[MMichaelJJ]

I bought my 14’ CrewMax Platinum last December and started my stereo install a few months ago. It’s taken me a little longer to get things finished because I changed my mind on a few things and had to wait for parts to come in. I wanted to document my install because hopefully someone will find something I did useful and use it in their own install. There are a ton of helpful threads already that I used for my own install.

Prior to this truck I had a 08’ DC that I did a stereo install on. For that install I replaced the HU, front doors with Polk MM components, rears with Polk MM coaxs, Alpine X power amps, and I went through a number of different subs (Polk, Kicker, and Stereo Integrity). I went all out with sound deadening and spent over $700 on materials from Don over at Sound Deadener Showdown | Sound Deadener Showdown . I started this is install only planning on adding some CLD tiles, but as the install went I changed my mind and added MLV and CCF.

I like the factory HU and didn’t want to replace it. This time I wanted to try better speakers running active and opted to not have any rear speakers. It’s rare that anyone sits in the back and the money saved from not buying rear speakers could be spent elsewhere. For the fronts I decided to go with Helix P62C components, Helix DSP Pro, JL audio HD 600/4 for the components and a JL HD 750/1 to power a pair of Stereo Integrity BM MKIV subs. Other than the subs which I had from my last install I bought everything, including the sub box from Tech12volts.com . His prices were well below anyone else and his customer service was amazing. I’ll get into that a little later.

Like most people I started by gutting the interior. How to do that has been well documented by others. Here are a few pictures of that process that includes CLD tiles, MLV and CCF. I used CLD tiles from sound deadener showdown and also reckhorn (Amazon.com: Reckhorn ABX 21.5 Sq Ft X 80 Mil Thick Self-adhesive Sound Deadener Aluminium Foil + Butyl Based Damping: Automotive ) tiles from Amazon (after running out of SDS tiles).

As I mentioned above I started the process not planning on using any MLV. I changed my mind as the install went and decided to try some MLV from Amazon. I bought 100 square feet for $219. That was the shipped price.

Amazon.com: TMS Mass Loaded Vinyl 4' X 25' 100 Square Feet 1 Lb MLV Acoustic Barrier: Musical Instruments

The price was cheaper than Don with SDS. I will say the Amazon MLV has a slight odor to it. It’s not bad, but it’s definitely there. Going back and reading through SDS’s website I saw where Don says he has sourced virgin material for his MLV. I still had a few pieces of his stuff from my last build and confirmed his stuff has ZERO odor. I kept the Amazon MLV but knowing what I know now, I would spend the extra money and order through Don. So far I haven’t noticed any odor and I hope it stays that way. I’ll find out next summer when it gets hot again. Here are some pictures of the MLV.

One of the videos I found on youtube that ended up helping me a lot was this

The parts of the video most helpful had to do with sealing the doors and the tool associated with doing that. I ended up buying a threaded insert tool which helped with sealing the doors and later with my amp install. Here’s the tool.

Amazon.com: Surebonder 8510 6-32, 8-32, 10-24, 10-32, 1/4-20 Threaded Insert Tool: Home Improvement

If you search on youtube you can find videos on how to set rivnuts without the tool listed above using only a bolt and two nuts. Here are two videos that show what I’m talking about.

For my doors I used smaller 10-24 bolts to attach plastic to seal the opening. I didn’t realize when you use a bolt that small you’re forced to use a screwdriver… at least I wasn’t able to find anything at the local hardware store with a hex head for a 10-24 bolt. I was able to set a few rivnuts without the tool but ran into problems when the surface wasn’t flat. I broke down and bought the tool which made the process simple. If I had to do it again I would try to use larger bolts than the 10-24 I used. I think I would be able to get away with not using / buying the tool because the larger bolts would have a hex head and allow for a better grip over a screwdriver.

After watching the “increase midbass video” I tried to find cheap ABS plastic to use to seal the large opening in my front doors. I wasn’t able to find anything reasonably priced. I also tried to find the TESA paint protection tape like the stuff used in the video, also with no luck. I ended up using cutting boards instead of ABS plastic I bought from Walmart and carpet protector rolls from Home Depot. Here’s what I bought.

I added CLD tiles and butyl rope to the front doors to deaden them.

Then I used the clear carpet shield to trace the opening in the door which I transferred to the cutting board. I used a jigsaw to easily cut the cutting boards.

