Rear Cargo Area Overhaul(Subwoofer+Sound Deadening+Carpet Replacement)
Below are my instructions for an overhaul of the cargo area in my 2000 LC. This encompasses a subwoofer replacement, sound deadening and carpet replacement. I recommend doing this all in one fell swoop as it saves time and cost. The problem that drove this is a) poor subwoofer b) noisy cargo area c) worn/wrong carpet. My carpet couldn’t continue to bear the repeated abuse it took at the hands of oily metal parts, gun powder, kid spills. It was time to go to a more functional surface. The whole idea here is to save everyone time and money, if you don’t like my config, no problem, but I think you’ll see how to avoid some of my mistakes and end up with a good modification, saving time and money in the process. What’s unique to my plan is you can do almost all of this yourself, but know that you’re going to need to accept two assumptions up front. They are:
Parts List:
1. .093 Molex connector. I recommend the 4-pin, but you can go lower if you have only one sub. No lower than two. Purchase from Mouser Electronics.
2. 16 gauge stereo wire. Buy 25 feet minimum. Purchase via innerned or a stereo shop.
3. BedRug BedTred pro 6x10 foot swath(non vehicle specific).
4. (4) Boxes of Dynamat $150 per box
5. (4) Boxes Dynaliner or sufficient to cover the Dynamat above.
6. Your choice of subwoofer. I used two(JL audio 6w3v3-4), since my 2000 model had wiring for dual subs.
Tools List:
1. Wire Crimping tool.
2. Flat blade screwdriver(for removing plastic.
3. Cleaning products, towels, dishwashing soap.
4. Box Cutter
5. Hex key
6. Phillips screwdriver(small)
Plan Outline
1. Remove plastic covering cargo area wheel wells
2. Remove carpet for the entire cargo area
3. Remove the subwoofer enclosure, disconnect the wiring from the wiring harness that runs to the subwoofer enclosure.
4. Remove plastic moulding where the 3rd row seats mount and the rest of the cargo area.
5. Clean the entire area and remove the loose, accumulated dirt.
6. Install Dynamat
7. Install Dynaliner.
8. Build a small wiring harness to connect the amp to the new subwoofer, by running the 16 gauge wiring from the amp under the carpet to the rear sub area. Use the Molex connector and build a new connection that allows you to reconnect the sub wiring as the old connections are of questionable strength.
9. After I had dynamatted, dynalined, and installed a wiring harness where the sub existed previously, I simply took my choice of truck bed product to an automotive installer and the rest of the work was complete. The wires for the new sub were run through openings in the driver side compartment that houses the jack.
Further Detail:
Removing the plastic is scary, but be methodical and take your time. It pops right off if you’ll pry under and find where the snaps connect to the metal inserts. It’s a set of snap plugs and you need to be cognizant of the 12 volt electricity connection that needs to be unsnapped in the drivers’ side rear most area. Once that’s done, use your hands and a flat blade to just slowly work your way under the plastic snap by snap. Even if you break a snap or two, you can find replacements. But for right now, plan on getting the plastic off and the carpet out. The carpet can’t come out fast enough and once it’s out, you’ll realize two things:
1) There is a lot of hidden dirt that needs to be cleaned. This turned into a bigger effort than I first realized.
2) Removing the plastic molding is necessary to really clean the area. Use the hex or phillips for that…
Once the area is prepped and cleaned, Dynamatting is just a matter of using the box cutter to cut strips and applying on every possible surface. In particular, pay attention to the wheel wells and the metal surface behind the wheel wells. The dynaliner rolls on a bit easier, but it’s a bit gentler, so don’t rest anything on it after that.
Valeria@bedrug.com is the contact person I spoke with at BedRug. They will sell a 10x6 sheet of their product and you can drop it off at an installer and the rest is Other Man’s labor. Yes, they will need to use some replacement foam/padding underneath, but that’s entirely normal. Also, they will have a good selection of paints to paint your plastic moulding, you want the flat black.
I used http://www.karsrkewl.com/ located in pleasant central Arlington, Texas two blocks from Jerry World. Worth the drive.
Here is a somewhat limited budget I used.
#Description Price
Molex Connector 3.99
Subwoofers(2) with enclosure. 6w3v3-4 420.00
Dynamat Xtreme 9 sheets(4 boxes) 600.00
Dynaliner (3 sheets, 54x32) 300.00
BedRug Material 100.00
Labor to Automotive Carpet Installer 210.00
Total 1,633.39
I'll attach photos next..
