyway. Not going with an XS Power or Kinetik yet, as when I do, I'll be adding a secondary battery in the passenger side cavity of the engine bay where the 2500 series trucks have their factory second battery, and then get a battery isolator.

I also ran two of the 4 gauge power cables through the firewall grommet, need to wait for my 3rd amp kit to arrive so I can run it's power as well. Most of everything I'm waiting on should arrive by Friday of this week, and I'll be able to make some real progress.

I didn't take photos of it since the inside of the cab is a war zone, but the underlay, ducting and carpet are all back in. Leaving the seats out until I run the cables for speaker wire, RCAs and the last of the power.

After that I'll be tackling the doors and getting them deadened, then modifying the door cards to mount the 5 1/4" drivers along side the 6" drivers and finding a place for the tweeters. Lots yet left to do.
 
Got some more work done today, not as much as I'd like but received two packages from Amazon with a bunch of install goodies, including my new jig saw. Got to work on cutting out the amp rack from the rough cut, and the first attempt was just plain awful lol. Second try was a lot better, I got wise and used my circular saw to cut the bottom accurately instead of trying to free hand it with the jig saw, and made smaller passes along the radius of the sides and top being more shallow and passing back over at a bit steeper of an angle.

I was having to clamp the MDF to the tailgate of my truck and use a ballast on the other end (ran out of clamps, only have one) made up of a box of 36 sq ft of sound deadening and a box of miscellaneous sockets and random surplus wrenches etc.

I picked up some wood filler to use (instead of body filler, never worked with it before) to smooth out the top radius where there are some low spots from when the jig saw got a little squirrelly, and sand it down smooth before I carpet the rack.








Note: I'm updating the rest of the photos in this thread to be linkable, I just realized you can't see much detail in them as they are in the thread.
 
old skool said:
In the top of the fuel tank. This is what ckeene is referring to...
ckeene

I was referring to where positionally on the floor is the place to cut the access panel. Probably too late now anyway since I've already laid down all of the deadening and replaced the underlay and carpet.
 
gabrialm said:
I was referring to where positionally on the floor is the place to cut the access panel. Probably too late now anyway since I've already laid down all of the deadening and replaced the underlay and carpet.

It's in the link that I included with my reply. You must have replied before I modified my post.
 
old skool said:
It's in the link that I included with my reply. You must have replied before I modified my post.

Thanks, I took a look at that thread. Looking at the cuts being made, and given the tools I have to work with I'm not at all confident in my ability to not puncture either the gas tank, or the lines running from the fuel pump.

Besides the fuel pump was replaced just prior to my acquisition of the truck, so I have some time yet before the pump will need replacement. I also don't plan to winter drive the vehicle here as they use a poop ton of salt on the roads.
 
Finally got some rewarding work on this install done.

First, I started running the Big 4 in the engine bay. I haven't terminated the cables yet since I need to get my new battery first before determining all the lengths if any need to be shortened.



Then I ran the power cables through the firewall grommet and pulled them all to within the same length at the battery side. Still waiting for the 3 way fused distro block to come in for under the hood, same one as whats in the back of the truck (shown later). I need to pick up some split loom tubing and silicon to seal up that slit in the firewall grommet.



Ran the power cables down the factory channel for whatever that cable is. Gotta pick up some strong adhesive tape to keep them in place and from shifting around. Plenty of clearance around the brake and gas pedals, no chance of interference.




Ran the power along the driver side of the trans/driveshaft tunnel, popped out of the carpet and through some access holes I drilled. Added Techflex and doubled up on heat shrink where they are in contact with the bare metal to help avoid chaff through. The cables in this pic were left over lengthened as they will be shortened for final install.




Here's a shot with the cables cut to length, properly heat shrunk and installed into the fused distribution block. It's a 3 way 4GA to 8GA. Right is the driver side 5 channel amp, middle is the mono amp and left is the passenger side 5 channel amp. There's enough slack in each power cable so that nothing binds when the midgate folds down. I'm doing this as a stealth build and maintaining all functionality of the truck.



And finally here's a shot from further back with the amp rack in place.

 
Small update today, but lots of work actually done.

First order of business today was installing the rubber grommets for the power cables that I forgot to install yesterday.



Then I bolted the amps to the amp rack so I could run the speaker wires to length. Got them all measured, ran, techflexed and terminated, as well as run through their respective door boots. Since I ran power down the middle, I was free to run speaker wires down each side of the truck, which reduced overall length and complexity of running, and allowed me to use just 16 awg wire.

I used 2 conductor in-wall rated speaker cable from Monoprice, had a 250 foot spool laying around.





Tomorrow I'll be running the RCAs, cleaning up the amp rack mis cuts, and starting to figure out what to do with the speaker install in the doors. Still waiting on my carpet, spray adhesive, engine bay fuse block, 8 gauge wire and some other miscellaneous bits to come in. Good thing I took all of next week off from work as well.

I don't like the way I ran the speaker wires on the passenger side, I think I'll go up and over the latch for the amp rack, should make it look a lot cleaner.
 
I don't want to clutter your thread, but I gotta say this is a nice build thanks for sharing it with us.
 
MS03 2500 said:
I don't want to clutter your thread, but I gotta say this is a nice build thanks for sharing it with us.

Thanks! It's been a lot of work so far, and a lot of work yet to do. Appreciate the kudos :)
 
I love me some monoprice cabling and wiring products....

Decent quality and incredible prices.
 
Be aware that the lock mechanisms are very weak and will break when holding the regular window let alone mdf with amplifier and such connected to it.. You will want to consider a secondary method of mounting the top piece. Both of the locks have broken on my truck... When one goes the other will go right after it. Possibly at the same time if you have amplifiers on them They get brittle with time.

