My stealth sub box

justinf89 · 05-19-2012, 04:19 PM

A few months ago, I installed 4 rockford fosgate 6x8 door speakers(t1682) and a p400-4 amp to power them, and ever since then, I've been wanting more. I saw where some people on here have built stealth sub boxes so that's what I decided to do. I like the stock look and I even hated mounting my p400-4 amp behind the seat, but it fits very well there.

For the sub, I went with a rf r2d4-10(10",250wRMS,DVC) and a rf r250-1d. I chose this class d amp because it was so small as you can see in the pictures below. I calculated my box to be just under 0.5 cu ft so I added 1/2lb polyfill to the box. I've got it all finished except for re-routing my source cables down the other side of the explorer. I'll post back with how it sounds when I get that done, hopefully this weekend.

I wanted to post this just in case anybody had any questions or wanted any more pics before I closed it up. I won't be putting the panel back on for a couple of weeks because I'm going to take the roof liner off to fix the stupid sunroof rattle.

The cost of the amp was $105 and the sub was $45, both brand new on ebay.
The amp will power the sub with 250wRMS at 2ohm.
The box cost $20- 2 sheets of 2x4 3/4" MDF from home depot @ $10 a sheet. It can be made from 1 sheet without mistakes...

PICS!

*Crutchfield Vlad* · 05-21-2012, 09:03 PM

Dude that looks really good. That was the perfect sized amplifier for the sub. Looks like there is enough room for it to breath. Are you just going to leave the vents in the factory panels? Let me know if you get any vibrations or issues from the panel.

justinf89 · 05-23-2012, 08:41 PM

Thanks for the compliment. I really spent a lot of time on it, mostly because I'm kinda ocd. I bet it took me a whole day of cutting to get all the angles right and glued together.

I am a little bit worried about vibrations and rattling though, because the box is right up against the trim panel. I'm planning on sitting the box on several dabs of silicone so it will dampen some of the vibrations. I can't do this in the front where it touches the panel though, so I guess I'll just have to see.

*Crutchfield Vlad* · 05-23-2012, 10:47 PM

Sweet, I bet it took awhile. If you are worried about the vibrations we actually have a couple of really good article on our website about it.

http://www.crutchfield.com/I-rFORc11...?g=890&tp=1282

http://www.crutchfield.com/I-rFORc11...earch=silencer

*toypaseo* · 05-23-2012, 10:58 PM

To get a bit more clearance, you could always sand (slightly) the areas where the enclosure hits the trim piece...

BobbyBobo · 05-25-2012, 02:19 AM

That's very nice! I see that sub is only about 4.5" deep. Do you think that's about as deep as you can go?

And how do you like those RF 6x8's? I have the R1682's, and I LOVE the midbass the make with 75w a piece. The highs are a bit lacking, I think simply because the tweeters are so far off axis in the stock door position.

*jaschlum* · 05-25-2012, 03:11 AM

NIce job!! Looks clean! Do you have the box dimension or the size of the cut pieces\ that you used?

justinf89 · 06-02-2012, 04:32 PM

Hey guys, sorry I haven't got back to you. I've been sooo busy lately. Anyway, I got the sub wired up and it sounds simply amazing. I can't believe I waited this long to get it installed! If you are wondering about doing this install, DO NOT HESITATE. There is absolotely no rattling, distortion, etc. When I turn the sub up, I can feel it shake my insides lol. I can't imagine anybody ever needing any more than this or complaining about not enough from a stealth box. Maybe they didn't do it right or something.

@vlad - I appreciate the articles, they are very informative. With both rear side panels off at the moment, the road noise is very loud. I actually had to look back the other day to see if the rear windows were open a little. I think some liner in the walls would definitely help, or at least on the outside of the stealth box.

I haven't put the panel back in but with the box in and mounted, there is no vibrations, rattles, etc. I did test fit the panel and nothing rubs, but I don't know when it's all finished. Like toypaseo mentioned, I'll just round off the corner at the top if need be.

@bobbybobo - I designed the depth of the box around the sub, and added in about 1/4-3/8" behind it. Of course to that depth you add the 3/4" mdf since the sub is mounted above it. I'm not sure what I did but I'll figure it out for you. There isn't much more room extra at all inside. I'm sure if you constructed it well, it could be made out of 1/2" mdf and you could get another 1/2". I know the outer depth of the box is 5.5", and that's about the limit.

