Culinary Hall of Fame and the Ultimate Time Capsule

Executive Chef Jess Barbosa
enters Culinary Hall of Fame

'I wanted to be somebody', fondly remembered retired Kansas City executive chef Jess Barbosa from his childhood years as a 'poor Mexican kid on Kansas City’s West Side'. He has indeed come a long way.
On June 30th, 2017, the Kansas City Star reported on Chef Barbosa's recent induction into the American Academy of Chefs’ Culinary Hall of Fame. On July 11th, 2017, Mr. Barbosa, 84, achieved a lifelong dream. His peers at the American Culinary Federation recognized his long body of work during an induction ceremony in Orlando, FL..
To me, Chef Barbosa is both, a man of great integrity and stature and my friend's dad. Yes, Chef Barbosa is Chuck Barbosa's dad.
Visiting Chuck's house during the 90s was great. I remember a home full of love where Chef Barbosa was the unbreakable foundation while Mrs. Barbosa was the sweetness that made all blend incredibly well. It goes without saying that Chuck and I were trouble. But no matter how far we pushed boundaries,  Chuck's parents were always welcoming.
So, as I serendipitously found the article about Chef Barbosa's well deserved recognition, I had to share the moment  with the world. I am so proud of Chuck's dad.

Suave!

But the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. World Champion Chuck is a guy with enormous internal strength and great moral compass. Yes, Chuck still has a long road ahead to reach much success as his dad has. I am nonetheless confident that his fundamentally sound strengths will take him in the right direction.
For today, though, I just want to celebrate. I want to reach out to his dad and want to enjoy looking back at yet another article on Chuck's car. Why not double dip?
By the way, did you hear that Chuck is selling his car? While the installation is probably different than the one in the following pictures, it is surely world class. After I left the US, Chuck went on to win anything there was to win during the late 90's. Then, hoping for a renaissance Chuck took his car to Gary Biggs. As bad luck would have it, the project never progressed due to a dozen different difficulties. So now, almost 20 years after a wonderful golden era, Chuck has reopened his time capsule and is making it available to anyone wanting to own a piece of history.

Chuck Barbosa and his Plymouth Laser 

have learned from mistakes. 

Nowadays few mistakes are made.

If you are interested on buying his car, write a comment to this article. Include your contact information. I will then communicate with you with a way to reach Chuck. Your comment will not be made public. Your personal information will only be shared with Chuck.
And now, the article from a once-in-a-lifetime magazine issue. Enjoy!

Mutual Competitor

Mobile Sound Competition '96 Annual 

Staff Writer

A totally detailed engine compartment 

makes this look like a trailered car, 

when in fact it is driven daily.

Mutual funds representative Chuck Barbosa has made many attempts at a successful competition season. Since he first got going in 1991, several different people, shops and installations have gone into creating what is now a very viable Plymouth Laser IASCA and USAC competitor.

A Pioneer ODR system operates the rig
from the cockpit without Chuck's having to
take his eyes off the road.

Chuck took advice from judging duo Chris and Melissa Owen, who suggested moving away from door-and-dash mounted speakers and trying kick panels. The suggestion was strange sounding to Chuck at the time and just as foreign to his installers. However, after listening to pro-competitor Alberto Lopez's sweet-sounding Sentra with its kick panel locations, Chuck went for it. This was his first step in a series of metamorphic stages before the real fun started.

A very well put together rear hatch
looks invisible with the pieces in place.
As pictured, it has "world-class" written all over it.

With the new-found help of Pepe and Alberto Lopez of Stereo West, Chuck found himself moving from a top-five competitor to a best-off-show regular. Most recently, he won the best-off-show at the 1994 IASCA triple point MidWest Show-down held by Audiosmith. At the same event, he also scored best Sound Q and best Sound Q Plus -a category in which Chuck suffered most in previous installs. It is the kind of winning success that enabled Chuck to earn over 70 points for the '95 season. Chuck likes to point out that he not only found a great installer, but a great friend, too. Alberto Lopez, as has been both for him throughout competition -even when the chips were down.

