1970 Ford F-100 Audio System Installation For Tucson Client

The owner of this amazing 1970 Ford F-100 pickup had been searching the Tuscon, AZ area for a shop to install an audio system. After not being able to find a shop that understood his goals, he contacted us here at Handcrafted Car Audio. We discussed his vision for the system and exchanged a few ideas. Finally, the client agreed to bring the truck up to Chandler for us to have a look at it. With the plan finalized, he left the truck behind and returned home. We started the fabrication process right away!

Concealed Subwoofer System

Our technicians carefully measured and marked the floor before cutting. The result was the perfect sized hole for the enclosure.

Cutting the hole in the floor allowed us to flush-mount the subwoofers under the seats.

Subwoofers need a properly designed enclosure to work well. In the F100, the fuel tank is located against the back wall of the truck. The client didn’t want to run a compact reserve tank, so he agreed to let us cut a portion of the floor out of the truck and suspend the enclosure underneath. We used marine-grade plywood to construct the enclosure. We finished the interior of the enclosure in fiberglass resin and body filler. The outside of the enclosure has a layer of fiberglass resin and automotive undercoating to give it resistance to debris. A pair of Hertz ES200 8-inch subwoofers are mounted in the top panel of the enclosure.

Custom Door Speaker Panels

The door panels were constructed out of expanded PVC for weight and durability.

Two Alpine woofers were installed in each door for incredible output and clarity.

Accent lines and chrome vinyl wrap help integrate the design of our panels with the existing door.

Through careful design and material selection we were able to keep our panels thin and light.

The client had installed chrome door skins to give the interior of the truck some character. We decided to use these as the theme for our speaker mounting plate. We created a layered mounting plate out of expanded PVC plastic. The exterior shape compliments the factory styling of the truck. We cut mounting holes for a pair of Alpine SPR-60C woofers. To trim the woofers, we cut another panel out of expanded PVC and added longitudinal grooves in it using our table saw. We finished this trim panel in chromed vinyl wrap to mimic the door skin.

Tweeter Pods

The Alpine tweeters were installed in little tweeter pods that we custom-fabricated for the pillars.

To match the doors, we fabricated a custom grille for the tweeters. It was finished with the same black and chrome look.

We created a set of pods for a pair of tweeters from the Alpine component sets. To start, we taped off the area at the base of the A-pillar with green masking tape. We placed several rare earth magnets on the pillar. Then we applied resin-soaked fiberglass mat to the area to form the base of our tweeter pods. Once the resin had cured, we trimmed the base to a compact shape and installed a mounting ring for the tweeter and a trim ring. We filled in the space in between the fiberglass mount and the rings with fiberglass reinforced body filler. We wrapped them in burgundy vinyl to match the door panels. We made a little custom grill and trim ring for the pods. We finished the trim ring in the same chrome vinyl wrap material as the door.

Source Unit and Amplifier Installation

The custom trim ring we made for the radio was also treated with the chrome vinyl wrap.

The subwoofers and amplifier are hidden under the seat.

The radio for the system is an Alpine CDE-163BT. To mount the radio, we enlarged the dash opening from the original twin-shaft radio. We bonded the new radio’s mounting sleeve to the front trim piece then created an acrylic ring to give the radio a clean, flush-mounted look. We used chrome vinyl on this trim ring as well.

We powered the system with a Hertz HDP-5 amplifier that is on the floor under the seat. We used Audison Connection and Stinger cables to wire up the amp. The sub channel of the amp powers the pair of Hertz subs, the rear channels power the door woofers and the front channels power the tweeters. All the frequency filtering is done actively onboard the amp.

Additional Comfort And Convenience Features

14 Neodymium magnets were used to secure the cupholder to the floor of the truck.

The client now has the convenience of two drink spots within his reach.

We installed three tubes of SoundSkins sound deadening on the interior of the trunk to help keep it quiet and comfortable. We covered the floor, doors and the rear of the gas tank.

We created a cup holder that mounts to the floor in front of the seat using 14 rare earth magnets. The cup holder is finished in burgundy vinyl and has two stainless steel cups that we sourced from a marine component supplier.

Client Loved His Ford F-100 Audio Upgrades

The client was thrilled with the work we did. It took us about three weeks to finish the installation, including a new dash pad and carpet at the clients’ request. If you are looking for a custom audio system for your classic, contact Handcrafted Car Audio in Chandler, AZ – we’d be happy to help. You can get in touch with us by e-mail here.