To ensure that the car will...
To ensure that the car will be quiet and cool, the entire floor, starting with the inner firewall, was covered with a layer of Dynamat Extreme. When done, every square inch of the floor, trunk, and roof will be covered with this top-quality sound deadener.
Doing your own interior is much like doing your own paint and bodywork. It is usually a job most of us are not familiar with and using tools and materials that we don't use that often. Thankfully, with a little bit of patience and some imagination you can do some of the upholstery work yourself, make your own mark on the inside of your ride, and save a few bucks along the way. As with the paint and bodywork, you may want to only do a portion of the work yourself. In the end, we decided to build the main panels in the car and left the tough stuff to the professionals at McFarland Custom Upholstery.
Inside TunesNow that the GT55 is equipped with a great-handling chassis, killer engine/transmission combination, show-quality paint and a modern, sporty interior, the only thing left to upgrade was the sound system. To outfit the GT55 with a top-notch stereo, we contacted Phoenix Gold, a leader in high-performance sound systems.
The roof was given the same...
The roof was given the same treatment as the floor. Dynamat Extreme was laid down to eliminate road noise, vibrations, and heat. Next, we glued in a layer of Dynamat TAC mat. The TAC mat is an insulating foam that will prevent heat from penetrating the roof on those hot summer days and also adds another layer of acoustic sound-deadening material.
After a few conversations with their tech department we decided to utilize their new line of speakers and amplifiers. Engineered from the ground up, these speakers were designed to handle a lot of power and provide outstanding performance. The Xenon subwoofer feature cosmetics inspired by high-end exotic car marques and are constructed with the latest high-tech materials. Their amplifiers utilize the latest high-tech materials in a unique design format incorporating sophisticated engineering and dramatic performance.
Mated up to these components is a Kenwood satellite radio/CD/MP3 receiver and their Music Keg MP3 player. The Music Keg is a storage system for MP3 music files but unlike a CD player the Music Keg's cartridge can hold up to 5,000 songs and can be arranged so your favorite tunes will be right at the top of the play list.
Incorporating these killer pieces into the interior took a little bit of planning, but the amps, subwoofer, and MP3 player were easily stored in the trunk while the midrange speakers and tweeters were incorporated into the door and quarter panels.
The results of using such great components were nothing short of phenomenal. Now whenever we go for a cruise or decide to do a little canyon carving, crystal-clear, concert-quality tunes are only a button away.
 After the firewall was covered...  After the firewall was covered in Dynamat, the Rain Gear electric wiper kit and Vintage Air A/C system was installed. |  An aluminum rack was made...  An aluminum rack was made to mount the Phoenix Gold amps and crossovers securely in the trunk. |  In areas where heat is going...  In areas where heat is going to be an issue, we laid down a layer of Dynamat Extremeliner. Utilizing a layer of lead foil, warm foot wells will be a thing of the past. |
 For the low notes, a 10-inch...  For the low notes, a 10-inch Phoenix Gold sub-woofer was mounted in a 3/4-inch MDF (Medium Density Fiberboard) enclosure next to the amplifiers. |  Something else we left up...  Something else we left up to the experts was the glass installation. Here Doug and Ken from Victory Glass install the front windshield and surrounding stainless trim. Victory also cut new side glass, rebuilt and installed the window regulators, and replaced the worn felt on the garnish moldings, saving us a ton of time and countless headaches. |  Art fabricated this killer...  Art fabricated this killer console out of 0.060-inch aluminum. Incorporated into the console is the mount for the Kenwood CD/MP3 receiver, ducting for the Vintage Air A/C vents, seat adjustment controls, and a secondary glove box. The console will be smoothed out and painted with a custom mix PPG paint and eggshell clear so the sheen of the paint matches the sheen of the Majilite upholstery. |