Mobile Sound Competition's
Annual '96 Winners Edition
cover page

Mobile Sound Competition's
Annual '96 Winners Edition
page 96

Great Britain; a Special Place

Great Britain has as very special place in my heart. It was by chance that I went to work there and it was wonderful to see the Brits open their arms to me.
I really didn't know anything about England, so the arrangement was simple. I would get an airplane ticket there and back, a place where to stay for a month, food and transportation but no pay. In exchange, I would show my ability to bring value to Car Audio Products while making sure that the prearranged salary would be enough to live there comfortably. If I liked it and they liked me, I would stay. It was a low risk arrangement between my potential employer and I.
Outside of knowing they would speak English, I had no other expectations about the United Kingdom. But oh, what a wonderful place I found and how magnificent their people.
I got a chance to see how uniquely individual and innovative the Brits are. The fact that they live on an island separated from the rest of Europe suits them quite well. They are European, but not quite so. They operate one of the most sophisticated economies in the world but in a unique way. While most of the world designs cars where your left hand hangs out the driver's window, the Brits do so for the right hand; perhaps because that's where a proper knight would carry its fighting lance. While historically great countries like France folded as soon as German tanks rolled over the border, Great Britain stood its ground after the largest and most insane bombardment any country has ever experienced.
Yes, Britons are quite special. Their confidence and a strong sense of identity means that they are hardly bullied. So when loud Americans show up to their shores to treat them as inferior, things are sure to go amiss. As soon as I landed in London, I began to hear about all the other Americans who preceded me. I heard about the many who pretentiously went there to educate the residents. I also heard about the reality check these poor souls went through. The Brits happen to be extremely creative master-craftsmen who can take on any installer anywhere. Never confuse their politeness as a sign of weakness.
Thankfully I'm everything but pretentious. The many who know me can attest to that. Yes, I play hard, but I always let the results speak for themselves. If I lose, I learn my lesson. If I win, I share the pleasure with others. So, when the industry people realized that I was not a typically boastful American, they warmly opened their hearts. They adopted me. In fact, my ability to perpetually wear shorts during even the coldest days made me an honorary Scott; you know, those guys that wear the skirt-looking kilts with no underwear while in battle as a way to intimidate opponents.
To this day, the strong ties I built remain robust. Paul Richardson, the guy I built the van with, calls me every time he comes down to Florida to take his kid to Disney parks. So we spend time together quite often. Besides having an incredible family, Paul is a great guy.
When we built the van together, I knew people would start picking apart what I did from what he did. The van was so revolutionary that it was natural for people in England to doubt that one of their own was responsible for it. But the truth is that I learned as much from Paul as he did from me. Yes, he did more of some things, while I did more of others. But we told people who asked that Paul did the left side of the van while I did the right side. "Draw a line down the middle of the van" we told anyone who asked. We simply refused to let anyone separate our work. As far as we were concerned, we worked equally hard throughout the whole process of creating this masterpiece.
The fact that I gave Paul so much respect for his hard work made everyone in the industry see that I was not the typical American. I was the brother of an Englishman. And that is how I want to remember it all. The United Kingdom is my home for me to visit my family whenever I am in the area. I'm endlessly thankful to the Brit nation.

By the way, fell free to read the previous articles about this van:

• Best Sound in a Vehicle
• Best Sound in a Vehicle - Part I - The Head Unit
• Out-of-the-Box Tweeter Enclosure
• Car Stereo & Security No. 51 - Get Some Earth Shaking Bass Poster
• Car Stereo & Security No. 52 - Son of Seismic II

Following is yet another article about the van. This time, though, it is the super successful Max Power Magazine doing the honors. Enjoy!

