Installing All My New Crap Tomorrow, Give Me Advice!! (Long)

[Gripstang]

Hey guys ok I got almost everything I ordered in... The only thing remaining is the Lightning faceplate kit for the stereo surround. It is currently on the US/Canadian border. Apparently it has to sit for a week to make sure no terrorists are in the envelope. I guess they'd die of thirst in that time. :shrug: As for shipping here are a couple comments.

Best shipping award goes to...

Lightning Brake and Performance! They got my Hawk pads to me in just a couple of days, very quick and well packaged.

Honerable mention:

Crutchfield! Awesome deal on equipment, well packaged, fast shipping, FREE shipping and a buttload of free stuff that came with my gear, very close to 1st place! I gave it to LB&P mostly because they are a small co. and I expect hiccups when buying from places like this.

Worst Shipping award (?) goes to...

Rotor Pros! Now dont get me wrong here from what I see the product is awesome, looks very high quality. I love the coating too and it was very well packaged. The problem very well may have been the shippers fault regardless the studs came through the box and on into the rear rotor box and dug right through the coating. Also Rich was fantastic to deal with on the phone and in emails. He would probably fix the problem too if I asked but I dont have the time. Really Im not dissing Rotor Pros AT ALL I would be very happy to deal with them again and would easily recommend them to any of you. Just thought Id point out this occurance.

Ok so any last minute advice on the install tomorrow? Its gonna take a while to do but it should be fun.

I keeping having this horrible feeling that the studs on the front rotors are wrong... I ordered the 12mm (or was that the 14mm? Anyway w/e is correct for early 99) but I have aftermarket 20"s... I dunno why this makes me edgy feeling but it does... If they are in fact the wrong ones is there an adapter I can buy at my local shop to correct the problem?

Here's a pic of my stuff:

Thanks peeps.

 

[svtpwd831]

damm you have full days work.....have fun...

 

[Sinister04L]

Nice assortment of stuff! You're probably not going to like the coating on the Rotorpros rotors. Just about everyone that has gotten them said they flake and peel in no time.

 

[FordSVT24]

Wish that was my couch

 

[SonicBolt]

+1 ! :rockon:

 

[FordFanStan]

The 12mm is for the '99 Ant, 14mm for '00 and up. Your 20wheels would probably accept the 14mm studs if they happen to ship those to you anyway, you should have just ordered the 14mm anyway that way you would have many more selections on wheels, including stock Lightning wheels. If perhaps you get them installed and notice they are the 14mm and and your wheels do not fit, it would only take minute work with a dremel to largen the lug holes in your wheels to get them to slide over the larger studs. Don't be scared it will work fine.

And worst case scenario, I know you have and know how to use your BFH lol...

Have any questions during your install just hit me up in an email or on the ringer.. Stan

 

[pitstain]

Umm you need 12mm studs.......Stan, as smart as he is....oke:.....forgot to mention that your lugnuts wont thread onto a 14mm stud......

just take a lugnut and if will thread on all the way with ONLY finger pressure, then you are good to go, if not, you will need to buy 20 new 14mm lugnuts either flange style for stock wheels or conical for aftermarket wheels.

 

[FordFanStan]

Ian, as smart as he is oke:, miscalculated when he added up the 20 lugnuts. If they sent you the 14mm studs, you will only need to buy 10 14mm lugnuts, the back ten will still be 12mm...

Any other brain teasers out there for us smart ones :shrug: oke: ... Stan

 

[Lightninquicker]

How about some new bearings for the front. They don't cost that much and probably have never been replaced on your old 99.

 

[FordFanStan]

old ... and beat up major mileage '99 I might add :lol: ...

Time for you to get a haircut and a real job Ant, but first you must stop painting those damn nails oke: ... Stan

 

[pitstain]

Ian, as smart as he is oke:, miscalculated when he added up the 20 lugnuts. If they sent you the 14mm studs, you will only need to buy 10 14mm lugnuts, the back ten will still be 12mm...

Any other brain teasers out there for us smart ones :shrug: oke: ... Stan

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:


I was so excited to make Stan look like a goof, I pulled a little whoopsie diasy myself.....HAHAHA

yeah 10 lugnuts.....either way Stan your dumass forgot about lugnuts, LOL

At least I am still the feared I.T. guy at the office.:rollseyes

 

[Gripstang]

Holy shit I got like nothing done lol... Well actually I got the subs in and the front brakes painted, rotors and pads done. The pedal is still shit though because I didnt get to bleed them. Gawd...

So initial impressions and Ill have much more to say later... The brakes look great painted the rotors look awesome too, I love em and I drove my bro's F250 with rotor pros and it felt badass so Im lookin for goodness when I get the rears done and bled.

