1990 Chevy Silverado - Check out the build image gallery here
For years, it had been Kip’s goal to restore the truck given to him by his grandfather and add a little something special. That’s when he decided to come to Jackson Car Audio. Kip, a student and worker in the medical field in Jackson Tennessee, knew he wanted something unique and special for the truck, but couldn’t quite put his finger on exactly what that was so he brought it to us and together we designed a new life for this one time work truck that included a custom audio system! The process started by sketching out a design for a custom fabricated, one off, center console that would house the electronics for the system and be the focal point to the interior of the truck. Kip refinished the dash and all of the interior panels to reflect the style and colors of what was about to be installed. JC Audio made custom dash speaker plates that covered the Hertz Audio 3” midrange and tweeter. Pressed grills were fabricated in house, in a custom built die press, for the dash panels as well as for the custom kick panels which were home to the Hertz 6.5” midbass drivers.
The centerpiece of the console is the iPad that was integrated to control the Sony headunit that is tucked away behind the iPad and uses a wireless Bluetooth link for the Sony Song Pal control app. The iPad is able to tilt and slide out for easy access to the CD player. The console also hosts a 10” Phoenix Gold Subwoofer for adding super low bass. Under the stainless steel cup holders and storage tray, is the power and processing for the system. We fabricated a steel rack inside the console for the JL Audio amplifiers that drive the component system and subwoofer and for an Audison BitOne DSP (digital sound processor) that delivers 8 discrete channels of input for the amplifiers; allowing them to run the speakers “full active” without the use of any passive filters (crossovers), thus delivering a precise frequency band to each of the drivers and allowing them to perform at their peak and produce perfect clarity and response without sacrificing power. A JL Audio XD600/1 runs the sub and the kick panel and dash speakers are powered by a JL Audio XD800/8. The master control for the BitOne was flushed in to the top of the console’s armrest which allows for ease of use when driving. Pressed grills were also built for the sides of the console and LED Lighting was added to the console, kick panels, and rear wall. Inserts were made to dress up the door panels using the same materials as the rest of the interior parts, which include custom built seats! A Stinger battery provides the juice for the truck with all Stinger 100% copper wiring and copper terminals that are crimped and soldered for a connection with no power loss.
To finish it all off, we installed automatic door poppers and a full blown Compustar security and remote start system that can be controlled by the 2-way T11 LCD remote control as well from his iPhone app! The week after the upgrades were completed, Kip’s truck took home 1st Place in the “Under Construction” class of the annual Thomas Media Motor Mania Auto Show. The truck was also featured in Mobile Electronics Magazine, a national industry trade publication, in May of 2016 in a two page spread!
Hardware used
Here is some of the components that went into this build.
- iPad w/ Sony Song Pal control.
- Audison BitOne DSP.
- JL Audio XD800/8 Amp.
- 10” Phoenix Gold Subwoofer.
- LED Lighting.