BestCarAudio.com

Showcasing the Best in the Mobile Enhancement Industry

Showcasing the Best in the Mobile Enhancement Industry
  • Articles
    • Bluetooth
    • Car Audio
    • Motorcycle Audio
    • Navigation
    • Remote Starter
    • Satellite Radio
    • Smartphone Integration
    • Test Drive Product Reviews
    • Vehicle Insights
  • Industry Profiles
    • Installation Profiles
    • Installer Profiles
    • Retailer Profiles
    • Vendor Profiles
  • Products
  • Dealer Locator
  • Contact
  • Shop
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • 0 items
Home » INDUSTRY PROFILES » Mobile Enhancement Industry Profile: 2013 Ford Raptor

Mobile Enhancement Industry Profile: 2013 Ford Raptor

August 14, 2020 By Dave MacKinnon

Ford Raptor

Playing tricks on our friends can be a lot of fun. When a TV crew gets involved, things can get a little crazy. Nate Parks decided that his friend Joe McDonald of Las Vegas deserved to have his 2013 Ford F-150 Raptor restyled. Nate submitted an application to the TV show “Overhaulin’ ” in hopes of having Chip Foose and his A-team of fabricators transform Joe’s pride and joy into something amazing. After reading about how Joe always puts the needs of others before his own, the TV crew showed up, led him on about the how his truck had been involved in the theft of plutonium, and took the vehicle. After a few minutes of shock and dismay, Nate let Joe know he was on TV, and that his mobile office was about to be upgraded by the best in the business.

High-Mileage Pickup Truck Restoration

As the owner of a commercial refrigeration company in Las Vegas, Joe is frequently on the road visiting clients and overseeing projects his team is working on. His 2013 Raptor had already racked up 154,000 miles and was looking a little worn. The team secured a rebuilt 6.2-liter engine and swapped it into the chassis. They also upgraded the suspension with an external reservoir shock kit from Fox and a brake upgrade kit from Baer. The front bumper was updated with a Rigid light bar in the center and two sets of D-Series pod lights in the corners.

Ford Raptor
A fresh 6.2-Liter Ford V8 engine revitalizes the truck, enabling Joe to rack up another 100,000 miles on his pride and joy.

As is a key part of every project on the show, the look of the truck plays a huge role. After consulting with Nate, Foose decided to paint the truck white and create a custom graphics package for Joe’s company that plays off the splash graphic theme that came with the vehicle. While at GT Collision Center in Huntington Beach, show host AJ and Nate were able to get some time in the paint booth, helping to lay down some of the primer on the bed. The black-and-gold graphics were extended to the Fuel Covert D694 wheels with custom powder coating. The 20-inch wheels are wrapped in Fuel Gripper M/T tires.

Ford Raptor
Back from paint, the A-team has the body and box back on the chassis and is ready to start the interior upgrades.

Custom Truck Interior Makeover

The front and rear seats of the Raptor were delivered to Bill Dunn One Stop Shop to be rebuilt. New foam was cut, and black and gray vinyl was stitched together for a custom look. The show called on ARC Audio’s Fred Lynch to design and install a custom audio system for the Raptor. Fred enlisted the help of Chris Pate from Mobile Toys/MTI Acoustics in College Station, Texas, to help him with the project. Before the build, ARC sent Chris and his crew a pair of SW12 shallow-mount 12-inch subwoofers and a pair of ARC Series amplifiers so he could get started on the subwoofer enclosure and amp rack ahead of time. A few days later, Chris and Fred met up in Huntington Beach to begin the installation. The radio was replaced with a Kenwood double-DIN receiver, and the guys added a Maestro RR interface that provides communication with the vehicle to display gauge cluster, parking sensor and tire pressure information. Maintaining the factory-installed feature functionality was a focus point for “Overhaulin’ ” designer Foose.

Ford Raptor
Two-tone gray upholstery with gold stitching livens up the interior of the truck.
Ford Raptor
The inner and outer door skins, floor, ceiling and overall cab of the truck have been treated to a layer of Dynamat Xtreme sound deadening.
Ford Raptor
The duo made short work of installing the Kenwood multimedia receiver and integrating it into the truck’s data network while incorporating it into the vehicle’s audio system signal harness.

The output of the Kenwood radio feeds to an ARC 1000.6 amp that has been upgraded with the IPS 8.8 digital signal processor module. The processor will provide Fred with complete control of the final sound that Joe will experience. The subwoofers in the truck are powered by an ARC 1000.2. In total, there are 2,000 watts of power available to drive the speakers in the cab.

Speaking of speakers, the front of the truck features ARC X2 6.2 6.5-inch component speakers. The tweeters are mounted in the factory locations in the A-pillars, and the woofers are installed in the doors using a set of MTI Acoustics mounting adapters. Each of the four drivers has a dedicated channel on the ARC 1000.6 amplifier. Before the speaker installation began, the doors were treated to a layer of Xtreme sound deadening and Dynaliner foam from Dynamat. The combination of materials was added to reduce the overall noise level while helping keep the truck cool on those hot Las Vegas summer days.

The rear doors are home to a set of matching ARC 602 6.5-inch two-way coaxial speakers, and another set of adapters made their installation quick and painless. The remaining two channels of the ARC 1000.6 feed the rear speakers. Fred called on J.T. Torres of Automotive Entertainment of Huntington Beach to create a set of custom badges for the door speaker grilles to definitively establish the new sound system as something truly special.

