2015 Taco sound system install and A BIG THANK YOU!!

Hello guys/gals, just wanted to share my system install with you all and also say "THANK YOU" to everyone that posts on these boards with the intention of helping us all learn about our rides.

First off, i wanted to build an original system with my own hands, but also one that looks good and sounds good LOL.. Seeing as im not a professional sound man, my nervousness in starting this project on my new taco was a big hurdle to overcome. So i decided to take the bull by the horns and do the best i could, win or lose. With the help of some of you guys/gals posts, i managed to atleast get a starting point and some critical info that had you not shared with us would have been very difficult to overcome, so thanks again..

So first thing i did was pretty much take the interior out to lay dynamat throughout the whole cab. I changed out the door speakers with kicker ks series 6x9 and 6.5" and those are being powered by a kenwood ex 600 watt amp @ 4ohm... That was fairly easy, but then came the hard part... LOL...
Post below will include pics.... stay tuned

 

Good job! Installing stereo's is a lot of fun. Tuning them is an art form. Can't wait to see some pics!

 

I would like to see some pic's. My install is coming up soon. I'm leaving it up to the audio place I deal with.

 

I started building the subwoofer box and wanted something that was original, that fit, and that could hold 3 10" MTX shallow 2ohm subs.. the options was very limited due to space so i went to measuring and looking online for ideas and came up with a box design that was modified a bit...


Building the sub box was interesting to say the least and took me a bit to build because like I said, im not a pro builder so figuring out angles and proper fitting was pretty hard to do for me. But once it was all laid out and fit, i glued it all up and nailed it together. Once the glue dried, i sealed it up inside and put it in the truck to see if it fit. It fit great but just didnt have a "WOW" moment for me, just looked plain and boring. So i decided to try a design on it (top piece) that would go with my favorite football team, and color of the truck.. heres what i could come up with (IM NO ARTIST) so this too took me alot of time to get figured out that looked atleast decent...


And thats what could come up with... glued and nailed it all up, put it in to see if it would fit and it didnt. Had to adjust the top seat latch out by using some spacers and longer bolts. Tried it again and booooyyaaaaahhh. On to the next step....

 

So i wanted to run one Rockford Fosgate 500x1d mono amp per syb to get all the power from the subs.. called fosgate and the rep helped me with the settings and how to wire it all up.. the problem was where to place them... so i decided to use tthe storage under the seat but i didnt want to modify or cut anything.. i wanted something to mount the amps on and have something i could pull out if i ever trade and still be able to put the factory case back in easy... this took me a looooong time to figure out but managed to build a amp rack that fit like a glove in that space.... i painted it with truck bed liner (5-6 coats) to strengthen it up and seal it.. took a crap load of measuring, in and out, and sanding.. but was worth it in the end i think.

And thats how the amo rack turned out... drilled the proper amount of holes through the bottom braces to run the wires, so i only have to disconnect the power, ground, remote, and rem wires and she will pull right out.. plus i can still get to the jack if need be...


Hooked the amps all up and boooyyyyaaaaahhh.. was very pleased how it turned out and the seats lay down just the same as before.. happy happy happy... then........

 

I need to paint the box and put it all together... i decided to paint it with truck bedliner to help strengthen it and to seal up any small voids i may have had during the build... that was a messy and stinky ride but was worth it in the end. The box is hard as hell now and there is zero leaks in it, which shocked me since my carpentry skills suck.. lol... once it dried, i masked up the top and tried to airbrush the design... that was very very frustrating because i have OCD lmfao... start, stop, sand, start, stop, sand etc etc... finally i just simmered down and took a deep breath and just went with what i could... turned out ok i guess but im sure ill repaint it again eventually.. hot and humid here in georgia so the paint wasnt the best along wuth a heavy dose of OCD.. lololzzzz...


And that was all I could do without trying to find a pro airbrush person and spend alot more money that i didnt have... im satisfied for now i supose... so thenn it was put in the truck time and dial it in (thanks to the rockford rep on the phone for letting me bug him and walking me through hooking it all up)...

