Boise Car Audio Stereo Installation, Diesel and Gas Performance, Bluetooth, iPod and Navigation all in one spot

When you Jeep, You Upgrade....it's what you do

6/29/2017

A return client brought his 2017 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon for some more serious upgrades for Round 2.

Here is what we installed:
Tereflex 2" Lift Kit
Tereflex Rear Tire Carrier
Tereflex Rotopax Mount
Rotopax 2.5 Gallon Gas Can
Warn Zeon 10k Winch
Maximus3 Winch mount adapter for stock bumper

Modding your vehicle doesn't have to be super wild and expensive....you can do something like this client did. He's now got much better ground clearance, beefed up external accessories to handle the off-road life and emergency tools to get him out of the tough situations one faces when off-roading.

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2500HD Going Up for some new rubber

6/28/2017

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Here we've got a 2016 Chevy Silverado 2500HD that needed some extra clearance for some bigger tires....in order to properly do that, we needed it to go a bit higher.
So, a 4" lift was installed to clear the new 35" Fuel Gripper MT Tires.
Easily visible what even a small-ish upgrade can do to your truck.
These beast is ready to go now!

Hit us up for all your Truck and Off-Road needs...whether it's Wheels and Tires, Lifting or Lowering and even Performance needs!

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Proper Router Table Finally

6/27/2017

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So.....I've been wanting to step up my routering game for quite some time...but just didn't have time or means to get it done.
With my new shop, I now have room to add a proper bench setup with a new router and lift setup.

So, I logged onto Craigslist, as one would do, and started looking.
I found this gem of a cabinet for $20....lady said it was too heavy to move....so grab the neanderthal brother and we headed out......yuuuup....totes heavy.....juuust about blew 2 gaskets getting it up into the truck.
After a tense right home and some rain...she was ready for mods.

First, I did was any mod-junkie would do....I shaved the handles off....cause....why would anyone want to understand how to open the draws?
Once they were smooth, I filled/sanded/shaved all the imperfections on the top and made sure it was ready for uberamazeballsness.

That's where the homie Hawk with SectorSeventeen came in....since he did the other craigslist wonders that I call my shop cabinets....it was only a matter of time before he came back and started tagging again.
Few hours later and the $20 heavy box was now a work of art! Even got some street cred on the back!

Moving on....my new router lift and router came in...went with the Porter Cable router and a Jasper router lift...this will make switching bits effortless from the top of the table instead of getting ghetto with it like I have been in the past...also height adjustments will now be spot-on with the turn of an allen-key.
I also added an external On/Off paddle switch, so, yet again, I no longer need to reach underneath and come deathly close to losing a finger/arm/bicep fingering for the shut-off-switch.

I finished off the table with a nice even layer of roll-on bedliner out of the can.

Next up will be to add a dust-collection system underneath to aid in a clean shop...but that isn't very fun to look at......but really....ain't nobody got time for me rambling on about a damn cabinet. Oh well....next time I guess!

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Old New School Meets New School?

6/26/2017

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So this beast was brought in from a client out of California.
This truck is baaaaadass!
The paint is such a cool color....and everything else is tastefully modified.

1955 Chevy Truck
Shaved door handles with auto-pop feature
Vintage Air
Automagical Windows
Corvette Rear Taillights
Built 350 Chevy motor
Plus a whole lot more

Client was tired of his eBay special headlights looking dull and worn out. The inner chrome was faded and the outer LED ring was burning out.

So I picked up another set of glass lenses....separated them and went to work.
We went with a 7" Cob-Style LED Switchback Halo....so it's less obtrustive as the old style and more functional....so it's integrated into the turn circuit now.
I also bumped up his night light output with some Morimoto 35w Bi-xenon HID system.
Now he's not going to be scare of driving at night!

Look out for this one in the future....we'll be doing some motor work to it and hopefully a whole lot more!

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Hi-Fi Audio for a retired Veteran

6/21/2017

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A retired serviceman brought in his 2017 Honda Civic for an audio overhaul.
He's suffered some hearing loss due to his oversea tours in the service; so he needed a boost in audible output from his new car.
Trax Customs was HAPPY to help out someone that served their country...as we always are!

