Subwoofer show and tell

[BigIron]

I did the install myself. Put in a LCi7 line output converter next to the JL monoblock powering the sub and mounted both of those to some MDF that I glued to the back wall behind the carpet. Installed a 6 channel inline amp hidden behind the dash to give some life to the factory XLT speakers (want to upgrade just haven't gotten around to because I am pretty damn happy with what it sounds like already). The worst part of the install is removing all the dash and trim plastics, but once those were out I used a harness that I found mentioned on the forms here that plugs in between the factory harness and the deck to give speaker leads which I ran to the line output converter and the inline amp. All my wires were run on the floor under the trim and the monoblock amp wire was ran through the rear cabin vent. I had everything on hand from previous set ups and my boss gave me the sub out of his truck when it got totaled. So I lucked out and did not pay a penny.

I am by no means a pro and this is definitely the most "tech advanced" vehicle I've ever done an install on. If you have reservations about installing it or have not had much experience installing electronics into cars I would strongly suggest finding a reputable and respected shop to do the wiring for you. I used to work at Car Toys (please Please PLEASE do not trust them to do your install. At least when I worked for them, the shops around my location were beyond sketchy), and I would see customers come in with some pretty significant damage done because they wanted to save money on install and attempt it themselves. It's not rocket science, but the wrong mistake can be very costly.

Thankfully the only mistake I made and cannot seem to remedy is that when the truck turns itself off at stoplights, the entire sound system shuts off. I know it has to do with the remote wire to either the line output converter or one of the amps but I hated pulling the dash so much I just live with it and try to always turn off the auto start/stop ?

This is a fantastic write up and actually motivates me to want to do this install myself... you brought up something interesting, which is routing amp power to the door speakers. I've got aftermarket's speakers now but I've both experienced and heard that the factory output to aftermarket speakers will cause the speakers to perform at suboptimal levels, since the silicone cones are heavier and would require more power to move air like they have the capability to do. Shop was going to charge $1,600 to bring amp power to the speakers alone. You mentioned you did it alongside this project... don't mind that!

Did you end up using Forscan to cut out the fake engine noise? Have read that can be a player in getting your audio to peak performance given you'll naturally get some fake engine sound coming out the sub.

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[tcour]

This is a fantastic write up and actually motivates me to want to do this install myself... you brought up something interesting, which is routing amp power to the door speakers. I've got aftermarket's speakers now but I've both experienced and heard that the factory output to aftermarket speakers will cause the speakers to perform at suboptimal levels, since the silicone cones are heavier and would require more power to move air like they have the capability to do. Shop was going to charge $1,600 to bring amp power to the speakers alone. You mentioned you did it alongside this project... don't mind that!

Did you end up using Forscan to cut out the fake engine noise? Have read that can be a player in getting your audio to peak performance given you'll naturally get some fake engine sound coming out the sub.

I left the wires to the speakers as is and utilized a t-harness similar to the one found here:

(I CANNOT STATE IF THIS IS THE EXACT ONE I USED OR IF THIS EVEN FITS OUR TRUCKS - JUST AN EXAMPLE)

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/pac-lo...t-ford-vehicles-multi/6512876.p?skuId=6512876

It's been some time since doing the install so I am trying to recollect the process.

From there I ran the tapped wires to the LC7i for processing, and from the LC7i to the inline and the monoblock amps. I never touched anything in ForScan related to the sound system and I have zero popping, whine, static, ground-loop noise, or the false engine noise. I believe this is all thanks to the LC7i doing its job filtering and processing the signal. That or I just got extremely lucky and don't know what to tell you.. But I've used the LC7i on the past 3 installs I've done and have always had tremendous luck with it. Just be sure to research tuning and setting it correctly on YouTube. Its pretty straight forward but can be a little tedious.

The factory wires should be sufficient going to the aftermarket speakers provided you run the LC7i and whatever amp you are using to power them falls within their designated RMS. The only time I've seen new speaker wire runs to be necessary is when the vehicle is extremely old or if the new speakers being installed are some ridiculously high end $1800+ Focals or something of the like. I can't speak for how our trucks wiring will handle your speakers because IDK what you have and I haven't gotten around to upgrading my own as of yet.

The ONE thing that I do find to be annoying, although Ive gotten used to it now, is that EVERY beep the truck made before is now amplified as well. So for example, the front/rear proximity sensors are a bit louder and a different tone.

IMPORTANT SIDE NOTE:
When you are running the speaker wires to/from the LC7i (or any speaker wires you run) channel them down one side of the vehicle and channel any power supply wires down the other side. This can help reduce the chance of your speaker wires picking up odd static from being in too close proximity to the main power run.

 

[BigIron]

I left the wires to the speakers as is and utilized a t-harness similar to the one found here:

(I CANNOT STATE IF THIS IS THE EXACT ONE I USED OR IF THIS EVEN FITS OUR TRUCKS - JUST AN EXAMPLE)

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/pac-lo...t-ford-vehicles-multi/6512876.p?skuId=6512876

It's been some time since doing the install so I am trying to recollect the process.

