[JohnIL]

I'm trying out a hidden stereo antenna because I really don't like the mast sticking out of the cowl panel. I'm not sure how well the hidden antenna is going to work out, but it's worth a try. The hidden antenna seems to get the best reception with it's above the rear window, near the dome light. It's not exactly "hidden" there, but I might be able to mount it inside the back wall of the cab, behind the dome light itself. We'll see how that works out.

I installed a pair of 6x9 speakers in pre-made boxes and slid them under the seat. I didn't bother to take any pictures because this is only temporary until I replace the factory gas tank with a new one mounted under the truck bed. This will open up the rear corners of the cab for a more permanent speaker mounting situation.

I thought I would get fancy with the front 5 1/4" speakers and mount them in the kick panels. I carefully templated the round holes that I planned to cut into the kick panels. Then, I went to work with a zip disk on my air die grinder. This is where the project went off the rails. If you've every had one of these cabs apart, I'm sure you know exactly what I ran into. I can see you now, shouting at the computer screen, saying, "NO! DON'T DO IT!" But, it was too late. I had already cut a perfect 4 3/4" hole in the driver side kick panel before I discovered cab brace directly behind the center of the hole. Not only that, but the half of the hole opened up into the front wheel well, right at the corner of the kick panel vent. I felt like an idiot, but I was committed. Now I just had to "invent" a way to close off the hole from the wheel well and enclose the new speaker. So, I dug into my stash of 20 ga sheet metal and welded up a "half-can" to seal up the hole and surround the speaker. With a workable solution sorted out, I cut a matching hole in the passenger side kick panel and welded up another half-can. I tack welded the half-cans into the openings and sealed all around them with seam sealer. While I was inside the kick panels, I gave everything a good soaking in rust converter and coated the open with primer. Hopefully, that will help buy me some time until I start digging into the rust repair on the body. With the holes cut and sealed up, I installed the new speakers. I'm happy with the way it turned out, but it was a very time consuming detour in the project.

With the stereo and speakers completely installed, it sounded great, at least while I was parked in the garage. When I took the truck for a drive, however, the stereo was pretty much drowned out by the road and wind noise. The doors and windows seal reasonably well, but the cab is still very noisy at highway speeds. The cab is basically an uninsulated metal box.
Obviously, I'm going to need to do some sound proofing and deadening to improve the listening experience. I'll post a separate thread to get some advice from those of you who have fought this battle before.