Hellasaurus Rex Truck - Debadged, Sound System, LEDs added, Wheel and Tire upgrade..... Version 1

[HellcatTruck]

Upon further inspection, you’re right HCT. The entire dashboard, especially the area in the corner near the heads up display on the driver side would have to be modified significantly. I think it would be tough to make it look good. I guess the goal will just be to find a bad ass 3 inch driver with a nice frequency response that we can use across the dash.

I’d like to explore some of the newer DSPs and see how well they integrate center channel images into the soundstage without constricting the width. I’ve typically been a proponent of tuning solely for the driver’s seat but tuning for both seats would be nice and it’s 2021. Technology should be here that approaches what we can achieve in an equidistant pair of stereo speakers.

On an unrelated topic, thank you to F8 Demon and Soulsea for putting in the time to get the parts and details lined up for a blacked out front end.

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That looks badass!!!

 

[Jackson]

Thanks HCT.

These threads get confusing but for those doing an audio upgrade DIY, here’s what you’re working with from the factory.

Ekaz has posted what you need below.

Stereo Components

 

[ekaz]

Upon further inspection, you’re right HCT. The entire dashboard, especially the area in the corner near the heads up display on the driver side would have to be modified significantly. I think it would be tough to make it look good. I guess the goal will just be to find a bad ass 3 inch driver with a nice frequency response that we can use across the dash.

I’d like to explore some of the newer DSPs and see how well they integrate center channel images into the soundstage without constricting the width. I’ve typically been a proponent of tuning solely for the driver’s seat but tuning for both seats would be nice and it’s 2021. Technology should be here that approaches what we can achieve in an equidistant pair of stereo speakers.

On an unrelated topic, thank you to F8 Demon and Soulsea for putting in the time to get the parts and details lined up for a blacked out front end.

Helix has some nice DSPs that have a center channel. My plan would be a solid 6.5 in the lower door, mids in the dash, and a tweeter in the upper door location. I have a pile of Audiofrog speakers that never made it into my Trackhawk that would hop into the TRX...Get it...audiofrog, hop in...LOL I'm hilarious.
AudioFrog GB or GS 25 would drop right into the dash locations.

 

[Jackson]

It looks like Branded Customs did a little marketing piece.

 

[TReX-RAM]

It looks like Branded Customs did a little marketing piece.

I seen that earlier this week, nicely done!

 

[Futant]

Damn. Stranger Things?

 

[CustomPerformance]

Now for the fun part! Hidden throughout the truck is the Escort Max CI 360 with the components of the detector discreetly hidden in the panels of the truck. The controls are at the bottom of the touch screen for marking speed traps and changing any of the settings. Above the gauge cluster is the live display that tells me what's happening, like if I'm being targeted by radar or if it's actively shifting a laser signal. Two sensors were placed at the front and rear of the truck and the pic of the rear has actually changed since then and is painted to match. You really have to be looking to notice them. Supposedly the entire mechanism is undetectable but time will tell.




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Slick install. Who made the contoured plastic housing pieces that the shifters are mounted in? They make them look really clean.

 

[Jackson]

These folks are responsible and thanks! I agree.

Branded Cusoms

 

[kmr]

Awesome truck and great job inside and out. LOVE the wheels and the stance etc. Can you share sizes and offsets? It sits just right. Think I saw MTI made a custom box for under the rear seat so that may be an option for some as well.

 

[Jackson]

Thanks Kevin! It ended up being exactly what I had hoped for. Those are Fuel Assault wheels with the -18mm offset in a 22". The tires are Toyo 35X1250X22.

I did see a small chip out of the front of my boat the other day so just know that the offset means more truck washes and some stray gravel tossing. All part of the adventure!

J

 

[sisaacks]

I got the truck out of the shop today and I'm very pleased with how it turned out. Went with Assault wheels from Fuel and Toyo tires. I had Focal subs added (three 10s) with 1000 watts per sub and it HAMMERS. It allows me to utilize the other speakers isolated to the higher frequencies which allows greater volume without clipping. It was a tremendous improvement to the H/K system though I've yet to really play with it.

You'll see photos of the Escort Max 360 which should make this truck totally undetectable to laser. We shall see.

Here are some photos and I'll be along to post more details soon. Thanks for your interest and let me know if you have questions. I used the BBB Hellasaurus Rex theme throughout with his badging replacing the factory lettering. I’ll post details soon. This process has been a lot of fun so far.

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Bawwwhahaha that was a throwback song! Wow!!!! Beautiful truck! would never take that princess off road!