Max Power Magazine December 1997
ICE CARS
Demolition Van
Words: Proby
Photos: Fly

This van is so loud it can turn a beautiful 

stone house into a pile of unsightly rubble

Take one ICE install into the sound off? Not anymore, why don't you take three and demolished the opposition?
This van is it. It's the end. After featuring this we may as well not featured another Pro ICE install ever again. This is the ultimate in ICE and I doubt anyone will have the time or cash to do it all again. I read the spec sheet and it all became clear...
'At the outset, we wanted to create the ultimate van. A huge budget was fixed in a time limit set. As the project moved on, we blew the budget and forgot about time.'
This van is everything you could ever want from ICE on wheels. It's a boomin' SPL contender, but it's got a slappin' sound quality (SQ) install and it's got a system to make your mouth water when you're cruisin'. Three systems in one van? You might think I'm taking a piss, but oh no.
The two stars of the show are installed tricksters Alberto and Paul. They put it all together —first using the might of hammers, welding torches and angle grinders and then with the finesse of magnifying glasses, watchmakers tools in the steadiest hands in the bizz.
This van has the ability to demolish your bowels with its deepest SPL spank and yet delight you with the clear tones of SQ.
Let's start with the sound quality install. The system is mounted into the Yank tank's floor and has a total of six speakers —a pair of tweeters, a pair of 5in mids in a pair of centrally mounted 8in bass speakers. These are all Eton components, but some have been modified —like the tweeters, which had been stripped and had the internals drilled to smooth out the airflow and then stuck back together for the ultimate sound. At the extreme, but then you have to listen to the damn thing to realize how well it works. I sat and listened to Yellow—The Race and he felt like I was there, in the studio, listening to the guys recording the whole thing.
There's so many mods to this van, we could spend a whole issue just talking about it. Tricks like using multiple wires to pump sound to the speakers actually work and reduce noise. The cooling system for the rear amp racks blow more like our air conditioning at the height of summer.
The perspex speaker mounts for the SQ system are unbelievable and are completely perfect and blemish free. I've seen install guys have more trouble with vinyl and these guys had with this inch thick perspex.
And what about that power supply? Running four 1200W amps for SPL is going to draw more current than a bumper episode of Coronation Street. You won't be surprised to learn that he took 7 hefty blokes to lift the battery rack into position. Even then, it was only lifted about three inches at a time, using bricks to hold it up. Jeeze. Sadly, we can talk about all the details, so you'll have to trust me to pick out the best parts. Hey, trust me!
You could be easily excuse for losing the head unit. That's 'cos there isn't one, not in one piece anyway. That Fujitsu Ten unit was stripped, slaughtered a mounted all over the van's cabin. Sure, the display is behind the perspex panel in the dash, but the CD player itself (just the mechanism and the gubbins) is practically in the floor. Tiny cables have been attached to the controls and, via a set of relays, control the unit through the armrest-mounted panel. This itself has been screen-printed with a host of it easy-read symbols. It's all designed for ease of use, but changing a CD on the move could end in tears as you have to bent double.
The SPL content of this van is extreme. Pact between the front seats and the rear battery rack are 16 of Earthquake's LS-15 subs. These are mounted in a twin-diamond arrangement and are activated by a the massive bank of dash-mounted switches, while four 1200W Lanzar amps pump up the volume to a head-splitting level.
To activate SPL mode you have to set the van up. Strap on the screen bars, lock down the doors, plug-in the external head unit and equalizer and it's time to step back. Boom? Damn right it does. It booms enough to make the alarms on cash machines go berserk, and that normally takes an attack from JCB. When the police turn up a couple and start asking questions, the demolition van switches from SPL to SQ and stealthily slides away. A class act.


