Sport Sierra Exhaust & Radio

Today on trucks,

Mel and Stacy have already slammed Project Sport Sierra.

This week, they'll change the tone and the tunes on their GMC with an exhaust system and stereo upgrade.

After that, they'll hit the trail with a brand new Ford Ranger four by four before taking you back to the shop to fit AC JSE

with an off road shower.

That's all today on trucks.

Hello, everybody. Thanks for being with us today.

You know, the first time we rolled our 99 GMC Sierra into the truck shop, it was just a two wheel drive work truck. But thanks to some of the hottest aftermarket add ons a 34 drop as well as brand new wheels and rubber. We've turned our R

into a true sport truck, but now that we have the look and the stats that we're after, we're still lacking in one area and that sound. So we're gonna finish off Project Sports Sierra by upgrading the stereo system and the exhaust. But before we deal with the tunes, we're gonna talk about the tone. This thing's gonna have.

Now there's four areas of restriction when it comes to exhaust, the manifold catalytic converter, the diameter of your pipes and the muffler. But to upgrade all these things at once, usually cost more than most of us can afford. Yeah, not to mention the government has all kinds of regulations on what you can legally do to an exhaust system.

So you need to be careful or you could end up with a truck, you can't even drive.

Now through all this confusion, the cat back system was born like the name implies, it runs from the catalytic converters on back and it deals with two of the areas of restriction like Mel was talking about the muffler

and the diameter of the pipe.

We got our system from Gibson performance exhaust.

The thing that's really cool about this kit is you really can bolt it on your own driveway in just a couple of hours comes complete with the head pipe. Gibson special dual output muffler as well as the tail pipes and tips to finish off that dual exhaust. Look,

the first thing we need to do is pop out the stock system.

Now, I've unbolted it up there at the catalytic converter

and I've cut it back here because that makes it a lot easier to get this tail pipe over the axle.

Now, it may seem obvious,

but I'm gonna say it anyway, make sure that these pipes are cold

before you try this

because if you grab hold of a hot exhaust system,

you'll do moves that Jackie Chan has not even thought of.

Now, we're ready to bolt the new head pipe into the flange. Now, in most cases, you have to run a gasket here, you'll end up with major leakage. But with this system,

it slides right inside for an airtight seal,

then connect your muffler

and it slides right into the factory rubber mouse. Now slide back your clamp. You wanna leave this a little loose, so you have some adjustment later on

the system also needs to be supported in the rear. So we need to bolt on these metal brackets to the outside of the frame,

using the factory holes.

These over the actual tail pipes have already been bent to give us plenty of clearance. Even with our four inch slam in the rear,

just slide them into the muffler

and make sure you have at least an inch clearance from any obstructions.

Now that Mel has the over the axle pipes in place, I'm gonna put on the tail pipes as before we're gonna use a clamp and go over the bracket that hangs from the frame.

You can see it's got a rotating head to make installation a lot easier.

Now, on the tail pipe, you'll need to cut it to the length you want it before you put your tips on.

Now, I personally like to take it up nice and close to the body for a real clean look.

Now, when you cut your pipe, there's a couple of different ways you can do this. You can use a hacksaw or an air powered cut off tool. But by far the easiest way to do it is to invest in one of these pipe cutting tools at your local auto parts store for about 30 bucks.

Believe me, once you have one, you'll never know how you got by without

it.

At this point. The system is basically in place. So it's a good idea to double check everything for clearance. Now, don't be surprised if you have to use some wire ties to hold down brake lines or vent hoses. But once everything checks out, go ahead and tighten down all your clamps

with the tail pipe in place. You can go ahead and slide on your tip and make sure you've left at least three inches of extra length. So you've got some adjustment. Now, like I said before, we're gonna take ours right up close to the roll pan, but leave just enough room for the exhaust system to move. Of course, where you mount yours is entirely up to you.

But wherever you decide to mount them, it's not hard to see that this system really fits like it's supposed to

and the sound.

