My first audio mod, be gentle

[AbnRgr]

I have started my first audio mod on any vehicle I have owned. That is if you don’t count the cheap speakers I mounted in the back window area of my ’65 Mustang. I’m adding an 800W under the seat subwoofer with amplifier (ST800). The unit is too large for slipping under the front passenger seat. As a result, I have gone with plan B, behind the rear seat utilizing the OEM wall mount. I purchased a polycarbonate cutting board large enough to mount the subwoofer, marked the appropriate locations for bolts to secure it to the truck’s mount and it to the board. drilled and countersunk the bolt holes. The trickiest part was getting behind the board to get a nut on the anchor bolts. What worked for me was to use wing nuts. They proved much easier than trying to attach a flat washer, split ring washer, and common nut to the end of the bolt when there is just enough room to get two fingertips in behind. There is a question in my mind whether the top two bolts where I used the wing nuts might loosen with time. We’ll see. The bottom two bolts went into threaded holes in the mount. For now everything is solid. I admit to being a little hesitant the first time I flipped the backseat upright, not knowing whether there was enough clearance to allow it to latch. There was!

Tomorrow, given some time. I’ll wire the unit up. Given I have a hybrid the runs will all be short. I also need to do some research to verify the colors for the right and left rear speakers that I’ll tie into. I’m pleased with my progress.

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[Osilith]

Watching to see your progress and how you choose to get your signal to the sub

 

[Carlitos_92]

I like the cutting board idea. Waterproof, rodent-proof, rigid, cuttable/drillable. Very cool.

If I were doing this, I'd just be worried that you have a pretty nice vibration creator (sub) lashed up to intermediate things (board) which are in turn lashed up to other vibrating things (truck body). I probably would have tried to mitigate vibration with rubber washers, thick tape or other stuff between all the things fastened together, probably in concert with Loc-Tite on the fasteners. But I have also been accused of over-designing things in the past.

Let us know how it goes!

 

[AbnRgr]

Watching to see your progress and how you choose to get your signal to the sub

I had been intending to tie into the back of the head unit. I went as far as purchasing an adapter interface cable. I found it is incapable with my subwoofer so it is going back. So now, I’m looking at using high level input by tapping the rear speakers.

 

[AbnRgr]

I like the cutting board idea. Waterproof, rodent-proof, rigid, cuttable/drillable. Very cool.

If I were doing this, I'd just be worried that you have a pretty nice vibration creator (sub) lashed up to intermediate things (board) which are in turn lashed up to other vibrating things (truck body). I probably would have tried to mitigate vibration with rubber washers, thick tape or other stuff between all the things fastened together, probably in concert with Loc-Tite on the fasteners. But I have also been accused of over-designing things in the past.

Let us know how it goes!

I should have thought of Loc-Tite, but, of course didn’t think of it at the time. It was enough of a challenge getting to this point that I don’t want to undo anything unless I have cause. I’ll report out if I have created a vibration monster.

 

[Fixxer]

A friend of mine recently installed two of these in his Tacoma. I was impressed with the bass output given the size of the enclosures. He mostly listens to rap music, and the subwoofers did pretty good there. According to him, the only negative is he has not found a way to turn off the blue light on the subwoofers. They can be annoying at night, as he mounted his in a similar area to yours. Overall, they sound good for the money. Good luck with yours.

 

[colinl]

A friend of mine recently installed two of these in his Tacoma. I was impressed with the bass output given the size of the enclosures. He mostly listens to rap music, and the subwoofers did pretty good there. According to him, the only negative is he has not found a way to turn off the blue light on the subwoofers. They can be annoying at night, as he mounted his in a similar area to yours. Overall, they sound good for the money. Good luck with yours.

that's pretty easy. if you ever have a light like that on anything - smart tv, tower house fan, etc just cover it with a dark-colored sticky note, or get some black Sugru and put it over if you want even more opaque at the cost of being slightly permanent in nature.