@jaschlum - This week sometime when i'm off(birthday on tuesday

), I'll go out and take some outside measurements and from that, I can calculate what I used for the inside depth. It's not that hard to pull out but I don't have any fancy computer programs to design it with. You'll have to make due with a picture with writing on it

KillerKidd42 · 10-09-2012, 03:19 PM

Hey is like to see the finish product looks nice

*RebelRanger* · 10-11-2012, 04:28 PM

Looks great man! I built one very similar last weekend, but it's not complete yet. Mine's slightly different in shape and I used 1/2" mdf because I needed the mounting depth for my sub. It's a tough little spot to build a box for but it looks like you made a good job of it. Can't wait to see it finished.

How do you have yours mounted? I'm thinking of using a few small angle brackets to secure mine.

Here's how mine turned out.

justinf89 · 10-17-2012, 02:13 PM

Hey thanks guys for the kind words. Yours looks amazing. I kind of with I had used 1/2" instead of 3/4 but I can't complain about anything. It sounds amazing. I will say that how you see it in the picture from before is how it is now. I haven't even mounted it or put the panels back in. I finally got my headliner done and put back in, but now I want to clean the carpets along the edges of the trim. Hopefully I'll have it all back in in about a week or two. I'll post the final results when I do.

For mounting the box, I was thinking of setting it in a small bed of silicone, and some silicone on the back of it. My thought was maybe it will absorb some vibration or something?? I don't know what I want to do yet. Right now it's just sitting in there and slides out every once and a while. It's a really good fit so I'm not too worried. There is no vibration outside or inside, so I'm really happy about that.

*toypaseo* · 10-17-2012, 05:40 PM

I would bolt it in somehow, with angle brackets or whatnot. If you get in a wreck or roll your Explorer, I wouldn't trust the silicone to hold it in place, so it's not a missile toward your head...

Lacky01 · 10-17-2012, 07:08 PM

I made this a while back. I really like it for saving my cargo space. Mine ended up ugly because I wasn't being very careful with my design. Doesn't bother me though

BlkSquad · 11-21-2012, 07:03 PM

Give me a rough sketch with measurements and I'll draw it up for you. No problem.
I've been wanting to do this for myself anyway and it'd just give me something to go off of.

NudgE^SIKBRO · 04-29-2013, 05:23 AM

Are you guys using 10" woofers? is there any way a 12 would fit... I have a 12 here I was planning on using but I'm not sure if it would fit...

05-19-2012, 04:19 PM	#1
justinf89 Wannabe Elite Explorer Virginia Beach, VA '97 xlt 4x4 Join Date: Apr 2010 Posts: 126 Vehicle Specs (Original Poster)	My stealth sub box A few months ago, I installed 4 rockford fosgate 6x8 door speakers(t1682) and a p400-4 amp to power them, and ever since then, I've been wanting more. I saw where some people on here have built stealth sub boxes so that's what I decided to do. I like the stock look and I even hated mounting my p400-4 amp behind the seat, but it fits very well there. For the sub, I went with a rf r2d4-10(10",250wRMS,DVC) and a rf r250-1d. I chose this class d amp because it was so small as you can see in the pictures below. I calculated my box to be just under 0.5 cu ft so I added 1/2lb polyfill to the box. I've got it all finished except for re-routing my source cables down the other side of the explorer. I'll post back with how it sounds when I get that done, hopefully this weekend. I wanted to post this just in case anybody had any questions or wanted any more pics before I closed it up. I won't be putting the panel back on for a couple of weeks because I'm going to take the roof liner off to fix the stupid sunroof rattle. The cost of the amp was $105 and the sub was $45, both brand new on ebay. The amp will power the sub with 250wRMS at 2ohm. The box cost $20- 2 sheets of 2x4 3/4" MDF from home depot @ $10 a sheet. It can be made from 1 sheet without mistakes... PICS! __________________ 1997 Explorer XLT 4x4 SOHC 116k Miles

05-23-2012, 08:41 PM	#3
justinf89 Wannabe Elite Explorer Virginia Beach, VA '97 xlt 4x4 Join Date: Apr 2010 Posts: 126 Vehicle Specs (Original Poster)	Thanks for the compliment. I really spent a lot of time on it, mostly because I'm kinda ocd. I bet it took me a whole day of cutting to get all the angles right and glued together. I am a little bit worried about vibrations and rattling though, because the box is right up against the trim panel. I'm planning on sitting the box on several dabs of silicone so it will dampen some of the vibrations. I can't do this in the front where it touches the panel though, so I guess I'll just have to see. __________________ 1997 Explorer XLT 4x4 SOHC 116k Miles

