1st Gen Sub Install in Xtra Cab

First off, I got too caught up in the installation to take pictures of the install in-process, so unfortunately, all I have is some after pictures. I did this about a year ago, but I only joined TW recently and figured I'd share...

Aside from good sound, the most important thing was to keep the truck looking stock and keep the back seats 100% functional. This led me to the concept of putting in a box in the passenger side storage area. I started doing a fiberglass bottom with MDF sides, but I quickly realized that I'm no good with fiberglass, so I ditched that part of the concept. I ended up building the sides/top out of MDF and bolting it directly to the metal under the shelf (first, I removed the shelf sheet metal). I've done similar things with other cars (i.e. spare tire well) without sacrificing sound quality, so I was ok with the compromise and was happy to stop fumbling with fiberglass. The internal volume of the enclosure is about 0.55 cubic feet, which is close enough for the Kenwood shallow mount 8" sub (KFC-XW800), which requires 0.50 cubic feet.

As for the amplifiers, I used something I've never used before. I was in the car audio business for quite a few years, but I've been out of it for quite some time. When researching, I learned that there have been a lot of advances with Class D amplifiers, so, due to space considerations (wanting to mount the amplifiers under the seats), a Class D amplifier seemed like a good choice (small package, high power, high efficiency). I went with a Kenwood Excelon XR-1S for the sub, and a Kenwood Excelon XR-4S for the mids/highs. Wow, I'm thoroughly impressed. These things are tiny, but they really pump out the sound.

I replaced the factory speakers with Infiniti Kappa 6x8 all the way around. For the rears, they were the coaxial 682.9cf and for the front, they were the component 680.9cs. The head unit is an Eclipse AVN52D with GPS, Ipod, and Bluetooth. I also Dynamatted the entire cab, which made a huge difference.

Anyway, here are some pics:

Head unit


Seat Down


Seat Up


Cover off


Sub Amp


Mids/Highs Amp


Oh, and it sounds AWESOME!!!

 

Nice clean install I'm currently working on fiber glassing 10" boxes out of the back site panels where the back speakers are. i will be doing a write up when I'm finished.

 

Thanks man! Fiberglass is quite an art. Good luck. Looking forward to the write-up.

 

Nice install! Just what i was looking for as I can't afford to sacrafice any seat space.

 

Very nice stealth install!

 

Wow that's kickass. Wish you had taken pics of the process I have a bigass sub sitting behind me in my xtra cab. Would love to have that seat back. Unfortunately I use the storage space for first aid kit, rope, gloves, flares, and the spare tire kit. Subscribed.

 

that's the way to go! for the best sq, you don't want to use your back speakers anyway - and if you can build some decent boxes to put in that space, you'd be making great use of the xtra cab space. love to see pics of what you're doing...

 

Nice install. Too bad that's where i like to keep my liquor.

 

Any issues with the 682.9's fitting in the back? I'm looking at getting them as well, probably for the front too. Crutchfield says they'll fit. I just don't want to have to cut much out. They said the same thing about the speakers I put in the door of my 2000 Reg Cab, (can't remember the brand) and I had to hack part of the inside of the door out, they mounted fine just too tall. I don't want to deal with that again with the kappas.

 

Also where did you put the tweeters for the 680's? Would you mind posting pictures of them?

 

You should produce and sell these.

I'd buy one in a heartbeat.

 

Nope, no issues at all. They fit perfectly. The toughest part, as you may already know, is getting the panels off cleanly, but I had already done that because I dynamatted the entire cab.

I put the tweeters in the factory tweeter location, using the factory tweeter grills. It took a little "customization" to get them in properly, but it wasn't too bad, plus it looks 100% stock. There's not much that a picture can show you without removing the panel, but let me know if you want a pic of the stock tweeter locations.

Thanks, that makes me feel good. I'd love to produce them, but it would be more work than I'm willing to bite off. Tell you what, if the existing sub blows, I'll redo the enclosure and create a template that I'll use to produce them, but that's a big "if".

 

I'm great at looking like a jackass. "I put the tweeters in the stock hole" I guess I should have looked a little more closely at the truck I'm buying. I didn't realize they had stock ones. I remembered installing speakers in my 2000 shorty that didn't have them, but it was a base model. So that explains it. Thanks for the info. And yeah, bad ass sub box, I would buy one as well. Thanks for the info

 

*prays your existing sub blows*

 

I just ordered a Kenwood Excelon XR-4S, got it for $300 with shipping to AK. I think it was a fair deal, average price after searching around. Funny thing is I still haven't picked up the truck. Plans changed and instead of flying out this morning, I don't leave until Sunday. Still looking for the best deal on speakers. I think I may copy you on that too.

How much dynomat did you use? I've helped friends put it in their vehicles but I've never used it in any of mine. I may do that this time around. It's pretty damn pricey though!

 

Sorry for the delay in my response; I haven't been on TW for a while. If I remember correctly, I used a little bit more than the amount included in the "36 ft. Dynamat Xtreme Bulk Pack". If you search around, you can get a deal; I think I paid about $150 for that...

 

Subbed for future reference

 

I made one of these as well.

Still have to smooth things out, but very happy with the result. Sounds pretty good for an 8" sub.

I'd be interested and willing to build more of these and ship them out. Now that I have the template, I could probably produce them pretty quickly.

PM me if you're interested.

-Andrew

 

Just returned your PM.

If I go ahead with this my kid, whose seat sits atop that space, is going to have a sore butt

 

How is the angle with the double-din? It seems like it would be hard to see if you are sitting straight up.