Now for the subs... Whoever said my 1 L5 Solo-Baric would sound better than these 2 MTX's (even if they ARE 4500's!) is nuts! It hits waaaaaay harder and its not just because I have a sub firing right into my back. Very happy overall.

Ill write more later.

Stan kiss my ass. ;-)

 

[FordFanStan]

I was so excited to make Stan look like a goof, I pulled a little whoopsie diasy myself.....HAHAHA

Can you explain "diasy" to me?? Or was that another whoopsie daisy :lol: oke: ... Stan

 

[Lightning Steve]

Grip what did you do (if anything) to hold the subs in place? I made up some Z shaped brackets to hold them down. Used a large (3/8") tappered head screw going up through the bottom on the sub (the screw fits flush that way) and then the bracket mounts where the tool/storage box bolts are. Think I cut the middle one out of the way. Don't remember if I had pics of this on the other Lightning site or not. If you want I can send tommorrow.
Did you get the face plate with the leds in it?

 

[Gripstang]

Grip what did you do (if anything) to hold the subs in place? I made up some Z shaped brackets to hold them down. Used a large (3/8") tappered head screw going up through the bottom on the sub (the screw fits flush that way) and then the bracket mounts where the tool/storage box bolts are. Think I cut the middle one out of the way. Don't remember if I had pics of this on the other Lightning site or not. If you want I can send tommorrow.
Did you get the face plate with the leds in it?

Nothing so far I was so pressed for time. My bro in law had his $3.5K wheels delivered today and we worked as long as we could on the L but left him enough time to get em mounted and balanced and all that.

Dont the holes in the subs (on the ends) along with the mounting hardware keep it in place though? Yeah send me some pics man, Id like to see what you are talkin about.

No didnt get the face plate yet but I cant wait. Maybe tomorrow, or hopefully by Saturday.

 

[slow232]

Now for the subs... Whoever said my 1 L5 Solo-Baric would sound better than these 2 MTX's (even if they ARE 4500's!) is nuts! It hits waaaaaay harder and its not just because I have a sub firing right into my back. Very happy overall.

How clear is the bass? I bought the thunderform box from my neighbor a while back but i have yet to buy subs for it.

 

[Lightning Steve]

Dont the holes in the subs (on the ends) along with the mounting hardware keep it in place though? Yeah send me some pics man, Id like to see what you are talkin about.

No didnt get the face plate yet but I cant wait. Maybe tomorrow, or hopefully by Saturday.

Mounting hardware??? That could be the reason I had to make brackets,LOL. Didn't get anything with mine, it was a return at Target (I think), picked it up last time I was in Vegas. Now I want to see what the hardware looks like.
I will post up some picks on here in the morning.

The face plate is uber cool !! Did you get the LED kit also. You will also need the fill-in piece (can't think of the name of it) for the head unit if you don't have one already. I also made up a piece of 1/2" thick white plastic to go infront of the LED to defuse the light a little more. You will see when you get it.

 

[Gripstang]

Slow: Actually with rap it hits nice and clear with techno not as much. Havent listened to punk (my main sourxe of entertainment) but I expect it will sound great.

Mounting hardware??? That could be the reason I had to make brackets,LOL. Didn't get anything with mine, it was a return at Target (I think), picked it up last time I was in Vegas. Now I want to see what the hardware looks like.
I will post up some picks on here in the morning.

The face plate is uber cool !! Did you get the LED kit also. You will also need the fill-in piece (can't think of the name of it) for the head unit if you don't have one already. I also made up a piece of 1/2" thick white plastic to go infront of the LED to defuse the light a little more. You will see when you get it.

You have the tabs that stick out on either side of the box @ the bottom right? The hardware is just a couple of screws and washers to go through the tabs and into the floor.

Yeah I got the LED kit with the plate. I wasnt sure if I wanted to go with a key on hot wire or use the headlight/dimmer wire for the LED's... I pm'ed Chris Nelson and he went with the dimmer, what did you do? Any recomendations?

 

[lightninmike]

I bolted the box thru the floor with some 3/8 grade 8 bolts. If i ever rolled this damn thing over i didnt want that bouncing of my cranium.
Good work man, you had a bunch of stuff going on and you got damn near all of it done. Just make sure you bleed the brakes real good

 

[Lightning Steve]

Okay I didn't get that stuff but it wouldn't have helped. I didn't want to drill any holes into the floor so made up the brackets. They mount on the tabs on the side of the sub box, go over and down to the studs that mount the storage bin. The pics will help!

The faceplate LED I just wired into the ashtray light, no dimmer, works great.