Here's a pretty extensive write up of what I did with my Ex stereo system:

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...n-remodel.html

enjoy!

 

thanks for the link

i got a lot of info from it and some ideas on what to do to mine

Couple of questions:

1. what second skin products did you buy? I'm looking to do the same thing to mine but having a hard time trying to figure out what product to go with.

2. since we're both in florida, did doing the roof with second skin really help with keeping the truck cool?

3. Did you get new carpets for the truck or reused the existing carpet? if you used new carpet, where did you get yours?

Mine is completely shot and need new carpets and mats, so when I change those out, im going to lay dampening material down.

4. how does it sound with the stealthbox and the sub in the back?

That's my big question/concern is putting 2 12's in a new custom center console and possibly a sub in each barn door is how the bass sounds having to distinct bass areas.

5. Did you ever find out what happened to the alternator?


Thanks again for the link and info

 

fyi-the factory radio is running the back 4 speakers and if i remember correctly they are connected together,when i put in new amps under the seats i ran new wires and paralleled the back 4,just make sure your amp is 2 ohm stable and you will be fine.

 

i plan on only running the front and rear door speakers and not using the far rear speakers at all

no point in hooking those up if now one will be back there

 

Hey Man!

1. I used the Damplifier Pro, Luxury Liner Pro, and Heatwave Pro (for the roof). I used thermal block for under hood.

2. It did help keep the truck cool...it is a noticeable difference!

3. I used the original carpet. I had my factory mats in so the original carpet looked good. I'm on only my second set of mats.

4. The stealthbox is not nearly enough bass for me, but perfect for my wife when she drives the truck. She uses the stealthbox and I use the rear sub only. I don't usually run them both at the same time. But they both do play...some cancellation between them though(not much air left in the truck to move...)

5. Bad rectifier in the alternator and something else...can't quite remember...


Anything else I can help you with, let me know!

 

Thanks for the information.

I found a few more system build threads and with those threads and yours, I think I have a pretty good idea of what brand sound insulation to use and what I need to do.

I'm really interested in seeing what happens with the cooling of my truck once I do everything, including the roof.

I think I'm going to go with a pair of 12's in a new custom center console that I'll build.

It helps that I work for a cabinet shop that I can save myself a lot of money doing things myself.

Now I just need to decide on my subs and find all the money to do it all at once.

Is there anything you did that you would do differently product or installation wise?

 

one thing i was thinking of doing was adding a 8" mid range woofer to the door to create a 3 way system, but I'm not to sure how that will sound.

Anyone ever add an extra woofer to the front doors to help with the sound?

 

First and foremost - the box design will play a HUGE role in how your subwoofer(s) sound. An good, knowledgeable sound tech will build a box based off of speaker Thiele Small Parameters as well as available or desired space, and vehicle type/box location. You can get a W7 and throw it in a generic 12" box, and a Pioneer sub from Walmart in a specially-designed box will out-play it in SPL and SQL all day long.

Personally I'd leave the 12's in a box in the back of the truck, and do a custom job for a slim-line Kicker in the center console to bring some bass up front. I have two CVR 10's in a custom downfire in the back of mine with 2000 watts and they make it uncomfortable to sit in any seat in the truck when they're up all the way. As in, must vent extra pressure by opening the rear windows. Jon (Apocalypse), Razzi (Toreador_Diesel), and Mark (mecdac) have all experienced it.

Bass is omni-directional, so you won't have a problem with two distinct bass areas. You may run into a problem with them phasing against each other and starting to cancel one another out, so if you're going to be running subwoofers in different locations, either mount them all facing the same direction or mount them toward one another and reverse the phase for one of them.

Kicker made some 6.5" and 8" subs for a little while, you can still find them in great shape albeit discontinued. I have a Kicker L7 8" that I mounted inside the stock center console, and it was MORE than enough. Razzi heard that one with it in a box and it got insanely loud for what it was. Best part was, while small in size, the proximity to the ears made it more than adequate. By moving the sound source closer to the occupants, you lessen the need for size and power.

Having said all that, I changed to two 10's in a downfire box in the back because I really wanted my console back. The downfire box allows me to stack stuff and on top of the box without any issues with the subwoofer's, since they're firing down towards the floor. Yes, they lost a little bit of volume compared to firing towards the ceiling or the back doors, and they're still painful at full volume.

There honestly isn't a huge need to swap out all the speakers and whatnot either, provided the stock speakers aren't blown or messed up. If you can source a headunit with a good high-pass filter (or filters, multiple helps fine tune), 10-band equalizer, and individual custom settings for speaker pairs, you can really negate the need for aftermarket components and amplifiers. I have a fairly top-notch Kenwood single-DIN that has all of the above features, and you would never believe the stock speakers are still in the truck. It can make your ears ring from the clarity and achievable volume. The main reasons for that are the high-pass and the equalizer. The HP sends anything below 180 hertz to the subs, allowing the speakers to deal with nothing but mid- and high-range frequencies. This keeps the speakers from trying to play lower notes, and thus distorting - especially at higher volumes. The 10-band allows for complete tuning of specific frequencies so you can dial it in exactly how you'd like.

