Over the past couple of months, I’ve sorted out just about every aspect of the C10 that’s mechanical in nature. I’ve upgraded the suspension, rebuilt the rearend, hopped up the motor, installed a freshly rebuilt transmission, and upgraded the steering system; all in the hope of bringing the drivability of the old truck into the 21st Century. But what I also hoped for was a bit of comfort to go along with the performance. In that regard, I wasn’t let down as the newly rebuilt C10 performs as good if not better than it looks.
The first thing I conquered...
The first thing I conquered on the cab upgrade list was to install new door weatherstrip from LMC. Black weatherstrip adhesive was applied in sections directly to the door sill before the weatherstrip was pushed in place.
That said, it was time to turn my attention to the inside of the cab and knock out a couple of items that will really add to the comfort level of my daily driver. I’ve already replaced all the felt and rubber bits for the door glass, but I had not tackled installing the new LMC door weatherstripping yet. Needless to say, this was the first item on the list to not only reduce the wind noise, but to help keep that cold air inside the cab that the newly-installed Vintage Air A/C system is pumping out. Next up was to install a new LMC floor mat as the original one was pretty trashed. While that was out, I figured it was as good a time as any to install some Dynamat insulation to further reduce the road noise and cab temperature.
But the icing on the cake, and the really fun part about the cab upgrades I made, was installing the new Kicker sound system. I’ve seen Kicker’s stuff in a bunch of different trucks I’ve shot over the years, but I had yet to actually hear one of their systems first hand. I know that their stuff is first rate, as they’re known as one of the top audio equipment manufacturers in the world, and there are plenty of reviews online as testament to this. I’ve always wanted a really nice stereo setup in one of my old cars but never had the opportunity to see it through, so I figured the C10 was the perfect project in which to do so.
To get the ball rolling, I contacted my buddy Ron Burnett over at Kicker to see what he recommended as a jumping off point for our pickup. He plotted out two separate setups depending on the space available, dictated by whether or not the stock gas tank would remain in place. I didn’t plan on removing the tank any time soon, so we went with the option that worked within the stock confines of the cab. This meant that whatever subs we use need to fit under the bench seat (as opposed to behind it) and we were limited for coaxial speaker size by the room in each door (where the previous owner had cut a nice hole).
Given these parameters, Ron set us up with a pair of Kicker’s CompVT 8-inch subboxes. Measuring 5 inches deep and 16 inches long, they’re perfect for mounting under the seat and they come ready to rock, with each woofer mounted in its own carpet-wrapped box. For the doors, he recommended a pair of DS Series 6-inch midrange coaxial speakers. Powering the system needed to be handled by an amp that had plenty of juice, so Ron set us up with their DX600.5 amplifier. With a certified maximum power output of 779 watts (it even came with a certificate of verification!), the DX600.5 packs way more punch than we’ll probably ever need.
Note that I did a quick jamb...
Note that I did a quick jamb paintjob before I installed the weatherstripping so as to prevent having to remove it when it comes time to paint the roof. Masking tape helps hold the weatherstripping in place in the corners and along the top until the adhesive has fully dried.
Next, I pulled out the bench...
Next, I pulled out the bench seat and set it aside so that the stock rubber mat and tar paper insulation could be removed. It wasn’t easy, but a scraper made relatively quick work out of removing the stock insulation.
Once the floor was nice and...
Once the floor was nice and clean, the result was well worth the extra work. Too bad the rest of the paint on the truck isn’t as nice as the cab floor!
With everything out of the...
With everything out of the way, I can start to lay the new insulation. I’m using Dynamat Xtreme on the floor and in the doors of the cab to isolate vibration and road noise,z as well as to reduce heat buildup in the passenger compartment. The aluminum constraining layer is very pliable and can be conformed easily to interior surfaces, especially when aided with a roller. The extra sticky butyl later ensures that it attaches itself where you want it to and stays in place while providing amazing energy conversion capabilities.
I covered the entire floor...
I covered the entire floor and toe kick area with the Dynamat Extreme liner …
… before I placed the rubber...
… before I placed the rubber floor mat in the cab for a test fit. I set the mat out in the sun for a few hours so that it could relax back to its original molded shape.
Content with the fitment of...
Content with the fitment of the mat, I opted to take the insulation install a step further and added a layer of Dynaliner padded insulation. This provides another level of further insulation from heat, vibration, and noise, while adding a padded base under the floor mat. The 1/2-inch thickness allows me to run the wiring in between the sheets of Dynaliner preventing an uneven surface.
I also added a bit of Dynamat...
I also added a bit of Dynamat to the inside of each door as well as the door panels to prevent them from vibrating.