 

[HydroTRX420]

Question. Although i thought the upgraded Alpine system in me 18 Rebel sounded fine i also wasn’t pleased with my Challengers Hk. Well the highs and mids were ok but the lows sounded like shit to me. With that being said I definitely wanna add the JL stealthbox with the 2 10’s and add a amp for that but my real question is if i decide to change the rest of the speakers can i use the stock 900w amp with say the focal or JL speakers or do you all recommend adding a 6 channel amp for that also? Thanks in advance

 

[Jackson]

Question. Although i thought the upgraded Alpine system in me 18 Rebel sounded fine i also wasn’t pleased with my Challengers Hk. Well the highs and mids were ok but the lows sounded like shit to me. With that being said I definitely wanna add the JL stealthbox with the 2 10’s and add a amp for that but my real question is if i decide to change the rest of the speakers can i use the stock 900w amp with say the focal or JL speakers or do you all recommend adding a 6 channel amp for that also? Thanks in advance

It is my opinion that the DSP is crap and the imaging is far from accurate with the HK system. However, the tonal accuracy isn't horrible and there are only a few cringe-worthy frequencies. The biggest addition to the stock system is just what you have planned. Adding subs will really open up the other drivers to higher volumes without clipping. I'd also recommend an after market amp if you're going to upgrade your other speakers but find a local shop that's good and use the brands they are familiar with. Once a good installer knows the capabilities of a product line he can better advise how to reach a desired result.

 

[HydroTRX420]

It is my opinion that the DSP is crap and the imaging is far from accurate with the HK system. However, the tonal accuracy isn't horrible and there are only a few cringe-worthy frequencies. The biggest addition to the stock system is just what you have planned. Adding subs will really open up the other drivers to higher volumes without clipping. I'd also recommend an after market amp if you're going to upgrade your other speakers but find a local shop that's good and use the brands they are familiar with. Once a good installer knows the capabilities of a product line he can better advise how to reach a desired result.

Great. Ty

 

[Jackson]

I had a significant "Ah, Ha!" moment playing with the stereo and trying to figure out what the goals of the H/K engineers were in using this DSP and speaker placement combo. I finally found the soundstage, sort of. It's a very small sweet spot but here's what worked for me.

Step 1: Push your steering wheel all the way into the dash and all the way up. The steering wheel should be as close to the dash as possible.

Step 2: Take the drivers seat all the way down to the floor and scoot the seat as far forward as you can. You're in the right spot if you're uncomfortably close to the dashboard.

Step 3: Play a song with a strong female lead vocal. Stay away from baritones, even tenors if possible. Ideally, you want instruments on the far left and far right of the stage so you can hear the boundaries when the vocals come in. I used Diamonds and Rust by Joan Baez, a great song for tuning and one we used a lot back in my car stereo judging days.

Step 4: Now slowly start scooting up and back once the vocals start. You'll suddenly hear Joan move from buried in the driver side A pillar over more toward the center. Now tell me, who decided THIS was where the driver's head would be located?

I guess I've got too much of a gangster lean but I like the steering wheel out and somewhat down with my seat leaning back a bit. I like to be comfortable. I understand the need to cross the 3" center speaker over high enough to not reproduce baritones or any deeper voices but even the easy notes struggle for focus and proper location in center stage. Why is the imaging so poor in this truck? I rented a Nissan something or other in Florida about a year ago that had a time alignment mechanism in it because it imaged beautifully. This was in a 30 or 40K car. Why can't H/K do better than this? The drivers hit a nice volume and can typically play through some clipping without taking a dive like the Alpine system. Tonally they are mediocre with no mid bass and some really harsh high frequency resonances. It's not a BAD system it just puts everything that should be centered in the near side A pillar. Boo. Now it's time to do something about it.

My initial thoughts are to use Focal Utopia drivers in the factory H/K locations though I'll probably relocate the tweeter. My biggest question to the gallery is what are you guys using as a DSP? I'm leaning toward the Musconi but I'm wondering about the Focal, JL Audio Tweak and a few others. I typically only tune for the drivers seat but with this set up we should be able to provide a nice sound to both front seats.

If you've altered your mids and highs, please tell me what you did and what you'd do differently if you could. Are you happy with the results?

Thanks!

J

 

[More Cow Bell]

I had a significant "Ah, Ha!" moment playing with the stereo and trying to figure out what the goals of the H/K engineers were in using this DSP and speaker placement combo. I finally found the soundstage, sort of. It's a very small sweet spot but here's what worked for me.

Step 1: Push your steering wheel all the way into the dash and all the way up. The steering wheel should be as close to the dash as possible.

Step 2: Take the drivers seat all the way down to the floor and scoot the seat as far forward as you can. You're in the right spot if you're uncomfortably close to the dashboard.

Step 3: Play a song with a strong female lead vocal. Stay away from baritones, even tenors if possible. Ideally, you want instruments on the far left and far right of the stage so you can hear the boundaries when the vocals come in. I used Diamonds and Rust by Joan Baez, a great song for tuning and one we used a lot back in my car stereo judging days.

Step 4: Now slowly start scooting up and back once the vocals start. You'll suddenly hear Joan move from buried in the driver side A pillar over more toward the center. Now tell me, who decided THIS was where the driver's head would be located?

