Crow's 2021 ORP Super White

Getting it all together - put more dynamat everywhere when reassembling. Also am using two dual knobs from JL Audio. I guess that gives me two controls per amp as they connect to each individual amp, and while I have an idea of what I would want to control, I'll be asking the tuner what they think is best.

 

To make the seats clesr the amps they needed to be lifted about 1/4 inch. This messed up the alignment of the seat brackets particularly on the passenger side which required dremmeling the seat bracket out larger to enable the bolts to fit properly. The seat bracket also needed to be notched out so the plastic plug thing could go in it's hole.

 

This is pretty ghetto but I wanted the HDR Kenwood camera in the stock location so I epoxied it in place.

 

More pics of installed the 2 dual knobs. I got a faceplate for the dash cubby - 4Runner 14'-24' Blank Upper Panel × 1 from Team Tech Offroad
https://teamtechoffroad.com/products/4runner-14-21-blank-upper-housing

when installing this it comes with a template. Let that template sit very loose on the dash part. I held it tight and was pretty off so I had to drill larger holes and use washers so the bolts wouldn't just fall through.

The JL Audio knob instructions say to use a very large drill bit, but you you do that it will grip the plastic and try to break your wrist and/or mess up the plastic. I used a smaller bit, then a couple step-up drill bits and that worked very well.

The knobs are not "center" and sit high on the plate (which bugs me) but as you can see the cord comes out of the knob downward which makes fitment difficult.

 

I did do the rear speakers and put what I consider the minimum amount of dynamat on the rear hatch which made it heavier. I wanted the option of "party mode" to be able to have the doors/windows open and play some loud music......and that turned out really well. This car can be really annoying if it wants. I do have the heavier duty shocks from Gobi that still need to go on. It's summer right now and the hatch does stay open. I image it wouldn't on colder winter days. Ran new wire to the rear while running the camera wire. Everything went through the rubber between the cab and the hatch so it's night and clean.

Some notes on this. For the camera cabling actually used dynamat to tape the cabling against the hatch and out of the way of the window to get it over to the channel which is on the left side of the hatch (looking at the 4runner from behind). It is very easy to get wires through this metal channel so long as you KEEP ALL WIRES AS LEFTWARD AS POSSIBLE. Wires easily get stuck if you let the shift right(or towards the center of the hatch).

I used some tie wire to feed through this channel and pull wires through. Same on the rubber grommet up top HOWEVER. After getting the thicket speaker wires through it got too difficult to get the camera wire through. I bought some wire puller lube and then it was easy AF. If anyone is going to run wire through the rubber grommet channel thing, just buy some wire puller lube off the rip. It also cleans off extremely easily and doesn't leave residue. Wish I bought some sooner.

 

Interesting thing on the power connector for one of the JL Audio amps. I didn't do this. It came like this. pretty piss poor QC. I was trying to push this thing back and bend it with a screw driver. That didn't work. What did work was to take a punch and jam it down in there like it was right and that barely worked. Almost had to put a pause on things and reach out to JL Audio for a replacement part.

 

Lot of little tedius things held things up. I spent half a Sunday going to different hardware stores trying to get the correct tiny little metric bolts but eventually had to order on Amazon and wait a couple more days. While there were some random holes in these taco tunes brackets all new holes were drilled.

 

While upgrading the stereo the inverter also got upgraded so a fuse was required for the two amps + inverter. The first image below is a solenoid for the winch already mounted on the battery. The previously welded on mounting plate needed to be cut off for a larger one to accommodate both he solenoid and the breaker. I am not proud how the wire got run and how it looks. I do want to come back to this and make it pretty.

This breaker connects 2 gauge wire to a fuse block under the passenger seat where 4 gauge wire goes to the amps and 8 gauge goes to the upgraded inverter.

Also tried out this not safe way to cut thick wire.

 

Taco Tunes. It's really nice that they have products for us; the amp brackets, the speaker brackets. But IMO these guys really half ass it. As previously mentioned I had to do a lot of cutting and modding to make the seat brackets work. I very well have could of just bought some sheet metal and saved money. While the speaker brackets are clutch, the hardware that comes with them is a failure on their part. So if you're buying their brackets, run to the hardware store and buy screws like the stock ones just longer. This picture has the short stock screw, middle is the taco tunes find thread screw and lastly is a screw I bought which also has a rubber washer which I hope acts as a lock washer.

Using the taco tunes screws left the brackets loose and they moved around, probably would come loose and fall apart after a while. Total joke and total waste of my time to stop a project because they tell me they are sending correct hardware which just doesn't work.

 

Looking good. Lots of work so far!

