'92 4Runner-Audio Install

[Twinkie]

Since I can't fabricate with metal like the rest of you guys, I thought I'd showcase what I was taught to do a few years ago when I worked in a competition car audio shop. The first segment will show the transformation of the door panels, then an amp rack once the weather turns nice in the spring. For now I'm planning on finishing the door and throwing a quick box in the back with amps mounted on it. The thread will be updated as things progress...

On with the action:

Stock door panel...

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[woodendude]

Looks good! Two 10's is plenty that's what I run in mine, hooked to a 900 watt amp they sound great!

 

[Twinkie]

900....LoL I 'only' run 400 for the pair off a Fosgate Punch. And I have a Fosgate 100.2 for the front.

 

[SuziCrazy]

I like the layout, but make sure the new location for the door "pocket" doesn't hit the seat when the door is closed.

:beer:

 

[NitroTy]

You're going to lose quite a bit of sound from those nice MBQ speakers putting them beside the seats like that. Why not leave the pocket where it is and put the pods at the front?

 

[Farm Boy]

I'm guessing the speaker is at the front.

 

[aweber]

I'm guessing the speaker is at the front.

+1

 

[Twinkie]

I like the layout, but make sure the new location for the door "pocket" doesn't hit the seat when the door is closed.

:beer:

I have confirmed the new pocket location will not touch the seat. It may make the recline lever hard to get your finger on, but you can just open the door to adjust the seat.

I'm guessing the speaker is at the front.

+1

Correct. The pocket is moving to the rear of the door. 6.5 placement was a middle ground between where Stacy keeps her leg (speaker will fire over her leg on the passenger side) and where my leg rests (speaker will fire under my knee on the drivers side). That is the drivers side door in the pictures for reference. This placement is the best I can do without cutting in to the door panel. I want to keep the mid's in a totally sealed enclosure as they sound much better that way then using the door cavity.
In the picture of the stock door panel, at the front of the door there is a curved line of leather trim, that is the same line the dash follows when the door is closed, so that limits how high things can be placed on the door.
If I find the sound stage is too low, I may be able to sneak a 4" up higher on the door later to help improve that, or I could always bring up a center channel.

 

[Twinkie]

Well, after starting to glass the pods it turns out I had forgotten how bad it really smells. Not something I can do in the house with 2 boarders and 2 dogs. LoL So I'm gonna hold off on the audio till warm weather arrives and I can glass these outside.

 

[Baja]

Tell the boarders to suck it up lol

 

[Twinkie]

Well, to be honest I was really thinking about the dogs...

LoL!

 

[Twinkie]

Well, thanks to Baja I had a semi heated garage to continue on with the door panels. I didn't take any pics of them when they were resined, but here is a pic of one in bondo:

And then primered:

Underlay and carpeted:

Mirror imaged...

Next is running the 4 gauge wire front to back and installing the gold plated battery terminals with embedded volt gauge...

 

[woodendude]

Wow looking good!!

 

[woodendude]

I should have asked you to get in on this project to see how it's done.

 

[Twinkie]

trade secret. I could show you, but then I'd have to kill you. LoL

Seriously, it's quite easy. I'll give you a run down some time.

 

[woodendude]

lol....sounds good, maybe I'll make a meeting sometime and you can tell me over a beer!

 

[Twinkie]

lol....sounds good, maybe I'll make a meeting sometime and you can tell me over a beer!

That's exactly what I was thinking...

 

[NitroTy]

Those look awesome Terry!

4 gauge is such a b1tch to fit through the firewall grommet / under the door sills

 

[Twinkie]

It's not going through a factory gromet, I have a grommet specifically for the 4 guage wire. And it's going down the side, under the seat mount, stripping the passenger side interior out to do it. RCA's and trigger wire will all go down near the center console, power out by the doors, that way nothing is fed back to the RCA's to create noise on the system.

 

[NitroTy]

Ahh, I see. On the one install I did, I ran the power down one side under the door sills, and the RCAs down the other side, same place. Definitely good to keep them separate.