Well, let's just say that pretty much speaks for itself. Don't go away. We got more trucks for you right after this.

Later in the show, we'll hit the trail with a 99 ranger to find out if it's really built or tough. But before we do project, sports, Sierra needs some new tunes. That stereo upgrade is up next.

Welcome back to the truck shop. Now that project sports Sierra has the tone we want with that Gibson performance exhaust system, we hung on it to open the show. We need to bump up the sound in the cab with that stereo upgrade.

Now, granted the stock stereo and a 99 Sierra is adequate. But if you're serious about your tunes, you gotta have one that at least goes to 11.

So we went to MTX audio for this acoustic four channel high power receiver with AM FM and CD player.

Now, it's got all the goodies like remote control, automatic seek and scan music, search and manual tuning. It's also got this neat removable face, so it doesn't end up in a pawn shop somewhere. We're also gonna use mtxs coaxial speaker system for the doors and the rear. The reason these are so much better is they feature a polypropylene cone that helps your base kick a whole lot better as well as these balanced tweeters for smoother high frequency response.

And this big dog here,

we'll talk about that a little bit later on.

Now, we're gonna mount our receiver right here in the dash in place of the stock unit.

So the first thing we need to do is get this dash cover off.

Now, if you're working on an older truck or don't want to mount your stereo in the dash.

That's not a problem because there's an installation kit available so you can put it wherever you want. Now, if you do that,

make sure you keep it away from the heater because that can damage the stereo also before you do any electrical work. Make sure you disconnect your battery

while Stacey is busy tearing our dash apart, I'm gonna replace the speakers in the door. Now, if you don't know how to get your door panel off, it's a really good idea

to go down to a local parts store and buy yourself a service manual before you end up tearing something off

and adding to the cost of your project,

really slick thing about this system is you don't have to run new wires, just swap out the ends

and the speakers mount right up to the factory holes. Bottom line doesn't get any easier than this

and the rears are as easy to install as the front.

If you've ever done any stereo work, you probably know that the faces of the factory radios are usually a lot bigger than the aftermarket ones.

This leaves a big old hole in your dash.

Now, this $20 install kit allows you to slide your upgrade right into the factory spot and fills up that hole for a nice clean look

for the hookups on this set up. You'll need to get this GM adapter, which is about 14 bucks

and it splices right into the wires of the new stereo color to color,

then just plug it into the factory harness.

Now, you'll also need this antenna adapter for this application.

Of course, no stereo system would be complete without a thump and base. And we're gonna get that from the thunder form subwoofer enclosure. One of the cool things about this system is that it's custom made for your vehicle and tucks right up under the back seat. It's also got a built in amplifier as well as a 10 inch speaker. So you can really feel that base kicking

while Mel was filling in on the thunder form. I've gone ahead and hooked up the wiring harness and we've got a hot wire that runs through an in line fuse and then directly to the battery.

Then we have a power lead that kicks the amp on when you turn the stereo on.

And then of course, your ground

installation of this thing couldn't be any easier. Just slide it in there, woofer pointing down and to hold it in place, you have two small brackets that screw into the floor,

plug into your harness, make your connections and you're ready to rock

and rock, you will. Now, this system obviously has everything that you need. But if you're one of those that thinks that more is better,

you've got a lot of options for upgrades in the future.

Now, the best thing about this system is, it was clear to 40.

Hey, man, like I was trying to say 40 is probably more than you'll ever need. But, hey, it's nice to know you got it. Don't go away. We got more trucks right after the break.

Thanks for hanging with us, everybody. You know, the Ford Ranger has been the number one selling compact truck for more than a decade. And hey, why wouldn't it be? It's a great platform to work with, whether you're into sport trucks or off road machines. Mickey Thompson is famous for wheels and tires. So when they were looking for a project to feature their new street radios on,

they asked a bunch of 16 and 17 year old sport truckers to help them design the project and make it cool.