Ice Spec
In-Car Entertainment's ICE Van

System Diagram

SOUND SOURCE: SQ and Cruisin' systems —Fujitsu Ten CD/tuner stripped and dispersed around the dash with external switching; SPL system—external Alpine 7909 (yes, a real old 7909) CD/tuner with Hifonics Callisto EQ, all mounted in a drum stool (Eh? —JS)

AMPLIFICATION: SQ and Cruisin' systems —2x modify the Earthquake class 'A' 2x30W amps; SPL system—4x Lanzar OPTi-50c.

PROCESSORS: Some

SPEAKERS: SQ system —2x modify Eton tweeters, 2x Eton 5in mids,2x Eton 8in subs; Cruisin' system —15x Lanzar tweeters, 8x Earthquake 5in mids; SPL system —16x Earthquake LS-15 subs

CABLES: Stinger cables throughout the system

POWER SUPPLY: Switchable twin alternator system to feed the front and rear battery racks as necessary

CAP: lots

INSTALLED BY: Tricksters Paul and Alberto

NICE IN STILL BITS: The microwave switching sensors, the Kenlowe fan for the ventilation system, the Chevy engine, the perspex, the tits on the side of the van... Basically, the whole damn thing is bad as bad can be

PERFORMANCE: Well what do you think, huh?

THANKS AND FREE PLUG: Paul and Alberto for a magnificent install; Mark at In-Car Entertainment on 0181 743 5533

Max Power Magazine Cover
December 1997

Max Power Magazine Pages 54 & 55
December 1997

Max Power Magazine Pages 56
December 1997

From Mississippi to Nebraska

Surprised, I said "what the hell are you guys doing there?" I opened the garage's overhead door when I saw the two guys who had just left their car for me to work on the day before. This was a custom installation that would take many days. So when I saw the them coming out from behind a tree, in the middle of the Nebraska winter, at seven in the morning, I was stunned to say the least. The two guys told me they had slept outdoors the night before. "The whole night?" I asked. They went on to explain that they had no money left for a hotel. These guys had come from Minnesota for me to work on their car and had spent all the money they had on my work. I couldn't believe it.
I know it sounds crazy. So if you don't believe it either, I don't blame you. But the truth is that, during the golden years at Stereo West, I had people come from very far away. They were looking for help. While some needed complete installations, the best and most notable vehicles needed my help for two things: either eliminating noise or completely overhauling their sound performance. These special vehicles already had elaborate installations by some of the best craftsmen in the industry. Yet, my reputation for having the understanding of the physics behind sound quality and for sporting a pair of golden ears, meant that I got an exclusive opportunity to peek behind the scenes of incredible sound systems.
Such was the case with John Stubbs. I guess he had taken a sabbatical from the police force in Mississippi  to come to hang out with us to Nebraska. It is very easy to like John. He's an honest, transparent, and charismatic guy with a great sense of humor. The time we spend together was very memorable indeed.
Before heading our way, John had the guys at Pro Audio in Mississippi build an incredible instal for his truck. The system had the USAC solid construction blended with the IASCA beauty. But many trucks are notably difficult for good sound quality performance; especially those where you stuff a huge woofer box behind the front seats.
This was a different era in sound quality. The midget-sized-instruments on top of the dash that are so common today were not acceptable back then. Today, poor judging describes such affect as good imaging specificity. Back then, we just called it what it is: funny midgets on the dash; not real music.
We were looking to achieve large, realistic images over a well-defined stage. While kick panels can get you close, there is only one kick panel layout that takes into consideration the low-pass  phase-lag created by crossovers. If you look close at most of our competition cars, you will see such magical layout. I once looked into patenting it before I realized it would be expensive with no reward from the effort. I believe that the only other high profile competitor ever to use a similar setup was Chad Klodner in his incredible red Mustang.
After changing his front stage for our magical kick-panel set up with built in a-periodic enclosures behind the mids, the mid-bass image kept giving us trouble. Mathematically, it takes only a simple calculation to see that midbass in the doors will tend to cancel with a wide 'Q' centered around 250Hz.
So I decided to borrow a positive characteristic of waveguides: energy dispersion control. I theorize that mounting the midbass drivers backwards would make their sound disperse in a similar fashion to convex domes with phase plugs in front of them.
Everyone remembers the 3/4" titanium MB Quart domes that could produce 20kHz in any direction. I used to say that you could point them to the toilet and still get 20KHz on the RTA. Their performance results from their phase plug redirecting energy omnidirectionally. I was hoping that the magnet structure would do the same to the back of the cone of the mid-bass drivers in the doors. Incredibly, while the effect wasn't absolutely perfect, it did a very good job. It was the best midbass set up I ever did on a door.
Yet, I must admit that I never again placed midbass speakers on the doors. I have a hard time settling for almost good enough. At the end of the day we all learn from what we do. I loved working in John's truck. Looking back, I can comfortably say that I feel privileged to have met him.
Following is a transcript of the feature article on his struck as it appeared in the annual '96 edition of Mobile Sound Competition. Enjoy!

