REAR SUB BOX OVER WHEEL WELL

[j greathouse]

In my 93 sport I wanted to hide my amp after being ripped off so I removed the rear storage bin and removed the factory amp. I built a false wall where the factory amp was and mounted it then I mounted the amp to that connected it up and put back my paneling it looks great. Now I want to build a box sort of like the JL and mtx storage bin boxes but I want mine on the out side of the panel going over the right wheelwell I've come up with a couple of designs that will work well but my problem is that I cant seem to find a material that is flexable enough to bend over the wheelwell as the base or bottom of the box.if you have any kind of material ideas let me know the reason for all this is 1 I can sucsessfully hide my amp which costs about 600 dollars and 2 I will be able to run a 12 inch woofer instead of a 10 or 8 inch those are just too small for my likeings .... thanks for any info P.S. If I can get this design to work I will post pics and make to order so let me know your opinion....

 

[velcrofly]

What kind of material are you wanting to use.

If you are planning on using wood, the only suggest I have about the curves is that you can make it like a "roll top desk".
We do this on our boats we build. It has several strips of wood together with a piece of some kind of mesh material that is glued to one side of the wood so it can go around curves. (it can only flex 1 way).

I'll be looking into a new way myself for the back area and my speaker box, but right now I'm in the process of building a storage box to go on the passenger side (jumper cables, tool box, chains, etc...)

What have you done about your CD changer mounting area. I just got one from Circuit City last week (JBL 6pack w/ FM modulator - $150), and I'm trying to figure out where the heck to put it. I thought about inside the glove box (gutted out - keeping cover & lock) but it's 1/2" too long too keep the door from closing all the way & its too big for center console unless I want to cut that aluminum angle bracket. (I still want access to it from driver/passenger seat)

Good luck..

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92EB
Some days you get to be the Statue,
some days you get to be the Pigeon!!

 

[BrianW]

about the only idea i have is to get handy with fiberglass..The place where i go, thats how they make alot of the custom boxes that people need.
Brian

 

[j greathouse]

cd changer first completely remove the glove box the bracket on the left side push it to the right then the glove box will fall out then you can access the two screws once those are out look at mounting it in that compartment --much bigger when glove box is removed-- use the glove box door as a foce plate chut a hole in it so the face of your changer is showing for easy access. tell me what you think?

 

[j greathouse]

your changer will stick out about an inch thats the problem--but if you can make a piece to fit around the front it would'nt be as bad im not going full force on mine till winter hits its still too nice have to work on out side stuff on explorer----
SUB BOX --- I was thinking of using quater inch or maybe 1/8 inch plywood for curves but I dont know if it is bendable enough??? your roll top desk idea sounds good I know what your talking about on this because I have one but is it sturdy enough???

 

[velcrofly]

As for my CD changer, I probably will mount it under the ashtry area & wont really stick out either. I did think about the "cutting a hole in the glove box" but I'd rather have an extra one first. After measuring mine, the changer would be almost flush with the glove box door.


The "roll top" idea should work as long as it has good support. (i usually use regular 'ol wood glue in my building process) When we use it on our boats, we also spray fiberglass over that anyway.
But, I'm not to sure about how air-tight it will be. You may have to work on that. If i ever build something like that I would probably do the "roll top" then add fiberglass on the inside for more strength and to fill in the cracks.
I would like to know what you do though.

 

[Street Tough]

OK, I have a '93 sport too, and am putting a full system in my truck. The best thing to do for the sub is to use a 12 in.Kenwood db+, 12in.MTX Blue Thunder or another type of 12 or 10in.sub that takes a small box (about1.0-1.5 cub's) build it so that the back of the box is slanted, then you can push the box up behind the rear seat. If you build it right it will only stick out behind the seat about 2 inch's, and take it from me unless the instructions say to build the box ported DON'T unless the sub in designed for it, it will sound like crap. I talk from experiance. I am putting 2 12in. Kenwood db+ subs, with 3 Kenwood amps, Excelon components in the doors and back panels, and to top it all off a Kenwood P907 touch screen head unit. Keep mind that if use high powered amps like I am you will need a second battery and a capacitor to run it all with out killing the altenator. And don't forget an alarm if don't already have one.

As for the cd changer, most people I have talked to say to mount it in the center console, but I don't like that because then you loose storge space. What I am going to do if I add a changer is have a custom center console built for about $200 bucks, not only will you have a place for the changer but you will have really trick looking interior.

My whole system with everything I just mentioned will run about $4,000. But I have a few ways to cut the coast down.
Hope this helps and gives you some ideas.


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1993 2-Dr. Sport W/Automatic and 2wd...
A Street Tough Explorer.

 

[j greathouse]

Ive done that idea before but i ran three twelves, the reason for it being over the wheelwell is for storage reasons.. I want to be able to fold down my rear seats and still have bass!! I cant do this with your idea

 

[Street Tough]

Sure you can, first of all don't bolt the box the the floor, then make sure you enough wire to push the box toward the front of the truck when you put the seats down. Thats what I do, and if I need more room I just unplug the box and pull it out. If the box trys to slide around put some velcro on the bottom and it will grab the carpet. If you carry stuff in the back that much you should spend the exta money and get a q-forms or mtx box that goes in the rear panel where the little cargo net is, it has a built in amp and crutchfield sells with the sub too, then you wont loose any space. that little spot with the net on it is not very usefull anyway. If a 10inch don't get yer hart going, build you own fiberglass box to in that spot, fiberglass is pretty forgiving. But Mtx subs kick pretty hard even the 10inch. If you have money to burn you can install 6.5inch mib-bass subs up in the front doors along with hte q-forms in the back, I know your thinking he's nuts.....To make it short you can install one on each side in the map holder on the door panel, it's not easy but sounds unreal, I have seen this done before at a car audio show....