And we have to admit this thing came out really nice. The first thing that catches your eye is the yellow pearl paint with a checkered flag graphic that fades to white around the rear end and let's face it. No sport truck is complete without a cat back, exhaust, smooth roll pan tail light treatment. And you gotta have a tono cover. They also popped the top with a sunroof and tinted the glass. The front end received a blacked out billet grill, monochromatic paint and headlight covers.

The suspension was treated to a moderate drop and of course, it all sits on Mickey Thompson's new street radios and Challenger Wheels. Hey, who says kids don't know what they're talking about,

but listen up,

if you're not into dragging the ground, the 99

XLT four by four is the truck for you. It hasn't changed from 98 but there's no need to fix what isn't broke.

You can get this ranger with a standard four cylinder or step up to a more substantial V6 that pumps out 160 horse at 2200 RPM.

With the addition of the optional four door super cab late last year,

the ranger definitely qualifies as one of the most versatile trucks on the market.

Pull down the seats in the rear and you can fit four in the cab.

The XL T also comes fully loaded with dual air bags, a CD player

and of course, a cruise control.

But when you're banging around off road luxury won't be your focus because this brew

oval hasn't forgotten what it was built for and that's your

old

building

for the off road gear. Our truck has a new pulse, vacuum hub locks now they're not as strong as the old manual locking hubs,

but this setup allows almost silent four by four engagement on the fly with the flick of a switch on the deck.

And that's a nice option when the trail tries to bite you.

And thanks to a stiffened frame rack and pinion steering as well as a totally redesigned front suspension that was first introduced last year. The 99

XLT delivers a stable and predictable ride on the road as well.

And speaking of stable, the sticker on this board is virtually unchanged from last year, holding steady at around 25 grand,

fully loaded.

If you've added a lot of high load accessories to your truck, like a winch or a kicking stereo,

then dual batteries are a great way to go.

Now, if you hook up dual batteries, you need to go in parallel. This doubles their capacity.

Now to do this, take a cable and run from the positive of battery one

to the positive of battery two,

then take another cable run from the negative of battery one to the negative of battery two.

Then take your hot wire, run off the positive of battery one

and ground off the negative of battery two

and keep in mind running in parallel won't give you 24 volts, but it will double your amps capacity which allows you to play with all your toys without running out of juice.

Thanks for staying with us. Now, if you've ever spent any time off road, you know that after a couple of days of running the trails or camping out, people tend to get a little ripe. Heck, I've actually seen a pair of pants get up and walk out of a tent by themselves. Yeah. Good thing you had to spare with you that day. Hey, you gotta be prepared. Well, that's definitely true. And you couldn't be any more prepared than if you had a shower that ran right off your vehicle. I mean, think of the convenience. Now, I know some of you are pricing. That's pretty crazy. But R and M specialties has come up with this kit that allows you unlimited hot water from any water source, like a creek or even a cooler.

Now, the key to this kit is this heat exchanger. It installs in line of one of your heater hoses and that's where you get your hot water.

And you can literally mount this thing anywhere on one of these strut rods

up against the firewall, wherever you'd like.

Now, we're gonna mount ours here on this inner fender

using this supplied T bracket. That way it'll be out of the way

we can still get to it really easy.

Everybody knows there's nothing worse than trying to take a shower with low water pressure. So to keep the water flowing. RN M provides this electric pump that will mount right here on the inner fender close to the battery.

All you need to do is set it in place, mark the holes in the bracket,

drill them

and bolted on.

Getting back to the heat exchanger. Once it's in place, you can splice into your heater hoses. Now, you'll need to drain the radiator just a little bit to keep from making a big mess. And obviously, the system will need to be cool before you do this

Now, if you do happen to spill some antifreeze, make sure that you clean it up because it's poisonous to animals and I promise you Fido will find it.

Now, I'm gonna take this hose, go to the input of the heat exchanger,

then run it across the firewall over to mel, got it, man.

