3rd Gen JL Stealthbox Install

After looking at this from all angles, the incremental approach paid off and I avoided the removal of the passenger side cabin vent.

I had to trim the plastic panel/surround (used an oscillating multi-tool) that the enclosure fits within as well as the vent drip troughs. I tested door closing with only one vent partially uncovered and the doors shut fine. Why they designed it with two is beyond me, but to mitigate risk of unintended consequences, I decided to keep the modified one functional.

There is no interference. Slamming the back seat upright does not contact the vent assembly. Pictures should speak for themselves, but lemme know if you have any questions.

 

any pics with the stealthbox installed?

 

This is about as far as I've gotten. Slow process with the full integration of amps, DSP, speakers, etc. and enjoying the weekend. Anyway, the JL rig has been mounted all the way minus electrics for sake of mechanical function check. I recommend leaving more plastic around the upper corners for aesthetic purposes. I'll stuff some carpet in there or some other form of ghetto repair.

I also "improved" the mat over the opening. Shorter in height, but longer in length to match original dam height and to curl around the sides, respectively. Recommend trimming the OEM apron/mat so that there is no risk of from the additional thickness. I didn't test with it in place hence the recommendation.

Here it is within the panel:

 

Nice job man!! I kind of wish I would have thought of it but now that I'm all done with my system I'm happy. The stealth box looks really good in there though. Can't wait to see your truck all done.

 

Thanks man. Your thread helped a lot. Iterative process...

...it had better sound good for the amount of effort/$:

Audison AP8.9bit
Audison AP1 D
Audison DRC MP
Focal PC 165F
Focal PS 165 FX
JL Stealthbox
********* Speaker Mounts
Various cable, distribution blocks, 1F capacitor, MDF, carpet

Currently, the interior (minus dash) is in a spare room, trim is laid out on dining room table. It's borderline chore. Fortunately, I'm letting paint cure a bit more before taking it for tint and PPF so "can't" drive it anyway.

Kind of a shame that one of the goals is to hide it away and make it appear stock. 1st world problems.

 

It definitely is a crap ton of work to get it all right but you will be happy in the end. I'm glad my thread helped you out with your build. By the looks of your audio components your truck is going to sound awesome. If you need any help let me know. I will be watching your thread for more pics. Good luck with everything.

 

Truck stereo is finally alive. Will be posting some pics sooner than later. When installing the head unit back in, I could only find x8 plugs as compared to the x9 females in the head. Am I missing one? Searched high and low, so to speak.

 

Here's some pics of where I ended up. Sounds great. Audison DSP is a bit daunting wrt the amount of settings so I broke down and paid a shop to use their Audison bit Tune. At least this way, I'll have something to use as a baseline.

Still have to mount the Audison DRC MP into the dash. Going to modify the storage pocket area just above the 3 button array to the left of the steering wheel.

Also still wondering if I have a plug hiding behind the head unit that I didn't get plugged in. So far, I haven't noticed any missing features or non-functioning items.

 

That looks incredible! Nice work man! How is it all sounding?

 

Sounds real good. Mids and sub are still new/tight, but overall the best system I've ever had. Goal was to get something that can go louder than I can comfortably listen to while still sounding intact (no distortion). It drove my neighbor out of the truck before one song was over. The Focals are definitely some of the best.

While the JL Stealthbox is still new/tight, it can't compete with a larger, ported box and driver. That said, it's still got plenty of punch without sounding "boomy". Anyway, we'll see how it goes, but I was never expecting it to sound as good as a speaker that's as deep as it is in diameter.

Thanks for the compliments. Hated to give up that storage, but just couldn't fit both amps in the sub nook/pocket and moving the cap under the box was putting it too far away for a short wire run. Also couldn't bring myself to simply lay those expensive black boxes under the front seats. Justifying my decisions I reckon, but overall pleased with the results. I'm thinking about opening up a hole over the jack and installing a remote turn on exhaust fan. Like a larger computer fan... Nothing crazy or loud. The sub amp is okay, but the DSP/8.9 channel amp gets hot. No problems with it so far, but cooler is almost always better with electronics for longevity.

If you know of any fans like that, I'm all ears.

Also still curious about this plug?
Thanks