[This message has been edited by Street Tough (edited 10-02-1999).]

[This message has been edited by Street Tough (edited 10-02-1999).]

 

[JTang]

How about just buying your favorite sub and then putting it in a tube enclosure? That way, you could just buy that and worry about making a simple wood piece that could hold or shelve the tube over the wheel well, or wherever else you want it. If you make your own box, it will only be for that side, and there's no telling what types of different loads you might carry, and with a tube, you can put it wherever you like on the fly. You can even stand it up if you wanted when you really needed to maximize space. I had some, but then I sold them. I'm going to buy one or two again, because you really learn to miss the bass when you don't have it. When I was loaded down on long trips I'd have to leave the speaker box at home. Tubes are really easy if that's what you're looking for.

 

[j greathouse]

I think you guys are misunderstanding me I cant use the mtx enclosurer or q logic because my sound stream amp is mounted behind my panel I want to run 1 tweleve with an enclosure over the wheelwell so I dont hahe to move the box it looks proffesionl and theves wont be tempted

 

[JTang]

Okay, these are the only two sites I know of that have something close to what you're looking for:
http://www.cartunes.com/installs/92explorer/explorer.htm
Dead Link Removed

Your dilemma is that you can't use a stealthform, and yet you want to try and make a 12" look stealth, and on top of that, you want it specifically over the wheel well. The 12 is going to need quite a bit of box volume, so the box is going to be large anyway. Plus, if it's a strong woofer, it's going to have a huge magnet, and it'll need a lot more mounting depth, so it's going to stick out farther from the wheel well still. Unless you want to mod the rear panel and cut it and mess around with it, I think a twelve in a nice looking box is not going to stop any thief from being tempted.

I really think your best bet is this: bass waves are dependent on the amount of air moved. If you can't get the 12" cone, because it's too large, then get a 10 with more linear excursion, so that it can push the same amount of air. Either that, or go for two 8"s that can easily be placed in smaller boxes at both sides, that aren't so obvious. The cone area (pi * r^2) of a 12 is approx. 36pi; two eights will be 32pi total. There isn't much difference. As long as you get some really strong subs, I don't think you'll have any real complaints. Size isn't everything, at least for subs! Box volume and all that other physics stuff matters too.

I hope some of this helps!

 

[velcrofly]

Greathouse,
Do what you're planning on doing dispite what others are saying. Even w/ a 12, you can still hide it under the cargo cover, but yea of course it might be thick (I would think you would have already known that without someone else telling you). The angle of the speaker should go with the contour of the wheel well. When your done I would like pix!!

Thanx

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92EB
Some days you get to be the Statue,
Some days you get to be the Pigeon!!

 

[j greathouse]

JTANG thats what im talkin about!! that is just how I was imagineing it .. my amp amp is behind my rear panel where the cargo bin is.. so I just want to build a box over thw wheelwell for one tweleve do you know those guys who did that install I'd like them to build me one!! that would save me lots of time and s t r e s s ! ! !

 

[FordMan]

Here's a thought, I'll try to explain it as best as I can. Cover the wheel well with strips of masking tape, a couple layers thick. Then put some speaker box carpet over and form to the wheel well. The goop some fiberglass resin on the inside of the carpet and let it dry. You can pull it up off the wheel well, formed exactly and you can build the box off of it, and carpet the rest of the box. Looks clean, fits perfectly...very easy to do....and resin is cheap, so if you make a mistake just start over.....waaaalaaa, box over the wheelwell.
Hope this helps....

------------------
Vic W.
1997 XLT 4x4

 

[JTang]

Greathouse-
I don't think Jay Lopez did his own Explorer, but he's easy to talk to. You might give him an e-mail. As for Rich's Car Tunes, they never returned any e-mails when I asked them about the dual 8s in the doors, which woulda been awesome. I think those are made by a company, I forget who. Anyway, any good installer place should be able to make you the box you desire. I don't know how much it would run, though, but you'd probably have to really do some shopping until you feel comfortable, and it will probably be somewhere a little more expensive. If you live in Los Angeles, I could recommend some. Other than that, it would have to be you working with fiberglass, or making the box as best you could out of some thick material yourself. I don't think you could use the original material you were describing for desks, though, because it's not thick enough. You should at least go with half to three quarter inch MDF, so it will be heavy and thick. This will ensure that the box won't vibrate, so that maximum air movement is only coming from the cone, rather than being lost by the box movin' and shakin'.

 

[mtxexplorer]

go to... http://www.sounddomain.com/installation/search_details.cgi?id=2658&make_type_query=make=Ford&model_brand_query=model=Explorer&tree=Ford%20Explorer

it has a good custom box in the explorer