SQ_MGB's 2002 Chevy Reg cab build

[sq_mgb 21]

I wish I had somewhere to work on it! The garage has the MG in it and there's not enough room to pull the truck in and have the table saw out along with my work table. No room to walk around it all. So right now I'm at the mercy of the cold weather. When it's nice, I work, when it's not, I don't. I do what I can in the garage, but since I broke one of the clips holding the side trim panel when it was 12 degrees outside, I don't pull on the plastic when it's cold anymore.

The console bracket is going back in, I just had it out with the seats so I could re-do all the wiring and I wanted to see how tall it was with the seat in. If I remember correctly, the box is 11.75" tall, plus the 3" of port under it, plus the .75" tall "trim" on top of that, so 15.5" total height. It's 2" shorther than my old one and doesn't extend all the way to the dash, but I can make the port reach the dash by sliding the box forward. I probably won't because I think it will make the angled front be too far forward and close up some of the open area in front of the seats. I am also going to make a "cover" to go over the port to make the top and bottom look the same and have it extend up to the dash to finish it out in front. I'm going to cover it in black carpet in an effort to make it "blend" into the floor as much as possible.

I'm trying to make it for the show down there March 27th and then go to the one in Little Rock on the 28th on the way back. I'll give ya a call when I know for sure. Good luck with the box build.....be sure to do a build log on here when you do.

[Randal Johnson 544]

you guys competing on March 27th ?? This would be interesting ... I'm going to McComb this weekend ...

[sq_mgb 21]

That's the plan right now Cablguy....hopefully I can get all the wiring finished this weekend and get it playing again. I still have to come up with a bracket to mount the head unit, but I'm thinking backstrap may be my friend. I also have to finish the bezel and make it look presentable, cutting the entire bar off right above the a/c controls was a bad idea. In hindsight I should have just cut it in half instead. My hands aren't steady enough with a dremel to sand that piece I made perfectly straight so I got another bezel that I'm going to cut up and try again. I did get a message from my guy who's making the DD conversion kit saying it shouldn't be too much longer so I may just hold out for that.

I also have to finish getting the a-pillars done, but once the angle on the tweets are right, it's just a matter of sanding and wrapping them. At first I was thinking vinyl, but now I'm thinking of wrapping the entire thing in grill cloth to hide the tweets.....any thoughts?

[6APPEAL 7]

Hide the tweets? I don't think so. It will look like a chick that piles on a ton of makeup to hide a huge zit!!!!! I give a big resounding ! To do a vinyl wrap will take a very thin, stretchable vinyl and some kick butt glue. The 3M spray glue junk will not cut it. You need some of that bad azz, orange spray glue that comes in 5 gallon buckets that Jimmy uses. Can't forget that you have to try to get the grain and color to match. We know how expensive the "exact factory" stuff is and it may turn out to be unusable where you want to use it due to thickness or un-stretchability. I vote for texture coat and paint. I think you will get a better result and not have any fitment issues due to the vinyl wrap. It will also be easier to touch up and/or fix.

Cableguy's vinyl wrap looks nice, just not the way I would have done it, the texture, grain and color just looks off a little when you look at it where it meets the dash. Kind of like the vinyl I used to cover my console. It looks great because it's not right next to any of the factory plastic or vinyl, only the factory cloth. But, when you hold it against the door panel or dash you can tell the color is off just a shade, the grain is too fine and the texture is not quite the same. Super Dave has his pillars wrapped in suede, but in a contrasting color, so it looks pretty good, just "thick". Maybe if it was a thinner suede it would not look off? But suede would be a #itch to keep clean!!!!

Just throwing in some of my thoughts.

[Randal Johnson 544]

my pannels were kinda threw together for finals ... I'm hoping to redo them and maybe change the angles just abit ... but for now they do the trick ... theres alot I want to do to the interior of my truck ... If yall have any ideas, let me know ... If we are all competing, we need to get together and decide which classes we running ... I'd rather us all beat everybody else besides batteling it out in the TOP DOLLAR parking lot ... give me a call when yall get a chance guys ... Oh yea ... thats a killer lookin console ... can't wait to hear it ...

