New daily, who dis? (Bronco upgrade thread)

Ark :D

Ark :D

Goblin Guru
So, this is not really a project, nor does it qualify as an "other build", but ... what the heck.

I finally traded in my 2013 Explorer that had been my daily driver since 2016. It was a pretty solid ride but was developing some issues in some ways (including taking on water in the center light unit at the top center of the windshield, every time it rained heavily). I recently upgraded my employment status significantly so I figured, why the hell not.

So I picked up this 2021 Bronco "Big Bend" with 25k on the odo:

20240601_103943.jpg


20240601_105245.jpg


I love it so far. I know there's probably a few Jeep guys here cringing right now, but hear me out, it's a really nice vehicle!

Those familiar with Broncos will know that these things are probably the most segmented brand of vehicle out there. That's probably not the right way to word it, but what I mean is, the trim package of the vehicle gives very little indication of what options it actually comes with. These are the different trims: Base, Big Bend, Black Diamond, Outer Banks, Wildtrak, Badlands, Everglades, and Raptor. What comes with what is very confusing, but I had settled on the Outer Banks trim mostly because of some of the interior comforts. But I ended up seeing this one advertised, so I went to check it out and actually came home with it.
  • It came with the 2.7L twin turbo V6 option, which is great. It's no V8 muscle car, but it has great torque and a fair amount of horsepower.
  • No Sasquatch package. This is a positive for me, because we won't be offroading it, so why pay more for different suspension and bigger tires, as well as worse fuel economy?
  • Soft top vs. hard top: the soft top is "ok". It's a pain in the ass to remove and reinstall, took me like 45 minutes the first time I tried to do it. Another annoying quirk of the soft top is, when you need to get into the tailgate/trunk area, the rear "glass" can be de-clipped and raised but there's no mechanism to keep it open ... it just falls back shut. There's 3rd party add-ons to add hydraulic arms to solve this, but it's an oversight by Ford in my opinion. The hard top has real rear glass on a hinged door with hydraulic arms from the factory. Regardless, I don't view the annoyance/difficulty of removing the soft top as a big deal because well... I already have a "fun in the sun" vehicle in my garage (Goblin #187, obviously).
  • Otherwise, the seats are all manual and the infotainment system is the basic one, none of which bothers me and helped keep the asking price lower.
  • The 6-speaker audio system is really bad in my opinion, but I've been an audiophile since my teenage years so I would likely find the upgraded system to be terrible also. I already have replacement speakers and other gear coming to resolve this.
  • It didn't come with side steps. This was a big WTF for me, I've never seen a Bronco without side steps. They would help my wife a lot, so I already have a set of side steps coming to resolve this.
  • The Big Bend comes with different headlights and downgraded taillights, as compared to the "better" trims. The taillights in particular have bulbs, rather than LED's. But, the LED taillights are a drop-in replacement so I have OEM ones on their way. The headlights are not noticeably worse in any way than the "better" ones, and the "better" ones are super expensive (up to a grand per pair) so I am leaving these alone for now.
I think that's about it for now. Love this vehicle!

Current upgrade list and status:
  • Audio - in progress
  • Side steps
  • 3rd-party addon for rear hatch
  • Door pockets
  • Taillights
 
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Ark :D

Ark :D

Goblin Guru
Renaming the thread because the upgrades have started. Sigh.

With my recently upgraded employment situation, I figured I'd finally be able to stow away some money in my mattress. Not a chance... new ride, new audio, new etc. It's a sickness.

Anyway...

First on the list to upgrade is the Bronco's audio. As it is, it really stinks, but as mentioned before, I've been an audio guy since I was a teenager so even decent aftermarket systems may not sound good enough in my opinion. In more recent years, "infotainment systems" have made things much worse for car audio, because nowadays you can't just buy a new single-DIN or double-DIN radio and tear the factory one out, without losing a ton of functionality (steering wheel controls, navigation, Sync and comparables from other brands, and so on). Typically nowadays, the factory radio must remain, but you can usually work around it with the correct set of harnesses. That's what I will be doing here.

Here is my list of bits that are on order. I'm not a teenage basshead anymore, so the list of bits below is designed for great-quality and well-balanced output, not volume.
  • PAC LOC Pro LPHFD31 - This product is a T-harness that allows one to insert it between the factory radio and the Bronco's speakers. It enables the inclusion of aftermarket line-output converters, DSP's, aftermarket amps, and so on.
  • Kicker KEY 200.4 Smart Amplifier - This is a 4-channel aftermarket amp that will power the Bronco's 6 speakers. The kick panel speakers each share a channel with the dash speakers, so a 4-channel amp is correct for this upgrade. The nice thing about the KEY series of amps is, they include a "smart" DSP that you calibrate using a microphone and a special test tone. The DSP automatically restores a full-range signal to every speaker and sets crossover thresholds, all based upon what it "hears" when you do the calibration. These amps are perfect for upgrading a factory audio system.
  • Two pairs of Kicker 46CSC44 4" 2-way coaxial speakers - These are to replace the cheap factory speakers in the dash and the rear speaker pods.
  • One pair of Kicker 51KSC6704 2-way coaxial speakers - This pair will replace the speakers in the kick panels.
  • Kicker KEY 500.1 Smart Amplifier - this will power the aftermarket subwoofer mentioned next.
  • Kicker Comp-R 48CWR84 8" component subwoofer - This is a dual voice coil subwoofer that takes 300 watts RMS, a perfect match for the amp that'll be powering it. It'll present a 2-ohm load to the amp when the voice coils are wired in parallel, which the amp will send 300 watts through. Also has a speaker grill so nobody can kick the cone with the heel of their shoe by accident.
  • Ground Shaker custom-fit 8" subwoofer box - this box is built specifically for the Bronco and won't consume any cargo space. It fits snugly under the back seat.
Hopefully, all of this will result in a great-sounding audio system and won't leave me wanting for anything more.

