03 Trailblazer audio build

[MAY03LT]

Welcome to my build thread! It's been a long road to get this point, but it's been a blast (in some cases, literally lol)

I used to compete in car audio competitions. I've placed first in dbdrag, bassrace, nspl, showtime spl, and a local shop that hosts shows.

I'm all about smashing the streets nowadays.

Here she is as she sits now.

Equipment:
Deck: Alpine CDA-9857 with GMRC-01 adapter
Front speakers: Rockford Fosgate Power T162S
Rear speakers: Rockford Fosgate Power T162S
Woofers: 3 Kicker 06S12L7D2
Enclosure: 32hz built by Ed Hobby
Mids/Highs amp: Rockford Fosgate Power T4004
Woofers amp: Rockford Fosgate Power T20001bd
Alternator: Ohio Gen
Batteries: Underhood: Optima G78 redtop, Rear: Kinetik hc2000 x2

Wiring:
Lots of misc 1/0 and some joemoto311 mega wire
RF 12g speaker wire to all mids/highs
Stinger RCAs
8g wire for woofers

Misc:
Sound dampening: Everything inside (excluding firewall and under console)
Stinger voltmeter installed in dash bezel

Meet mega wire! As a reference, that battery terminal is 3/4".

Floating a can

[video=youtube;U4cLtX0_4P0]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4cLtX0_4P0[/video]

Most recent update vid

[video=youtube;PBRagGI_dUs]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PBRagGI_dUs[/video]


On to build pics!

 

[MAY03LT]

I used the head unit from my previous vehicle. This is the only head unit that I have owned that did not skip. I also used the GMRC-01 harness for my non bose, non onstar TB.

Spoiler

In the console, I installed the RF ParaPunch Bass EQ, and a simple on/off toggle. The toggle turns on the sub amp as well as the stinger voltmeter in the dash.

Since I converted all my interior lights to red, I replaced the blue LED in the PPBEQ with a red one.

The 60/40 seat was perfect for the amps that I wanted to use. Since the seat frames have some weird indents, I couldn't mount the amps directly to them. So, I mounted 3/4" mounting plates to the seats, the amps bolt through them. Because of the cables inside the seat, I broke them down completely so I didn't drill through anything.

After the holes were drilled, I put the covers back on.

Cutting up some plates

How I make my cuts without a table saw

Installed.

 

[MAY03LT]

Powering everything is an Ohio Gen Alt.

Spoiler

Under the hood is an Optima G78 red top. There are two 1/0 positive runs from the front battery to the rear batteries.

Both battery terminals were replaced with Stinger terminals. All factory wiring was left intact. There are two 1/0 grounds from the front battery. One goes to the alternator case and serves as the engine block to negative battery part of the big3.

The other is bolted to the frame and serves as the chassis to battery negative part of the big 3.

In the rear, each of the rear batteries has a 1/0 lead that is bolted to the frame.

I used an existing grommet to pass through to the interior.

 

[MAY03LT]

This is version 3 of my enclosure base. The reason for using this is so that I can still get into the cubby for tool storage, and everything is bolted down. The cover is fully functional.

Spoiler

The brackets are held in place by lengths of all thread which run down to the first layer of the base, where they are sunk in "upside down" so to say.

Once I had everything situated, I welded more angle for the hold down bolts.

The base was primed and hit with the aged iron textured paint

There is another piece to the base that acts as a support across the width (not shown). The blanky is there to conceal some temporary wiring that would make joemoto throw his phone!

 

[MAY03LT]

The enclosure was designed and built by my dude Ed Hobby. He took the dimensions, listened to what I wanted, and delivered exactly what I was looking for. The box was made out of birch ply. Not sure what I'm gonna use to finish it, probably aged iron since it kinda goes with the truck.

Spoiler

 

[MAY03LT]

At first, I had the front door component mids behind the door panels. I had to shim them away from the window, and they would tap the inside of the door panel at higher volumes. After seeing another TB owner who had two 6 1/2s in each door, I did something similar.

Spoiler

Warsh, rinse, repeat for the other side. Since I had no idea how these would turn out, I didn't go too crazy with the pics.

