Audio Systems: What to buy and where to mount it advice wanted., john bonham, clean as a whistle

Question
I have restored a 1985 Chev 1 ton 4X4 pick up with a standard sized cab (I realize this size cab will limit some options).  The truck turned out clean as a whistle inside and out (black with silver) and runs strong and quiet.   It now needs a nice sound system.  I would like advice on selecting quality system components (make, model #'s) and where to mount same.  I have around $1600 to spend including installation.  The system will play mostly Led Zeppelin CD's (I am a big John Bonham fan and thoroughly enjoy this band's thunder), some FM and AM sports (baseball games).  Quite a gap to cover (I am the HS baseball coach who still likes to rock occassionally to his favorite band from the old days while communting to the ballyard in his old pick up).  I don't need to impress anyone else.  I want the system to have a very strong, clean sound stage for me.  I have some room behind the bench seat for an enclosure if that's recommended but can't move it forward (I'm 6'4" and need the leg room).  I have found myself swamped by all the choices and combinations and most everybody nowadays has at least a crew cab so I haven't really been able to listen to any standard size cab set ups to get an idea of what to get.  Any advice you could offer would be greatly appreciated as I really don't know who to turn to for honest info (I figured most shops are going to be like car dealerships so I wanted to get an opinion from someone not trying to make a commission or get rid of something on the shelf).  Thanks in advance.  If I could ever return the favor.  Sincerely, Dan

Answer
Dan,
I don't believe that car audio shop people work on commission (although I could be wrong). I would recommend that you visit my website, www.afweb.net/carstereo/. It has a guide to the various parts of a car audio system. As for what brand to buy, that is always a difficult question to answer. Different shops obviously charge different prices. When you want overall decent quality but don't want to spend a lot, I usually recommend a Pioneer, Panasonic, or Kenwood head unit to start with. I'd also recommend Kicker speakers and amplifiers, as its' quality is pretty good for the money. It's also a brand that can be found just about everywhere. Stay away from the Sony gear though. None of it is any good. Rockford-Fosgate is a decent and popular brand, although their gear has gotten a bit more expensive as of late.

You should be able to listen to the various speakers with different amplifiers and head units at any shop that's worth its' salt. If you're worried about installation quality, ask for a book with pictures of systems they have done. If they don't have one, don't go there. Any decent shop will have this kind of book. But you really do need to go in and talk with a sales rep at a shop, tell him what you want to do, then get him to price it out for you. If it's less than what you want to spend, you're good. If it's more, tell him what your budget is and that it can't go any higher. I hope this helps you. If you have some more specific questions please let me know.

Best Of Luck,
Alan