The ARC Audio SW subwoofers are installed in an MTI Acoustics Stage 4 down-firing subwoofer enclosure. The enclosure is finished in vinyl that matches the seats and includes a pair of illuminated windows that show off the cast baskets of the ARC SW subwoofers. Chris and his team added a personal touch by etching Joe’s company logo into an acrylic panel on the face of enclosure and back-lighting it with RGB LED lighting. Using an app on his phone as a controller, Joe can change the lighting color to whatever he or his kids like.

Ford Raptor
Chris installing the custom amp rack on the back wall of the Ford Raptor.
Ford Raptor
The MTI Acoustics Stage 4 Perfect-Fit subwoofer enclosure fits perfectly (no pun intended) under the rear seat of the Raptor.
Ford Raptor
Attention to detail is what separates the good from the great.

The amplifiers and Stinger power distribution are mounted to a custom rack that bolts to the back wall of the truck behind the rear seats. MTI Acoustics cut the panel out of expanded PVC using one of their many CNC routers. With all the gear wired and ready to install, Fred and Chris were able to get the system installed quickly, so Fred could work his magic configuring the IPS 8.8 DSP to deliver amazing sound.

Though it seems like only a few hours in “TV time,” it was several weeks before Joe was able to see his transformed truck for the first time. The look on his face was, of course, priceless. Foose gave him a tour of the exterior upgrades, then Fred gave him a demonstration of the new sound system.

Nobody should be surprised that Joe didn’t want to get out of the truck once the music started playing. With small touches slowly revealed — including a work platform for his computer, upgraded tool storage in the bed, and gold graphic inserts in the fender vents — the magnitude of the project and the stellar attention to detail became more and more evident. There’s no doubt that Joe will enjoy the next few years in his customized Ford Raptor and its amazing ARC Audio, MTI Acoustics, Kenwood, Dynamat and Stinger entertainment system.

If you’d like to check out the episode, head over to the Motor Trend website. You can learn more about the audio products used in the build by visiting the ARC Audio, MTI Acoustics, Kenwood,  Stinger and Dynamat websites.

Images provided by Fred Lynch.

Share this:

  • Tweet
  • Email

Related

Filed Under: INDUSTRY PROFILES, Installation Profiles Tagged With: 2013, Amplifiers, ARC Audio, Baer, California, Chip Foose, College Station, Ford F-150 Raptor, Fox Racing, Huntington Beach, Kenwood, Mobile Toys, MTI Acoustics, Overhaulin', Radios, Rigid Industries, Speakers, Subwoofers, Texas

About Dave MacKinnon

Dave has worked in the mobile electronics industry since 1988 in almost every capacity, including roles as a Retail Salesperson, Installer, Sales Representative, Technical Trainer, and Product Development Manager for some of the largest car audio companies in the world. Dave started his writing career in 2000 as the Technical Editor of a Toronto-based car audio magazine and has reviewed more than 450 products. Formally trained as an Electronics Technician, Dave is considered an industry expert when it comes to explaining how mobile audio components work and has crafted thousands of articles to share that knowledge. He’s currently the Head Writer for 1sixty8 media and the Editor-in-Chief at BestCarAudio.com

Audison Forza

Save Time and Money!

Our buying guides will help you make educated decisions when upgrading your vehicle. Click the image above to shop our affordable and informative buying guides.

Industry Profiles

Hilux Stereo

Mobile Enhancement Installation Profile: Xtreme Autosound & Marine Toyota Hilux

March 15, 2023 By Dave MacKinnon 

Matthew Crouch of Shelbyville, Kentucky, owns the ultra-clean 1991 Toyota Hilux you see above. Matthew is one of the … [Read More...]

Jeep Grand Cherokee

Mobile Enhancement Installation Profile: KarTele Jeep Grand Cherokee

February 13, 2023 By Dave MacKinnon 

A demo vehicle is one of the best tools available to demonstrate the audio and convenience upgrade options for a car or … [Read More...]

Press Releases

Firstech Launches Momento M7 Three-Channel Car Dash Camera
iBeam
iBEAM® Ships New Tailgate Handle Cameras, Micro Camera, and Window Mount
Firstech, ADS Announce Remote Start Partnership
iBEAM Commercial Wireless Systems
iBEAM Ships New Commercial Wireless Rearview System and Monitor
Firstech KP2
Firstech Unveils New “KP2” Keyless Touchpad Accessory for Remote Start

Vehicle Insights

2023 Lincoln Corsair

2023 Lincoln Corsair. Pint-Sized Navigator.

2022 Jaguar I-Pace

2022 Jaguar I-Pace: Zig-Zag Jag.

Find Facility Near You

Subscribe to BestCarAudio via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to BestCarAudio.com and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Popular Categories

  • Car Audio
  • Window Tint
  • Remote Car Starters
  • Vehicle Insights
  • Radar Detectors

Supporting Manufacturers

  • Arc Audio
  • Compustar
  • Hertz
  • Momento
  • Rockford Fosgate
  • Sony

Contact

  • Editorial
  • General
  • Advertise
  • Dealer Locator Guidelines

Forms

  • Profile Request

Sign up for our newsletter today. Opt out at any time with 1 click.

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

BestCarAudio.com is a product of 1sixty8 media, inc. · Copyright © 2023 1sixty8 media, inc. · Privacy Policy · Website by 1sixty8 media, inc. · Log in

 

Loading Comments...