From being one of Acoustic Edge's first students back in 2001, to later teaching installation and fabrication, JD Hendrickson, now the director of the Oklahoma City-based mobile electronics installation school, has come a long way. He isn't the only one to move up in the world. After spending many nights and weekends in the install bay, Hendrickson unleashed his remade 2001 Ford F150 Lightning on the road.
Early FoundationHendrickson caught the car bug early in life, hardly surprising given that his family had owned automobile-related businesses ever since he was three. By the time he reached 16, Hendrickson was searching for something different, bigger, better, louder. Installation school paved the way, and transformed his hobby into his career.
The Lightning was once a daily driver until the second robbery attempt took place, and that was even before all the audio upgrades were in place. With high expectations and standards from building show/demo vehicles for the school, Hendrickson knew his truck would have to display his capability and skill as a teacher. The entire install in the Lightning took him about two months. Since then, the truck has become part of the school's demo vehicle fleet that goes to shows and high schools to promote Acoustic Edge.
Source Of LightningFilling the factory head unit opening in the modest Ford dash, a Kenwood DDX-6017 CD/DVD player provides control as the source of the system as well as the video supply with its 6.5-inch LCD touchscreen video monitor. All of the factory mounting had to be removed to allow enough space for the double-DIN unit and the addition of an acrylic trim panel to fill gaps around the edges. When the truck hits the road for an appearance, the typical selection is a DVD-audio disc, but Hendrickson will listen to just about anything.
All About ControlTo maintain a pure audio signal, the outputs from the DDX-6017 get a boost from a Phoenix Gold TLD22 line driver that, in turn, supplies the Phoenix Gold Tantrum EQ15X equalizer. Completely out of sight, the line driver mounts behind the fiberglass piece that houses the EQ. Due to the proximity of all the gear, short cable lengths keep excess wiring to a minimum. The EQ15X controls any out-of-sort frequencies and allows more adjustment options. It mounts behind the driver's seat on a piece of acrylic backlit with blue neon.
Thunder Of SoundSwapping out the factory speakers, Hendrickson installed Phoenix Gold Xenon X6.5 component speakers in the stock locations. A wood template of the factory speaker was built for the speaker openings so that both the woofer and tweeter fit in their location.
In the center of the bucket seats is the location of one Phoenix Gold Xenon X12D2 12" subwoofer, mounted in an inverted manner to show off the basket and magnet assembly. This aggressive appearance of the sub is not only for looks, but it allows the woofer to be low to the floor of the truck without causing concern about the actual depth of the woofer. Its fiberglass enclosure totals 2ft3 with a port firing into the passenger floor. With the limited space, Hendrickson worried a bit about with the amount of bass the sub would produce, particularly since his main goal was the quality of the sound. The outcome, according to Hendrickson, is that it is "pretty impressive for a single cab truck and a single subwoofer. It hits pretty good."
AmplificationOut of sight amplification! This Lightning system produces 1,600 watts, but the main question Hendrickson hears all the time is, "Where are the amps?" He tucked two Phoenix Gold amplifiers in the truck's ceiling: one Xenon 1200.1 monoblock amplifier powering the 12" sub with ample power; and the other, a Xenon 200.4 4-channel amplifier, only utilizing two channels and the crossovers from the amp. Hendrickson chose to use a 4-channel amplifier rather than a 2-channel mainly because its dimensions match that of the monoblock amp. While it serves its aesthetic purpose, the two spare channels allow for future speaker upgrades to this already stellar system.
Flushing the amps into the truck ceiling required some extra time and fabrication. Since space is an issue in most truck installs, Hendrickson decided on the uncommon ceiling location. It also provided the added plus of the clear covers showing off the internals. To make it work, Hendrickson had to build custom mounting brackets for the amplifiers because the single cab truck did not have any bracing up there. This also required the factory headliner to be removed and modified to fit. To do so, it was built up a couple inches using 2-part foam, until it matched the depth of the amps, and fiberglassed over for support. After everything was sanded, the headliner was covered in grey suede. (See the "How To" in the December 2006 issue.) The clear amp covers are made of Vi vac, more commonly know as heat-moldable Lexan. Hendrickson had the guys at Scott Sabolich Prosthestics make these utilizing the same material prosthetic legs are made from. Needless to say, the covers are exceptionally strong. All the internals and circuit boards are shown on both amps, something you don't see very often. To prevent overheating, the internal fans on the amps keep them cool. For verification purposes, Hendrickson checked their performance by driving for over six hours straight and playing it loud before finalizing the install.
Need For SecurityAfter not one, but two attempts of truck thievery, Hendrickson obviously knew he needed security, hence the Viper 791XV 2-way alarm with remote start. With reason for concern, many other sensors, backup batteries and sirens were added to avoid the reoccurring theft problem.
AccessoriesWhile the truck was gutted in preparation of the install, the entire interior of the vehicle was covered in Hushmat damping material. All the speaker cable, power wire and interconnects come from Phoenix Gold. Ought-gauge runs behind the passenger's seat where it is distributed to the amplifiers using 4-gauge wire. Meanwhile, PG's high-end interconnects are used throughout the truck for audio signal. Phoenix Gold fusing was used in conjunction with a 200-amp circuit breaker under the hood. Inside power is distributed by a fused distribution block behind the passenger seat, alongside a ground distribution block that is mounted to a piece of acrylic with a blue neon backlight that gives a floating appearance.
To carry the Lightning theme into the interior of the truck, Hendrickson fabricated two armrests in the shape of lightning bolts starting behind each seat and coming together in the front of the console. In the middle of each armrest, a molded insert in the shape of a lightning bolt is finished in suede. Hendrickson fabricated the complete armrest out of a 2-part foam that was shaped, sanded and finally fiberglassed for strength.
The Lightning continues to be Hendrickson's play vehicle and a useful tool for teaching and demonstrations. Hendrickson would like to thank Dave Johnson, who taught him a lot of the fabrication he applies to installs and teaching (Hendrickson affirms that Dave is the coolest guy he knows); Scott Sabolich and his guys at Scott Sabolich Prosthetics for the amplifier covers; Tim at Hushmat; Jorge Fornes at Phoenix Gold; and Chad Turner at Bodyworks for helping out with the paint. Most importantly he would like to thank his parents and family for always being there for him and making him the person he is today. Not bad for an enthusiast who went to installation school and five years later runs the place.
Tech BoxWheels: 20" Dmod Concepts "Authority"
Tires: Nitto 420S 255/45/20
Suspension: 2"/4" Belltech Drop with C notch
Engine: 5.4L with Eaton Supercharger, Air Force One cold air intake, Polish plenum, Metco #4 pully, Metco traction bars, Metco Idler Pulleys, QA1 polished shocks, Ford Tech Valve Body, SCT II programmer, AEM Wideband, Polished intercooler, Radiator tank, Flowmaster exhaust, Autometer boost and volt gauge