2002 Dodge Dakota, Bed Cut Through, Work in Progress

[aburger]

You'll notice that the rubber trim rings have been removed in the final shot of the subs. After I started to install these, I noticed that the fit and finish of the subs wasn't really up to par. The trim rings were tearing because they were bigger than the subs, which also meant that they weren't sealing properly. Plus the screw holes were closer to the edge so the screws wouldn't seat properly.

I was very disappointed with the quality, and now am thinking about switching up my system. But more on that later.

[aburger]

Finally started wiring up the amp rack. I was in a bit of a rush, so the rack isn't finished. However, I'll be switching it to a solid piece of plexi so it'll get swapped out down the line.

 

 

Kicker 1200.1 installed

Both amps installed

 

 

[aburger]

Last but not least, wired up the relay panel and added all the fuses for the lights and amps. Tested the lights and holy crap, they work, LOL

 

Not a very good shot, but it looks great in person. With a Plexi amp rack, it'll look killer!

 

 

[aburger]

And finally, I got tunes!!!

The double-din is installed. I used the old dash panel since I'm still in the process of painting and wanted to at least have music for the next few months.

I'm still dialing in the gains and tweaking the crossover's and such, so I'm not super impressed. The Polk component tweeters are really bright, I need to tweak those a bit. And the subs are good, but I'm not impressed. That being said, I think I'm going to swap them out... and redo the blow-through...again!

My uncle is a welder, so he's going to help me redo the blow-through. Instead of using a rubber boot, we're going to weld in a C bracket instead. He's also going to extend the height of the back cab wall so I can fit a taller box. That being said, the 8's aren't going to cut it. To get that lower end bass, I'm now thinking one or two 12's.

The Kicker only puts out 1200 watts at 2 ohms, so I'm open to suggestions on either a single 12 that can handle that, or (2) 12's that'll handle 600W a piece. This time I think I will go ported so any suggestions, I'm all ears!

[twalker182]

Daaaaaamn! Awesome work.

Maybe it's just me but I think it looks cooler without the rubber trim rings. The silver gives the black subs some contrast.....but you're switching them out so F it!

[YukonXL04]

Wow... that looks great! You might be expecting too much output from 4 8s sealed. Maybe try the current subs ported? Or bigger 8s and a bigger amp.

[aburger]

Thanks for the compliments and ideas. I agree, I was a little optimistic about the 4 8's sealed. Some larger 8's in a ported box could work. Any ideas on brands? I've been looking all over and there are so many options.

I think my biggest concern right now is the front stage. These Polk MM components sound really hollow, and no matter how I dial in the tweets, it doesn't sound right. I think I'm going to try a different set/brand of components to see if it's the set, or if it's my amp/HU crossover settings.

As far as amps go, I'm kinda limited on space. The Kickers, the way I have them now fill up the space behind the seats. With the seats all the way back, they touch the top of the amps. My only other option would be to run them into the bed, or somehow build a custom center console to house them in. Just not sure about heat dissipation if I mount them in the console.

Bring on the ideas!!!

[aburger]

Any suggestions on front stage components would also be helpful. I would typically go with Polk or JL, but am willing to try something different. I listen to a lot of rock, so decent mids are a must.

I was also thinking a single 12" behind the seats, with maybe 8's and 6.5's in the doors. That should round out the musical spectrum I think? It's a lot of sound for a small cab

[Ron36]

What’s wrong with the sound on the 8’s to punchy no low end , maybe not enough power was thinking about 4 8’s also.

[aburger]

They are very punchy, but to be honest, they don't sound that bad. They do get super loud, especially in such a small environment. But there's not a lot of low end rumble. I think if the box was ported, it would make a huge difference. This was my first experience with such small subs, and watching Youtube videos really doesn't prepare you.

If I stick with the 8's, I'll definitely redo the box so it's ported... now I know.

I think my front stage is really bumming me out. Once I get that fixed, I might feel better about the system as a whole.

The amps seem fine. The power of the 1200.1 matches the subs well and in such a small cab seems like more than enough. I wish there were more adjustments on the amp (subsonic filters, etc.) but so far so good.