When I was considering that location I actually shot a couple of short drywall screws into mine to hold it into place. The midgate plastic is amazingly strong.

Also be wary of your mounting surface chipping and cracking. MDF makes a decent speaker box due to the high density of material. Because it is glued sawdust and comes apart easily if you are not careful it makes a poor mounting surface. You are better off using a high grade plywood or another material that has the actual structure of the wood holding it together instead of some glue. I ended up using 3/4" plywood on my speaker box that was then covered in body filler and then bed liner. Makes it much more durable against stuff in the bed. Mounted my speaker box to the midgate and works nicely. I didn't care for the under seat box myself. Good luck with it though that box looks better than the one I had.

Rodney
 
redheadedrod said:
Be aware that the lock mechanisms are very weak and will break when holding the regular window let alone mdf with amplifier and such connected to it.. You will want to consider a secondary method of mounting the top piece. Both of the locks have broken on my truck... When one goes the other will go right after it. Possibly at the same time if you have amplifiers on them They get brittle with time.

When I was considering that location I actually shot a couple of short drywall screws into mine to hold it into place. The midgate plastic is amazingly strong.

Also be wary of your mounting surface chipping and cracking. MDF makes a decent speaker box due to the high density of material. Because it is glued sawdust and comes apart easily if you are not careful it makes a poor mounting surface. You are better off using a high grade plywood or another material that has the actual structure of the wood holding it together instead of some glue. I ended up using 3/4" plywood on my speaker box that was then covered in body filler and then bed liner. Makes it much more durable against stuff in the bed. Mounted my speaker box to the midgate and works nicely. I didn't care for the under seat box myself. Good luck with it though that box looks better than the one I had.

Rodney

Thanks for the tips Rodney, I hadn't considered the locks being a structural weak point, although I already have plans to drill through and anchor the MDF through the mid gate with 3/4" bolts. Right now the amp rack is technically unfinished, I have it like that just for mock up purposes so I could finish the rear wiring to length, etc and get the rear trim pieces back in place.

Right now I just have M4 hex screw cap bolts running through the MDF out the other side and capped off with a M4 nut. Before I carpet the rack, I'm going to put a coat of resin on the front and back which should strengthen it up a bit, then carpet which should add some more. The tolerances are pretty tight with just the bare wood, I may have to chisel out some of the wood where the metal retention tabs are, we'll see.

I'll see how this box does under the seat, but I may decide to go with a couple of 6.5" subs in a center console extension as a permanent solution. It's pretty tight with the box AND the 1507 resting on top of it, from when I mocked it up in place to get the RCA length I needed before bundling up for the run up the middle.
 
Another small update, but large amount of tedious work done today.

Started off by preparing the ground locations for all 3 amps. Drilled a 1/4" hole for the bolt through the body sheet metal, just below where the seat belt retractor is.



Used a 1/4" diameter bolt, lock washer and nut to secure the lugs to the sheet metal. Lugs were crimped using my cheap Chinese hydraulic crimper, does a pretty decent job. These are marine grade tinned copper lugs. The driver side 5 channel and 1507 are sharing this as a common ground. Did the same on the other side for the passenger side 5 channel, didn't bother taking pictures of that one.




Then I wired up the power and grounds using 8 AWG OFC, made them look pretty. Ran the RCAs, then buttoned up the rear by replacing the two rear trim pieces and notching out clearance for the wire bundles. Waiting for some self adhesive cable tie downs to arrive (should be tomorrow) so I can get both sides buttoned up tight to the mid gate. Also tagged which is which for the speaker cables so that I don't forget when I take down the amp rack to finish that off.



All the hard work is done now, the doors should be relatively easy compared to what had to be done in the back.
 
Not much to update on, I did get the rear bench back in but then ran into a problem: I'm a dumbass.

I didn't think to actually measure the clearances under the seat with the box and amp (1507). Basically it don't fit. So I got busy and designed a center console ported enclosure to house my Alpine Type R 10:



First shows the assembled/exploded view. Next shows the response curve for the woofer in my custom box vs the oem recommendations for vented box. The final spec ends up at 1.08 ft3, port tuned to 30 Hz.



Based on the design my box will play down to 28 Hz before roll off @ 0 dB gain, and up to 80 Hz at +0.7 dB gain it's a bit peaky from 30 Hz to 70 Hz with a peak of +2.0 dB @ 35 Hz but that should be able to be remedied through eq'ing. Either way, she's gonna bump and should give me a good mix of SQ and SPL.

I'll be building this out of 3/4 inch birch plywood and staining it.

Other than that I'm going to the store today for a new battery, going to pick up an Optima Yellow Top, finish off the big 4, get the front seats in then start to work on the front doors.
 
Quick question. Do you already own the Type R 10? Just wondering why/what made you select this sub for an SQ install given the other options around the same pricepoint.
 
Calicak89 said:
Quick question. Do you already own the Type R 10? Just wondering why/what made you select this sub for an SQ install given the other options around the same pricepoint.

Ha, it's funny you should mention that. Yeah, the Type R 10 was the first thing I bought before anything else, and before I considered building a legitimate SQ system. I got it BNIB below cost and I'd always wanted a Type R sub, I knew the 12's were pretty gnarly and buddy of mine had one, plus I prefer the sound of 10's anyway.

I've already spent so damn much money on this system to date that I can't justify buying another woofer just because, so I'll do what I can to make this sound as decent as I can, but for sure before competing I'll be swapping out the sub.

Ideally I'd like to pick up an Image Dynamics DS10, either that or a JL Audio 10W0 those things have insane T/S specs.
 
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