High Roller

Mobile Sound Competition '96 Annual 

Staff Writer

When you think of USAC competition, think of John Stubbs of Florence, Mississippi. He and his 1993 Toyota  4x4 have been making quite a ruckus the last few years in USAC circles, and it looks as though he's ready to make more noise in '96.

When John first got started in a Novice competition in 1992, he knew that this was his gig. He teamed up with US AC competition masters Pro Audio in Richmond, Mississippi, to integrate a no-holds-barred competition system that later proved to be the ring leader.

John Stubbs diamond-plate "toolbox" houses four amplifiers 

—two Kicker 200si's and two 50si's.

A seemingly simple equipment layout was chosen with components from Clarion and Kicker. Clarion's Pro Audio 7770 was installed in the dash and sends its signal to a Clarion 920 EQ in-dash 9-band equalizer. Two Kicker 200sI and two 50si amplifiers were installed in the bed of the truck in what appears to be nothing other than a simple, diamond plate tool bin. A look inside, however, reveals that it is a center of electronics and amplification.

While you're looking in that area, look at what lurks on the cabin side of a motorized sliding back window: Kicker SoloBaric 12-inchwoofers highlighted with red neon are sure to get the attention of any judge. Another attention getter is a unique installation of the mid-bass drivers in the doors. Kicker R-4 speakers are mounted backward in the hope of reeling in a couple of extra creativity points. The sound isn't affected by this arrangement, according to John, since the basket is "open" and the build-outs are non-obtrusive.

John's hard work earned him a runner-up award at the 1994 USAC Finals and both the highest IASCA regional and USAC national points leader in 1995 —in all totaling nearly 50 trophies in a few short years. Though a team to be reckoned with, John has decided to part with his "toy" after the '95 USAC Finals to build something new with installers Greg Pauley and Alberto Lopez of Stereo West. In the meantime, you can expect to see John at the events —judging and being his usual enthusiastic self about this great sport.