Don't get me wrong, it's not some competition or super high-def system. It WILL surprise you for what it is, and that is primarily not expensive. A good head unit with good features can go a looooooong way in changing how your stereo sounds. Adding dedicated low-frequency speakers (subwoofers) makes an enormous difference, especially if the head unit has programming that allows you to maximize all speakers and tune them to their prime operating range and duties.

Again, if you'd like some witnesses or other opinions on my current setup, feel free to ask the guys I mentioned above. Any of them can be a testament to the clarity and volume that was achieved without breaking the bank. Not trying to brag, just trying to save some dollars

 

Matt that was some great advice and wise insights! Personally, I would love to have the finances to build a three way system in the front of the Excursion, putting 8" woofers either in the kick panels or under the dash with custom boxes.

A three way system would be perfect in this truck. the front doors, however, have very little space for speakers. For some reason, the second row speakers have perfect air-space and sound much better isolated than the front sound isolated. There needs to be some concessions to get the right audio sound up front. I would recommend you spend some time breaking down the limitations down before proceeding.

The front subwoofer is a great idea, but unless you are absolutely sold on it , I find it completely unnecessary. The bass coming from the back of my truck is plenty fast and tight to keep up with transients and to be extremely musical.

I will tell you that your head unit will make a HUGE difference in the enjoyment you have with your audio. Get the best for you and don't look back!

Also if I did mine over again, I would use pure OFC cable for power as the power runs(and grounding cable) can be long and need the great flow characteristic of the OFC 1/0 cable.
Its worth it!

That's all I have for now, if I think of more, I'll chime in!

 

I still have the factory 6CD systme but I changed the front door speakers and added a powered bazooka tube and slave unit. I mounted the tubes on a piece of plywood carpeted to match the truck...then installed in the third row footwell. (One day I'm going to pull the third seat and left it out.) No one ever uses the third row. If the third row is needed, I could unplug the tubes and lift it out.

 

Looks like you are local to me. Car Tunes in Largo off East Bay Rd. built me a custom box for the back, left rear door and we put in a single 10" Sub. they changed out the head unit with a Clarion and upgraded all six speakers with some newer, more power efficient JL's and just as someone else mentioned in an earlier thread...just put the single AMP under the 2nd row seats, driver side. All new wiring running to the speakers, AMP & Sub. Was a pretty inexpensive upgrade and the sound is pretty good as well. We also added a Sub level dial to increase or decrease the base...based on music and volume level. The single Sub is fine...and the weight of the box they built did not effect the door hinges or the functioning of the rear doors. Car Tunes does great work. I can send pics if you have not completed your work yet. Good luck!

 

Cheap JVC head unit

Kicker 1000 watt mono block

Pyle 14" screen


Boss DVD player (mounted where the rear ent. stuff went)


Kicker door speakers

Kicker subs

 

Did you install that yourself, cameeks?

 

I can attest to Chris's setup, it definitely hits hard and fast.

 

That sounds like a great system. Here's my opinion from either installing my own or having systems installed in around a dozen cars over the last 30 years. First, I'll say I listen to mostly rock/hard rock with some pop, country, and fusion thrown in, and some talk radio. I'm not big into hip hop and techno and I mix my subwoofer to match the music. If you want to thump, my subwoofer suggestion isn't for you.
For my style, I've found several large subs to be way overkill. A single 10 is perfect. With multiple subs I usually have to turn down so far that they don't even work when the music is playing at normal listening levels. Agree they sound awesome when cranking. A single 10 will still play fundamental frequencies for most of the bass lines and will make a bass drum hit decent. I've found that 12s need enough power to move that at normal volumes they don't work as well. You wind up constantly fiddling with the sub levels. Moderately loud to cranked, a 12 is great. With a well setup 10, you can set the relative sub level at the receiver and forget about it. It will always integrate well with the music. I actually like an 8 better than a 12, but you do lose a little more of the bass line fundamentals. Of course it all depends on the sub itself and installation. Do your research on that stuff (i.e. play around with sub box design programs).
Fundamentally, I hate sub boxes that sit in the car somewhere. I've had plenty and they always wind up getting in the way. It's more expensive and more of a hassle, but a stealth box or custom install that doesn't take up cargo space always makes me happier. Plus I've had a few systems stolen and that just makes it that much easier to walk off with an expensive subwoofer. Plus, anything that you can see is bait for someone to break in and get away with quick.
Finally, systems sound better to the driver with less music coming from the back. Unless you have passengers back there that want to hear the music you don't need rear speakers. Typically, if you have passengers that do want to hear the music, they don't want to hear it at earsplitting levels. I put most of my money in the front speakers and sub, very little in the others. I either leave the stock speakers in the rear, or put some lower level speakers in the back. Usually the speaker brands have some $50 speakers that won't sound overly objectionable when mixed in with their higher end speakers up front. Then just fade them to almost gone when nobody is back there. You can also be creative about amplification on the rears. I usually use the receiver to power the rears and run RCAs to big amps for the front/sub. On cars with separate amps, I have used adapters to allow me to use the stock amp without the stock head unit for the rears. The adapters are somewhat expensive, but no new speakers and very little wiring to be done. I plan to leave the stock rears in my Ex when I upgrade it, driven from the head unit and see what happens. If something blows up, I'll deal with it.