well i ripped the Lamin-X off of my third brakelight this morning in a fit of rage and got my supplies to apply VHT Nightshades to it. i started out with 2000 grit wet sand on the housing till it got hazy.



then afterwards i applied 4 coats of nightshades till it got to the level of darkness that i wanted. i let it dry and then applied 4 coats of clearcoat and followed it up with Meguire's 210 polishing compound



then the brown truck showed up today and dropped off my new 6x8 Infinity Kappa's for the front and rear doors. im REALLY looking forward to getting these in.

 

what's the part number for the inifinity kappas?

 

#1086829CF - Infinity 682.9CF (Kappa Series)

 

I put the 3rd brake light in, very pleased



Then I got to work on my speakers. Here is a few quick comparison shots between the infinity and the OEM. notice the size of the magnet, it's also twice as thick




And finished product:


Overall I'm very happy with the sound quality improvement, though it clearly still needs a subwoofer. Next up will be either a Alpine or Harmon Kardon amp with the infinity 12" Kappa in a sealed box

 

i'm lovin' the truck! keep the pics and mods coming

 

thanks a lot! i appreciate everyones comments that leave them.

unfortunately things will slow down substantially once my daughter gets here in february, but at the rate im putting miles on my truck (350 shy of 10,000) i should be sporting my new meats by next winter. i doubt these GS/A's will last much over 35,000 reliably - they're already awful tires. i still DO NOT understand why ford would even think of putting C-load tires on a 5000lb truck. the Grabbers in E's will certainly firm things up and improve the steering and suspension performance.

 

^x2! I'm broke right now, so I'm livin' my mod dreams through your posts. Keep it up man!

 

Marshal - I looked at those speakers today and put them on my list of Mod's. How is the overall sound quality? I have Infinity's in my 99 and like them. They go in without issue? And I too am curious why these trucks have GSA's on them? Headscratcher.....

 

Well, I can see why you were a popular guy in the jeep forum. Truck looks great. Keep 'em comin.

 

i like them a lot, they're a excellent upgrade from what already exists. infinities are known to be particularly bright speakers, while they cover bass well - they're well known for their ability to accentuate minor details in music which is a big plus to me because i consider myself an audiophile. granted i wont ever dynomat anything and im not using premium components - there is a line on what you can do reasonably to a vehicle. i'll leave the top notch speakers and amps for my "library"

another plus to them is that both speakers are 2ohm rather than 4ohm respectively, by this the head unit (which is around 5watts RMS @ 4 ohms i believe) is now sending double whatever the original RMS wattage is. so they're a little bit louder (for not being amp'd) and clearer.

my only downside right now is that my door panels are vibrating due to the bass they can put out. granted they still bottom out anything over 1/3 max volume when i listen to Clint Eastwood by Gorillaz, but they're a big step up. like i said above - subwoofer

there are much better speakers out there if you want to spend the money (JL, Focal and whatnot) but im a sucker for Infinity/Harmon Kardon, plus they're USA

thanks, i have over 8000 posts over there of advise, comments and writeups - i try to stay knowledgable

remember, (even though i like it, i dont have a lot of it - and would like more of it) its only money. easier said than done though

 

Thanks Marshal. I am in the truck at least an hour a day so I am always listening to music and factory speakers just aren't cutting it.

 

so since the speaker installation yesterday morning i have probably had my radio turned on through a variety of music for a total of 6-7 hours and my speakers are very well broken in now. and i can say that they are incredibly impressive. i did my Clint Eastwood test and found that they were no longer bottoming out well into the 75% volume range and the bass was even deeper and more rich. granted they were not hitting as hard as the level of volume (maxed out woofer travel), but the music was still crystal clear. that said im incredibly impressed with my choice and am very happy. the subwoofer has moved down several notches on my list now that i have a satisfactory "system" in my truck.

i highly recommend the Infinity 682.9CF Kappa speakers, especially once they're broken in. (and their RMS range is 2-100watts, so they're good for an amp too)

 

does anyone know the part number (if one exists) for an Engine Block Heater for the 5.4L? i know its not necessary at all, especially with the mild winter that i have in Louisville. i just like having it.

 

back again!

my HID kits from Retro Solutions came in. i opted for the 55 Watt Digital Ballast H13 and H10 kits in the 5000K color. i got around to installing them today. im VERY PLEASED!

finding a place for the full size ballasts was a little tricky, but i found good locations that are protected from debris (the ballasts are water proof, shake proof and crush proof, but im not taking any chances)

headlight ballasts fit perfectly on the dog house in both locations (L/R) for future installers, keep in mind that the doghouse on 09+ F150's are cast aluminum and are not good ground locations.



fog light ballast location



fog lights work!



better showing of the headlight ballast location




headlights work!



both



aimed and finished



i'll check back later tonight with pictures from at night. im very pleased with how the arcing is with these lamps in the housings. the housings still have a very sharp cut off and have very little to no glare. fantastic kit, and great components. ballasts are made in Germany with USA made IBM processors and the bulbs are produced in Japan by a subsidiary of IPF

 

good looking truck man. i am a previous 2006 rubicon owner my self. loved crawling and mudding in that thing, but i definetly dont miss the ride quality. im happy with my FX4