[Austinite]

I bought some custom speaker pods for the A-Pillars and put them in this weekend. They were a little glossy compared to the a-pillars, so I painted them with some satin black SEM Color Coat. I went with the CT Sounds 3.5 Inch midrange speakers and my Massive Audio CT2 - silk dome tweeters hooked up to a CT Sounds passive 3 way crossover. The quality was actually pretty decent for $100. I might add another screw to the top on the driver side down the road, but that's my only complaint. And the new angles really brought out the mids and highs in the system I have to say.

On a side note, I tried to fix the corners on my newer upper dashboard replacement that never laid down completely flat. Somehow I made them worse. Has anyone had that problem with one? Here's the one I bought: Upper Dashboard Replacement

 

[Austinite]

My 5 channel amp went bad on me (sub channel burned up) last week, so I decided to rip everything out and start from scratch. I decided to go with the Pioneer GM Digital series. I got the GM-DX874 (4 channel) and theGM-DX971 (mono). I also originally went with a Dayton Audio DSP-408, but it introduced all kinds of noise to the system so I pulled it out and returned it. I have a Pioneer DEQ-S1000A on the way to replace it. I mounted the new amps under the rear captain seats. I can't even tell you how much better it already sounds. I don't think I'll ever go the single 5 channel route ever again. It didn't work out in my Tahoe and it definitely didn't work out in the Escalade.

Here's the ugly part first...

 

[Austinite]

Amps under the rear captain chairs

 

[Austinite]

Bass Knob mounted next to the headlights switch

 

[Austinite]

I made a new welcome screen for the Tesla style Android head unit too while I was at it. Came out pretty good I think. If anyone wants a copy, let me know.

 

[Austinite]

I finished up my vacuum actuated exhaust cutout. I'm gonna order a turndown and install it shortly. You can't adjust the opening, it's either open or closed. And since no one really made a vacuum cutout for 3.5" exhaust, I had to kind of Frankenstein parts together. I had to weld the cutout to the flange after I cut the flange down a bit and used butt joints to tie it altogether. I mounted the vacuum pump/remote relay under the cupholders in the center console. Eventually I might weld it all up. When the cutout isn't open, the exhaust goes through a Magnaflow 12909.

Here's a list of the parts I used:

3" Vacuum Cutout
3.5" to 2.5" flange
3.5" Stainless Cutout
3.5" Butt Joint Exhaust Clamps (2)

 

[Austinite]

Here's a short video of the vacuum exhaust cutout in action

 

[Austinite]

Before I bought my 3" lift spindles, I bought a Traxda 2.5" Leveling Kit from Amazon and somehow they messed up with the shipping and eventually I got the kit for free. I didn't think I would ever get around to using them, but I have seen a few people run the 3" spindles and the leveling kit and apparently it worked fine for them. So I said what the hell and installed it. Hindsight I wish I would have gone with the 4.5" lift spindles, but I'm ok for now. I bought the lifetime alignment from Firestone too, so I"ll have that done tomorrow. Before with just the lift spindles I had a slight rub even after trimming a bunch, and now there is no rubbing at all. It did however cause the front to be about 1.5"-2" inches higher than the rear. So I decided to pull the trigger on a set of open box Moog 81069 Coil Springs (Z71 coils) to even it out. They were like $30 and in pretty much new condition with a little dust on them.

 

[EricVonHa]

You've put a ton of work into the truck for sure! Looks great!

On the droid-auto head-unit, how does it work, fairly reliable? Is it buggy? I've been a big fan of Kenwood's Excelon series for years and it has a lot of the same capabilities as the droid units.. but, you can't beat the look of the full double-din layout of your tablet style system.

What do you like about it? What not to like?

Thanks

 

[Austinite]

You've put a ton of work into the truck for sure! Looks great!

On the droid-auto head-unit, how does it work, fairly reliable? Is it buggy? I've been a big fan of Kenwood's Excelon series for years and it has a lot of the same capabilities as the droid units.. but, you can't beat the look of the full double-din layout of your tablet style system.