From there I ran the tapped wires to the LC7i for processing, and from the LC7i to the inline and the monoblock amps. I never touched anything in ForScan related to the sound system and I have zero popping, whine, static, ground-loop noise, or the false engine noise. I believe this is all thanks to the LC7i doing its job filtering and processing the signal. That or I just got extremely lucky and don't know what to tell you.. But I've used the LC7i on the past 3 installs I've done and have always had tremendous luck with it. Just be sure to research tuning and setting it correctly on YouTube. Its pretty straight forward but can be a little tedious.

The factory wires should be sufficient going to the aftermarket speakers provided you run the LC7i and whatever amp you are using to power them falls within their designated RMS. The only time I've seen new speaker wire runs to be necessary is when the vehicle is extremely old or if the new speakers being installed are some ridiculously high end $1800+ Focals or something of the like. I can't speak for how our trucks wiring will handle your speakers because IDK what you have and I haven't gotten around to upgrading my own as of yet.

The ONE thing that I do find to be annoying, although Ive gotten used to it now, is that EVERY beep the truck made before is now amplified as well. So for example, the front/rear proximity sensors are a bit louder and a different tone.

IMPORTANT SIDE NOTE:
When you are running the speaker wires to/from the LC7i (or any speaker wires you run) channel them down one side of the vehicle and channel any power supply wires down the other side. This can help reduce the chance of your speaker wires picking up odd static from being in too close proximity to the main power run.

Great stuff. Going to get a few parts ordered at the very least to build my box, then depending how ballsy I'm feeling we'll see if I end up wanting to give it a try for myself. I'll keep the thread updated!

So far I'm going with the 10" JL sub that they put in the Stealthbox a la carte bc it's designed for that smaller bin size. More $$ than other subs, but paying up for the fact that this thing works in as little as .35 cubic feet. Still much much cheaper than the Stealthbox.

 

[geezmo2020]

Another prime concern is cone excursion on the under-seat sub. I visited a rather high-end install shop, where the shop manager showed me what a happens if the sub (a W7 )can't do its job properly (the driver motor or motors get fried). I used .75" spacers under the seat mounts to give the sub room to do it's job. Granted I am not running a W7, but just something to be aware of.

 

[BigIron]

Another prime concern is cone excursion on the under-seat sub. I visited a rather high-end install shop, where the shop manager showed me what a happens if the sub (a W7 )can't do its job properly (the driver motor or motors get fried). I used .75" spacers under the seat mounts to give the sub room to do it's job. Granted I am not running a W7, but just something to be aware of.

Good point. This is the little shallow mount that they use in the Stealth and the one that I grabbed.

https://www.crutchfield.com/p_13692188/JL-Audio-10TW1-2.html?omnews=19381993

It has a mesh guard up top that I'm hoping protects the face of the sub, but I'll consider spacers as well. Given there's some flex to the fabric beneath the seat, maybe something I install on the lid of the box are little blocks that press the fabric seat bottom up enough to allow for good travel of the cone, and limit snuffing out the output. Or just space the actual seat up.

 

[tcour]

Another prime concern is cone excursion on the under-seat sub. I visited a rather high-end install shop, where the shop manager showed me what a happens if the sub (a W7 )can't do its job properly (the driver motor or motors get fried). I used .75" spacers under the seat mounts to give the sub room to do it's job. Granted I am not running a W7, but just something to be aware of.

Great note, definitely was a concern I've forgotten about by now when I was first installing the sub. Granted, I've had a W6 in the past and it definitely jumped up and down quite a bit more than the little 8" Alpine I'm running currently ? Under my seat you can see a light impression from where the fabric is contacting the subwoofer but I made sure to position the sub where it was only fabric, nothing rigid is coming into contact with the sub. After 4-5 years I have not had a problem but your mileage may vary

 

[Sir Slickity]

I left the wires to the speakers as is and utilized a t-harness similar to the one found here:

(I CANNOT STATE IF THIS IS THE EXACT ONE I USED OR IF THIS EVEN FITS OUR TRUCKS - JUST AN EXAMPLE)

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/pac-lo...t-ford-vehicles-multi/6512876.p?skuId=6512876

It's been some time since doing the install so I am trying to recollect the process.

From there I ran the tapped wires to the LC7i for processing, and from the LC7i to the inline and the monoblock amps. I never touched anything in ForScan related to the sound system and I have zero popping, whine, static, ground-loop noise, or the false engine noise. I believe this is all thanks to the LC7i doing its job filtering and processing the signal. That or I just got extremely lucky and don't know what to tell you.. But I've used the LC7i on the past 3 installs I've done and have always had tremendous luck with it. Just be sure to research tuning and setting it correctly on YouTube. Its pretty straight forward but can be a little tedious.