 

JL Audio Stealthbox with 10TW3-D4 x1

Fairly easy and straight forward to install this guy. It was much better with two people as it's a bit of a tight fit and took us a minute to get it wedged in it's spot. Felt like there wasnt enough room and then suddenly turning it the right was it fell in just so. Used a lot of dynamat behind it and cut up a foam mattress and packed foam all around it. My 4Runner did not have a sub. The 4runner's plastic unscrews and comes right off to allow this fabric facade to easily screw on. Excellent fitment. Couldn't be happier with this thing.

 

Looks great!

I'm interested in getting a JL Stealthbox as well. Best price I'm finding is about $1400 from Creative Audio. If you don't mind me asking, where did you get yours and how much did you pay? I was planning on pairing mine up with JL Audio XD300/1v2 as referenced in the manual. Which amp are you using the push it?

Also, where id you pick-up your amp rack? I'm considering using MDF or some ABS plastic and making my own, but I like the look of what you are doing.

I picked up Helix V8 DSP AMP for all other speakers. Still unsure which speakers I'm going to go with. Sticking with the stock head unit for now. I'm getting anxious to get my stereo installed as well. Great progress!

 

I got pretty much everything from crutchfield - didn't get anything on sale, what ever they had it for on their website. Cabling / wires etc mostly off Amazon.


Front speakers are powered by JL Audio VX600/6i with 2 channels unused giving the option for tweeters maybe in the future.

JL Audio VX1000/5i powers the rear door speakers, hatch speakers and sub


If I was going to do it again i would probably use the black ABS plastic sheets and cut those out and use a heat gun to form them. I've seen a few videos on youtube of installers doing that. I used the Taco Tunes brackets which are $110 plus shipping but they don't fit well and I modified them to make them fit. But I don't know. At the same time i have everything bolted to these amp racks and they probably bolt down better with the racks being metal. I'm conflicted. Can't go wrong either way.

Taco Tunes Cutting the brackets so they fit the 4runner carpet.
https://www.4runners.com/threads/crows-2021-orp-super-white.32685/#post-607550

Cutting and modifying them to make them align with the 4runner after adding 1/4 inch seat risers
https://www.4runners.com/threads/crows-2021-orp-super-white.32685/page-2#post-633221

 

I’m seriously considering just buying everything I need now rather than wait. The only concern I have with the Jo Stealthbox is I won’t be happy with the performance. I have had a 12” kicker comp vr that is similar RMS and it is loud for me and. I’ve been happy. My goal is to not have to have it take up the cargo space though.

 

I wanted full room to throw stuff in the back and everywhere. This left me with only one option; amps under the seats and the JL Audio Stealthbox. Sounds like this is your route as well. I don't yet have the sub set up correctly. Will report back when I do and how it is. I'm sure it's enough bass.

 

Inverter Upgrade to Victron Phoenix 500VA pure sine

While the stock inverter is technically 400 watts, you need to do a mod to get 400 watts while driving, and it's not pure sine meaning it doesn't charge my Ecoflow Delta 2 which means I can only charge that thing on the 65 or whatever watts from the cigarette lighter in the back. 500 watt Victron means I can charge that baby in 2 hours from empty and what ever else. While I was at it I also replaced the cigarette lighter with a 3 port 1x USB x2 USB-C port for charging accessories like radio or camera batteries, smaller power banks etc.

I figure 500 watts is plenty. The thickness of cable required for let's say a 2,000 watt inverter would be silly. I wanted to use just 1 large wire for the stereo amps and the inverter as I already have a lot of accessory wires coming off the battery and it's starting to become a mess. Additionally, the alternator only has so much power and might not have enough if i crank the radio up all the way and have the inverter running. Large draws is what the Ecoflow is for.

I also "needed" the inverter to be hidden where the stock inverter was and use the stock AC port. I rationalized what I ended up doing for about a year and figured it would good enough and safe enough.

There was a lot of test fighting but ultimately the housing of the Victron needed to be removed and some of the housing cut off to make fit. I also ground down some of the rear plastic above the inverter to help with clearance. Nuts were welded to the 4Runner so the Victron could be screwed in and easily replaced. I welded on a big bolt to make ground a short distance. Above the inverter I coated the plastic with fire proof tape just in case there was a small fire with the inverter, which really doesn't have a lot of material that could burn, but just in case.

• Added a bolt for ground
• chopped off factory inverter mounts
  
• chopped the shit out of the Victron
  
• Welded nuts to the car
  
• Painted where I ground to metal for welding(used queue tips to no get paint inside the nuts)

 

Inverter Upgrade to Victron Phoenix 500VA pure sine(continued...)

To make the top plastic fit I also ground down the shelf plastic to clear the Victron. Fire proof tape was added as a just-in-case measure.

 

Inverter Upgrade to Victron Phoenix 500VA pure sine(continued...)

The stock wires for the AC are stupid thin so they got upgraded. The stock AC plug housing thing got drilled / dremeled and otherwise hollowed out and a 15amp plug glued in place allowing it to snap into place just like stock. This was a good time to remove the stock cigarette lighter outlet and grind the hole wider to accommodate the USB outlet. First pic is stock wires compared to the upgrade.