05-23-2012, 10:58 PM	#5
toypaseo Flunked daycare outside shovelling snow ................ 96 XLT ™ Join Date: Jan 2003 Posts: 5,312 Vehicle Specs	To get a bit more clearance, you could always sand (slightly) the areas where the enclosure hits the trim piece... __________________ Kent - 1996 XLT - Hypertech Programmer, Gibson Catback, K&N FIPK, Alpine V12 MRV-100M, 8" round 2ohm Kicker Solobaric 1992 Toyota Paseo - Tein Super Street coilovers, Whiteline swaybars 22MM(F) 20MM(R), Prothane endlinks & mounts, VVR poly control arm bushings, K&N drop-in, Dynomax Ultraflo, Gibson stainless tip, Pirelli Winter Carving Edge(F) Kumho HP4 716(R) on steelies

05-25-2012, 02:19 AM	#6
BobbyBobo Wannabe Elite Explorer Join Date: Mar 2012 Posts: 33 Vehicle Specs	That's very nice! I see that sub is only about 4.5" deep. Do you think that's about as deep as you can go? And how do you like those RF 6x8's? I have the R1682's, and I LOVE the midbass the make with 75w a piece. The highs are a bit lacking, I think simply because the tweeters are so far off axis in the stock door position. Last edited by BobbyBobo; 05-25-2012 at 02:35 AM.

05-25-2012, 03:11 AM	#7
jaschlum Elite Explorer Kenmore , WA 1992 Explorer XLT Join Date: Jan 2010 Posts: 259 Vehicle Specs	NIce job!! Looks clean! Do you have the box dimension or the size of the cut pieces\ that you used? __________________ "jake" my 92 xlt

05-21-2012, 09:03 PM	#2
Crutchfield Vlad Elite Explorer Virginia 2005 Explorer Sport Trac Join Date: Apr 2012 Posts: 190 Vehicle Specs	Dude that looks really good. That was the perfect sized amplifier for the sub. Looks like there is enough room for it to breath. Are you just going to leave the vents in the factory panels? Let me know if you get any vibrations or issues from the panel.

05-23-2012, 10:47 PM	#4
Crutchfield Vlad Elite Explorer Virginia 2005 Explorer Sport Trac Join Date: Apr 2012 Posts: 190 Vehicle Specs	Sweet, I bet it took awhile. If you are worried about the vibrations we actually have a couple of really good article on our website about it. http://www.crutchfield.com/I-rFORc11...?g=890&tp=1282 http://www.crutchfield.com/I-rFORc11...earch=silencer

06-02-2012, 04:32 PM	#8
justinf89 Wannabe Elite Explorer Virginia Beach, VA '97 xlt 4x4 Join Date: Apr 2010 Posts: 126 Vehicle Specs (Original Poster)	Hey guys, sorry I haven't got back to you. I've been sooo busy lately. Anyway, I got the sub wired up and it sounds simply amazing. I can't believe I waited this long to get it installed! If you are wondering about doing this install, DO NOT HESITATE. There is absolotely no rattling, distortion, etc. When I turn the sub up, I can feel it shake my insides lol. I can't imagine anybody ever needing any more than this or complaining about not enough from a stealth box. Maybe they didn't do it right or something. @vlad - I appreciate the articles, they are very informative. With both rear side panels off at the moment, the road noise is very loud. I actually had to look back the other day to see if the rear windows were open a little. I think some liner in the walls would definitely help, or at least on the outside of the stealth box. I haven't put the panel back in but with the box in and mounted, there is no vibrations, rattles, etc. I did test fit the panel and nothing rubs, but I don't know when it's all finished. Like toypaseo mentioned, I'll just round off the corner at the top if need be. @bobbybobo - I designed the depth of the box around the sub, and added in about 1/4-3/8" behind it. Of course to that depth you add the 3/4" mdf since the sub is mounted above it. I'm not sure what I did but I'll figure it out for you. There isn't much more room extra at all inside. I'm sure if you constructed it well, it could be made out of 1/2" mdf and you could get another 1/2". I know the outer depth of the box is 5.5", and that's about the limit. @jaschlum - This week sometime when i'm off(birthday on tuesday ), I'll go out and take some outside measurements and from that, I can calculate what I used for the inside depth. It's not that hard to pull out but I don't have any fancy computer programs to design it with. You'll have to make due with a picture with writing on it __________________ 1997 Explorer XLT 4x4 SOHC 116k Miles

