Upgraded the stereo in 3 phases: sharing what I have learned and completed.

[Tidewater]

I picked up my Trialmaster this past July and could not be happier with it. With that being said I have been tweaking and improving this thing constantly, most notably is the stereo performance. I fully admit its a truck that I take offroad and beat on and that an audiophile quality stereo is a bit mad. My journey will be broken down into 3 phases:

• Better Bass & sound deadening
• Upgraded speakers
• Amps & wiring

I started with Bass as I did not purchased the factory JBL option. Instead I went with a proper brand and landed on Wavtech. This is a US domestic company that has a lot going for it. They are pushing the envelope of sound innovation, quality build and actual customer service you can call and speak to someone! I will admit my Bass build might be overkill for some, but you only live once!! Went with 2-12" 2 ohm low profile subwoofers, the Wavtech 1500.1 mono block amp and custom box. The box is made from baltic birch 3/4" with one open chamber yielding 1.2 cubic foot of place. It was then painted with speaker box painted called Duratex. The amp mounts under the back passenger seat and connect directly into the "factory sub wire hookups". One of the biggest draws to Wavtech was its excellent native features for connecting to an OEM system. No need to a LOC to convert, amp has it built in! The amp rack is built out of HDPE (1/2" starboard) which makes shaping and heat setting threaded inserts a breeze. Last item is the remote gain knob that I mounted temporarily next to the handbrake. A bit of tuning, now I can hit serious bass in sealed box that is tight and smooth!

*Sub box dimensions are 39" wide x 6" high and 13" deep. The attached photos show down firing with legs. I have since then removed the legs and now it fires up with much better response.
* The sub box is held in place with 1" L track bolts I picked up from Amazon and some L brackets. If I need to take it out, it 4 screws and done!
* For the amp turn on lead, I tapped into the backseat fuse panel and used the switched circuit that controls power to the headlight leveling option. I can post a photo to help others.

Gear:
Wavtech ThinPro 12"
Wavtech 1500.1 amp

Sound deadening:
I went with Siles Max purchased from Amazon. One box did all of the floor, wheel arches etc. A full day of stripping out the 2 front seats, floor trays and the 2 back panels in the way back. Just this step alone made the whole car much quieter and more refined.
Siles Max


Options:

• If space were more of a concern I would have stepped it down to 1 Wavtech 10" sub and Wavtech 500 watt amp. My original plan was to put a single 10" under each front seat, fiberglass enclosures etc. Its a great option but I need that space for a compressor and some other junk.

I want to recognize Matt at Watech support of answering all of my questions, checking my math and helping me select my gear! Can't recommend this company enough!

This first phase is done! If you just want to add Bass to your Grenadier here is how I did it without breaking the bank, getting top of line gear and had a lot of fun in the process. If you have any questions, please reach out to me!

Also, I now offering wiring harnesses for sale. A few different options but have mastered how to make everything plug'n without cutting anything!
-Eric

 

[derek_zoolander]

Hey Eric, nice work! I'm gathering info for a similar concept. Although I think I will be using different gear. I've purchased some resonix cld for the doors and ideally trunk floor.

I am assuming you will post more about the "upgraded speakers" part? I've got some ideas on how I'd do this myself but interested in how you integrated to help confirm if I'm on the right track.