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stereo trunk enclosurs/installation

11K views 49 replies 20 participants last post by  on a bugdet 
#1 ·
#2 ·


when posting photobucket images, it makes it easier if we can just view instead of having to click on the link, yeah we're lazy :D

when viewing your album, move your mouse/cursor over desired image... a small window will pop open, click on the lowest link shown and just paste it into your thread. no other image coding is needed, the site's programming does the rest. ;)
 
#6 ·
Hey Clarma, how did you attach your wood to the upper part of the rear fender nest to the trunk molding? I want to build some upholstered trim panels for the side of my trunk and I like you wood idea although I was thinking I would weld in some tabs that would receive some type of blind fastener.
 
#7 ·
You could make panels out of masonite or a good multi-ply plywood. To make a template I would get some cardboard and then after fitting it, transfer this to a fresh sheet of masonite of plywood.

If you are going to wrap the panels then figure out how much in from the line you need to cut to where when it's wrapped it won't be too tight to install.
To secure it you could use velcro or speaker grill parts (male and female pins and sockets).

I don't know how you attached the boards or strips of wood to the underside of the trunk lip but on my car and other's customers cars I've cleaned the surface and then used liquid nail to glue the strips to the metal. If it ever needs to be changed the wood can be removed, the glue sanded off, and then the area repainted.

My only concern is while it looks nice to see the sub facing rearward doing this will create problems with the trunk lid moving up and down and creating rattles. Ideally you need to get the sub to fire into the interior and not pressurize the trunk.

As far as the template for the amp side, get a cardboard template going to fit the outside edges and then cut a large hole in the middle larger than what the amp is and then after you get the basic shape use some tape or paper on top of the carboard to fill into the edges of the amp. Trying to do it all at once will be a pain.

Jim
 
#13 ·
I too have seen seperation on some plywoods and the last few years I got away from the less expensive plywoods that were maybe 5-7 plys and gone to a higher dollar 12+ ply plywood for things. The better grades of plywood also have less voids in between the layers. Like anything else you get what you pay for sometimes.

When I'm using 3/4" or 1" thick material for things I will either use a better grade plywood or an MDF. When I'm making thinner things like trim panels and it only needs to be 1/4" thick I will maybe use tempered masonite. I've also found out that if you paint or seal the wood before you cover it the part lasts longer should it become wet at some point. We had a couple of the old projection TV's at work the other day to throw away and it rained and the next day the particle board swelled up and became more brittle.

I have chased a lot of rattles through the years and that's one of the reasons I suggested turning the sub around to fire into the interior of the car. I did a test many, many years ago with an audio control RTA and with the sub firing rearward in a trunk there were frequencies that were 3 to 6dB less than having the sub firing forward and having it properly sealed with a wider and taller front baffle board against the back of the rear seat. I look at subs firing rearward into a trunk cavity like having a home subwoofer in another room of the house. Yes you will hear it but at a reduced volume and if it's in a closet with a door I've had the closet door rattle. To me it's better if you put the sub in the same listening room or have the sub working into the main listening enviroment. It's nice to open a trunk to show off things but when you do so with subs making sound into the trunk it also affects how it then sounds inside the car.

Thanks for the compliments on the video guys. Sometimes you can try and describe things until you are blue in the face but then sometimes a picture brings it all together or make it more meaningful.

Jim
 
#14 ·
Hey all sorry I have been working a lot haven't had a chance to reply. We started by using some half inch foam from Home Depot. This helped us make templates for both sides. Lots of Cust and modification, if u can get some type of foam or material that's plyable, your life will be easier. We then took sheets of 3/16 hardboard from Home Depot and traced out template. Used a jig saw to cut it out and it worked perfectly.

I have 7 yards of black vinyl that Scat sent me for free for not having the rear seat cover to match on my procar rally's. so I used a heat gun/3m spray glue and to finish it off really short staples to secure it on the back.

There is a lip where you see the bottom wood prices. We secured them halfway over the lip so each side would have room for the hardboard to fit snug up against it.

With the vinyl attached there isn't anything holding the panels in place. They fit so snug there is no need yet. I'm sure as time goes on they will settle in, by then ill probably use Velcro to snug it up.

We only had time for the side panels, ill post pics here soon.

(Ps. No rattles! Thanks to two packs of extreme dynamat! Haha. Stereo is a jl 10w6v2-d4. Jl spec box, jl500/1, jl 6x9's and 6.5's with a jl 360/4. I installed a kicker iPhone/iPod controller that basically makes my iPhone my deck. We cut out the controller in the center console and resessed it in, along with the back side fir auxiliary and remote bass control. System sounds amazing!
 
#17 ·
While I do agree with mounting the sub in a forward firing condition to lessen rattles even in your own testing using an RTA certain frequencies were down 3 to 6 db? As you know 3 db is barely able to be heard by the human ear but adding 3 db takes twice the power and 6db 4 times the power... This can be huge in the overall range of audio in the vehicle. I know most people don't have a trained ear to hear the missing audio. But at the same time most enclosures aren't built for the particular sub either. Consequently mounting the sub in a forward firing position and having an enclosure not built to the spec of the sub or of proper design to take advantage of the end listeners music tastes could leave a lot on the table. I would be upset if I shelled out cash for a 600 watt amp and installed the equipment then only had the equivalent of 200 watts output at 60Hz just where I wanted to ift that bass kick.... Just saying its all a tradeoff in the end. Usually big power creates big rattles... You can get the best of both worlds but I don't recommend turning the box around when it was made to work the other way. I would also recommend some sound deadening materials to quell those vibrations. Nice work on the mounting and custom panels in the trunk.
 
#32 ·
all finished!!

made a template out of card board first then transfered it to the hardboard.



Covered it in the black vinyl



Made a bottom piece to get a more clean look, and then covered it in black carpet from orileys auto.



made a front piece to finished it off



Final:

 
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