I'm planning on running Modified SQ+ ...

Edited February 24, 2010 by Cablguy184

[sq_mgb 21]

6APPEAL,

I have matching vinyl and some high heat contact cement to hold it on with.....that was my first idea for the a-pillars. I saw a build the other day where the pillars were wrapped with grill cloth and they looked GOOD.....that's what gave me the idea to do it that way. On the texture coat, I'm worried that over time it will crack and I'll spend a lot of time fixing it over and over again. I'll probably just stay with the vinyl. I have it already and it can always be taken off and sanded later if I decide to texture coat it.

I still have to get it playing and work on the tweeter angle before I finish them so I may end up down there with unfinished a-pillars.....just depends if I like what I hear or not. I'm just ready to get the 2.2 on those 6's and see how much difference it makes over the Q50. I guess time will tell. At least there's a HUGE cavity to hide the crossovers in the dash! Easy to get to and very serviceable if I should ever need to do anything to them. Waaaaaay better than the last setup I had with everything hidden and hard as hell to access ANYTHING in the truck. I can get to anything in the truck MUCH easier now and I think it will look nicer than ever when I'm finished. I'm going for a "stock" look as much as possible...I'll just have a few "extras" in my truck that didn't come from Chevy!

Cablguy,

Thanks for the compliments! I had to do something to make it look nice. I think the factory cloth on top that matches the top of my doors was a nice touch. Sort of ties the console in with the rest of the interior. I have plans for the amp rack to have something similar on it as well. Don't know yet if they will be covers or bases to mount stuff, but I have a LOT of it left over and with what it cost to get, you bet I'm going to use as much as I can! See ya at the show!

[6APPEAL 7]

Texture coat and paint, done correctly, will not crack or peel. Prep is the most critical aspect, followed by the application of the material. You have to think about it like painting a car/truck. Any painter will tell you prep is more critical than application. Now this doesn't mean that you can just apply the material indiscriminately. Without proper application any material will fail. The dual gauge pod in my street GN was done over 10 years ago and still looks good. Now, I did have a painter friend of mine do it, not me, so that's why it still looks good.

I'd have the see the grill cloth wrap. I just don't think it will look good, especially if it covers the tweeter. I also haven't found a grill cloth that is a close color match. Your vinyl must be a closer match than mine.

Well, you know what my modded Q50 does on the old 6 1/2's in the door of my truck and you've heard a modded DPS500 on the new 6 1/2's. Cableguy's sounds better than mine with a 2.2. More bottom end and effortless volume where mine runs out of steam.

As far as us being in the same class or 2, I just don't see any way to avoid it. I pretty much will be in Modified Q, Modified SQ or Q.

[Randal Johnson 544]

mgb,

running a 2.2 and a 1752, do you think you might need more battery power?? You should be pulling alot more current.

v6, (lol)

I forgot, how many batteries you running??

[j-roadtatts 1,129]

I will definetly be taking que's from you my brother, you build thing's VERY CLEANLY!!!

[sq_mgb 21]

Thanks J-road, I do what I can.

I had some good guys to learn from when I was coming up and I tried to absorb as much as I could from them. I learned most of what I know from watching a certain black truck being built a few years back. All I have to say is 1152 screws to mount the woofers and 6APPEAL and Cablguy will know exactly what truck I'm talking about. Here's a few pics of it....

The dash....

The back.....

and when the strokers were in it.....24 to be exact.....

There were a lot of things I learned during that build like how to put mounting screws under removable panels that pressfit into place, how to do upholstery, how to run wire so it is protected, etc....I wish it were still on the road, but alas it's sitting in a field in the Mississippi delta last I heard.

Cablguy,

The plan right now is to finish the "big 3" and upgrade my alternator ground and battery ground, since I've already upgraded the wire from the alternator to the battery. I am trying to figure out how to make a mount to put a battery under each side of the bed where the stepside part is. I got to looking the other day and I can get a decent size battery under there, I just have to find someone to weld something up for me. (I don't weld, I just make big holes in metal when I try) I will run both of those in parallel with the main starting battery isolated with a 200amp solenoid when the truck is off. If funds allow later, I'll have those batteries isolated entirely with a dual alt. setup, one for the truck, one for the stereo, but that's a long way off right now.