Cover of Mobile Sound Competition's
Annual '96 Winners edition

Page 46 of Mobile Sound Competition's
Annual '96 Winners edition

Page 47 of Mobile Sound Competition's
Annual '96 Winners edition

A Golden Era to Remember

What if Romans had stayed away from hubris and currency defacing? Where would they be today?What if tulip bubbles had spared the Dutch? Would economic markets be better regarded? What if the best artists in the world didn't have to flee Europe during the second world war? Would Paris still be the cultural center of the universe as we know it?
All these people and all these places went through a golden era that was followed by devastating decay. Not to the same magnitude because we're only talking about a car audio store in a small town, but my teammates and I went through a golden era of sorts during the mid-90s. Almost 10 years after I left Stereo West, I had lunch with Noel Huff. I was coming back to my spiritual home of Omaha to do some Rocker Fosgate training for Stereo West. Noel, the smartest and most mature of all the people I remember working for Stereo West when I left, was as pleasant as always. After reminiscing about the good ol' days, he suggested that my stint at the store was its golden era. Although I was humbled by the suggestion, I must say that it felt right to frame it in such way.
It was almost like nothing could go wrong. It seemed as if we could create brain-fart of ideas that would lead to new solutions to better sound.
We sold the better brands. Not one but all. Everyone wanted to be in our store. We had factory sales reps pushing us to build new cars that highlighted their equipment. If you look at the time, we would build a supercar with all Phoenix Gold equipment. We would then build another supercar with all Rockford Fosgate equipment. We would follow it with a supercar featuring all Kicker's best equipment. Inevitably next came a supercar with JL and MB Quart gear. Eclipse, Alpine, we had them all.
We were so successful at selling based on quality rather than price that having the biggest discounters in the universe as neighbors didn't even faze us.I remember that management at Nebraska Furniture Mart would send Joe Cavanaugh, the owner of our store, Christmas cards thanking him for another year of high profitability for all. If you are not sure what the Nebraska Furniture Mart is, just download space-station's images of the cities of Dallas, Kansas City and Omaha. Then look for the largest structures visible from space. Those are the three Mart's locations.
We built the best cars, sold the best equipment and never had to discount. We did so much business that there were plenty of crumbs for the likes of Cellular Sound and Security to survive.
It was during that time that some of our best cars were built. Matt Billmeier brought his truck to us precisely during that peak.
Unfortunately, following the principles of historic reality, the golden era was not to last much longer. Those were bittersweet days for me. No matter how successful we were at doing our jobs, there was Greg Pauley who wanted my job and who made it impossible for me to stay. Unfortunately for him, the pleasure of taking my post after my departure didn't last at all. Within a year he was chewed up and discarded by the machine. He simply never had the commitment, integrity or the love for music.
Thankfully for me, those same 12 months brought a new and invigorating experience. Living in Europe opened my eyes. My life changed and I never second-guessed it. It was the best catastrophe I ever experienced.

7909 CD radio was mounted in the stock
radio location, and switches in the ashtray
control various features of the audio system

Yet, I was not the only casualty. There was extensive collateral damage. I left the US without being able to help Brian Casagrande finish his masterpiece, for example. While he eventually forgave me, I still feel sad about it.
I also looked back a thousand times at Matt Billmeier's truck and wondered where he could have gone had I dedicated as much time and creativity to his truck as I did to Chuck Barbosa's car.
But in the end, it was not to be. It all now seems as if time froze. It feels like I can walk between the spaces of yesteryear anytime I want. Yes, it's kind of weird. I am free to experience the greatness of whose golden moments at will.
It is my intention to share this same experience with you. Through this blog  I hope that you can also immerse yourself in between the pictures and the narratives. I hope that all creative ideas we had will make you fall in love with music all over again.
Matt Billmeier's truck was very special indeed. No wonder Car Audio magazine decided to do an Installation's feature on it. The most prestigious article within the best industry magazine had nothing but accolades on this truck. So why not? Let's re-experience it one more time. Here is the transcript from that March 1997 issue. Enjoy!

Car Audio and Electronics
March 1997

Dance Machine
by Edwige Lee
photography by John Skaucky

Sound travels for mobile DJ Matt Billmeier

Matt Billmeier is no stranger to music variety, although he's less than half the age of many of the musicians he listens to. Billmeier, 20, owns a mobile disk-jockey service, where he is likely to play anything from the latest hip-hop anthem to the smooth sounds of the Count Basie Orchestra.
"I play everything, even the stuff I don't like," he said.
Billmeier, of Omaha, Nebraska, is a management information systems major at a local university. He started his DJ business when he was 17. But he said he has tinkered with car radios and electronics ever since he was old enough to have a learner's permit at 15.
"I can't sing, and listening to music and playing music was the only way I could relay what I like to do," Billmeier admitted.