 

[The Cyber Orange Guy.]

Hey looking good, you're beating me big time, i been more than tempted to add a aftermarket amp and subwoofer, but talked to a ford technician and he advised to don't do it, so I'm waiting till my warranty expire to install mine, has been many moons since last installed system.

Keep us updated of how you like the sub, and the installation route.

 

[Lambretta]

Cutting board install looks good!

 

[AbnRgr]

Hey looking good, you're beating me big time, i been more than tempted to add a aftermarket amp and subwoofer, but talked to a ford technician and he advised to don't do it, so I'm waiting till my warranty expire to install mine, has been many moons since last installed system.

Keep us updated of how you like the sub, and the installation route.

What was the tech’s reasoning?

 

[AbnRgr]

This evening, I found a few minutes to review the wiring for my subwoofer. For ease of installation, I’ll be going with the high-level input mode, tying into the rear speakers. I believe I have what I need to get the job done but wanted to pose some questions for final conformation.

• Speaker wire colors:
  • Right Rear (passenger side) Green Violet and Gray
  • Left Rear (driver’s side) Gray Violet and Brown Green
• Which are the negatives?
• What gauge wire is recommended for making the speaker – subwoofer connection?
• The wiring diagram calls for a connection between the subwoofer and an accessory switched power source. It only shows a single positive wire (no separate ground). I realize I could go to a fuse tap at the interior fuse panel (3 or 6). I have a XLT with the luxury package. That gives me USB and 120V power ports on the rear of the center console. I believe they are on an accessory circuit not constant. Is there any reason I can’t tap into the USB’s wiring.
• Am I correct that this wire turns the sub off when the ignition is not switched on?

What am I forgetting?

 

[Carlitos_92]

What was the tech’s reasoning?

Dementia. And/or malicious ignorance.

Aftermarket car audio used to be an absolute necessity, and is still one of the most common (and sometimes easy) mods you can do, and you’d have to install the audio equipment with a hatchet and blowtorch to even come close to jeopardizing a warranty. That Ford technician had zero basis to say that.

 

[colinl]

Dementia. And/or malicious ignorance.

Aftermarket car audio used to be an absolute necessity, and is still one of the most common (and sometimes easy) mods you can do, and you’d have to install the audio equipment with a hatchet and blowtorch to even come close to jeopardizing a warranty. That Ford technician had zero basis to say that.

may have seen a few terrible systems, but I agree, that's still no reason to tell a customer not to install it.

installing a system badly and screwing up a vehicle is like changing the oil wrong. it's not impossible but it's hardly a risk.

 

[The Cyber Orange Guy.]

What was the tech’s reasoning?

Ford is using new tech (weaker) on how the electric system works, old cars you could take the battery and the car would keep running forever or you ran out of gas, now the system is so exact on the power the alternator use that it needs the battery to kerp runing, in other words in order to make everything more efficient there's not that much power in the electric system like for putting a big amp like i want to.

Plus he told me to just wait, because if anything go wrong ford could use it as reason to deny the warranty.

Have 1 more year on warranty, i can wait till then and try to get something like a 3 or 5 channels amp, nothing crazy just to be sure i don't damage nothing on the truck, plus is only for my ears, so no need for something big.

 

[The Cyber Orange Guy.]

may have seen a few terrible systems, but I agree, that's still no reason to tell a customer not to install it.

installing a system badly and screwing up a vehicle is like changing the oil wrong. it's not impossible but it's hardly a risk.

I learned like 20 years ago by putting the system with the engine on, yes i was that ignorant, but since then installed plenty of systems.

I understand and agree, but this been my 1st new vehicle, and with all the sensors and nany things on this new cars i rather don't play my luck with the dealer.

I know if I bring my car to a music place and they install it i might have a better change of fighting the dealer on case of something goes wrong, but i refuse to pay big $$ for something "so easy"

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