Then it simply hooks up to the output on the pump. Now, I've already connected the ground and the power wire can run through the firewall to one side of this push pull switch that turns the pump on. Now, keep in mind for this application, it's a really good idea to go to a power source that's only on when the key is on

that way. You don't accidentally leave the pump on and

burn it out.

And one of the cool options for this kit are these quick disconnects and this allows you to mount your inputs and outputs for your shower anywhere on the vehicle permanently.

Now, since this Jeep is a serious off rotor, we're gonna go ahead and put them inside the inner fender here. Keep from breaking them off on a rock or something.

Now, you run your water output in here, then it goes to the pump. This comes from the heat exchanger, then out to your showerhead,

make sure you wire tie your hoses up out of the way and you're almost ready to go almost but not quite before we run any water through this system. We need to double check all our hose connections and fill our radiator back up.

Now, the way this thing works is hot water runs from your motor through the heat exchanger.

Then the fresh water from your other source runs through different chambers of the unit where it's heated. Now, as you might have guessed, you control the temperature of your shower with your heater controls inside the cab. It stays, let's take this thing outside and show them how it really works. Sounds good to me

to make it work. Dropped a supplied hose in a water source.

Plug in your quick connect,

pull the switch to activate your pump and you're ready to go.

You're probably thinking you need more water than you really do. R and M says five gallons is plenty for two people to take a comfortable shower. Unless of course you're out on the trail with my partner Stace who insists on driving every mud hole you can find, hey, if you ain't getting dirty, you ain't really trying it.

Now, don't think that taking a shower is only use for this thing. It's great for washing down a vehicle at the end of the trail or if you're into showing horses or dogs or whatever, it's great for cleaning them up too. Bottom line, your options are only limited by your water supply. Unfortunately, we have hit the limit on this segment of the show, so we have to pay some bills stay with us. We'll be right back.

And now truck gear, parts, tools and equipment for pickups and sport utilities.

Did you know the glare from vehicles behind? You can increase your stopping distance by as much as 100 ft at 60 miles an hour. It's true.

You see glare causes an after image to form on the eyes retina which impede your ability to see and react to objects in your path. You can eliminate that problem. However, with the night vision safety mirror from Gentech,

it detects glare and automatically dims the mirror to make driving at night a whole lot safer. It has compass and external temperature readings and can be purchased through the

Mio Corporation for about $250.

Now, we've all heard of those miracle products that you add your oil and they give you better gas mileage and reduce heat and friction.

Well, the makers of X one R say that their product actually penetrates the metal, increasing its density and that does away with wear and tear.

Now, they also make a synthetic gear oil that has a unique design

that allows it to cling to the gears. So you don't have to use those big thick sticky gear oils that do cause heat and friction

treat your motor for about 15 bucks, lube your gears for about 35.

How about we just go ahead and cut to the chase. Spider co developed the first folding blade with a serrated edge in the early eighties and still produces more than 90% of all their blades in a serrated configuration

because they cut better and stay sharp as much as six times longer than a plane edge.

The trademark round hole can be used for smooth one hand opening and closing and the clothing clip is also an industry first. That's gonna do it for truck gear. Here's a preview of next week's show.

Mel and Stacy will hang the final pieces of hardware on the chassis of Project Wicked Willies. Then they'll turn their attention to the interior of their classic 55 wagon.

After that, they'll take a look at the first factory built four by four to take on American soil, the Dodge power wagon.

Then it's a performance clutch and tranny for project 383 Stroker.

That's all next week on trucks.

Well, that's gonna do it for this week's show. Thanks for being with us. We look forward to trucking with you again next week.

What are you doing? This is great. Washing my pants, man. They were a mess. You're supposed to take your clothes off to wash them, man.

Who, who? Oh

man,

you're

saying the

don't be

wasting time.

Mhm

Natural.

And now they got his so

trucks is an RTM production.