1949 Ford International
Internationally Challenged
Click Here to see how this work of art got started
The equipment list started where most do, with the source unit. We chose a Kenwood Excelon DNX-9140 in the dash, with built in Garmin Navigation and high speed iPod video and audio. Simple yet elegant, Kenwood’s video product are in a class all their own. The 9140 shot the audio signal threw the JL Audio Interconnect RCA’s to a trio of JL Audio Amplifiers, a Pair of JL Audio HD750.1’s and a JL Audio HD600.4. From there we split off, the HD 750.1’s we used to individually power the pair of JL Audio 13” TW5-3 subwoofers, while the HD600.4 was the power house used to bring the two sets of JL Audio ZR components in the front. All the wires used were by JL Audio, along with the fuse blocks and distribution. The only thing not JL Audio was the 12 gauge Tsunami speaker wire, the many boxes of Dynamat and the source unit itself. If that doesn't say we stand behind JL Audio and their products, we don’t know what will.
The build was as difficult and timely as one can get. We were faced with a vehicle that is in a class above most, a vehicle that in the cabin is incredibly loud from the engine, and the lack of space available in most vehicles. This was something that started on a timetable, with little limitations on design, and massive limitations on interior room to build in! The design and install was completed solely in our shop. But the mastermind behind it all was our custom fabricator, Doug Fee. Doug is an extremely talented fabricator, and this vehicle is most likely his crowning achievement. The freedom to have a free reign on design was like releasing a wild animal in a crowded place and watching the mayhem begin.
The enclosures were a complete free hand design, actually glassed inside the vehicle then finished outside. Taking the little space into account, then taking away more with the hump that split the cabin in half, an out-of-this-world design was needed to make it all work. The subs were split in half, one on either side of the hump, each enclosure was separately constructed. Next the design of the amp display was done. Doing something that looked jaw-dropping, and yet looked like it was supposed to be there. The amps were suspended on a frame made of solid aluminum. Seated on plexiglass foundations, and lit up with many LED’s. This took weeks of design and construction to perfect. The amps suspended alone didn’t quite make it stand out enough, so the fiberglass piece in front was constructed to tie everything together. A fiberglass center piece was designed, rounded to provide some dimension to it. It was then finished off, wrapped in the Porsche leather to match the rest of the vehicle and a JL Audio emblem was added to tie it in completely. Just putting equipment in a vehicle isn’t hard to do, but making it look like it belongs there is the challenge.
With the back completed the front needed to be started. The lack of room strikes again. Where to do you put enough high end speakers to actually keep up with the two 13.5” subwoofers thumping in the back? Again Doug shows us why he is a step above the rest. With no room in the doors, custom enclosures were constructed for the truck’s kick panels. This was not some overnight design, as these panels housed JL Audio’s flagship ZR component speakers. Each held two ZR 650 drivers, and a single ZR 1” aluminum dome tweeter. The aluminum frame of the ZR incorporated well with the look and feel of the vehicle, so using the grilles provided with the speakers was out of the question. The front face of the panel was suede flocked in a dark blue, fitted with a ZR emblem to accentuate the equipment, and the surrounding area was covered with the Porsche leather as well. The final product was a kick panel housing arguably some of the cleanest sounding component speakers available, and a perfect fit and interior matched design that tied it all together.
The seats, doors and floor contain some mind bending final touches that were done in order to truly tie everything together for a flawless, free-flowing design. The floor panels/mats were designed in order to stand out from the normal vehicle interior. Laying carpet down is boring. The idea was to make every aspect stand out from the rest, and again tie together with everything else inside the cabin. The floor was designed with a general idea; carpet, leather and something to make it pop.
FLOORS: A sheet of 1/4” thick aluminum was laid out as a contrast. It was cut to shape and polished to a mirror finish. The general layout needed for panels was fabricated and laid out for assembly. The outside was leather wrapped, and the polished aluminum was then placed as a border, secured with a handpicked bolt design. Inside the aluminum, we used coordinating Porsche carpet to give the presence of an actual floor mat. The preverbal floor mats were then sent to an embroidery shop, and blue and silver JL Audio emblems were sown in for that extra touch of perfection.
DOORS: The Door Panels were originally a thin piece of MDF covered with leather and placed on the doors. With the extent of what we were doing, that wasn’t something we could let fly. The cars paint job was not only on the exterior, but was also inside. A simple yet professional door panel was constructed in a two piece frame with separate inserts. The base was cut, constructed and assembled, and then fiberglassed. The panel as a whole was designed to follow the pre-painted flow of the doors’ painted pinstripe that stretched around the whole interior cabin. The inserts were prepped and then leather wrapped. The center was retrofitted with a large metal JL Audio emblem. The emblem was housed in a piece of carefully cut plexiglass. The plexiglass was then made to stand out with the careful placement of LED’s. The thought was to make it shine, but not to overpower with too much light.
SEATS: Unfortunately we cannot take credit for the entire seat construction. The seats being wrapped were done before we got it. But the surrounds around the bottoms are one of the many little touches done to make it leave an impression. The surround was constructed from a fiberglass shell that was molded, and the wrapped with leather. But how are you going to have a car with no foot well lighting? We took care of that. Two pieces of aluminum were fabricated and polished to fit the general layout of things. Two-way mirror was then used as a different spin on the normal design. Allowing light to flow out but keeping it blended when not in use. The actual lighting itself was generated from the same blue LED’s that were used throughout the rest of the install to keep it all uniform.
WRAP UP: In the end, the individual fiberglass parts were shipped out, professionally painted to color-match the exterior and then installed. There are a lot of things that we haven’t even mentioned, like the batteries being buried in the rear under the bed, having to remove the rear wheels in order to access them. As well as the countless hours put into sound-deadening the vehicle, running and hiding wiring, assembly and fine tuning. This job is one of the most detailed, complete, unplanned installations we have done. So wrapping it up, this truck is truly one of a kind. Every aspect was taken into consideration during construction, wiring, fabrication, installation and tuning. The sound that this vehicle produced was like nothing we have ever heard, 1500 watts of jaw-dropping low-end bass, and 600 watts of concert quality high-end sound in such a small cabin area.