Project New Guy - Interior - Audio - 2000 Chevy Silverado

Up to this point, you’ve seen Project New Guy, our in-house 2000 Silverado build, receive an airbagged suspension and the body get smoothed and covered in a sea of blue paint. After three long months of work, she was ready for her final makeover—the interior. When it comes time to transforming an interior, certain questions need to be addressed before buying anything. First, how crazy do you want to go? For this project, we wanted a big “Wow” factor without losing any everyday functionality. Next, we had to look at materials, colors and, of course, the audio. Lastly, we needed to figure out how much of the work we could do ourselves, and what areas we’d need to have handled for us.

The theme we wanted to go with was black and blue, whereas the factory interior color was a hideous light brown, without a trace of luxury. Unrestricted Auto Trends in Lake Elsinore, California, painted the truck, therefore it made sense to have them tear out the interior plastics and paint them either black or blue. By painting the plastics, we achieve the “Wow” factor that is required for any show truck, but we don’t lose any usability. The truck then went to Extreme Audio & Kustoms in Riverside, California, where the owner, Joel “Grommit” Sandenwasser, took over. He and his interior and audio guys went to work adding a bevy of Kicker audio. Application-specific, paintable kick panel speaker housings were ordered from Q-Logic, and a black carpet kit from AAC was installed. Adding some bling to all of the painted pieces, we quickly swapped the dash gauge panel for an upgraded Escalade piece from US Speedo, and capped the steering column with a billet wheel from NRC. While at Extreme Audio, the team wrapped the seats in two-tone leather seat covers from Roadwire, and wrapped the pillars, headliner, and visors in black suede, also from Roadwire. Supple textures and materials bring an air of elegance, while still being completely functional. If we can do it, you can do it too, so check out the story to see which methods can be applied to your truck project.

1. Removing the interior was fairly straightforward. The seats were set aside, as they would be later wrapped in black and blue leather seat covers from Roadwire. The plastic pieces were sanded smooth and prepped for paint. The carpet was removed and discarded.
1. Removing the interior was fairly straightforward. The seats were set aside, as they wou
2. These are all of the plastic pieces that were removed from the truck. They'll never be this ugly brown color again.
2. These are all of the plastic pieces that were removed from the truck. They'll never be
3. After removing the dirty brown carpet and jute insulation, it was obvious that the truck needed sound deadening material. We've had luck in the past with Hushmat, so we called and ordered a bulk pack of Hushmat's sound deadening material (#10501, $399.95). Hushmat not only insulates the interior to give it better acoustic properties, it also provides a temperature barrier.
3. After removing the dirty brown carpet and jute insulation, it was obvious that the truc

4. Providing the brain-rattling audio, we called up Kicker and after speaking with a very helpful customer service agent, we ordered four amps, including an IX500.1, an IX500.2, an IX500.4, and an IX1000.1. For speakers we ordered a set of KS60 6-inch coaxials, a set of 6 1/2-inch two-way components, and a set of KS69 6x9-inch coaxials. For the beats, an S8L7 8-inch sub and two S10L7 ten-inch subs were ordered. We also ordered all of the wire and fittings necessary for the install from Kicker.
4. Providing the brain-rattling audio, we called up Kicker and after speaking with a very
5. After the interior was taken apart, the truck, Kicker products, and door panels were taken to Extreme Audio and Kustoms for an auditory revamp. The first step was to disassemble the door panels to prep them for paint and have custom speaker pods built.
5. After the interior was taken apart, the truck, Kicker products, and door panels were ta
6. This is the speaker pod for the 6 1/2-inch component in the front door. It was built from medium-density fiberboard (MDF) and affixed to the door with epoxy.
6. This is the speaker pod for the 6 1/2-inch component in the front door. It was built fr

7. Holes for the tweeters were cut out and plastic rings were glued to the hole. The rings were shaped to direct the tweeters more towards the passengers instead of straight out from the door.
7. Holes for the tweeters were cut out and plastic rings were glued to the hole. The rings
8. On the rear door panels, the factory speaker location was covered with MDF and smoothed with body filler. A hole was cut just below that and a pod was built for the 6x9-inch speakers.
8. On the rear door panels, the factory speaker location was covered with MDF and smoothed
9. To smooth the edges, body filler was applied and allowed to dry. It was then smoothed out before being sent for primer.
9. To smooth the edges, body filler was applied and allowed to dry. It was then smoothed o

10. While waiting for the primer to dry, the ACC carpet kit (#14370-00, $250.57) was laid down. The ACC kit required minimal trimming, however, with our modified interior, we needed to trim more than usual.
10. While waiting for the primer to dry, the ACC carpet kit (#14370-00, $250.57) was laid
11. With the carpet installed, the audio install could begin. The first step was to mount the amps to the rear wall. The head audio installer and shop manager, Adam, of Extreme Audio and Kustoms, did a pretune on the amps before installing them. After everything was installed, Adam went through and fine-tuned the whole system again.
11. With the carpet installed, the audio install could begin. The first step was to mount
12. A ground for the audio was taken straight to the frame with 1/0-gauge Kicker power wire.
12. A ground for the audio was taken straight to the frame with 1/0-gauge Kicker power wir