I managed to get almost 100,000 miles each (replaced it once) on my old Probe stock 65amp alternator running two modified 1752's and as big a batttery as I could stuff under the hood. I'll be running the same current draw, but I have twice the alternator now, so I should be fine for a little while. I'll just have to weigh the pros and cons of adding a second one wire alt. for the stereo vs changing to a high output alternator. I'm thinking the second alt. is the way to go simply because I can isolate the amps from the rest of the truck electrical and run a slightly higher voltage to the amps. (powerwheels anyone?) But all that is a loooooong way off right now. I just want to get it playing and tuned, then I can concentrate on the rest of it. I'll be there for the March show, God willing, and hopefully John will have his ready by then too. See ya there!

[Randal Johnson 544]

wholy lo notes batman !!! Mgb, I just realised ... the sub is in front facing forward ??? That should sound wicked ...

[sq_mgb 21]

wholy lo notes batman !!! Mgb, I just realised ... the sub is in front facing forward ??? That should sound wicked ...

That's what I'm hoping for....get the output off the front of the cone firing directly at the dash to get the "impact" of the cone hitting the air for maximum dynamics. Ok, that's , but it sounded good! The front of the cone is pretty close to the front edge of the seats....the sides extend past it a little so HOPEFULLY it won't show itself when playing, but I guess I'll find out when I turn it on the first time.

Got some bad news....the sony is dead....I got it to turn on, but the face won't open or close and there is absolutely NO information displayed on the screen. The only way I can tell it's on is by the ring around the volume knob and the noise it makes when it tries to open up. Soooooo.......I guess I'm back to the Alpine or putting in the Eclipse I took out of my old Altima. I would LOVE to get a Kenwood 9140 and put in there, but I have to get rid of the PA-II and XO-3 and I'm not ready to do that just yet. When it rains it pours!

[6APPEAL 7]

I still have a couple of scars from that big black truck build. Not counting a very healthy respect for a large number of 12v batteries wired together.

Now for your battery problem, what you need is GM part # 1541310. That the part number for the GM Military trucks frame battery mount that bolts to the frame on the passenger side. It's made for the 01/02 trucks, but I don't see why it wouldn't work for other year models. I don't think it really matters which side you mount it on either. It's on the passenger side for the diesel trucks to be close to the 2nd battery on the passenger side. Thinking about a couple of them myself. The price has come down on GM Parts Direct since the last time I checked. My contact at a local dealership says the price online is cheaper than the dealership gets it for. Or you could do a 2nd under hood battery with the battery tray for the diesel truck and have both bats under the hood. You will lose the fender brace on the passenger side, but that's not really a problem.

Adding a 2nd alternator is another issue. The alternator is controlled by the engine control computer. So adding a second alternator will be a challenge. You also may have to fab a mount, but not sure on that one. I don't think the diesel and gas motors share the same belt mounts. All I have to do is buy a additional belt roller and the alternator. I have the info on how to wire the alternators together for computer control without having to buy the expensive 2nd alternator kit from GM. If you have the 105 amp alternator you could go up to the factory 145 amp unit that comes on my truck and there was an optional 130 amp unit that was an option on your truck.

Remember, I owned a truck that was the same year model as yours. And there is not that much difference between your's and the one I have now.

[6APPEAL 7]

Got some bad news....the sony is dead....I got it to turn on, but the face won't open or close and there is absolutely NO information displayed on the screen. The only way I can tell it's on is by the ring around the volume knob and the noise it makes when it tries to open up. Soooooo.......I guess I'm back to the Alpine or putting in the Eclipse I took out of my old Altima. I would LOVE to get a Kenwood 9140 and put in there, but I have to get rid of the PA-II and XO-3 and I'm not ready to do that just yet. When it rains it pours!

I have a C910 that you can use or buy. Something to think about. Call me!

