Factory sub enclosure plastic

[SingleStack]

This is a long shot but does anyone happen to know what kind of plastic the factory sub enclosure is made of? I'm going to be stuffing a Dayton HO 10" back there and if I can fiberglass the oem enclosure it'll save me a ton of fab time and materials cost. I know some guys on the forum have used fiberglass on these to fit 10" drivers but no word on how well it held up and from what I can tell those guys haven't been active in a while or I'd just ask them.

 

[TechGuru]

Note quite sure. I have this one on my christmas list: http://www.crutchfield.com/p_700BPKRF1/Rockford-Fosgate-300-Watt-Bass-Package.html

 

[SingleStack]

Yeah I'm looking to get away from having an enclosure taking up space. I have a 12" sub behind the third row now and it's in the way more often than not. We do a lot of camping and overlanding so the space that enclosure takes up is kinda precious.

If I have to glass a whole new enclosure I will, it's just more time and money. Hell, I'll scale down to an 8" if necessary but I have a Dayton 10" that's just begging to be used in that space.

 

[TechGuru]

I really wanted to put one under the passenger side of the rear seat but I think the sound would be better in the cargo area.

Camping? Get a small under 3500lb travel trailer, hehe.

 

[SingleStack]

Yeah I'm not buying a trailer just to haul our gear. If I buy something to tow it'll be an actual camper and that's just not in the budget haha.

 

[TechGuru]

Yeah I'm not buying a trailer just to haul our gear. If I buy something to tow it'll be an actual camper and that's just not in the budget haha.

A travel trailer is a "camper"? I have my eye on this one http://www.pplmotorhomes.com/travelt/2011-Jay-Feather-Sport-32715.htm

You know, just for a little extra cargo capacity you could get one of these hitch racks http://www.harborfreight.com/500-lb-capacity-deluxe-cargo-carrier-66983.html

 

[SingleStack]

Ah, I thought you meant buy a little trailer to carry our gear haha. Yeah, someday we'll get a pop up or something but that's down the road a ways.

 

[extra-medium]

Yeah I'm looking to get away from having an enclosure taking up space. I have a 12" sub behind the third row now and it's in the way more often than not. We do a lot of camping and overlanding so the space that enclosure takes up is kinda precious.

If I have to glass a whole new enclosure I will, it's just more time and money. Hell, I'll scale down to an 8" if necessary but I have a Dayton 10" that's just begging to be used in that space.

The stock enclosure from the factory is an 8". Crutchfield makes an 8" slim subwoofer that goes in the stock enclosure, and all you would need is to upgrade the amp and you should be good. If you don't have the option from the factory, I would suggest either finding one from a junk yard, or make a custom enclosure to go in the side of the cargo area where they came stock.

 

[gsx220]

JL makes this one that looks to fit pretty nice and its the only one i found when i was looking. http://www.crutchfield.com/p_13694038/JL-Audio-Stealthbox-Graphite.html?cc=07&tp=113

 

[SingleStack]

The JL enclosure won't fit my Explorer since I have rear AC. At any rate, I managed to find some spare time to pull the factory enclosure and it's marked HDPE, which means modifying it with fiberglass is a no-go. Polyester resin for sure will not make a chemical bond and it'll still delaminate even if I drill holes around the enclosure to make a decent mechanical bond. Epoxy resin *might* hold up a little better if I anneal the HDPE with a torch to oxidize the surface but again, it won't last long as it will still be a mechanical bond. So the two options are stick with an 8" (Polk MM will fit nicely with a spacer) or start from scratch. The upshot is if I glass an all new enclosure I can easily fit my Dayton 10" or even an SD-3 10". Initial measurements seem to give me about a half cube, maybe a touch more.

 

[gsx220]

with as many explorers there are you would think there would be more options to buy these things.

 

[extra-medium]

Most of them are owned by soccer moms and businessmen who want to just buy something and go. Not a big enough market for aftermarket parts and with the age of them, people are starting to get rid of them and get newer cars. The Mountaineer has an even smaller aftermarket than the Explorers do.