Here is what was needed to upgrade this beast:

Hybrid Audio Technologies Unity U5A 5 Channel Amplifier
Hybrid Audio Technologies Clarus 6.5" Components (Front)
Hybrid Audio Technologies Clarus 6.5" Components (Rear)
Stinger Roadkill Sound Deadening
Stinger 4ga Amplifier Wiring Kit

The plan with this setup is the build over time....first phase is to get the sound stage setup for success...which means boosting the door speakers and adding sound deadening to tighten up the bass....next phase will be woofers and the final stage will be custom enclosures.

First things first.....let's get to sound deadening.
All four doors received 2 layers of Roadkill Expert deadening to seal them up and provide some dramatic differences in mid-bass response; while keeping road-noise out and heat/cool IN during different seasons.
Next I fabricated some adapters to fit these massive Clarus mid-woofers in the doors.
I then wired up the crossovers and mounted the tweeters in custom-painted shrouds to match the theme of the Civic.
The doors are now super solid and the mid-bass they produce is actually window-rattling.....as these Clarus woofers can get down and dirty, efficiently, around 55-60hz!

Next was the amp....The overall goal is the build 1 or 2 custom fiberlgass enclosures in the side pockets of the rear boot....so I knew whatever I was doing would be temporary...even if that meant 4 months or a year.....I still wanted it to look well thought out, custom...but remain mobile in the future. So I crammed that beast of an amp into the side pocket where the OEM woofer 'would' have been.....so there is plenty of space behind the carpeting for wires and extensions. I trimmed all wires so they can be relocated in the future to the new amp location. I fabricated an MDF mounting panel, covered it in carpet and trimmed the OEM carpet panel to just barely allow the amp to pass through and hide all the wires.
It's a pretty simple mount; but makes it look not-so-out-of-place but hides anything that would say 'aftermarket parts' about it. Only thing that gives it away is when you turn on the amp and that classic 'Hybrid' logo lights up in the mirror finish top!

End Result?
This thing is a beast....the bass you get out of these 6.5" woofers is impressive and makes all the hours and finger cuts worth it.
The tweeters are SUUPER high; which can be turned down...but I'm leaving that for the customer to decide since he has a hearing issue anyways...so too-much is a good thing on this built!
I can't wait to hear this setup with a subwoofer...as it'll definitely finish it off and make it one of my favorite setups I've done!

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Make it fit damnit

6/17/2017

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This is the 3rd job in a month that I had to repeat myself......."It's not supposed to fit....but I'll make it fit!"

Customer brought in his Jeep (we've done some minor lighting work on it in the past) and wanted a panoramic view out the top of his Jeep year-round.
Looked like a challenge so I accepted...little did I know I was in for a bigger challenge than expected!

Some dude out of New York makes these plexi-panels for the top of your Jeep....they allow you to have a 'moon-roof' experience on your REMOVABLE Jeep Tops, year-round...which is cool.
Well...when I got the product package and thought immediately that I was missing parts....because all that came with it was 2 panels and some grommet/gasket material. No mounting hardware, no templates and no instructions. So after some digging, I found this 'builders' YouTube page and watching (comically) for a few minutes before I realized this is gonna be interesting! Basically this guy is selling tinted plexiglas panels for a pretty penny and expects owners to be able to cut their fiberglass tops and GLUE....yes GLUE them into place.....kinda ghetto if you ask me....but whatever....end product/goal is worth it....so let's start hackin!!!

Immediately I knew I had a problem....these looked like they might not be big enough and I was right......the glass is supposed to cover the entire top and the 'humps' on the top...well these were a few inches short (that's what she said)....so, after some thinking, I figured I could make it happen but might not be the prettiest. Basically, you CAN have a seamless look IF the panels cleared these humps...but I needed to counter-sink the glass into them because they would not be flush if I didn't.....so I started cutting and thinking and kept cutting.
After some precise sanding and dremel work, I got these to fit the best possible and then threw some silicone (recommended from dude-bruh online) and hoped for the best.

In the end...the look/feel you get from the new view above is pretty cool...I can see how on a not-so-good-day, this will be a good mod to have on your Jeep.
Just make sure you do your research and make SURE positive that these will fit your Jeep...because Dude-Bruh in New York didn't research ALL makes/models of Jeeps and his product does not fit this one!