I also bought some peel and stick ensolite from RAAMaudio - Automotive sound deadening products that I used to cover the cutting boards. The following photo shows both openings in the door covered. I ended up having to remove the top piece. I didn’t take into consideration the thickness and wasn’t able to get the door card back on.

I bought my speaker adapters from How do I install stereo, speakers, subwoofer, amplifier, tweeters ipod in my Tacoma Toyota that I also covered with peel and stick ensolite.

After mounting my speakers into the tacotunes adapters I used some Sound Connection 6 ½? F.A.S.T. ring kit Sound Connection on them.

If you haven’t noticed already I bought some TESA tape to wrap the factory wires. I also used the tape on the door cards to try to keep the door clips from rattling. Putting the tape on the mounting points on the door made the door clips more snug.

I added CLD tiles, ensolite, and 3M Thinsulate I had left over from my previous install on the door cards / skin. I also removed the Styrofoam from the door card because I covered the hole using the cutting board. I also had to cut away some of the plastic “fins” on the bottom of the door card to get it to go back on correctly.

..... TO BE CONTINUED .....

 

[MMichaelJJ]

I mounted the Helix tweeters in the factory sail panels. I removed the factory tweeter and used the supplied hardware from the Helix to secure it to the sail panels. The Helix tweets were a little larger than the factory so I had to cut a larger hole to make them fit.

 

[MMichaelJJ]

I mounted my 200A breaker onto a piece of metal using some rivnuts and the same threaded insert tool I used to mount the cutting board to the doors. I took the piece of metal to a local shop and had them weld it to the battery bracket.

 

[MMichaelJJ]

Headliner Removal

I already documented my headliner removal in another thread (http://www.tundratalk.net/forums/tundra-interior-discussion/481769-headliner-w-sunroof-removal.html ) but I’ll copy and paste it here so it’s all in one place.

Using @Jumbo Jet headliner removal thread as a starting point, I removed mine from my 14' crewmax with a sunroof. Figured I would add some photos to help the next person out.

Most of the steps were the same to remove my headliner. The visors are a little different, maybe because I have vanity lights. On one side it's held up by two phillips screws and a pressure tab (not sure what it's called) on the opposite side of the screws. Once the screws are removed just pull down to get it to release and then unplug the harness.




The front headliner piece that houses the sunglasses holder and sunroof controls is held up by four torx screws. Once those are removed drop it down and unplug the harness.



The rear dome light are held up by two clips. They are purple in this photo. Just pull down and then unplug the harness.




And the headliner removed with the factory sound deadener tiles.







The headliner is also held up by 10 little squares that looks like 3M dual lock fasteners. They hold well and kind of click into place. Once all the interior trim is removed (handles, visors, etc) the liner will be held up by the squares. Just pull down and they will release.







After removing the factory CLD tiles I added some SDS CLD tiles.

My initial plan was to add some 3M Thinsulate I had left over from my last build but I was worried it was a little too thick. I didn’t want the sunroof slider hitting it as it slid back so I bought some ½” Dynaliner.

Because I added the ½” Dynaliner I had to cut ½” off the factory spacers / blocks from the headliner. I didn’t take any photos after cutting them, but here’s what I’m talking about.

 

[Jumbo Jet]

Wow!! Incredible work so far. Can't wait to see more.....hurry!

 

[MMichaelJJ]

Factory JBL amp wiring

I used the wiring diagram in the following thread as a reference.

http://www.tundratalk.net/forums/tundra-audio-visual-discussion/404170-2014-audio-wiring-diagrams.html

Because I have the JBL system in my truck I had to keep the factory amp wired in under the front passenger seat. I didn’t take photos of this process so I’ll do my best to explain what I did. I may try to take some photos later.

The JBL amp has three harnesses that plugs into it. They are listed as J141(A), J142(B), and J143(C). J141(A) is a 24 pin harness. J142(B) has 10 wires and J143(C) has 12 wires. Harness “A” has most of the inputs from the factory HU. It also contains two data wires which from what I understand is the main reason the factory JBL amp can’t just be removed / replaced. Harness “A” also has the remote turn on wire that I tapped into for my Helix DSP Pro. It’s the sky blue wire in position 12.

Harnesses “B” and “C” are for the outputs to the speakers. They also contain the power and ground wires. Harness “B” has two power wires in positions 1 and 5 (red and brown wires). Harness “C” has two grounds in positions 6 and 7 (white wires with black stripes).

