Subwoofer setup in Crew Cab?

[chicoc48]

Can someone out there help me get a sweet subwoofer setup in an 02 Crew Cab?? I was running 2 JL 12W3's in my 1500 EC, but I had the sweet molded vantage boxes built to fit my truck. I would love to pound 2 12's in the new truck, but I just don't know if there's room. Maybe enough for 2 10's?? Could someone post pictures of what you've installed. A wedge box may go behind the seat, but the volume ends up pretty near the low end of my range (JL's rec. #'s). I heard a Bazooka tube, but didn't like the sound compared to a true sub setup. Thanks for any ideas!


CHICO

[Heavy Duty Neil]

Check out Skinny Blinky's setup:

http://www.sierragrafix.com/skinnyblinky/index.html

You could put the amp somewhere else. Looks like there *might* be enough room to squeeze a pair of 12's in there.

[stillracing]

I can't provide pictures but a custom installer fit 3 10" woofers behind the rear seat. They sound great. Seats still work as designed.

[NutNbutGMC]

^...Feel free to have a look-see of my setup in a 2k2 crew. Click on the link in my sig line. Plenty of room for a dual 10" setup. 12's won't fit. I have Rockford Fosgate from the (XM ready) Alpine Head all the way through the doors, sub, and amp. Don't forget the XM radio with digital quality sound.

Skinny's page has the dimensions to build a box. I basically made mine from his design (thanks again Slim). Sound is awsomely clean and crisp.

[ 06-25-2002: Message edited by: NutNbutGMC ]</p>

[SoCalDMAX]

Chico,

I've got dual 10s in a box behind the seat, it barely fit. They sound great. I've got dual 12s in a custom enclosure in my Mustang and if tuned/ polyfilled properly, the 10s leave nothing out.

Check the truck pics for some detailed pics of enclosure and installation.

Regards, Steve

[Riverholic]

I have 2 10" subwoofers in a wedge type box. They are JL audio W 0's. The shop that I had build the box said that the W 0's would be the only ones that would work in that type of box due to the amount of volume. I think that they sound great and they aren't that expensive either.

[stillracing]

Better install 4-10" woofers just to be safe. :D

[NutNbutGMC]

^...SR, how about a pic of the 3-10's you have in the crew, please?

[DMAXDiva]

I finally have pics of the setup in my truck; 2 10inch JL Audio subs with JL Audio 500w X 5 channel amp built into custom box. See them in the "truck toys" album...

http://www.picturetrail.com/dmaxdiva

[ 07-01-2002: Message edited by: DMAXDiva ]</p>

[Ranger354]

Ok so I am stereo handicapped. I would like to add an amp and some speakers to the back of my crew cab.

Where and what wires do I tape into?

The amp should just push the extra speakers behind the rear seat?

Any help would be appreciated.

Ranger

[SoCalDMAX]

If all you want to do is add subwoofers, then I'd recommend the following:

Buy 2 10" subs with enough power handling cap. to handle the levels you want. Mount them in an enclosure (recommend full width of cab, same size as mine and others)

Buy an amp with the following: speaker level inputs, adjustable crossover and gain control and enough power for the job. (most of the better quality amps have all of this)

In the left and right 'B" pillars at the bottom, you'll find the speaker wires to the rear door connector. Do a search on the forum, mdrag previously posted the color codes. Tap into the speaker wires with your favorite quality connector and run those to the amp. Make sure you use 8ga. min. power cable and 12ga. speaker wire to the subs.

Mount everything where you want it. Adjust the xover and gain of sub amp based on the xover freq of the subs and what your ears are telling you.

Hope this helped a little,
regards, Steve

[Ranger354]

Thanks Steve,

A buddy just got through telling me that I probably didn't want just a thumper in the back. In other words, I should probably install some god quality 6x9's with an amp for deep wuality sound. Does this make sense. I don't really want to have people hear the bass (thump) in my truck a block away. I would rather have good quality (loud) complete sound. Now, does that make sense. Thanks again, Ranger

[SoCalDMAX]

Ranger,

OK, in that case I'd recommend thinking seriously about what your final goal is, to keep from making any false/expensive moves. Do you want DVD, MP3 or is the stock head unit good enough? Do you want an amp for the door speakers? If you know what you want first, your chances of success increase dramatically.