TL/DR......I Got Itchy and High on Fiberglass Fumes and put some holes in some removable Jeep Top Panels!

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That's too much light....said no-one ever

6/16/2017

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Client brought in his GMC Sierra for a Lumen-bump!
He'd received all these light bars as a present and wanted to get them installed.
Here is what he brought to the table:
50" LED bar
20" LED Bar
3" LED Cube X 4

I knew what he needed so I got him the necessary parts to fit the truck....which were the GMC Specific Roof Mount Brackets and Front Bumper Brackets...all from Rough Country.

Original goal was to put 2 of the front cubes in the side mirror gaps...but because of how big the pods were and how they mounted; it just wasn't possible without them looking ghetto...so I tossed two of them into the center grill area...then bolted up the lower one centered in the bumper gap and then wrestled the top bar into place....all of which were powered via a single switch inside the cabin.

The other 2 pods were used as backup assist lights when reversing...and WOW, did they help...soo much light when you slam that beast into reverse!

Overall....I'm not a fan of roof-mount bars....but when someone wants it added, i'll gladly offer my expertise and get these installed properly and ensure year of usability....
He's got plenty of light for open-road driving now...which is the main goal and he was happy with the outcome.
Hopefully we'll see this truck back for even more upgrades!

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Weekend Update for a Vette

6/14/2017

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Client was referred to us by a local electronics store and we were glad we could help out.
Customer had recently purchased this car from a friend and knew immediately that they audio was junk....so we knew exactly what to do.

Main Goal: Top Down Loud, Clear Audio
Keys to Success: Quality Audio Components with plenty of power
Power Players: Arc Audio Arc Series Speakers, Arc Audio KS Amp and Stinger Goodies

These Vettes have some massive speakers in their doors...but they are just massive piles of poo.....so I Fabricated a 1/2" MDF Adapter to house the Arc Audio Arc 6.2 Component Speakers....then I turn the fiberglass doors into massive subwoofer boxes by reinforcing everything with Stinger Roadkill and sealing up the doors with a custom sheet metal patch; as well as F.A.S.S. acoustic rings to help bridge the gap between the door panel and speaker. The Arc Component Tweeters may look less than capable compared to the OEM 3.5" speaker in the door; but this is the biggest contender when dealing with top-down driving in this convertible...these small guys will be able to cut through the wind-noise at 100+

The rears were fairly simply....5.25" Arc series coaxials and some slight tweakage and they fit like a glove.....I didn't like the OEM covers..so I opted to use the ones that came with the Arc speakers.

For the rear, I installed the Mini KS 4 channel amplifier to provide plenty of power to these speakers while not taking up any useful room....because Golfing is necessary and ain't nobody got time for amps/wires in the way of your drivers/putters!
The KS mini was almost too big..but I made er fit and it's got easy access to adjustments on the top of the amp if they are needed.

We also did some exterior upgrades....customer didn't like the way the OEM brakes looked and wanted a simple update. So we removed the wheels and started masking everything off. The OEM brakes got a nice coat of brake-caliper gloss black and the fronts got INDIVIDUALLY masked off and got a nice coat of Chevy Red to make the 'Corvette' pop.
We also fixed the lower front valence that is commonly trashed from speed bumps and anything higher than a leaf!

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Quickie Upgrade for a Past Client

6/12/2017

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A good client of ours brought in his new-to-him Toyota 4Runner to get his 'old' sound back.
I'd previously installed these Hybrid Audio Unity component speakers in his old 4Runner and then he sold that and upgraded....but he didn't want to break-up with his old sound system....so he removed that and kept them for his new ride.....smart move...because the newer Toyota speakers still sounded like junk.

I fabricated a custom speaker adapter for each side and then did some sound deadening to create a 'sub-box' like effect in the doors.

In the future, we'll be adding an amplifier and a unique mid-bass upgrade....so look out for that one.

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Bolt comes back for more

6/11/2017

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The homie Allen brought his bike back in for a smaller but necessary upgrade.
The custom LED strip I used for the rear fender Brake/Turn lights didn't show enough TURN signal AMBER.....since it was on too much of the sides.....so.....I prompted that we add 2 additional strips to the shock reservoirs to 'widen' the look as well as make sure people can tell which way he's turning.