Panels behind the seats of Matt Billmeier's '95 Dodge Ram
hold amplifiers, subwoofers, signal processors and accessories

Billmeier said he's interested in and knowledge of 12-volt technology, however, were not enough to complete a competition audio system in his 1995 Dodge Ram 4x4 in the manner he wanted. So he left the installation of a custom system to Greg Pauley of   West in Omaha.
"I could have installed it physically, but I couldn't have made it as nice as they made it," Billmeier said.

Best Use Of Space
The limited space a pickup cab offers presents a unique challenge to installers, but Pauley was up to the task. By mounting angled panels in the narrow crevice behind the seats, using space under the seats, and taking advantage of factory storage compartments and other empty space, Pauley was able to fit in processors, amplifiers, subwoofers, horn-loaded compression drivers, others speakers, and other equipment without compromising passenger space.

Grills made of MDF and metal mesh
cover the subwoofers. Similar covers,
minus the metal mesh, conceal other
components behind the seats.

The panels behind the seats hold the largest concentration of equipment. The panels, built out of 1/2-inch medite and white Formica, with fiberglass and Bondo added to form curves, where attached to the back wall of the cab. They were finished in gray vinyl, as where all panels in the installation.
The panel in the center, which is visible between the seats, holds a Rockford Fosgate 1-farad capacitor and a Phoenix Gold power-distribution block. Plexiglas covers fit over the two pieces.
A Phoenix Gold EQ-230 equalizer and a Phoenix Gold AX-406 crossover are mounted on a panel behind the passenger seat. The panel on the driver's side holds two Phoenix Gold M. a PS-2240 amplifiers. Strips of aqua neon highlight the interior of each panel, and Plexiglas covers fit over the components to protect them.  
Two Kicker Solo-Baric S12a 12-inch subwoofers are housed inside sealed enclosures behind the seats, one on each side. The front of each enclosure fits flush with the equipment panels.

A Phoenix Gold equalizer and crossover are mounted behind
Plexiglas in a panel behind the passenger seat.

The subwoofers were mounted on baffles made of medium-density fiberboard (MDF) and white Formica. According to Pauley, each enclosure holds a little under 1 cubic foot of airspace.
Grills wear fashions for the subwoofers out of MDF and metal mesh, and they were finished in grey grill cloth. Similar covers, minus the metal-mesh material, where made to conceal the other components. The covers were wrapped in grey grill cloth, and white Formica was used to finish the backsides of them. All covers used for concealing equipment in the truck where made the same way.

Nontraditional Mount
Midbass supplied by a pair of MB Quart 5 1/4-inch speakers from a CX 215.03 component set installed in custom-made kick panels. The kick panels were built out of MFD, fiberglass, and vinyl.
The hollow cavity behind each kick panel serves as an enclosure for each speaker. Grills similar to the ones concealing the subwoofers were built to protect the kick-panel speakers.

An MB Quart 5 1/4-inch speaker was mounted in a custom
kick panel on each side of the truck

The grills are not normally removed, Pauley said, except when the speakers need servicing. But just in case a sound-off Judge asks for them to be taken off during competition, the speaker baffles were painted black for a finished appearance.
Two USD BC-3 RTMT horn-loaded compression drivers handle upper frequencies. But their installation didn't follow the traditional under the dash routine, Pauley said, because the under dash area in the Dodge truck is much narrower than other vehicles. "In that truck, it would have looked really big and really noticeable," he said.
The space below the seats, normally used for storage, was substantial, so Pauley decided to mount the drivers there. Instead of firing toward the passengers as in a typical dash mount, the horns face the opposite way and project sound toward the dash.
The seats did not have to be modified to make the drivers fit, Pauley said. The only changes were some holes that were drilled into the existing seed brackets for mounting bolts. "You don't see any of the mounting pieces," Pauley pointed out.

Two horn-loaded compression drivers were mounted
in an usual location: beneath each front seat. The
mouth of each horn is covered by grille cloth.

