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Jay FX4
New Member
- Joined
- May 13, 2009
- Messages
- 3,819
- Reaction score
- 25
- Points
- 0
- Location
- Dearborn, MI - Home of the Blue Oval
- Vehicle Year
- 2004
- Make / Model
- Ford
- Engine Size
- 4.0L
- Transmission
- Automatic
Between TRS and other forums, I've seen quite a few Basslink setups in a Ranger. But every one I've seen has come at the expense of a jump seat, cargo space, or both. I didn't want to sacrifice either of the rear seats in my 2004 FX4, and I definitely need all the cargo space. I wanted to keep the rear cup holders too, since one of the front cup holders holds my ash tray. And finally, I was determined to make sure any modifications I made could be undone, meaning I wanted to be able to return the truck completely to stock form if necessary.
So..... what to do?
The Basslink comes with brackets to mount it either vertically or horizontally. I decided the best way to mount it was vertically, against the back of the cab between the jump seats. On my truck, this is where the jack, lug wrench, and extensions are held.
So the first thing I did was remove the jack cover and pulled everything out. This cover also has the integrated cup holders, and I was pleasantly surprised that the cup holders pop right out.
The first photo is the cover, and the second is the cover with the cup holders removed.
With everything out of the way, there's still a piece of plastic that bulges out, which would keep the wood mounting bracket I was building from sitting flush against the back of the cab. With a sharp box cutter, I cut it out. The first photo is the piece after it was cut out, and the second photo shows the hole in the plastic along the back of the cab.
This piece can always be glued back in later if I need to make everything stock again. In the piece of plastic I cut out, you can see a round hole. The turning knob on the jack cover goes through this hole, but it actually does little to hold the cover in place. The jack cover has two clips, one in each of the lower outside corners, that do most of the work. So the piece I removed can be glued right back in. It won't be visible since the jack cover hides it anyway.
In the photo above, you can see the ugly notch in the plastic above the piece I cut away. The notch had nothing to do with my cutting, it was already there. Having that notch be visible was totally unacceptable, since I wanted as clean a look as possible. So the wood mounting bracket I was building was going to have to cover that.
Here's two photos of the wood bracket as it was being created and test fitted.
In the photos above you can see three holes in the bottom of the wood to mount it to the floor, and two holes in the vertical back of the wood to mount it to the metal bracket that is attached to the back of the cab.
I didn't get any photos of this metal bracket since it's hidden behind the plastic. But I did not add the bracket in myself, it was already there. This allowed me to drill into the bracket to secure the wood, so I didn't have to actually drill into the back of the cab itself.
I added another piece of wood to the top of my wood bracket. This served two purposes: to hide that ugly notch in the plastic and to give a place to mount the cup holders to. Then it was time to paint it up. I chose flat black. Here's a photo of it after I had finished painting it.
Ready to install!
Here's a shot of it installed.
And another with the Basslink's brackets attached.
Here's two more with the sub in place.
Then I added the cup holders. One screw for each.
And it's done!
(Those cups in the holders are just for show. I would NOT keep a cup like that there while driving and the bass pounding! I have no intention of frying my $300 sub. The only thing I put in those cup holders are either my ashtray or an unopened drink.)
So there it is! I was able to keep the seats and cup holders, and I only lost an inch or two of cargo space. IF I ever have rear passengers, they'd lose a little leg room, but not much at all. I have a tonneau cover, so I just threw the jack in the bed. It can just as easily be stored under a seat.
Also, there was no need for the Basslink's wired gain control. While still keeping my eyes on the road, I can easily reach back to adjust the controls on the Basslink itself.
Hope you like it!
So..... what to do?
The Basslink comes with brackets to mount it either vertically or horizontally. I decided the best way to mount it was vertically, against the back of the cab between the jump seats. On my truck, this is where the jack, lug wrench, and extensions are held.
So the first thing I did was remove the jack cover and pulled everything out. This cover also has the integrated cup holders, and I was pleasantly surprised that the cup holders pop right out.
The first photo is the cover, and the second is the cover with the cup holders removed.
With everything out of the way, there's still a piece of plastic that bulges out, which would keep the wood mounting bracket I was building from sitting flush against the back of the cab. With a sharp box cutter, I cut it out. The first photo is the piece after it was cut out, and the second photo shows the hole in the plastic along the back of the cab.
This piece can always be glued back in later if I need to make everything stock again. In the piece of plastic I cut out, you can see a round hole. The turning knob on the jack cover goes through this hole, but it actually does little to hold the cover in place. The jack cover has two clips, one in each of the lower outside corners, that do most of the work. So the piece I removed can be glued right back in. It won't be visible since the jack cover hides it anyway.
In the photo above, you can see the ugly notch in the plastic above the piece I cut away. The notch had nothing to do with my cutting, it was already there. Having that notch be visible was totally unacceptable, since I wanted as clean a look as possible. So the wood mounting bracket I was building was going to have to cover that.
Here's two photos of the wood bracket as it was being created and test fitted.
In the photos above you can see three holes in the bottom of the wood to mount it to the floor, and two holes in the vertical back of the wood to mount it to the metal bracket that is attached to the back of the cab.
I didn't get any photos of this metal bracket since it's hidden behind the plastic. But I did not add the bracket in myself, it was already there. This allowed me to drill into the bracket to secure the wood, so I didn't have to actually drill into the back of the cab itself.
I added another piece of wood to the top of my wood bracket. This served two purposes: to hide that ugly notch in the plastic and to give a place to mount the cup holders to. Then it was time to paint it up. I chose flat black. Here's a photo of it after I had finished painting it.
Ready to install!
Here's a shot of it installed.
And another with the Basslink's brackets attached.
Here's two more with the sub in place.
Then I added the cup holders. One screw for each.
And it's done!
(Those cups in the holders are just for show. I would NOT keep a cup like that there while driving and the bass pounding! I have no intention of frying my $300 sub. The only thing I put in those cup holders are either my ashtray or an unopened drink.)
So there it is! I was able to keep the seats and cup holders, and I only lost an inch or two of cargo space. IF I ever have rear passengers, they'd lose a little leg room, but not much at all. I have a tonneau cover, so I just threw the jack in the bed. It can just as easily be stored under a seat.
Also, there was no need for the Basslink's wired gain control. While still keeping my eyes on the road, I can easily reach back to adjust the controls on the Basslink itself.
Hope you like it!
I appreciate it.