Whenever I do anything to my truck I try not to cut any wires if I don’t have to. I have some other threads / topics where I added remote start with minimal cutting and did the fog light mod with no cutting. I wanted to pull the signals from the factory amp using aftermarket harnesses. I bought four harnesses that made everything plug and play.

Scosche TA02RB plugs into the factory JBL amp in place of J142(B) Metra 71-7992 plugs into the factory JBL amp in place of J143(C)

As I mentioned above there are power wires and ground wires in each harness. If you just plugged in both aftermarket harnesses to tap into the amp output, the ground and power signals would be interrupted (if that’s a good word for it). To fix that I bought two more harnesses that I used to plug into the factory harnesses that had been plugged into the amp. Those two harness are:

Metra 70-7991. This harness is used to connect the two ground wires from the factory amp to the chassis. Metra 70-1761. This harness is used to connect the two power wires . For these two harnesses I removed all the unused wires. So each harness only had two wires in them. Hopefully this picture shows what I’m talking about. It has all four harnesses wired / plugged in.

Depending on what speaker outputs from the factory amp you use you may not have to use all four harnesses. I used all 8 outputs from the factory amp and wired them into my Helix DSP Pro. I’ll go into detail later about that.

 

[MMichaelJJ]

Tech12volts.com

I mentioned earlier I bought all my equipment from James Randy Taylor at Tech12volts.com and that his customer service was amazing. I’ll talk a little about that.

In addition to having the best prices for the things I bought, he was available to answer questions before I actually bought anything. He took the time to answer every question I had making me feel comfortable about what I was buying. I ended up buying a speaker box for my 2 SI BM MKIVs, a Helix DSP Pro, JL Audio HD 750/1, JL Audio HD 600/4, and Helix P62C components from him. I also pre-paid for a Helix Director knowing I wouldn’t have it right away. It took significantly longer for it to arrive than what I was told, but he kept me updated with what he knew. I told him I didn’t need him to ship it priority mail because a few days wouldn’t make a difference to me. I was hoping to pass along the difference in price to save him a few bucks, but he sent it priority mail anyway.

After getting the DSP hooked up he called me and walked me through the setup process. After getting it hooked up I ran into a problem and he called me again. The second call was around midnight his time. Try getting that kind of customer service from a big box store!

He’s an active member on TundraCrew on Facebook and many, many others have had similar experiences with him.

OK, back on topic and photos of my install……..

 

[MMichaelJJ]

Mounting Amps

The part of the install that took the most time was the amps. My initial plan was to mount the two amps and DSP under both front seats. After removing the seats and looking around I didn’t like how crowded everything was going to be. The next idea was to do something like @TacoBlack did in his thread (http://www.tundratalk.net/forums/tundra-audio-visual-discussion/241202-crew-max-amp-install.html ). After a while I went away from that and came up with an idea using the threaded insert tool.

After doing some research I found a local business that sold metal. They carried a lot of different sizes, thicknesses, and cut the pieces for free. (Metal Supermarkets | Buy Stainless Steel, Aluminum, Hot-Rolled, Cold-Rolled, Alloy, Bronze, Copper, Brass, Tool Steel, Galvanized ) I decided to cut away a good amount of the padding under the rear seats and carpet to mount my amps. I also wanted the area to be able to support some weight which is the reason I went with metal and not wood. So, using the threaded insert tool and ¼-20 rivnuts, I attached aluminum angle bars to the brackets the back seats bolt to. I used three rivnuts per piece of angle bar. After attaching the angle bars to the brackets I secured three pieces of ¼” thick steel to each of the angle bars using smaller 10-24 rivnuts.


In the last picture you can see a rivnut installed on the wrong side of the seat bracket. I wasn't paying attention and drilled the wrong side.

 

[MMichaelJJ]

Amps Mounted

Having the amps and DSP mounted under the seats and carpet I was a little worried about the amps overheating. I did some searching and came across this fan turn on relay. CE Auto Electric Supply - Cooling Fan Activation Kit I realize it’s a little expensive, but I liked the idea of not having to source out the different parts. I also wanted to support the owner of the business, because like Mr. Taylor with tech12volts, went out of his way to help me.

I believe Tony Candela is the owner of CE Auto Electric and I had sent him several emails with questions. One of my questions had to do with voltage. He didn’t know the answer and sent an email to someone else in order to answer my question. He could have easily said he didn’t know the answer and been done with me, or suggested I buy one of his products, but he didn’t. He got the answer for me which meant I didn’t have to buy an additional piece from him. His products are also pretty nice. The following picture is a comparison of his eyelets and those sold by KnuKonceptz and Install Bay.