The Victron has a blue tooth module and a phone app that tells you how many watts you're pulling so that's kinda neat.

 

Inverter Upgrade to Victron Phoenix 500VA pure sine(continued...)

And then lastly, swapped out the factory inverter button for a different one. Had to cut into the harness I'd been making for the aftermarket buttons which I probably could have made less confusing and less of a cluster fuck.

 

Hey thanks dude!

 

I looked up the specs on this amp and it sounds like you are using the 75RMS @ 4ohms for the AudioFrog speakers, but I saw it puts out 600 RMS @ 2ohms. I see the JL Stealth box is only rated for 400RMS at the 2 ohm load. Novice car install question by me, but Is the plan for this just to keep the gain lower to compensate for the more powerful amp?

Also and sorry if I missed it, but did you run multiple power runs to each amp or run a heavier gauge wire to a distribution block for the multiple amps. I’m still trying to decide if I want to go separate runs or large gauge to distribution since I’ll have more than 1 amp.

Thanks and I have been enjoying this thread. I’m also considering the GS series of Audiofrog speakers as well. The GB are out of my price range.

hoping to finish my purchase this week and set an install date.

 

I asked that question about the watts for the sub since you are correct. It's off. Someone on the diymobileaudio forums said it will be fine and it's actually perfect and gave me a procedure to set the gain correctly, but I was thinking of having a shop do it.

I have 2 gauge going to a distribution block under the passenger seat. From the distribution block it's 4 gauge to both amps. 8 gauge to the inverter.

There's a breaker at the battery and fuses on the distribution block under the seat.

 

Installed a DC Power hi output alternator. This was pretty difficult to do particularly removing the stock alternator. You need to remove the driver side front wheel to get access to a bracket that connects the alternator to the engine. I unbolted the brake lines and hoses up top for better access and followed a youtube video. Just hard to get to and requires patience.

Reasons for install: Have a Yellow top which likes a higher charge voltage than the factory alternator and noticed it's voltage was low. Also have a lot of stuff that needs power.

Interestingly, I saw on T4R and it was my experience as well that the DC Power alternator did not line up perfectly and seems to require a spacer for the right bolt. I also had to buy a longer bolt to make this work/ without the spacer, the pulley was not lined up well with the belt / other pulleys.

You can see the space in the 4th pic below

Washer added as a spacer int he 5th pic. Was too thick so I sanded it down by hand for a while. Had to buy a longer bolt. Used a straight edge against the pulleys to eye ball how flush they were.

Last pic - used a step bit to enlarge the hole on the connection as the DC Power bolt is larger.

 

Was having charge issues. Even had some low voltage warning coming on after start up a couple times. Installed a yellowtop which likes to be charged at 14.5v and the DC Power alternator was giving us 14.11v. I had been trickle charging while waiting for a voltage fixer to arrive...

Installed this little fella which increases the charge voltage. Now charging at 14.62 volts and the battery is happy and getting fully charged. No more warnings. And of course checked the battery voltage and she's getting fully charged.
https://voltageboosterpro.com/

I also got another product which is a fuse replacement. Seems like you lose fuse functionality so I'm just keeping it in the center console as a back up. (third pic - the little guy in my palm)
https://www.hkbelect.com/

 

More amp pics for funzies.

 

I dunno why you didn’t just buy a boombox

 

Thats fucking hilarious....

I don't know how old you are but I had one of these which probably would have been just as good

P.S. that's funny thank you. Best zinger in a while



Edit: my wife says you're funny AF

 

keep the change you filthie animal!

haha man-o-man, those are coming back!(for like $6382 worth of vintage YES)

side note:
I just need to read this thread cause I know it’s partially coming soon…sound deadening/temp control, a minor audio upgrade n wiring maintenance…keep up the great work Crow, even though it’s gonna ruin my 2025

Christ, second side note:
Just celebrated my birthday before Halloween n realized I went a whole year thinking I was a year older than I actually was…my folks just shook their heads in utter expected disappointment

 

Dude HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!!!!

DUUUUUUUUUDE...had mine a month ago, been telling people I'm 39 for a month and have been thinking about hitting 40 next year. Last night my wife says, Crow your 38....lol same shit.

Well post some pics when you do it we would all love to see the mods. Happy to answer any questions or be helpful where I can.

Still cracking up about that boom box...

 

NO DUDE, YOU BETTER HAVE HAD A HAPPY “WHAT DAY” CAUSE NOW IM 38!

I know for a FACT there are dozens of applications, sign-ups, registers n official paper work out there where I put down 39…no date, just 39

I’m playing the Benjamin Button card n rocking 36 this year

side note:
N thus, as it came to pass, there were absofurkinlutley questions to suffer

…BUT WHAT DOES MINE SAY?!?!?!?