Mods to my 2004 QC - w/pics!!
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Mods to my 2004 QC - w/pics!!
Well, here it is guys. I've had some of you PM'ing me asking about different things I've done to my '04, so I figured I'd put it all in a thread for you to see. It all started out when I got my '04 last June, and has progressed since then. The guy I got it from had just a tick over 60k miles on it. It had been maintained religiously at the dealership at a minimum of 3-month intervals since the day he got it. The only kicker was.... he got it totally STRIPPED with 17" steel wheels on it. He had put some factory 20's on it not too long before we found it. Perfect, because that's the ones I really wanted anyway. This thing had manual windows and locks, rubber floor, nothing. The good thing was that he had already had the windows tinted and had the wheels on it. I was sold the second I saw it... thinking... all the potential 
And it was even the color I wanted. So.. without further delay... here's a list of the mods I've done to it with brief descriptions of each. Pictures will follow.
The first thing I did was to add a SuperChips programmer. Big difference in performance. I got the Cortex model and run it with the 87 tune in it. I've tried all except the towing tune, and bang-for-buck, the 87 is the most economical for me with better-than-stock power.
Next up was an MTX Thunderform box with a pair of 10s in it. Very nice indeed. Easy to install and made for the truck. With the amp built-in the box, there's only a couple of wires to run for it. I had pulled out the factory cassette deck and replaced it with a JVC KD-AVX11. Nice deck, especially with Sirius kickin'. At this point I still had the factory crappy door speakers. Those were soon replaced by a pair of Hertz HCX690 6x9s in the front and a pair of Hertz HCX130 5-1/4" in the back doors. The sound is incredible even with just the deck powering it. I just recently upgraded to a Pioneer AVIC-Z110BT. SD memory card capable, USB and Bluetooth built-in. Nothing to say about this unit except if you have never seen/heard one.... you don't know what you're missing. Simply amazing. More power than the JVC, and the sound is so crisp and clean, you'd swear I had amps and crossovers running everything. Instead, the HU runs the door speakers and the subs have their own 300w amp in the box. As for fitting a double-DIN HU to the factory single-DIN mount, I had Weedahoe hook me up with a modded bezel. Very nice indeed. MANY THANKS DUDE!!! I used a rattle-can of Dupli-Color Graphite Textured Metallic to top-coat it. Came out great and doesn't scuff or mark up at all. Very durable and has a nice texture to it. I got a USB connector for it that is made to replace your cigarette lighter, but opted to put it where the air-bag switch would have normally gone. Works a treat!
I added a set of factory fog lights, since it had none when I got it. I had no idea that Mopar sells all the stuff you need to put on factory fog lights in a kit. It had everything in it all the way down to the switch to put in the dash. Lamps, bezels, harness and all. Worked perfectly. I opted to wire mine to a switched hot instead of the low-beam on the headlights like the instructions say. Now I can have the fogs running even with the high-beams on. Really nice for those long dark roads when nobody is coming.
To smooth out the ride a bit, I picked up a set of Sulastics for the rear of the leaf springs. Put on a full set of Bilsteins too. Made a noticeable difference in ride quality and it handles better as well. So far I've been really happy with the results.
Just yesterday, I pulled out the stock rubber flooring. Nothing against it, and it is very easy to clean. I just prefer a "nicer" interior than the plain rubber. It's been replaced with a 1-piece molded carpet from LMC. Seems to have quietened the road noise a tad bit too. Only thing left on the floor is to get some factory floor-mats. Aftermarket carpet mats never last. (plus the ones I already have are the wrong color) To top things off, I wrapped the steering wheel with a leather wrap from WheelSkins.
And it was even the color I wanted. So.. without further delay... here's a list of the mods I've done to it with brief descriptions of each. Pictures will follow.The first thing I did was to add a SuperChips programmer. Big difference in performance. I got the Cortex model and run it with the 87 tune in it. I've tried all except the towing tune, and bang-for-buck, the 87 is the most economical for me with better-than-stock power.
Next up was an MTX Thunderform box with a pair of 10s in it. Very nice indeed. Easy to install and made for the truck. With the amp built-in the box, there's only a couple of wires to run for it. I had pulled out the factory cassette deck and replaced it with a JVC KD-AVX11. Nice deck, especially with Sirius kickin'. At this point I still had the factory crappy door speakers. Those were soon replaced by a pair of Hertz HCX690 6x9s in the front and a pair of Hertz HCX130 5-1/4" in the back doors. The sound is incredible even with just the deck powering it. I just recently upgraded to a Pioneer AVIC-Z110BT. SD memory card capable, USB and Bluetooth built-in. Nothing to say about this unit except if you have never seen/heard one.... you don't know what you're missing. Simply amazing. More power than the JVC, and the sound is so crisp and clean, you'd swear I had amps and crossovers running everything. Instead, the HU runs the door speakers and the subs have their own 300w amp in the box. As for fitting a double-DIN HU to the factory single-DIN mount, I had Weedahoe hook me up with a modded bezel. Very nice indeed. MANY THANKS DUDE!!! I used a rattle-can of Dupli-Color Graphite Textured Metallic to top-coat it. Came out great and doesn't scuff or mark up at all. Very durable and has a nice texture to it. I got a USB connector for it that is made to replace your cigarette lighter, but opted to put it where the air-bag switch would have normally gone. Works a treat!
I added a set of factory fog lights, since it had none when I got it. I had no idea that Mopar sells all the stuff you need to put on factory fog lights in a kit. It had everything in it all the way down to the switch to put in the dash. Lamps, bezels, harness and all. Worked perfectly. I opted to wire mine to a switched hot instead of the low-beam on the headlights like the instructions say. Now I can have the fogs running even with the high-beams on. Really nice for those long dark roads when nobody is coming.
To smooth out the ride a bit, I picked up a set of Sulastics for the rear of the leaf springs. Put on a full set of Bilsteins too. Made a noticeable difference in ride quality and it handles better as well. So far I've been really happy with the results.
Just yesterday, I pulled out the stock rubber flooring. Nothing against it, and it is very easy to clean. I just prefer a "nicer" interior than the plain rubber. It's been replaced with a 1-piece molded carpet from LMC. Seems to have quietened the road noise a tad bit too. Only thing left on the floor is to get some factory floor-mats. Aftermarket carpet mats never last. (plus the ones I already have are the wrong color) To top things off, I wrapped the steering wheel with a leather wrap from WheelSkins.
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