The factory wires should be sufficient going to the aftermarket speakers provided you run the LC7i and whatever amp you are using to power them falls within their designated RMS. The only time I've seen new speaker wire runs to be necessary is when the vehicle is extremely old or if the new speakers being installed are some ridiculously high end $1800+ Focals or something of the like. I can't speak for how our trucks wiring will handle your speakers because IDK what you have and I haven't gotten around to upgrading my own as of yet.

The ONE thing that I do find to be annoying, although Ive gotten used to it now, is that EVERY beep the truck made before is now amplified as well. So for example, the front/rear proximity sensors are a bit louder and a different tone.

IMPORTANT SIDE NOTE:
When you are running the speaker wires to/from the LC7i (or any speaker wires you run) channel them down one side of the vehicle and channel any power supply wires down the other side. This can help reduce the chance of your speaker wires picking up odd static from being in too close proximity to the main power run.

Where did you attach your ground cable coming from the monoblock? I used a little metal bracket behind the rear seats but I feel like it's a bad ground.

 

[geezmo2020]

Not to jump in, but jumping in anyhow, I also used the small bracket. I did sand the paint off (to bare metal), when checked with meter it showed no resistance. After that I figured it was a good grounding spot.

 

[tcour]

Where did you attach your ground cable coming from the monoblock? I used a little metal bracket behind the rear seats but I feel like it's a bad ground.

I used the seat bracket bolt that can be seen in the photo between the amp and the line converter. My amp has a ground processing feature so I wasn't too concerned about sanding down the paint though that certainly won't hurt. Please ignore all the dust and the emergency TP roll, we adventure in the mountains frequently ?
And please feel free to judge my wiring, it was late at night when I got finished roughing everything in and I'll be damned if I haven't found the time to tidy up the wires in the past five years... ?

 

[BigIron]

Update for the sub box:

I ordered the sub that goes in the stealthbox, and verified the volume of the storage bin is a match. Bin is .4 cubic feet and the JL sub works with .35 cubic feet which makes sense given the stealthbox fits into the storage space.

I wanted to firm up the bin before wrapping it in carpet so I put 2+ layers of resin+fiberflglass around the outside, then wrapped it in an acoustic carpet. It's much more solid now hopefully eliminating any funkiness that could result from the bin flexing. Coming up I'll line the inside with deadening mat and a closed cell foam, throw on and wrap the lid in carpet, and get this thing put in the truck

 

[tcour]

Update for the sub box:

I ordered the sub that goes in the stealthbox, and verified the volume of the storage bin is a match. Bin is .4 cubic feet and the JL sub works with .35 cubic feet which makes sense given the stealthbox fits into the storage space.

I wanted to firm up the bin before wrapping it in carpet so I put 2+ layers of resin+fiberflglass around the outside, then wrapped it in an acoustic carpet. It's much more solid now hopefully eliminating any funkiness that could result from the bin flexing. Coming up I'll line the inside with deadening mat and a closed cell foam, throw on and wrap the lid in carpet, and get this thing put in the truck

Looks amazing and great idea beefing it up with the fiberglass!

 

[BigIron]

Looks amazing and great idea beefing it up with the fiberglass!

Thanks so much! Have appreciated your inspiration on this! Been a fun one to work on. I had a thought back to your commentary on the auto start stop turning off your stereo. Ever thought of getting one of these? Would solve that issue at least.

https://www.autostopeliminator.com/...g7OAXRUhuJmR4Tosd9Ry-oj3uoOmsnYxoCBpcQAvD_BwE

 

[tcour]

Thanks so much! Have appreciated your inspiration on this! Been a fun one to work on. I had a thought back to your commentary on the auto start stop turning off your stereo. Ever thought of getting one of these? Would solve that issue at least.

https://www.autostopeliminator.com/...g7OAXRUhuJmR4Tosd9Ry-oj3uoOmsnYxoCBpcQAvD_BwE

This community has helped me a ton in the past, I'm happy I was able to begin to pay it back!

Yeah, I looked into those and it would probably be the easiest fix.. but that's $100 that I have to take away from other mods like finally upgrading the leaf springs or switching to solid driveshaft. Suppose I could take it out of the "when the tranny grenades fund" ?

 

[wickkid]

Here's a link to my original post for my system. Like many others I used the storage bucket to create a sub enclosure but I installed an 8" Polk woofer which better suited the airspace. It sounds really good and punchy. I've made further changes adding a center speaker and adding the grill cover from the B&O system.

https://www.ranger5g.com/forum/threads/what-did-you-do-to-your-ranger-today.3511/post-502205

 

[BigIron]

Here's a link to my original post for my system. Like many others I used the storage bucket to create a sub enclosure but I installed an 8" Polk woofer which better suited the airspace. It sounds really good and punchy. I've made further changes adding a center speaker and adding the grill cover from the B&O system.

https://www.ranger5g.com/forum/threads/what-did-you-do-to-your-ranger-today.3511/post-502205

Looks awesome! Thanks for sharing!

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