I joked with Bryan that he'll be OK because he won't have to do it again until the fall of 2002 as Rockford Fosgate typically stays with their demo vehicles for two years. He says, "This is by far the most intense installation I have ever completed. It was definitely worth it. The only problem is we have to top it!"
David "Fishman" Rivera Talks Shop with Bryan Schmitt
CA&E: How long did it take for you and your team to finish the install?
Bryan: The installation took approximately nine grueling weeks. We put some long hours in to finish this project in such a short time. A typical workday for us, is starting at 8:30 AM and working to about 11: 00 to 12:00 PM. I can honestly say that we worked for weeks and weeks nonstop with very little sleep to make this thing happen! (Can you say sleep deprivation?)
CA&E: List your team and the purpose on the install.
Bryan: Our team (RTTI) consists of myself Bryan Schmitt, Vehicle designer and senior fabricator. Jason Digos, vehicle fabricator and assist help from Josh Roberson.
The purpose of this demo vehicle was to a have the ultimate presentation! We wanted this vehicle to display complete detail, performance and cosmetic appeal. Our customers have fun, active, and fast-paced lifestyles. So, our truck was built to mirror these qualities
This design, in my opinion fits the vehicle. When you look at the exterior of the truck you think aggressive, tough or industrial. I wanted the interior to have the same theme and it does. Lots of visible bolts, aggressive arcs and a industrial flow. The two complement each other well. I like to keep the same theme through out the vehicle. One other element that I think is unique is the port for the subwoofer enclosure: it's in the center of the two center arcs. There are two pieces of clear Plexiglas that extend out of the box and mate up with the inside of the two center arcs. When you look at the sub enclosure it's very hard tell that the port is even there.
CA&E: Did you work in stages?
Bryan: The truck was actually built in two stages. The first stage of the project was to complete the exterior paint, subwoofer enclosure, battery rack and to have all of the electrical work done. We had committed the Frontier to debut at the SEMA show. The pressure was definitely on us to finish the truck on time for this show. We were able to finish in approximately five weeks for SEMA. After The SEMA show the second stage of this started; this part of the installation took four weeks to complete. Our goal at this point was to build front and rear door panels, over head console, video system, lower console, paint all the door jams, and add graphic to the sides of the subwoofer enclosure.
CA&E: What area in the truck did you start first.
Bryan: We started with the subwoofer enclosure first. This is the largest section of the installation; every thing revolves around the sub box. Once we had the concept started for the sub enclosure everything around it became a little easier to visualize. CA&E: What materials were used through out the install?
Bryan: You are always going to have the basic key ingredients for the structural part. The cosmetic materials or what you see on the surface is really what changes the look of the vehicle. The enclosure is built out of MDF, fiberglass, aluminum, ABS plastic, body filler, and primer and paint. The outside of the Arcs are made out of 1" thick pieces of MDF, routed and shaped then primed and painted. The inside of the arcs or what you don't see has aluminum mounted to the backside of the MDF. Then we used 1" wide x 1/16" thick aluminum mesh. The mesh slides in a small channel on both sides (front and back) to secure it in place. Under the mesh there are two arcs (top & bottom) made of clear acrylic or Plexiglas. This is to allow the purple neon to illuminate through the plastic. The neon is custom bent and mounts in the center or the arcs. These arcs were VERY complex to build!