If you're not sure if the stock head unit has enough power to do what you want, you can go step by step. Replace the door speakers with efficient separate tweeter/mid range speakers (as close to 90dB/watt @ 1 meter or higher). The door mids are 6 1/2" round. Mdrag and I both used Pioneer TS-1653s because of their high efficiency, power handling and low price ($89/pr.) There are a lot of other good brands as well, but I think these are a good value. They drop right in to the door holes.

This will get you a great deal more sound out of the stock head unit. Do the subs as discussed before. If still not happy, add a 4 ch. amp to drive the door speakers (properly crossed over). If the head unit isn't what you want (it can operate a 6 disc changer, look at Mdrags pics for great shots of the steering wheel audio controls, CD changer and speakers) then add a new head unit.

Good luck, Steve

[Ranger354]

Great idea Steve.

I can burn just about anything from the home PC. I have over 5,000 songs at hand with more on the way. The current sound in this truck is considerably better then the 99 Extcab that I used to own. I would just like a little more. I didn't know if I should put in a amp to power all 4 speakers, or if the stock door speakers would handle an aftermarket amp.

They guys at the local car stereo shop will tell you most anything to make a sale. That is why I am asking questions on here.

[SoCalDMAX]

I think the stock door speakers are pretty lousy. Mdrag just changed out the door speakers and is very happy (last I heard) with the stock head unit and new speakers.

Regards, Steve

[mdrag]

Ranger354,

As pointed out by SoCalDmax, I upgraded all four door speakers with the Pioneer component speakers he mentioned, along with the 12 Disc Delco (Pioneer) CD changer and steering wheel audio controls. See my sig for the link to pics of the install.

I'm very pleased with the sound with the OEM hu and speaker upgrade, and many disagree with this, but we are dealing with personal tastes here and I expect differences of opinions. IMHO, it sounds good at moderate listening levels, and for less than $200 for the Pioneer speakers - provides good bang for the buck. It really depends on how loud you prefer your audio. Too many people equate LOUDNESS with QUALITY sound.

I will likely add a powered sub at some point.

I feel the OEM speakers are very weak. If you decide to go with a high powered hu and amps, the OEM speakers will need to be replaced for the best results. Why not start with the speaker upgrade as the first step. If you're not satisfied, add an amp(s) and/or hu and go from there. If you find the speaker upgrade satisfies your ears, you'll save a bunch of $$$$....

[Ranger354]

Sounds good guys. I plan on doing some mods/adds to the exterior such as a gril guard and headache rack. Once the mods are complete I will post some pictures.

I took a buddy for a ride last night and he is ready to hand down his Dodge Cummins to his son and buy a chevy.

[chicoc48]

SoCalDmax and stillracing--

Just wondering about specific dimensions/volumes of your sub boxes. We've been doing some measuring, but things look really tight even for a 10". They will obviously fit, as I've seen a few pics of them installed. What do you have to remove behind the seat?? I assume the spring-loaded flapper has to go, but did you remove the carpet behind the seat also? What about cutting the plastic shroud between the carpet and the rear window to get some space?? My mounting depth has to be 6.5", no less. Add 1.5" to that for both pieces of .750 thick box-board and you don't really have enough room. Also running into a lack of volume for my subs- asking for about a cubic foot for optimal sound.

Stillracing- How in the world do you fit 3 10's??
And how did you mount your amps? Will the seat still fold forward??
Sorry I have so many questions. Just want to do this right the first time!!

[Silver Bullet]

Here is a little more info...I am research sub boxes myself...

http://forum.62-65-dieselpage.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=7&t=002212

http://forum.62-65-dieselpage.com/ubb/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic&f=7&t=002340

I have found a box that will meet my needs, but I am trying to find out a little more info...
http://www.sierragrafix.com/skinnyblinky

[NutNbutGMC]

^....Skinny's sub dimensions work quite well. I used his template (thanks again Slim), with a few minor mods. All I had to remove was the flap. Nothing else. Be sure and add an inline noise suppressor. I have pics posted (click in the sig line) as does Skinny.