Edited February 25, 2010 by 6APPEAL

[Julian 641]

I have a kenwood KDC-X589 for sale only for 100 bucks, shipping wouldn't be bad at all

[Randal Johnson 544]

how did it go today ??? sound good ???

[6APPEAL 7]

Progress? We ain't heard of no stinkin' progress!

[sq_mgb 21]

I'll have pics soon...I don't have pics of some steps, I was in the zone and didn't want to stop...back wall is done, box is done, source is in the dash with the preamplifier and crossover, just have to get the amps hooked up and I'll have it playing. I'll try to get what pics I have up tomorrow.

[sq_mgb 21]

As promised.....I finally have more pics!!!

The back wall needed help as you can see.....Can't have just a board mounted up there.....

So...I made another board to "trim it out" so to speak....

Well a flat wall is kinda boring, so I decided to give it some shapes....this is where I was trying to decide how I wanted it to look....

Once I decided on the look, it was time to cut them all out....

Then I cut out the shapes on the back wall....

Filling in the holes I made when cutting off the screws to hold both pieces together.....

Then it had to have a top to fill in the gap between the back wall and the window.....

More pics to follow.....stay tuned!!!

[sq_mgb 21]

Ok, here are a few more since I know 6Appeal and Cablguy will give me crap if I don't put more pics up......

Getting it wrapped.....the puckers and bumps you see are not there now.....I pulled them all out after snapping this pic....

Mounted to the base.....

Wrapped the first shape.....

It's factory match material to the seats....

Test fitting the back wall in the truck.....looks like a tight fit to me!

Test fitting the insert.....

With the seats in.....

Seats are finally back in the truck!!!!

Now I get to start under the hood.....those pics are soon to come!!!

[j-roadtatts 1,129]

Once Again, EVERYTHING look's amazing. Your patience AND planning REALLY show's in the final product.

[sq_mgb 21]

Ok, I had already done some of this so I just had to take the pics to show it.....

Pretty factory looking engine bay....except for the K&N FIPK.....yes, I know it's dirty under there......

Still looking factory......

What's that hiding under there.....I have found out I need to add a fuse to this wire so this will be taken care of soon.

Power wire run through split loom to look factory.....I'll get another pic of this to show the wire inside later....

I will be doing the rest of the "Big 3" soon, I just ran out of daylight and motivation to keep going. I'll recharge this week and finish it this weekend, if the weather co-operates with me.....stay tuned!!

[sq_mgb 21]

Thanks J-road.....I appreciate the encouragement.....it makes me feel good to know that others appreciate all the hard work that goes into something like this....also.....this is the part I'm most proud of.....those inserts are press fit into place, no mechanical fasteners at all.....most people would use bondo and double side tape to make a uniform gap all the way around, but I've never been one to do things the easy way.....those are all HAND SANDED to fit, no bondo anywhere except where the screw holes were filled in.

I also soldered and put heatshrink on every electrical connection I made in this build which took forever as well. The next step will be to pull the door panels and re-do the baffles in the doors and put non-hardening clay behind and all around them. They are already deadened and had the holes sealed up which made a HUGE difference in midbass output and I'm hoping the clay will make it even better.

It's been a long road, but I can finally see the end.....now the FUN part is coming......TUNING!!!! I'm fortunate that I have access to an RTA so I can address peaks and dips in the response of the system as needed, but since this is an "old school" build, I'm going to have to get it close with crossover points and slopes and also careful manipulation of speaker angles to get the image and stage right. That's why no pics of the a-pillars yet.....the tweeter angle isn't set yet so I don't want to wrap them until I get the angles just right.

Won't be long now though!!!!

[Sir-Lancelot 216]

Great looking build sir.

[sq_mgb 21]

Thank you sir.....I've only been trying to figure out how I'm going to build this thing for "a long time now" and I'll leave it at that.....I'm sure 6Appeal can attest to how long I've been thinking about it. Let's just say it's been over a year in the planning stages, but I only got serious about it in the last couple of months. I'm just glad that all the effort is starting to pay off.

As someone said to me once....."I just hope it sounds as good as it looks!"