Classic Ford Bronco Audio System for Repeat Newberry Client

A repeat client from Newberry came back to Sound Depot and Performance in Gainesville with another classic vehicle for us to upgrade the car stereo system. This 1968 Ford Bronco audio system project is the second one in his stable we have had the pleasure to modify. In typical fashion, we went over the goals for the upgrades with the client and looked over the vehicle. After coming up with ideas, we offered a proposal to the client that he liked, so we set a time to begin the audio upgrades.

Extreme Duty Equipment

This truck is built for serious off-road action.

Right from the beginning, we knew this was not a trailer queen. Even though the vehicle was stunning to look at, it was going to be used as a fun 4×4. For this reason, the audio system was designed to handle the weather and be reliable for years to come. This thought process carried over to the parts we installed and the labor we performed.

Off-Road–Ready Source Unit

The JL Audio radio looked right at home in this Bronco dashboard.

When it came time to choose the source unit, or “head unit” as it is often called, we went to JL Audio, choosing the MM100 MediaMaster unit. It combines a weather-resistant controller with a full-color display that we flush-mounted into the custom dash. It includes the normal AM/FM tuner and adds weather band capability, as well as USB control over an iPod/iPhone or other external media storage devices such as a flash drive. SiriusXM can be added with the optional tuner module, and Bluetooth streaming makes it easy to play music from any smartphone.

Amplifiers To Make The Music Come Alive

The JL Audio amplifiers might be small in size, but they pack plenty of power.

In any great-sounding car audio system, you need power. And power means you need amplifiers. For this Bronco, we decided on a pair of JL Audio amplifiers, the MX500/1 and the MX500/4. These models come straight from the marine and powersports divisions, meaning water and dust won’t make these beauties break a sweat. We mounted the amplifiers to a custom amp board made of black Starboard, a marine-grade composite, and placed it under the passenger seat. The mono amplifier sends 500 watts of clean power to the subwoofer, and we bridged the four-channel amplifier to send another 500 watts to the front speakers. With a total combination of over 1,000 watts, this Ford is gonna jam!

Front Speakers For Sound Quality

The crossovers for the Hertz speakers were mounted on custom ABS plastic brackets.

The fiberglass door panels the client supplied had room for a 5.25″ speaker.

The client supplied us with a set of beautiful fiberglass door panels designed to hold a pair of 5.25” speakers. The design team chose a set of Hertz ESK130.5 coaxial speakers for their combination of weather resistance, great sound quality and overall output potential.

A Subwoofer System Made To Match

The subwoofer enclosure was built to fit the bed perfectly. Bedliner spray was used to protect it from the elements.

The beauty of this enclosure style is the client has all his legroom AND plenty of bass!

The grill for the subwoofer protects the speaker and gives the opening a finished look.

Classic Broncos come in different body style options. This one was the pickup truck style. That means there is no room behind the rear seat where we would normally install a subwoofer enclosure. Since all good audio systems need bass, the fabricators at Sound Depot designed a custom bandpass enclosure for a JL Audio 12W6v3 12” subwoofer that mounted in the bed, up tight against the cab. The outside of the enclosure was sprayed with bedliner material to make it waterproof as well as continue the rugged look of the truck. The design of this box forces all the bass energy out of a port that we piped through the rear wall of the cab into the interior of the vehicle. We installed a custom grille on the interior side, making the finished install look like a factory option from Ford.

MESA Mat To Quiet The Interior

The doors were treated with sound deadening material to help reduce cabin noise and enhance the audio performance.

The interior noise level was reduced using MESA sound damping material.

Anyone who has driven a classic vehicle knows how loud they can be from the inside while running up the road. To eliminate road noise and rattling, our technicians installed MESA sound-damping mats on the doors and the floor area of the Bronco.

Severe Use Installation

All our connections were protected with heat-shrink tubing.

If you are going to own a vehicle that sees time off-road, you need an installation that can handle the abuse. Our installers used solder and heat-shrink on all connections and properly loomed all the wiring in the truck. We mounted every harness securely, making it easy for the vehicle to be serviced in the future.

A Happy Ford Bronco Audio Client

When the client saw his finished vehicle, he loved it! Everything from the quality of the installation to the great sound confirmed his decision to choose us as a wise one.

If you want a great-sounding audio system, turn to the pros at Sound Depot and Performance. Our experts will work with you to design and build the audio system you have always wanted.