I guess I've got too much of a gangster lean but I like the steering wheel out and somewhat down with my seat leaning back a bit. I like to be comfortable. I understand the need to cross the 3" center speaker over high enough to not reproduce baritones or any deeper voices but even the easy notes struggle for focus and proper location in center stage. Why is the imaging so poor in this truck? I rented a Nissan something or other in Florida about a year ago that had a time alignment mechanism in it because it imaged beautifully. This was in a 30 or 40K car. Why can't H/K do better than this? The drivers hit a nice volume and can typically play through some clipping without taking a dive like the Alpine system. Tonally they are mediocre with no mid bass and some really harsh high frequency resonances. It's not a BAD system it just puts everything that should be centered in the near side A pillar. Boo. Now it's time to do something about it.

My initial thoughts are to use Focal Utopia drivers in the factory H/K locations though I'll probably relocate the tweeter. My biggest question to the gallery is what are you guys using as a DSP? I'm leaning toward the Musconi but I'm wondering about the Focal, JL Audio Tweak and a few others. I typically only tune for the drivers seat but with this set up we should be able to provide a nice sound to both front seats.

If you've altered your mids and highs, please tell me what you did and what you'd do differently if you could. Are you happy with the results?

Thanks!

J

Glad to see you’re feeling better!

 

[TReX-RAM]

I had a significant "Ah, Ha!" moment playing with the stereo and trying to figure out what the goals of the H/K engineers were in using this DSP and speaker placement combo. I finally found the soundstage, sort of. It's a very small sweet spot but here's what worked for me.

Step 1: Push your steering wheel all the way into the dash and all the way up. The steering wheel should be as close to the dash as possible.

Step 2: Take the drivers seat all the way down to the floor and scoot the seat as far forward as you can. You're in the right spot if you're uncomfortably close to the dashboard.

Step 3: Play a song with a strong female lead vocal. Stay away from baritones, even tenors if possible. Ideally, you want instruments on the far left and far right of the stage so you can hear the boundaries when the vocals come in. I used Diamonds and Rust by Joan Baez, a great song for tuning and one we used a lot back in my car stereo judging days.

Step 4: Now slowly start scooting up and back once the vocals start. You'll suddenly hear Joan move from buried in the driver side A pillar over more toward the center. Now tell me, who decided THIS was where the driver's head would be located?

I guess I've got too much of a gangster lean but I like the steering wheel out and somewhat down with my seat leaning back a bit. I like to be comfortable. I understand the need to cross the 3" center speaker over high enough to not reproduce baritones or any deeper voices but even the easy notes struggle for focus and proper location in center stage. Why is the imaging so poor in this truck? I rented a Nissan something or other in Florida about a year ago that had a time alignment mechanism in it because it imaged beautifully. This was in a 30 or 40K car. Why can't H/K do better than this? The drivers hit a nice volume and can typically play through some clipping without taking a dive like the Alpine system. Tonally they are mediocre with no mid bass and some really harsh high frequency resonances. It's not a BAD system it just puts everything that should be centered in the near side A pillar. Boo. Now it's time to do something about it.

My initial thoughts are to use Focal Utopia drivers in the factory H/K locations though I'll probably relocate the tweeter. My biggest question to the gallery is what are you guys using as a DSP? I'm leaning toward the Musconi but I'm wondering about the Focal, JL Audio Tweak and a few others. I typically only tune for the drivers seat but with this set up we should be able to provide a nice sound to both front seats.

If you've altered your mids and highs, please tell me what you did and what you'd do differently if you could. Are you happy with the results?

Thanks!

J

Nice to see you back! Hope you are feeling better.
Would it make a difference in sound if you are 6’ 2” or 5’ 2”?

 

[Jackson]

Absolutely. In fact, there used to be a pair of judges in IASCA where one of them was 5 foot 3 and the other one was something like 6’4”. They would frequently have completely different scorecards because of the size discrepancy but they were well aware of their extremes and sat accordingly if it mattered.

In my wife’s Rover it makes zero difference where the driver’s head is but it’s a very well done set up by Meridian.

 

[TReX-RAM]

Absolutely. In fact, there used to be a pair of judges in IASCA where one of them was 5 foot 3 and the other one was something like 6’4”. They would frequently have completely different scorecards because of the size discrepancy but they were well aware of their extremes and sat accordingly if it mattered.

In my wife’s Rover it makes zero difference where the driver’s head is but it’s a very well done set up by Meridian.

I agree, my wife’s rover sounds amazing wherever you sit, my truck not so much. With the HK I found if I push the audio more towards the rear it just sounds better. But if I am being honest, I mostly have the pano cracked open and the rear slider open and listen to my shift points. Lol

 

[BusaDave]

I just did some google searching and looks like Texas is ok with such lights, though may need to be careful with red lights. Regardless, good luck and your truck looks bad arse! Very well done! Taking some of your photos and sending them to my installer guys for the stereo and radar upgrade (if my @#$@$@# truck will ever get to the dealer blah).

The red lights in the air intake are not legal and is a perfect legal excuse to get pulled over Anytime they are on especially at night when operating on a public road in Texas. People will call the vehicle in if it pulls up behind them with red lights on the front thinking you are LEO of some type.