And don't forget the XM radio. Satellite radio rocks the roads for me.

[Silver Bullet]

Hey Nut - I dropped Slim an e-mail, but haven't had a reply yet, so let me bounce my questions off you...

- Is the sub air box open to the part the box behind the amp? (It looks like you built yours slightly different than his spec.)

- Is the box ported or completely enclosed?

...more questions to come as I get answers!!! :D

[SoCalDMAX]

Chicoc48,

IIRC, my box was 8.5" at the bottom and 4.5" at the top, my subs are touching the bach of the enclosure. Looks like your subs may be deeper t han mine. You could cut out the rear panel to make room for the magnet. It will still seal fine against the carpet, might actually act like polyfill.

IIRC, total volume for a full width box came out to about 2.2 cuft, very happy with the sound levels/depth of bass.

I removed the dual flap at the bottom, left the carpet behind the box, but trimmed the plastic along the natural seam at the bottom.

Regards, Steve

[ 07-12-2002: Message edited by: SoCalDMAX ]</p>

[NutNbutGMC]

^....My box is completely enclosed with no vents. I have 0.97 cubic ft of air space. Just right for a 10" sub. I couldn't be any more pleased unless it spit out $100 bills from the sub. For a crew cab, this is quite the setup for cab space compatibility. It's no thumper. This setup fits the truck perfectly for clean, tight, quality sound, enhanced with XM radio's digital signals. I have an Alpine head and ROckford FOsgate from there back through all 4 doors, including the sub and the amp. Skinny Blinkey is very busy with several things for now. I have chatted with him recently and his time is limited and over-allocated. He's hard to catch up with.

[Silver Bullet]

Thanks Nut...I got a reply from Slim...all my questions are answered for now in regards to the sub box. I will most likely go with his template when I am ready. I am off to learn about radios, speakers, amps, and how much power is needed to run everything effectively.

Did you use the existing speaker wires for the door speakers or run something that could take a little more power pushed down 'em?

Thanks.

[SoCalDMAX]

SB,

If you're going head unit and separate amps, I'd cut the speaker wires several inches before the connectors to the door harness (in the front footwells and bottom of B pillar areas) and run a decent gauge wire, 12ga or so from the amps to the connectors. Just use the factory wire into the door.

I found Crutchfield.com is an excellent source of info for tech specs, fitment and features (like which head unit does mp3 and XM radio, etc).

Then I went to Ebay.com and Ubid.com and scored the equipment at huge savings. And dats da name a dat tune. ;)

Regards, Steve

[ 07-12-2002: Message edited by: SoCalDMAX ]</p>

[NutNbutGMC]

^...SB.... As stated by SCDM... what he said, however I put in new wire, all the way, 12 ga IIRC. Just remember the old but wise philosophy, you get what you pay for. BE SURE and use cross-overs and seperate mids / tweeters for (at least) the two front door speakers. Glad to hear that you are on the right track. Infinity or Rockford Fosgate seem to be the preferred components at this time. Don't forget a head with the XM ready option, if you think you'll ever want satellite radio.

[Silver Bullet]

Thanks for all the input. Once I design my affordable "dream" system, I'll post back and get some feedback from the resident pros to see if I have over looked or miscalculated anything. I am not planning on jumping into this project right away, but you know how that goes once you get it in your head!!! :D

[NutNbutGMC]

^...SB.. Best of luck with your new endeaver. It's really a fun project. Holler back this way if I can be of any additional help, however you seem to have a handle on the situation.

[TexasDmax]

I have 4 JL10w3's behind the seat of my crew cab it required me to move the rear seat forward about 2 1\2 inches and remove the flapper behind the seat, I mounted the amps (3) under the rear seat,also I have JL xr 6 1\2 components in the front doors and coaxials in the back all tied to precision power amps for the subs and mids if you would like i will try to get some pics this weekend. It sounds awesome with everything from classical to country to everything you could imagine, I have had audio systems in everything I own and this by far out does them all. The Alpine head unit has digital processing and you can adjust the signals to the speakers so that in the drivers seat it seams as though you are completly centered let me know about the picks

Jason

[Silver Bullet]

TexasDmax - No need to ask about the pics...we always want to see!!! Welcome to the forum!