05 F350 Build log (some fiberglass work, computer, and system) Many pictures!!

[jdc753 10+ year member]

Thanks man, same here, but I am dreading cutting the dash due to the wood grain its got, can't really go back and just paint it. Thinking I will measure 500 times cut once a little small and then sand/file it to the right opening and hope I don't have to redo anything lol. Worst case I think about all I could do is wet sand it through the clear and re-clear it.

 

[SilverSquared 10+ year member]

You do know that 3.5" hard drives dont take the rough vibrations/impacts like a 2.5" drive, right? They're also hotter, and draw more power from the PSU.

Everything else looks GREAT. And I'm very glad ur running a 10" monitor. I cant see the REASON for running anything larger when ur 2 feet away from it. Just watch how bright it'll be at night, lol. You'll be glad its not bigger.

 

[Phers1er 10+ year member]

Thanks man, same here, but I am dreading cutting the dash due to the wood grain its got, can't really go back and just paint it. Thinking I will measure 500 times cut once a little small and then sand/file it to the right opening and hope I don't have to redo anything lol. Worst case I think about all I could do is wet sand it through the clear and re-clear it.

Wow, that is scary... But It seems like you have the right Idea, Sanding and filing a little at a time.

gl

 

[speedfreak28 10+ year member]

nice work, that amp rack is clean!

 

[speedfreak28 10+ year member]

Thanks man, same here, but I am dreading cutting the dash due to the wood grain its got, can't really go back and just paint it. Thinking I will measure 500 times cut once a little small and then sand/file it to the right opening and hope I don't have to redo anything lol. Worst case I think about all I could do is wet sand it through the clear and re-clear it.

your best bet would be to tape off yourr measurements as exact as youcan get them, cut out the excess with an air saw. that wouldnt leave much to sand or file.

 

[jdc753 10+ year member]

You do know that 3.5" hard drives dont take the rough vibrations/impacts like a 2.5" drive, right? They're also hotter, and draw more power from the PSU.


Everything else looks GREAT. And I'm very glad ur running a 10" monitor. I cant see the REASON for running anything larger when ur 2 feet away from it. Just watch how bright it'll be at night, lol. You'll be glad its not bigger.

Yea for now its what I got. Was a spare drive so if it dies it dies, I have owned it since the 120GB ide was released lol so about 6 or so years back lol, maybe more. I can pick up a 500GB drive now for cheaper than I paid for the 120 lol.

Yea the screen was actually what got me the idea of building this. I am thinking its the perfect size, little smaller would have been easy to put in but this will pretty much fill the entire area without having to move the AC vents or really screw up the dash. For night time I so far am using mostly dark skins for Road Runner to keep it darker. Can't wait to get it all up and running, its was soo much fun fooling around with it when I had it setup on my desk. Thanks for the compliments //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif gonna be busy this week with other things so it may be a while before I get any more work, but I think the computer install is bumped up the list now that I got the speakers and amps all working and such.

 

[jdc753 10+ year member]

Wow, that is scary... But It seems like you have the right Idea, Sanding and filing a little at a time.gl

Yea it is a bit, but I think I got it, most certainly gonna be stressful when I put the blade the to plastic lol.

nice work, that amp rack is clean!

your best bet would be to tape off yourr measurements as exact as youcan get them, cut out the excess with an air saw. that wouldnt leave much to sand or file.

Thanks man //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/biggrin.gif.d71a5d36fcbab170f2364c9f2e3946cb.gif Yea thats what I got currently, I put some masking tape all around the area and then found the center of the current opening and measured out from there and marked my lines down the sides and I will go straight out from the top and bottom and make it one big opening. I am thinking I will use a dremel that I got with a cut off wheel but make light passes to not heat up the plastic too much as I cut. There will be about 1.5" to 2" left over below the screen but I should be able to form a fiberglass filler along there to hold the slot load dvd and the usb hub, get the filler panel painted flat black like the other dash inserts and it should look reasonably good.

 

[speedfreak28 10+ year member]

sounds good, i gotta start my dash, only have to trim for a avic d3 not a 10" monitor lol

 

[Atimm693 10+ year member]

Looks pretty great so far, nice and clean.

Keep it up.

 

[jdc753 10+ year member]

Well not too much for updates but spent most of the night trying to tune the speakers and get a good baseline. I still need to move the tweeters and get them mounted up nicely. Also gotta read up a lot more on the manual as to how to operate the 9887. Stinks that I can't find it anywhere in the house, so gonna print out a copy at the office tomorrow and spend some time getting familiar with it.

I must say that with the little bit of tuning and horrible tweeter placement so far that it actually sounds really good. I can only imagine what it will sound like when I get the tweeters mounted properly, deaden the doors and spend some more timing. Oh and add subs to fill in the bottom notes.

 

[jdc753 10+ year member]

what in the hell is that energize III black thing or w/e..lol

Just looked back through my pictures again as I must have had a brain fart last time. That Energize III thing next to the switches and below the HU is a trailer brake controler, its for equilizing the trailer brakes to the trucks brakes so your not stuck trying to stop your truck AND the trailer with the trucks brakes alone.

 

[Black-Gorrilla 10+ year member]

how will that monitor be mounted (once you cut the wood grain... yikes...)

do you have some kind of bracket that it came with?

 

[jdc753 10+ year member]

Got a little bit more accomplished. Tweeters are installed. What do you guys think...

Drivers side tweeter

 

[jdc753 10+ year member]

how will that monitor be mounted (once you cut the wood grain... yikes...)do you have some kind of bracket that it came with?

I still have yet to 100% figure it out, but what I have in my head at the moment is to cut it JUST right lol. Only ONE chance at this, and the screen will sit behind the dash as it would in a standard bezel, then I will mount it to he back side of the dash piece either using the bezel it came in, or with some fiberglass or plastic build up around the screen and fastened to the dash as it is in the bezel which is by little metal clips screwed into the bezel.

 

[jdc753 10+ year member]

Ok don't worry the tweeters aren't staying like that, but even with that horrible mounting it still sounded amazing. Get in the truck and crank the stereo and it was like you just put on headphones, the speakers disappeared and all you were left with was the music right up around eye level or a little bit lower (I sit pretty high up in the seat.)

Here is what I did tonight, not much but got the tweeters aimed and into little pods. Later on I will go back and wrap the sail panels and pods and finish them up with some fiberglass then texture paint and black pain to try and match the OEM as best I can.

And here is the passenger side...

BEFORE: super crappy, but as I said it sounded pretty sweet lol, just lacking a bit of the highest highs. Hoping by aiming them directly on axis to each headrest that those highs will be brought out.

AFTER:

Not the greatest picture, but it is also now aimed directly on axis. The drivers side tweeter is at the drivers headrest and the passenger tweeter at the passenger headrest.

I haven't really had any time to sit and get an idea if this is any better or do any more tuning but I am pretty sure it will be better. If not I can always change it around a bit. The hot glue gun has become one of my most favorite tools in this install lol. I didn't have a laser pointer around anywhere so I tried to aim them as best as I could, hopefully it will be good. With the tweeters squared away I will be free to move onto deadening the doors to try and make a proper home for these speakers.

Any tips, tricks, criticism or feedback of any kind is greatly appreciated, specially seeing as much of this install is a learning process for me so far.