On top of that, I removed the single front RGB underglow strip from the front tire, fabricated better-aimed brackets and converted it to a dual front underglow section.....so now the bike it lit proper from the front as well!

Till the next mods!!

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Ram gets louder and darker

6/10/2017

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This was a fun dual project for us here at Trax Customs.
A Local Military gentleman brought in his 2013 Dodge Ram pickup with product he previously purchased and needed help installing it.
He purchased a new Kenwood headunit, a Pioneer Amplifier and Dual Ported Kicker Subwoofers.
He also wanted his window tinted....so we both knocked out everything he needed and finished it just in time of him getting off duty at the end of the day.
We'll hopefully be doing more to this truck in the near future!

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Making things happen with plastic

6/9/2017

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Good buddy of mine sent his pops over for some Trax Customs love.
He'd gotten a backup camera system as a present a while back and needed help installing it.
Mainly because it's a universal setup and not really meant for this truck (without making it look hacked-in)
So, Trax Customs steps again yet again and helped this customer out...when most other shops would have told them it wouldn't work and to get something else.

Fabricated a bracket to mount the larger-than-normal backup camera on the rear license plate.
Fabricated a bracket to mount the massive 7" screen in the center console area and tied everything together.....easy peasy!

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Camping Two-Fer

6/7/2017

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Had a pretty unique opportunity to work on a couples truck and RV.....normally this would be quite the hassle for a client.....they wanted to upgrade their old system in an older diesel truck as well as their camping RV......now most shops would have you bring them down to work on them....which is ok...but such a hassle sometimes.
Luckily for Trax Customs.....we are mobile.....so I picked up their truck for them....worked on it...brought it back and then worked on their RV AT their house......customer service baby!

Truck:
Had an existing Pioneer Premier installed....so I replaced it with a Pioneer Fold-Out DVD player so he can use his new backup camera to help him hook up to his RV! Then I replaced all the speakers in the truck with Pioneer Front Speakers as well as Rear Speakers in Bedliner Boxes so they can take them out and listen to music when they camp.

RV:
Replaced the 4 ceiling speakers with Pioneer Marine speakers and then fabricated a custom faceplate to replace the old/massive FM headunit with a newer Pioneer unit.

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Jeep gets a front tooth upgrade

6/6/2017

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Client brought in this 2007 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon for us to fix.

Another local shop installed this jankie 'front bumper' if you want to call it that.....and it just didn't do anyone any favors. No winch protection, didn't flow with the lines of the Jeep and it looked like someone fabricated it with 1 eye closed.
So we swapped it with a DV8 FS-Series trail tested and proven bumper! 3/16" and 1/4" cold rolled steel, .120 wall tubing, high degree angles and raised corners, light tabs and Solid D-ring mounts w/ rings included. Textured black powdercoating with 4 led lights built in and a bull bar.
Now this Jeep looks proper and ready to hit the trails!

Oh...and what about power when on the trail?
We put in a Superchip Flashpaq to add

TPMS on/off & threshold adjustability
Speedometer correction for aftermarket tires & gears
Control Rubicon Lockers in 4 Hi
Read & clear trouble codes
Tuning optimized for towing, economy, performance and crawling
Improved shifting, less downshifting on the highway
Improved mileage potential

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Platinum Upgrade - 15th Anniversary Present

6/5/2017

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Fun project we put together for a friend of ours.
Wife wanted to surprise her husband for their 15th Wedding Anniversary....."Nothing says 'thanks for putting up with me for 15 years' better than some custom work on a man's truck, correct?"

Here is what we did for this 2015 Ford F150 Platinum:

4" Rough Country Suspension lift
33" Fuel Gripper Tires
20"x9" Fuel Maverick Wheels

Pretty simple modification since this is our bread/butter...but the challenge was to hide all of this from the husband.
Once he was out of town, we stole his truck, brought it 2 hours away from where they live....modded the truck and returned it for the big reveal.

It's situations like this that we really enjoy making a plan come together to help people out....but it's what separates us from other shops that would make you bring them your vehicle or jump through hoops.

Let us know what we can do to help you surprise your loved one in the future!