Below are my instructions for an overhaul of the cargo area in my 2000 LC. This encompasses a subwoofer replacement, sound deadening and carpet replacement. I recommend doing this all in one fell swoop as it saves time and cost. The problem that drove this is a) poor subwoofer b) noisy cargo area c) worn/wrong carpet. My carpet couldn’t continue to bear the repeated abuse it took at the hands of oily metal parts, gun powder, kid spills. It was time to go to a more functional surface. The whole idea here is to save everyone time and money, if you don’t like my config, no problem, but I think you’ll see how to avoid some of my mistakes and end up with a good modification, saving time and money in the process. What’s unique to my plan is you can do almost all of this yourself, but know that you’re going to need to accept two assumptions up front. They are:
- Don’t even attempt to fit a subwoofer in the space where the stock enclosure was previously. The space is too limited to accept a worthwhile product. Don’t compromise sound quality by limiting yourself to unnecessary constraints. Build an enclosure or buy a sub+enclosure system you can simply drop in.
- The carpet is old, second-rate, and just needs to be replaced. Buy the BedRug product I suggest and hire an automotive carpet professional. The pros in this business do great work and it’s worth the money.
Parts List:
1. .093 Molex connector. I recommend the 4-pin, but you can go lower if you have only one sub. No lower than two. Purchase from Mouser Electronics.
2. 16 gauge stereo wire. Buy 25 feet minimum. Purchase via innerned or a stereo shop.
3. BedRug BedTred pro 6x10 foot swath(non vehicle specific).
4. (4) Boxes of Dynamat $150 per box
5. (4) Boxes Dynaliner or sufficient to cover the Dynamat above.
6. Your choice of subwoofer. I used two(JL audio 6w3v3-4), since my 2000 model had wiring for dual subs.
Tools List:
1. Wire Crimping tool.
2. Flat blade screwdriver(for removing plastic.
3. Cleaning products, towels, dishwashing soap.
4. Box Cutter
5. Hex key
6. Phillips screwdriver(small)
Plan Outline
1. Remove plastic covering cargo area wheel wells
2. Remove carpet for the entire cargo area
3. Remove the subwoofer enclosure, disconnect the wiring from the wiring harness that runs to the subwoofer enclosure.
4. Remove plastic moulding where the 3rd row seats mount and the rest of the cargo area.
5. Clean the entire area and remove the loose, accumulated dirt.
6. Install Dynamat
7. Install Dynaliner.
8. Build a small wiring harness to connect the amp to the new subwoofer, by running the 16 gauge wiring from the amp under the carpet to the rear sub area. Use the Molex connector and build a new connection that allows you to reconnect the sub wiring as the old connections are of questionable strength.
9. After I had dynamatted, dynalined, and installed a wiring harness where the sub existed previously, I simply took my choice of truck bed product to an automotive installer and the rest of the work was complete. The wires for the new sub were run through openings in the driver side compartment that houses the jack.
Further Detail:
Removing the plastic is scary, but be methodical and take your time. It pops right off if you’ll pry under and find where the snaps connect to the metal inserts. It’s a set of snap plugs and you need to be cognizant of the 12 volt electricity connection that needs to be unsnapped in the drivers’ side rear most area. Once that’s done, use your hands and a flat blade to just slowly work your way under the plastic snap by snap. Even if you break a snap or two, you can find replacements. But for right now, plan on getting the plastic off and the carpet out. The carpet can’t come out fast enough and once it’s out, you’ll realize two things:
1) There is a lot of hidden dirt that needs to be cleaned. This turned into a bigger effort than I first realized.
2) Removing the plastic molding is necessary to really clean the area. Use the hex or phillips for that…
Once the area is prepped and cleaned, Dynamatting is just a matter of using the box cutter to cut strips and applying on every possible surface. In particular, pay attention to the wheel wells and the metal surface behind the wheel wells. The dynaliner rolls on a bit easier, but it’s a bit gentler, so don’t rest anything on it after that.
Valeria@bedrug.com is the contact person I spoke with at BedRug. They will sell a 10x6 sheet of their product and you can drop it off at an installer and the rest is Other Man’s labor. Yes, they will need to use some replacement foam/padding underneath, but that’s entirely normal. Also, they will have a good selection of paints to paint your plastic moulding, you want the flat black.
I used http://www.karsrkewl.com/ located in pleasant central Arlington, Texas two blocks from Jerry World. Worth the drive.
Here is a somewhat limited budget I used.
#Description Price
Molex Connector 3.99
Subwoofers(2) with enclosure. 6w3v3-4 420.00
Dynamat Xtreme 9 sheets(4 boxes) 600.00
Dynaliner (3 sheets, 54x32) 300.00
BedRug Material 100.00
Labor to Automotive Carpet Installer 210.00
Total 1,633.39
I'll attach photos next..