10-09-2012, 03:19 PM	#9
KillerKidd42 Wannabe Elite Explorer Salem, Va 97 ford explorer sport Join Date: Sep 2012 Posts: 60 Vehicle Specs	Hey is like to see the finish product looks nice

10-11-2012, 04:28 PM	#10
RebelRanger Elite Explorer Charlottetown, PE 2003 Explorer Sport XLT Join Date: Sep 2011 Posts: 31 Vehicle Specs	Looks great man! I built one very similar last weekend, but it's not complete yet. Mine's slightly different in shape and I used 1/2" mdf because I needed the mounting depth for my sub. It's a tough little spot to build a box for but it looks like you made a good job of it. Can't wait to see it finished. How do you have yours mounted? I'm thinking of using a few small angle brackets to secure mine. Here's how mine turned out. __________________ -2003 Explorer Sport XLT 4.0L SOHC, 4x4 -1997 Ranger Rebel flareside 2.3L 5spd, 2wd (gone)

10-17-2012, 02:13 PM	#11
justinf89 Wannabe Elite Explorer Virginia Beach, VA '97 xlt 4x4 Join Date: Apr 2010 Posts: 126 Vehicle Specs (Original Poster)	Hey thanks guys for the kind words. Yours looks amazing. I kind of with I had used 1/2" instead of 3/4 but I can't complain about anything. It sounds amazing. I will say that how you see it in the picture from before is how it is now. I haven't even mounted it or put the panels back in. I finally got my headliner done and put back in, but now I want to clean the carpets along the edges of the trim. Hopefully I'll have it all back in in about a week or two. I'll post the final results when I do. For mounting the box, I was thinking of setting it in a small bed of silicone, and some silicone on the back of it. My thought was maybe it will absorb some vibration or something?? I don't know what I want to do yet. Right now it's just sitting in there and slides out every once and a while. It's a really good fit so I'm not too worried. There is no vibration outside or inside, so I'm really happy about that. __________________ 1997 Explorer XLT 4x4 SOHC 116k Miles

10-17-2012, 05:40 PM	#12
toypaseo Flunked daycare outside shovelling snow ................ 96 XLT ™ Join Date: Jan 2003 Posts: 5,312 Vehicle Specs	I would bolt it in somehow, with angle brackets or whatnot. If you get in a wreck or roll your Explorer, I wouldn't trust the silicone to hold it in place, so it's not a missile toward your head... __________________ Kent - 1996 XLT - Hypertech Programmer, Gibson Catback, K&N FIPK, Alpine V12 MRV-100M, 8" round 2ohm Kicker Solobaric 1992 Toyota Paseo - Tein Super Street coilovers, Whiteline swaybars 22MM(F) 20MM(R), Prothane endlinks & mounts, VVR poly control arm bushings, K&N drop-in, Dynomax Ultraflo, Gibson stainless tip, Pirelli Winter Carving Edge(F) Kumho HP4 716(R) on steelies

10-17-2012, 07:08 PM	#13
Lacky01 Wannabe Elite Explorer Eugene, Oregon 1998 Sport Join Date: Oct 2008 Posts: 768 Vehicle Specs	I made this a while back. I really like it for saving my cargo space. Mine ended up ugly because I wasn't being very careful with my design. Doesn't bother me though __________________ 98 Ford Explorer Sport 2wd 5spd 4.0L OHV Mods so far: 4 door leaf packs; custom tow package; Magnaflow High-flow Catalytic Converter; Custom Front Bumper; 32x11.5x15 pathfinder ATRs on Cragers; Current plan: 4WD Swap and a 79 turbo Cobra work in progress

11-21-2012, 07:03 PM	#14
BlkSquad Wannabe Elite Explorer Stantonville, TN '97 XLT 4wd '98 Sport 4wd Join Date: Apr 2010 Posts: 114 Vehicle Specs	Give me a rough sketch with measurements and I'll draw it up for you. No problem. I've been wanting to do this for myself anyway and it'd just give me something to go off of.

04-29-2013, 05:23 AM	#15
NudgE^SIKBRO Wannabe Elite Explorer Victoria, Australia 2004 Explorer Limited Join Date: Dec 2012 Posts: 31 Vehicle Specs	Are you guys using 10" woofers? is there any way a 12 would fit... I have a 12 here I was planning on using but I'm not sure if it would fit... __________________ MY RIDES 04 Explorer Limited V8 83 XE Fairmont Ghia 351 69 Morris Mini K 07 Kenworth T-404S

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