Each driver is concealed by an L-shaped trim panel made out of MDF and vinyl, with grill cloth stretched over a cut-out in the center for the horn. The panels also extend to the side of the seat next to each door.

Smokin' Bass
The tweeters from the MB Quart CX 215.03 component sets are mounted in cut-outs made at the top of each door. Gray grill cloth was stretched over the cutouts. Because the tweeters are not used for everyday listening. Pauley said, a switch in the dash turns them on for competition use.
The switch is located where the factory ashtray used to be. A vinyl-covered panel in the ashtray holds four switches. One switch turns neon on and off, the second controls a digital voltage meter end and amplifier temperature gauge in the overhead console, the third switches power between the two batteries under the hood, and the last turns the tweeters on and off.
The cigarette lighter also does not work in its original capacity. Pauley modified it to control a Phoenix Gold LPL-44 bass-level controller. By removing the internal workings of the lighter, Pauley said he was able to fit the LPL-44 In Its place. The removable tip of the cigarette lighter was then attached to the control knob on the LPL-44 with epoxy. Instead of pulling out the cigarette lighter to light someone's smoke, the lighter/LPL-44 knob combination is turned to pump out some smokin' bass.

Displays for battery voltage and amplifier temperature
are mounted behind a smoked Plexiglas panel in an
overhead storage pocket.

Right above the switch panel is the Alpine 7909 CD radio, mounted in the stock location. A trim ring fashioned out of black Formica borders the unit.

An enclosure made out of MDF, fiberglass, and vinyl below the center of the dash holds a Phoenix Gold TBAT balanced-line transmitter. A cover similar to others in the installation conceals the front of it.
A digital voltage display for the batteries and a temperature gauge for the amplifiers are mounted behind a smoked-Plexiglas panel in an overhead storage pocket. A switch on the panel in the ashtray alternates to display from one battery to another, "so you can read the voltages of both batteries with one meter," Pauley said.

That Winning Edge
Pauley protected Billmeier's investment with an Alpine 8080 alarm. When the alarm is triggered, Billmeier's cellular phone housed in the center console will call his pager.

The factory battery was replaced with two interstate
batteries linked by a Phoenix Gold isolator. Mounted
next to the battery on the passenger side of the engine
compartment is a Rockford Fosgate capacitor and a
Phoenix Gold fuse holder, all covered by Plexiglas.

Under the hood, the factory battery was replaced with an interstate MTP-74 model. Another sits next to it to power the audio system when the engine is off. The two batteries are linked by a Phoenix Gold isolator. Also mounted near the batteries is a Rockford Fosgate 1-farad capacitor.
The isolator and capacitor are mounted on top of the passenger-side fender wall on a black-Plexiglas panel. A clear Plexiglas panel covers them for protection. The panel also wraps around the batteries and holds various fuses and relays. The factory alternator was replaced with a larger stock 120-ampere model.
The system in Billmeier's Dodge has remained generally the same in the two years it's been installed. Byt upgrades in the system are inevitable, Billmeier said, especially after his only loss in the 1996 season was when he took second place in the 0-100-Watts Consumer class at the USAC Finals in Kansas City.
"There's that winning edge. You always want to be on top of everyone else," he said. "It's the same way being a DJ; you are always trying to outdo the competition. If your competition has 5,000 watts, you want to double that. You're always trying to do better than them."

A compartment made out of MDF,
fiberglass, and vinyl below the dash holds
a Phoenix Gold balanced-transmitter.

Displays for battery voltage and
amplifier temperature

In the now customary fashion, the magazine's complete page images follow:

Car Audio and Electronics March 1997
Cover

Car Audio and Electronics March 1997
Index

Car Audio and Electronics March 1997
Pages 36 and 37

Car Audio and Electronics March 1997
Page 38

Car Audio and Electronics March 1997
Page 39

Car Audio and Electronics March 1997
Page 40

Car Audio and Electronics March 1997
Page 41