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2005 Chevy Crew Cab Saga....

20K views 68 replies 37 participants last post by  teenycar 
#1 · (Edited)
This is my first install ever. Of course the more I search the more I realize I know absolutely nothing about mobile audio (or anything audio for that matter)! But I guess we all had to start at this point, so here goes.
What I am starting with...

Nothing special really, just a toy and people hauler. So I figured I'd spend a little money and make it a more enjoyable ride to destinations.
Figured I'd start from the bottom up so out came everything...well, almost.



Before I knew better I covered everything with Raamat BXT. 60 square feet on the floor alone!


And I covered the back wall with 1 layer....

Then I threw down two layers of ensolite...



Was going to throw on a third layer of ensolite before the MLV but I was concerned about having the floor too thick and not being able to get the seats back in. Good thing I didn't because with 1 layer of Raamat BXT, two layers of ensolite, a layer of MLV, the factory insulation sheet, and the new carpet with a layer of insulation glued to it made it a real pain getting the seats back in, but they made it.
 
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#29 ·
Thanks for looking. If I were to give any advice on the doors or if I had it to do over again. I would still put down the butyl BXT, maybe 2 layers like I did just to stiffen the large flat panel up. I would order some of the luxury liner pro as the CCF is 1/4 inch thick and has the MLV glued to it. I would put this on the outer door panel. I don't think it would work in the inner door panel and still be able to get the interior trim panel back on. I used 1 layer of the BXT and one layer of ensolite on top of that and it was a pain to get the panel back on. Hopefully with the new body style your rear doors won't be like my doors. It is nearly impossible or at the very least a LOT of work to properly mount a driver to the sheet metal on the door with the regulator motor where it is. This is the main reason I opted to mount them off pods. Don't skimp on the deadener as it is not only nice for the midbass and stereo in general but will make your truck a lot nicer to drive/ride in.
 
#30 ·
Since I am waiting on the ampliers I figured I'd build a rack for them to mount to. Material is 3/4" square .065 wall tubing and the tabs are 3/16" cold rolled plate. I place the 3 front side tabs to bolt directly off the factory seat mounts. The rear tabs are far enough apart to mount outside the frame rails so it doesn't interfere with the driver's side fuel tank.

Dimensions are 49 inches long by 10 inches wide.

Front side tabs are a little odd shaped because I wanted them to recess into the factory seat tabs.

The rack compresses down on the trans. tunnel but still gives plenty of breathing room under and over the top once the amps. are mounted.
Overall I think it will be really clean and simple. My seats still fold down as well. It was nice to get back to tig welding since I've taken a bit of a vacation from fabrication for a while. And I bought some plastic end caps to finish the ends off since I didn't 45 degree cut the corners.
The JL amps are 19.75 inches long and 9.25 inches wide so the rack will give me plenty of room to mount them both as well as the crossovers for easier tuning.
 
#33 ·
Looks great! My buddy has a 2001 Silverado with the 6.0 and has that same set of Hertz 3-way components up front with IDQv2 12s under the seat, all powered by Zapco Ref amps and it sounds damn good. You'll love the Hertz!
 
#37 ·
I started my first attempt at fiberglassing. I decided to place my midrange and tweet in the a-pillar. I scuffed up the a-pillar plastic with 36 grit paper on my DA. Then I drilled 1/4" holes in the plastic for the resin to soak through and provide some anchorage. I made a baffle and glued it where I thought it sounded the best. I bought some Ponte cloth and super glued it to the wood baffle. I then pulled it over the a-pillar back edge and hot glued it in place. I put down a coat of resin and let them dry. Then I put two layers of 1.5 oz mat down and sanded them smooth. I sanded out the wrinkles on the one pillar that had them and put 5 layers of glass over the sanded area to give it some strength. They seems solid as a rock now.





I am waiting for the Rage Extreme to come so I can put down a layer of milkshake and sand it smooth.
I'll probably end up painting them.
 
#38 ·
First install?? Are you serious!?!


This looks WAY too good and solid for a first attempt. I admire your work and attention to fabrication detail. You should be VERY proud of yourself. I commend you.
 
#43 ·
Well...it being my first time I think it is going well. It isn't rocket science. I do recommend you get a good resin as it can make or break your building experience. I used some junk from Home Depot and the stuff hardened up on me waaaay too quickly. I ended up getting some b-220 from us composites. It is very nice and easy to work with and pretty inexpensive. Before you start, order the right products. They will make your fabrication a lot nicer. I used the 1.5 oz matt from them too. For the A-pillars just tear the matt with your fingers into 2-3 inch squares. Tearing it allows the edges to fade into the other patches easier and makes it easier to sand. When spreading the resin you want to dab with short swipes to get the resin to soak into the mat, rather than painting it on. I went very liberal with the resin. Drilling the holes in the a-pillar allowed the resin to soak through the matt and into the holes and leak onto the backside of the pillar so as to provide little "anchors". None of this is my idea, I took it all from people willing to share. Make sure you have everything out that you are going to need when you start the resin process. You need to work fast as it will start to harden up with doing one a-pillar. It took about 6-7 oz of resin to do a layer of 1.5 oz matt. I have 3 layers of the 1.5 oz matt on it and it seems solid as a rock. If I had it to do over again or if I was using a larger diameter driver I would think it beneficial to put wood screws through the plastic a-pillar and into the dowls and crews into the baffle and into the dowls so there is more than just hot glue securing it. The Ponte clothe is nice and can be bought at any fabric store. I much prefer it over fleece. There may be something thinner out there that stretches more but it is a good start. For this application I think what I have will be fine. The strength comes from the fiberglass not the covering. The covering just gives you a foundation to layer the glass upon. I'd like to try pantyhose at some point. Thanks for looking and if you have any questions at all let me know. I'm no expert but I can sure tell you all about my experience.
 
#44 ·
As others have stated..... Hard to believe this is your first install. Very nice!

I've got a couple of questions for you if you don't mind.

You mentioned you bought your door pods from Custom Speaker Pods. I went to there site and didn't see any pods for the chevy crew cabs. Am I overlooking something? What modifications did you have to do to the original door panel to install the pods?

Also do your plans include a sub? I have a 03' crew cab I am planning an install in. And I am looking for ideas for sub placement. I want to keep everything as stock as possible. So the only place I can think of right now is behind the rear seat. Which doesn't leave much room. Any thoughts?

Keep up the good work and keep the pic.s coming!
 
#45 ·
If you go to Custom Speaker Pods and go the gm section on the right hand side you will after clicking on that link see they have them for fullsize trucks as well. You don't have to do any mods really. I did on mine, but other than drilling a few holes they fit pretty good. Honestly though I'd recommend attaching the driver to the door rather than the panel. You are going to get better sound that way. I modified my pods a lot to get them as rigid as possible. While they mount to the panel, they also mount to the door.

I am building a sub box to go behind the rear seats. I am running the Stereo Integrity Mag V4 12 inch subs. in a sealed box. Space is tight and these seems to be about the best for small spaces. The mounting depth is 5.5 so they just barely fit. I'll get some pics but the box will be very simple, made from 3/4" MDF. Hard to justify making anything fancy for something that is always hidden. I know the box is 56 inches long, 13 inches tall, 7 inches deep at the bottom and 5.5 inches deep at the top.
 
#49 ·
...man you have just convinced me to deaden my entire truck ('04 GMC extended cab)...not sure if I should go with the Raamat or Edead? Do you plan to put subs and amps in the cab? I want to put two SPX 17 pro's in my each of my front doors and mount the tweets in the A-pillars...I think it will sound sweet!! YOur truck is awesome, keep up the good work and post pics as you modify
 
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