Raul Becerril became enthusiastic about a career in car audio shortly after he installed a system for a close friend back in 1985. That installation helped him make the decision to get a job in the industry, and he hasn't looked back since. In 1999, he became one of the owners of 310 Motoring in Los Angeles, CA.
Becerril drives about 40 miles to and from work every day. When searching for a new car a few years ago, he wanted a roomy, comfortable four-door vehicle for the commute. He decided on a white 1999 Chrysler 300M which he purchased in July of 1999. After making a few body modifications including the addition of a sunroof and a rear spoiler, he set his sights on revamping the car's factory audio system into a multimedia showcase with full audio, video, and navigation capabilities. He designed the audio/video system with his own personal preferences and favorite products in mind.
The full project took more than six months to complete. Becerril elaborates, "I didn't have a lot of time to work on it each day; and after working all day on other systems I usually didn't feel like staying late to work on it. This type of project would normally take about four weeks for my shop to complete."
In planning his system, Becerril knew he wanted to have plenty of video options at his fingertips. He chose Alpine's popular CVA-1005 mobile multimedia station, which features a motorized 6.5-inch monitor, and installed it in the center dash. Directly below it are Alpine's CDA-5755, a single-disc CD player with a built-in 7-band equalizer, and an Alpine DVA-5205, a DVD unit with full Dolby Digital and DTS compatibility. Becerril made custom trim bezels to fit snugly around the three-DIN-sized units. In addition to the DVD player, Becerril also installed a TV tuner and VCR, both of which are located in the back of the trunk.
A second Alpine 6.5-inch monitor, used for rear passenger viewing, is mounted in a custom-made center console. Alpine audio/video switching units, flush mounted to the right of the steering wheel and in the center console, give passengers in the front or back of the car complete control over the entertainment of their choice. One final 4-inch monitor, mounted in the center air vent of the dash, is used solely with the navigation system and rear camera, which is mounted in the factory trunk keyhole.
Next Becerril modified the front door panels to house Crossfire components. That includes the MB-6 6.5" midbass speakers and S5.0 separates (5.25" midrange speakers and 30 mm tweeters). Becerril created a perfect duplicate of the door panels using fiberglass and bondo. He wanted to take the front stage imaging one step further, so he added MB Quart DKC 108 coaxials slightly above the door panels. The 3.5" midrange and 19 mm tweeter are mounted into a small teardrop-shaped baffle. All of the modifications to the doors are wrapped with factory vinyl to match the rest of the interior.
In order to make room for the MB Quart 3.5" midrange speaker, which acts as the front stage's center channel, Becerril perforated the center dash piece.
The speaker placement in the rear doors was one of the more challenging aspects of the installation due to the fact that the Chrysler did not come with factory speakers in that location. Becerril cut and modified the bottom portion of the rear door panel to fit Crossfire's S5.0 5.25" midrange speaker and a 30 mm tweeter.