Project Tundra Update Dallas TX

Project Tundra is well underway. We took delivery of the vehicle from Toyota in late August, and immediately began coordinating a time schedule for installs. By SEMA, we will have the paint job, sound system, tires and wheels, 6-inch lift, bedliner, and exhaust system completed. We will be featuring different steps of the customization in this and upcoming issues. In this issue, we will discuss the audio upgrade system performed by Maxxsonics USA.

I should start by saying that the factory sound system in the Tundra wasn't shabby by any means. The integrated system in the factory Tundra included a GPS navigation system, backup camera, JBL AM/FM four-disc in-dash CD changer, auxiliary audio jack, 12 speakers, 440 Watt peak-output amplifier, Bluetooth wireless technology, and steering wheel audio controls. To the average person, the sound it produced would sound nice.

But we weren't interested in nice. We wanted attention. We wanted loud. We wanted a clear, clean, high-end sound. We wanted readers to stop at our booth at shows and stare. With all of the system integration in the factory unit, it was impractical (if not impossible) to remove it and install an aftermarket deck. So we chose to keep the factory deck, but upgrade everything else.

Mike Benz, market development specialist for Maxxsonics, coordinated the install. He went with MB QUART components for the truck's new sound system. The door speakers were taken out and replaced with RVF268 speakers. Custom stainless billet speaker covers manufactured by RealWheels were installed over the door speakers. PVF216 premium tweeters replaced the factory tweeters in the dash with custom fiberglass mounts, and on the front door pillars with custom billet work from RealWheels. Two shallow mount RSH252 subwoofers, which are designed with an inverted neodymium magnet which mounts on the front of the subwoofer to reduce clearance, were installed under the rear seat in a custom fiberglass enclosure that also houses MB QUART's new PAB5400 premium five-channel amplifier. In the center of the dash, a PVF210 Premium 4-inch speaker was installed with a custom fiberglass mount. A signal processor was installed to help optimize the signals going to the amp. All wiring was replaced with premium wires.

Total man-hours for the install was around 60, with most of that time tied up in the design and fabrication of the subwoofer box and front dash speaker mounts.

THE BOX

Benz shares that there were several considerations he had to keep in mind when designing the custom box for Project Tundra. First was the available space. Second was the aesthetic look of the completed project — he wanted the box to blend with the aesthetics of the vehicle's interior. Third was the air space requirement for the subwoofers inside the box.

For his design, Benz considered all of the above factors and came up with a box that would fit under the rear seat of the Tundra. There would be the two subwoofer speakers installed on the center and left side of the box, and an amp installed on the right side.

Picturing in his mind what he wanted the final box to look like, Benz cut a board of MDF to serve as the base of the box. He also used MDF to fabricate mounting plates for the speakers and amp. Benz then began the buildup of the box. Keeping the final design in mind, Benz used ABS rod — heating them up to bend them into the desired shapes, and then glued them to both the base and mount plates. Once the rods were in place and he was satisfied with the shape, Benz glued fleece material to the openings, stretched it over the rods, and secured to the base. With the box now having its basic shape, he reinforced the inside of the box using strips of fiberglass mat soaked with resin. Once the reinforcement strips were in place and cured, he used Duraglass on the outside of the box to strengthen it up and get the final finish. Benz used similar fabrication methods to make the center dash speaker mount and tweeter mounts.

Once all of the mounts were finished, Benz wired and installed all of the components. He then set the system up for optimum sound quality. Benz shared that this is an important step. If the system is set up improperly, it can lead to degraded performance at the least, and damage to the components at the worst.

Once the system was set up and Benz was satisfied with the installation, he disassembled the components from the boxes. This was in order to facilitate the painting of the boxes and speaker mounts to match the exterior paint scheme.

Next we delivered the vehicle to Elkhart, IN-based The Art Of Design (TAOD) for our custom paint job. We will discuss the paint job in the next issue of Light Truck and SUV.