That's it for now. Once it all arrives, I'll document my efforts and post an update.
 
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Rttoys

Rttoys

Goblin Guru
My new truck has a basic stereo system And missing base all together. I put the kicker powered 10” sub under the pass seat and just that bit of base changed everything. When I was into this kind of thing, kicker was always badass. :cool:

Hideaway HS10 Powered Subwoofer | KICKER®

KICKER produces high-performance car audio, vehicle specific solutions, marine audio, home and personal audio, and power sports products since 1973.
www.kicker.com www.kicker.com
 
Ark :D

Ark :D

Goblin Guru
Rttoys said:
My new truck has a basic stereo system And missing base all together. I put the kicker powered 10” sub under the pass seat and just that bit of base changed everything. When I was into this kind of thing, kicker was always badass. :cool:

Hideaway HS10 Powered Subwoofer | KICKER®

KICKER produces high-performance car audio, vehicle specific solutions, marine audio, home and personal audio, and power sports products since 1973.
www.kicker.com www.kicker.com
Click to expand...
Yep, that's all I'm going for, balanced sound. A good DSP is a must to counter the negatives of the factory radio, though, so I chose to use the KEY amps with a non-powered sub.
 
Ark :D

Ark :D

Goblin Guru
The side steps came yesterday, so I got them installed today. They're a sizable improvement to QoL for my wife, and in my opinion, the Bronco looks a lot more complete. Again, I never saw a Bronco without side steps from the factory before, but this was definitely one, as the factory mounting locations were untouched.

20240608_141458.jpg


Added an upgrade list to the first post, also. Here it is again:

Current upgrade list and status:
  • Audio - badly needed sound quality/range upgrade
  • Side steps - my wife can't get in the thing
  • 3rd-party addon for rear hatch - the rear window/hatch not staying open on its own is a huge irritation
  • Door pockets - first owner damaged the driver's side door net/pocket, so I have different ones ordered
  • Taillights - OEM LED to replace the base model bulb lights
 
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Desert Sasqwatch

Desert Sasqwatch

Bigfoot Goblin
Jeremy, you forgot a few things:
The performance catback exhaust, the cold air intake, and the HPT credits to tweak that little V6! :cool:
thumbs-up-big-foot.gif
 
Ark :D

Ark :D

Goblin Guru
Replaced the door pockets and installed the six midrange speakers, today. Man, I am hurting. Since this buggy is meant to compete with the Jeep Wrangler, the doors come off ... and since the doors come off, Ford designed the door to be as free of electrical as possible, so the kick panel speakers are in front of the doors, well under the dash. I may have been a great contortionist in my teens, but not in my 40's. I'm gonna pay for that sh*t tomorrow.

Anyway. The stock speakers are an abomination. Here are two pics of what I replaced, and what I replaced them with. The audio quality is already MUCH improved, but the new speakers are still receiving a low-power signal from a factory radio that has equalization applied to it, so it won't sound GOOD until I get my wiring and get the amps installed and configured.

Two sets of these, dash and rear seat pods:

20240609_114859.jpg

One set of these, in the front kick panels:

20240609_125615.jpg

A note on buying speakers: most people probably go to Amazon. But, I'd recommend going to Crutchfield instead. They used to be way overpriced, now they are only a little overpriced on some things, not everything, and they include enough freebies to make speaker jobs worth going to them. They still provide their "master sheet" for your vehicle (and it was super-helpful for the Bronco), and they included harnesses for each speaker and a set of stock to aftermarket adapters for the kick panel speakers. Probably $50-$75 in free stuff.

Last and definitely least, since the driver-side door net was damaged by the previous owner, I swapped them out for pockets. Done in 5 minutes. Before and after pics of the passenger door:

20240609_142759.jpg20240609_143121.jpg

Current upgrade list and status:
  • Audio - in progress
  • Side steps
  • 3rd-party addon for rear hatch
  • Door pockets
  • Taillights
 
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Rttoys

Rttoys

Goblin Guru
Ark :D said:
A note on buying speakers: most people probably go to Amazon. But, I'd recommend going to Crutchfield instead. They used to be way overpriced, now they are only a little overpriced on some things, not everything, and they include enough freebies to make speaker jobs worth going to them.
Click to expand...
I agree 100% here. Like summit, they use to be expensive, but mostly your only option, back in the day. Now, they are very competitive on pricing, plus very helpful. :cool:

even if they don’t sound better, they **** sure look better. :cool:
 
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