 

Slapped the box in, seats in and had to adjust a few things on the top seat bracket yet again because the thickness was a bit more after paint (truck liner has grit in it and its pretty thick once it dries).. took a minute to figure out a solution but it worked out eventually and booooyyaaaaaaaahhh!! Adjusted the amps and to match pretty much all the music i play and it is kicking some serious boooooty... makes my clothes move and i think my mirrors may be toast, but will see....

So there she is.. im pretty happy with it and luckily i didnt break anything or scratch the truck all up... Thank the Lord!!!! Thanks for letting me share with you guys and my next post will be a list of all the equipment installed. Any questions you may have ill be glad to help as much as i can if you decide to try this...

 

Nice job dude and write up on the install. Did you change your headunit.?

 

Great build! You should sell these.

 

Used in the build is as follows:

2 kicker ks series 6x9 in front door (dynamated)

2 kicker ks series 6.5" in the back doors (dynamated)

Kenwood Ex 600watt 4 channel running door speakers.

3 Rockford Fosgate 500 monoblock amps. (One per sub).

3 MTX 10" shallow 2ohm subs..

1 Rockford Fosgate 10 Farad compacitor.

2 Rockford Fosgate power blocks. (1 used for the ground wires).

Used 1/0 gauge main power, split off to the amos 4/0 gauge...

And ALOT OF TIME and ALOT patience (which with sho-nuff OCD, was hard lolol)..

Spent about $1,500-1800) total on the equipment, wood, paints and etc... more than i wanted to spend really but was way less than quotes i had from pro shops to build it all, so overall im a happy camper and this system is sho-nuff knocking and loud as hell. Comming up, a post about pissed off neighbors... lololol....

THANKS GUYS and good luck on your builds... let me know if I can help in anyway with things learned and i will do the best I can to help.... have a great day....

ROLLLLLLL TIIIIIIIDE !!!!!!!

 

I didnt change out the headunit... it was actually very easy and had plenty of juice (per the rockford rep) so he helped me locate the right adapters and went from there.. hardest part really was just changing out the door speakers and the dynamat... without breaking things... lolol.. thank you as well for the kudos..

 

Would be a great idea if i had skills enough to do them quick.. took my OCD behind about 2 weeks to get it ready for paint... lolol... not gret with measuring so took alot of cutting and sanding to get it to fit snug.. was hard but fun... Thank you

 

Once you make a few more they will be easy! I'd love to have one of these so I can stuff my amps in there. I'll build stereo boxes but nothing more than that. I just hate wood working/fiberglass work.

 

I actually found out i enjoy working with wood. Actually helps calm me down a bit.. its the painting i struggle with the most.. i have plenty of wood left so just let me know if you would like to get one and i can build one for you.. just need to know the W,H,L of your amps so that they wont hit the bottom of the seat when its down. You do have bend the lip of the storage area back just a bit to get it in there, but once its in there, just take a piece of wood and tap it back down when the carpet is wrapped under it. Looks pretty good once its in.. let me know.... or i can maybe walk you through the sizes you will need in the corners..

 

Interesting. Shipping was my concern with it but I may take up your offer to help just build my own. It's very clean looking and you did a great job with it.


My dad is the same way, he spends 8 hours in his garage every day just building a table, or chess board, or whatever. It's soothing to him.

 

LOL.. i can relate to your pops... lol.. believe it or not, my dr actually recommended it to me. I really do have adult ADD and some OCD and the difference it has made with me has been greater than the meds he wants me to take. It pretty much forces me to find patience ir fail.. lol.. shipping wont be bad at all but if you want to try to build you one, ill do my best to walk you through it 4 sure..

 

I'm sending you a PM so not to clutter your thread.

 

No problem...

 

Woah... Pretty badass dude!

 

Very nice. Now if the paint job was in orange and navy and said way eagle! ;o)