The following photos show the amps and DSP mounted to the bottom of the metal pieces. I also have a crossflow fan mounted in front of each amp and in front of the DSP. I have the thermostat set around 90-95 degrees and have the thermostat near the sub amp. I figured it would get hotter than the 600/4 and DSP. When I used a heat gun to heat the thermostat the fans turned on and off by themselves like they are designed to.

 

[MMichaelJJ]

Other Photos

One of my ground points and where I mounted my distribution block on the back wall on the driver's side.

And a random picture of an example of where / how I used the ensolite.

 

[MMichaelJJ]

Factory JBL Signals

During the install I learned some info about the signals associated with the factory JBL amp. One of the nice features of the Helix DSP Pro is the ability to electronically set the inputs. Once the signals / wires are physically connected to the DSP, you can use a laptop to select the inputs you actually want to use.

When I was asking Mr. Taylor from tech12volts.com all the questions about wiring I misunderstood him and ended up running all 8 outputs from the JBL amp to the DSP. I’m glad I did. The first time I set up the DSP I used the front door speakers, the dash / tweeter combo, and the subwoofer signals to sum. The JBL system has 8 channels:

Left Front Door
Left Dash and Tweeter
Center
Right Dash and Tweeter
Right Front Door
Right Rear Door
Left Rear Door
Subwoofer

The reason I used the dash / tweeter combo is because the factory beeps from the radio, BlueTooth, and Nav all play through those speakers. If they aren’t used then you lose those functions. That’s a feature I obviously wanted to keep. Adding to the earlier post about Mr. Taylor’s amazing customer service, he allowed me to borrow his SMD DD-1 to set my gains properly!!! Awesome dude!

After receiving the DD-1 I hooked up the RCAs from the DSP into it. The first signal I tested was a 40Hz signal. The signal I used was the subwoofer output from the JBL amp. The DD-1 detected distortion from the HU at volume 41. I think the max volume of the factory HU is around 61. The next signal I tested was 1kHz. I was using the front doors and the front dash / tweeter combo. The DD-1 never received a 1kHz signal no matter what volume I had it set at.

I then played around with the inputs of the DSP and changed them to the rear speaker output from the JBL amp and the front dash / tweeter combo. The DD-1 detected both 40Hz and 1kHz signal and I was able to turn the HU to the max volume with no distortion detected. Based on that, and playing around with the front three channels of the JBL, I determined (guessed) the front door speakers are crossed over below 1kHz and the front dash / tweeter combo is crossed over above 1kHz. That’s my guess of why the DD-1 didn’t detect a 1kHz signal. I also guessed the subwoofer signal from the JBL amp was “dirty” because it had distortion at volume 41.

Playing around with the front three signals I learned the BT, factory beeps, and Nav are all associated with them. I knew they played through the dash / tweeter combo but also learned using only the center channel kept those options.

In the end I used the rear door signal and dash / tweeter combo to provide a full range signal for my Helix DSP Pro.

 

[StevenD]

I mentioned earlier I bought all my equipment from James Randy Taylor at Tech12volts.com and that his customer service was amazing. I’ll talk a little about that.

In addition to having the best prices for the things I bought, he was available to answer questions before I actually bought anything. He took the time to answer every question I had making me feel comfortable about what I was buying. I ended up buying a speaker box for my 2 SI BM MKIVs, a Helix DSP Pro, JL Audio HD 750/1, JL Audio HD 600/4, and Helix P62C components from him. I also pre-paid for a Helix Director knowing I wouldn’t have it right away. It took significantly longer for it to arrive than what I was told, but he kept me updated with what he knew. I told him I didn’t need him to ship it priority mail because a few days wouldn’t make a difference to me. I was hoping to pass along the difference in price to save him a few bucks, but he sent it priority mail anyway.

After getting the DSP hooked up he called me and walked me through the setup process. After getting it hooked up I ran into a problem and he called me again. The second call was around midnight his time. Try getting that kind of customer service from a big box store!

He’s an active member on TundraCrew on Facebook and many, many others have had similar experiences with him.

OK, back on topic and photos of my install……..

You got lucky! He screwed several folks and got banned from here.

 

[MMichaelJJ]

You got lucky! He screwed several folks and got banned from here.

I was a member back then when all the issues were going on. I bought my first speaker box from him around the same time and it did take a little longer to get it than promised. From what I understand he had some personal issues going on. Should he have communicated better and been upfront with his customers? Yes.