What do you like about it? What not to like?

Thanks

Thanks! And I love the Kenwood stuff too, used to always run that in my trucks! Probably would have gone Kenwood in the Escalade if I didn't run across this Android unit.

Likes:
-Fills the space nicely/Looks way better than having a huge cubby hole as with other double din head units
-Android OS so you can run pretty much any app you want
-Not terribly expensive
-Pretty customizable

Dislikes:
-I was shipped the wrong Cadillac unit, so I had to fab up brackets to make it work
-No rear video output
-4v-5v pre-outs would be nice
-Bluetooth is only for Audio (can't send files or anything like that)
-The Android OS is outdated
-Had to buy a PAC SWI-RC Steering Wheel Control Interface and rig it to work
-No Subwoofer Out (fixed that with the Pioneer DEQ-S1000A 48-bit dual-core DSP-based signal processor

I know there's stuff I'm missing from both lists, so I'll update it when I think of anything. I'd say overall I'm pretty happy with the unit. It's definitely taken some time to get it close to where I want it though. And apparently they have upgraded these now, so they are a little better.

 

[EricVonHa]

Thanks! And I love the Kenwood stuff too, used to always run that in my trucks! Probably would have gone Kenwood in the Escalade if I didn't run across this Android unit.

Likes:
-Fills the space nicely/Looks way better than having a huge cubby hole as with other double din head units
-Android OS so you can run pretty much any app you want
-Not terribly expensive
-Pretty customizable

Dislikes:
-I was shipped the wrong Cadillac unit, so I had to fab up brackets to make it work
-No rear video output
-4v-5v pre-outs would be nice
-Bluetooth is only for Audio (can't send files or anything like that)
-The Android OS is outdated
-Had to buy a PAC SWI-RC Steering Wheel Control Interface and rig it to work
-No Subwoofer Out (fixed that with the Pioneer DEQ-S1000A 48-bit dual-core DSP-based signal processor

I know there's stuff I'm missing from both lists, so I'll update it when I think of anything. I'd say overall I'm pretty happy with the unit. It's definitely taken some time to get it close to where I want it though. And apparently they have upgraded these now, so they are a little better.

Which head unit did you get? I saw the Phoenix unit which is re-sold by a USA based distributor. At their kinda price, I'd still go with the Exelon because the price is similar and the Kenwood is a tried-and-true product.

I know what you're saying about the double DIN with the storage compartment. I go back and forth with her I want to put the stereo up high or down low.

I like that you did the separate subwoofer control knob because it is always a pain in the world of electronic interfaces to have a bunch of different buttons to get into the audio menu to adjust a subwoofer. The quick access with a knob is definitely the way to do it!

I like the iData Maestro CAN interface for the Excelon products. Nice to be able to pull in OBD data and tire pressure and so forth. Have you explored any droid CAN interfaces?

Curious on the above questions because I really do like the full face look. Not sure if I can get past the chinesium quirks though. Any advice greatly appreciated

 

[Austinite]

Which head unit did you get? I saw the Phoenix unit which is re-sold by a USA based distributor. At their kinda price, I'd still go with the Exelon because the price is similar and the Kenwood is a tried-and-true product.

I know what you're saying about the double DIN with the storage compartment. I go back and forth with her I want to put the stereo up high or down low.

I like that you did the separate subwoofer control knob because it is always a pain in the world of electronic interfaces to have a bunch of different buttons to get into the audio menu to adjust a subwoofer. The quick access with a knob is definitely the way to do it!

I like the iData Maestro CAN interface for the Excelon products. Nice to be able to pull in OBD data and tire pressure and so forth. Have you explored any droid CAN interfaces?

Curious on the above questions because I really do like the full face look. Not sure if I can get past the chinesium quirks though. Any advice greatly appreciated

Ok so the guy at Phoenix just gets his from Alibaba (Aliexpress) and resells them, same with anyone else selling them in the US. That's why it takes so long to get one. Here's where I got mine: 10.4" Vertical Screen Tesla

The other reason I didn't go with Kenwood or a big name brand is the customization. I just feel like you're limited with whatever they allow you to customize on their head units. There's no hacking them really.