Not bad for my first time doing an "extensive" fiberglass project.

 

[MAY03LT]

With a little experience under my belt, and an easier panel to work with, the rears were a little easier to do.

Spoiler

Just like with the front pods, I made the bottoms out of fiberglass. I used 1/2" mdf for the top. I took wooden dowel rod and cut it to the necessary thicknesses to get the spacing right. Once the pods had their shape, they were reinforced with a mixture of resin and kitty fur.

Once they had their shape, reinforcing them was easy. Using quick clamps, I just had to orient the pods where I wanted them, pour in the fiberglass, and let gravity do the rest.

Done. These things can get down.

 

[MAY03LT]

For the front tweeters, I used the OEM bose locations. My non bose Trailblazer had cardboard "blanks" in the dash where the bose speakers would be if it had bose.

Spoiler

I mounted the front crossovers in each of the front kick panels.

For the rear tweeters, I mounted them in the c pillars.

The only real "modification" that I did to them was paint the pods to match the trim.

The rear crossovers are mounted next to the bcm.

 

[MAY03LT]

After a few months of smashing, the TB had a nasty noise up in the headliner. Turns out that the bass had broke one of the welds that held one of the roof cross pieces in place. The squeaky noise it made was intolerable. When I pulled the headliner out, I found that the crosspieces were held up in place with some sticky foamy crap, and most of that crap had disintegrated.

I went with a butyl based deadener since this was A) installed upside down and overhead and B) a place that cooks in the sun. The day I decided to buy some was the day that Second Skin announced their new black foil damplifier (yeah, it was a while back)

Me and the wife had the headliner out in no time...always a plus to have help.

Spoiler

There was no intermediate connector for the headliner harness. I had to cut it all and splice it back together.

What was left of the sticky foamy crap.

But Lieutenant Dan, damplifier can't stick to sticky foamy crap.

Degrease, scuff. Degrease, scuff.

 

[MAY03LT]

Around the time that this was being installed, Second Skin announced a video contest on SMD. Ant (the former owner) wanted video reviews of the product. So I figured "what they hey" and made one. It won!

The video was featured on Steve Meades youtube channel, which led to a lot of cool things.

Also, I won enough sound deadening to deaden a tractor trailer.

The entire interior, minus the firewall and under the airbag module, were done in Damplifier. The doors were done with Damplifier Pro.

Spoiler

Anything that buzzed got deadened. You could hear the mirror covers buzz from outside the truck, so...

Front doors.

The rear doors got the same treatment.

 

[MAY03LT]

I installed a stinger voltmeter in the radio bezel to monitor the rear battery voltage. From the drivers seat, I can't see the stinger logo, just the voltage.

Spoiler

I've broke a thing or two along the way.

Not my 07+ rear wiper

Not the rear cargo light housing

Not my emergency 1/4" ratchet too

Other stuff:

EXT braces

Antenna tucked under cowl

HIDs 4300s lows and fogs

Overhead lights replaced with white leds

Interior lights converted to red

Thanks for checking out my build! I'll be back to work on this in the spring.

 

[STLtrailbSS]

May Your Truck Takes the cake for.......LEGIT How many hours/days do you estimate you have in there? Ive never seen all your stuff compiled at once...amazing man

 

[MAY03LT]

May Your Truck Takes the cake for.......LEGIT How many hours/days do you estimate you have in there? Ive never seen all your stuff compiled at once...amazing man

Thanks man!

If I had to guess, at least 100 hours.

 

[YOUNG]

Goood lord! very nice! where is the envy button when i need it..
i guess ive got some catching up to do!

 

[Hobby]

I see the truck all the time and I didnt even know you did some of that stuff. You do some good work.

 

[MAY03LT]

Goood lord! very nice! where is the envy button when i need it..
i guess ive got some catching up to do!

Thanks man!

I see the truck all the time and I didnt even know you did some of that stuff. You do some good work.

Coming from the MAN himself? BOSS!

 

[D-V_Envoy]

The sound deadening was awesome to see. Been thinking about doing some of that on the fire wall, door and floor.

Great work man!

 

[killallblue]

man ur truck is sic and it looks sic but i didnt even know u put this much work into it