This time was a totally different experience. Received the box in the time stated and was kept up to date on shipping of the equipment that I bought.

I'm glad I went with him and have no regrets.

 

[MMichaelJJ]

Wires

J141 (A)

Position 12 – Sky Blue - Remote Turn On

J142 (B)

Position 1 – Red - Power
Position 2 – Lt Green - Dash / Tweeter Right (+)
Position 3 – White - Rear Left Door (+)
Position 4 – Violet - Rear Right Door (-)
Position 5 – Brown - Power
Position 6 – Blue - Dash / Tweeter Right (-)
Position 7 – Violet - Dash / Tweeter Left (-)
Position 8 – Pink - Dash / Tweeter Left (+)
Position 9 – Lt Green - Rear Left Door (-)
Position 10 – Red - Rear Right Door (+)

J143 (C)

Position 1 – Pink - Front Left Door (-)
Position 2 – Violet - Front Left Door (+)
Position 3 – Blue - Front Right Door (-)
Position 4 – White - Center (+)
Position 5 – Violet - Sub (+)
Position 6 – White/Blk - Ground
Position 7 – White/Blk - Ground
Position 8 – NOT USED
Position 9 – Lt Green - Front Right Door (+)
Position 10 – Black - Center (-)
Position 11 – NOT USED
Position 12 – Gray - Sub (-)

 

[djpaul]

That some incredible work right there.
Makes me want to continue my work.
Thank you for great pictures and lots of useful information.

 

[skamp]

Very nice. Really appreciate the detail install. I think this will help a lot of people.

Steve

 

[Gene3x]

Wow. Total commitment. How long did all of this take? Final cost not including your labor?

 

[MMichaelJJ]

Wow. Total commitment. How long did all of this take? Final cost not including your labor?

Thanks. The whole process, which still isn’t done, has taken me a few months. A lot of the delay was waiting for parts to come in and changing my mind on what I wanted to do. I only worked on the truck on my weekends and that wasn’t consistent. I would sometimes go a week or two without making any progress. It could have easily been done in a weekend or two if I had everything and had a plan.

A good thing about it taking so long and spacing out the ordering of parts / equipment, it didn’t seem so expensive as I was doing it. Now that I’ve added everything up…. Not so much.

$230 - Sub box shipped
$2695 – 2 JL HD Amps, Helix DSP Pro, Helix Director (not installed yet), Helix P62C
$600 – 2 SI BM MKIV subs. I paid a little less because I preordered them. Can’t remember the price now.
$65 – Taco Tunes Speaker Adapters
$25 – F.A.S.T. Rings
$318 – Sound Deadener Showdown CLD Tiles, CCF, and other items from them
$219 – MLV from Amazon
$60 – Reckhorn CLD Tiles
$78 – Fan Turn On kit
$42 – 2 Cross Flow Fans. I already had one.
$93 – RAAM Audio Peel N Stick Ensolite
$76 – Dynamat Dynaliner
$150 – Approximate price for some new speaker wires, RCA’s, wiring harnesses, and
other wires. I already had power wires from my last install.
$100 – Approximate price for the metal to make the amp rack.

$4751. I didn't figure in the random screws, rivnuts, cutting boards, etc that I had to buy.

 

[Pacer442]

Very elaborate install and detailed well.
I recently received a box from tech12volts.com for my '14 CM. I am going with 2 JL 10W3's. The box with speakers and shipping was $690. I could barely buy the speakers for that price on Ebay so I was happy with that. However, I have had it since Thursday and I cannot put it in my truck yet because of the smell. He said he has to let his boxes cure one week after manufacture before he ships for that same reason. The smell seems to be subsiding but it is pretty putrid. Is this normal?

 

[MMichaelJJ]

Very elaborate install and detailed well.
I recently received a box from tech12volts.com for my '14 CM. I am going with 2 JL 10W3's. The box with speakers and shipping was $690. I could barely buy the speakers for that price on Ebay so I was happy with that. However, I have had it since Thursday and I cannot put it in my truck yet because of the smell. He said he has to let his boxes cure one week after manufacture before he ships for that same reason. The smell seems to be subsiding but it is pretty putrid. Is this normal?

I imagine the smell is coming from the fiberglass resin he uses on the inside. I don't remember if mine had an odor when I got it. It sat in my garage so long that if it did, the smell went away before my install. So I can't answer if it's normal.