I use a wifi OBD2 connector with the Torque app and tpms info from the gauge cluster works fine, so that's not really important to me. There is definitely some "chinesium quirks", but I've pretty much gotten used to them.

 

[EricVonHa]

Thanks for the heads up. Installing something in mine in the next period is definitely on the radar. A dead in-dash 6CD changer is the big push. Plus, I'd hate to spend money on a Bluetooth adapter knowing that the factory amp and speakers are sub-par. So, when it doubt, rip it alllll out!

I see that you bought some CT Sounds speakers. The guy that was running it died over the summer. Not sure what is in store there for the long term. A youtuber was always advertising his products is how I came to know them. How do you like the sound? Comparable to any of the higher-end stuff at a bargain price?

 

[Austinite]

Thanks for the heads up. Installing something in mine in the next period is definitely on the radar. A dead in-dash 6CD changer is the big push. Plus, I'd hate to spend money on a Bluetooth adapter knowing that the factory amp and speakers are sub-par. So, when it doubt, rip it alllll out!

I see that you bought some CT Sounds speakers. The guy that was running it died over the summer. Not sure what is in store there for the long term. A youtuber was always advertising his products is how I came to know them. How do you like the sound? Comparable to any of the higher-end stuff at a bargain price?

Oh damn, I didn't hear that! I hope whoever is running the company now keeps up with the quality, because for the price of the little 3.5" speakers they really help a lot with the front staging. I really love the PRVs and the Massive Audio Tweeters too. I've run Focal, Boston Acoustics, Image Dynamics, Kenwood Excelon, CDT Audio, and a few others in the past and I think they might be my favorite pairing to date. Especially after switching from the crappy 5 channel Rockville amp to the 2 Pioneer amps. I don't know what I was thinking with that first amp. I guess I thought I'd just give it a chance.

 

[nyvram]

wow. nicely done. you really cutomized the heck out of this thing! where do you find the time?

 

[Austinite]

Ha

wow. nicely done. you really cutomized the heck out of this thing! where do you find the time?

Haha, thanks! And luckily I work from 6am-3pm, so I get home before my wife! Gives me about 3 hours of free time before she comes home and shuts down my operation ?

 

[DGCaddy2004]

My 5 channel amp went bad on me (sub channel burned up) last week, so I decided to rip everything out and start from scratch. I decided to go with the Pioneer GM Digital series. I got the GM-DX874 (4 channel) and theGM-DX971 (mono). I also originally went with a Dayton Audio DSP-408, but it introduced all kinds of noise to the system so I pulled it out and returned it. I have a Pioneer DEQ-S1000A on the way to replace it. I mounted the new amps under the rear captain seats. I can't even tell you how much better it already sounds. I don't think I'll ever go the single 5 channel route ever again. It didn't work out in my Tahoe and it definitely didn't work out in the Escalade.

Here's the ugly part first...

I'm afraid if I start anything this is exactly how deep I will get into it! Very nice truck man, great build!

 

[Zach87]

Finally got the new black mesh grill installed. Went ahead and added the newer 2015 Escalade style emblem to it too. Removing the old grill was kind of a PIA too. Had to take off the entire front bumper. I tried my hand at some vinyl to cover the chrome hood trim piece and it came out terrible. I'll re-do it when i get some time, but it'e good enough for government work right now. I'm gonna black out the headlights and tint the fog lights as soon as it warms up here in Austin too. And maybe black out the chrome on the new emblem.


Before:

After:

How did you get you're emblem attached? I am about to put the same setup on my 07. Did you just remove tabs and put 3m double sided on?

 

[Byrdman]

How did you get you're emblem attached? I am about to put the same setup on my 07. Did you just remove tabs and put 3m double sided on?

Welcome to the forums, Zach! Keep searching for the answer, but the member you quoted hasn't logged on in six months.

 

[sp00fy]

That thing is an absolute beast