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Subs in the rear hatch

Bronco_bill

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City, State
New Jersey
Year, Model & Trim Level
91 XLT,97 XLT
I am thinking of trying to to put two 8's in the rear hatch do a little sound proofing and wondered if anyone else has done this, how it sounds, and any ideas anyone else has. I already cut the box for the factory sub and replaced that with an 8", and the system sounds pretty good. Would also like to hear some ideas for upgradeing the factory amp to go nice with this setup. Most importantly I don't want to lose trunk space!

This is what I have now-
Denon 35 watt head unit
Factory JBL with 8" sub
Kenwood 10 disk
 



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I have 2 12s in the back of mine, I would definatley suggest that if you fire the subs at the hatch door, get sound deadening on the door, 8s might not be too bad about it, but my 12s are almost embarassing outside :p

ok, editting cos I saw something else, in order to upgrade too much, you need to ditch the factory amp, you'd get better quality from an aftermarket anyway.. someone makes something called a "Stealthbox" that fits where the factory 8 and amp is now.. I beleive its JLaudio but I'm not sure, yo ucould get a 10" sub that pounds rather nicely w/o losing a bit of rear space, IMO, this would be better than doing 8s anyway, I mean, 8s are good, but 10s have been called the "perfect size" for their range and volume. a 10w6 would do nice if you had to stick with JL, I imagine, however, that any 10" sub with the internal space req. that the box offers will work just fine.

[Edited by DarkFox1 on 12-03-2000 at 08:53 AM]
 






I already have 2 10"s in a box in the back, but I was thinking of putting some 6x9s in the rear hatch. Someone a few days ago said they'd done that and that it worked well, especially at tailgate parties. For now, I'd put 2 6x9s in the door, with a quickdisconnect leading to them. That way, I could unhook my amp from my subs and plug it into the 6x9s for when I need them. I can always get another amp later. There isn't much reason to run the subs when the truck isn't on, anyway, the other speakers have enough bass without the engine noise. The only thing I'm worried about is water. Water does get into the hatch sometimes (why it has drain holes in the bottom), so I'd need to weather-proof the speakers. I'd also need to Dynomat the door. Overall, it'll probably be about $120 and about 3 hours' work.

This doesn't really help you much, just bouncing my idea...
 






any one have pics of there hatch set-up with subs?
 






here ya go

19861_18_full.jpg
 






Is that a custom box cause it looks like it fits perfectly!!
 






yea, its custom, I made it,then had the audio shop carpet it, the carpet colors a bit off, but its not really a problem. This bos can be sort of a problem sometimes.. its really large, but, theres still enough room for someone to sit in the back, so, for most trips its not so bad.
 






you need to read!

he wants to know if anyone has subs in the back hatch....NOT CARGO AREA. In the door itself. You know, cut holes in the rear hatch, insert speakers, sound proof hatch.....has anyone done this?
 






I thought that's what he wanted to do. The problem with that would be finding a woofer that could fit into such a small space. There isn't a lot of room between the trim panel and the hatch. You could drill holes for the woofers but that's alot of work and I don't know if you want to cut big holes in your explorer.

The other problem is that is not an air tight enclousure. You would need to use free-air woofers which usually aren't the greatest. They can't handle too much power. It's a good idea, and anything is possible but I would make sure you totally are commited to doing it before you start cutting.

If you are concerned about space I would go with one of the stealthbox type enclousures. MTX, Q-Logic, JL, and others make enclousures to fit in the stock sub/cargo net area.

Steve
 






Originally posted by PUR PONY
any one have pics of there hatch set-up with subs?

I consider the "hatch" the entire back area, I call the are hes talking about the "hatch door" its not that I do not read, it was a misunderstanding.
 






DarkFox1, what did you do with your factory sub? Did you remove all the components for it and put in your 12's? Because I want some 12's but I dont know what to do with the factory sub box.
 






the factory sub and amp are still in there, they just aren't wired up, I bypassed the amp all together with a new HU, power antenna, a little speaker re-wiring, and standard RCAs for an external amp for the subs

I decided to leave the stuff in cos I'd like to sell it stock if/when I do
 






If you DO happen to go with putting something in the tailgate, and are worried about water, then you should take a look at those XTC foam baffles that everyone sells, such as Crutchfield, Parts Express, and others sell. I hear they work very well, and do not break up the sound at all.

Jon
 






Okay, to those in doubt...I'm runnin well over a thousand watts and I've got 2 12's in the rear...Over my x-mas break, I'll get pics goin of it, but I did the install all myself and it's all custom....Once ya get to a point most everything rattles....My back gate isnt bad, 2 dynamat layers and a layer of cardboard(it really works)...with all this, there are few rattles from the rear hatch....the sides only have one layer and the floor does too....I wanna get the ceiling done and that is the major problem....I can watch my roof and sides flex on bass beats....So our trucks can be sound deadened! As for 2 8's...skip that now...Most likely, you won't be satisified...get a nice amp and a nice 10 and you'll be happy
Pete
 






rear subs

I havent had the cover off the gate since I replaced the wiper motor, but by looking at the depth I think I'm going to try two 10's. Guess I have to spring for a good amp. Anyone know what the amp looking thing between the amp and the sub is for in the factory JBL and if it's worth using with my new setup? Looks to me like it may be a low freq filter for the sub? Also what's the power output for the factory amp.
 






ive never thought of rigging the tail gate with subs but that sounds like a really cool idea. if your good with fiberglass you could probably get two 12 in there(the gate would be "thicker" but you could make it look good). your going to have to find a way to upgrade those things that hold the tailgate up so they can support the extra wheight of the speakers. all the power to ya man! post picks of the install and let us know how it goes.
 






I suggest you mount the subs to a piece of MDF which would be mounted to the metal hatch. If you tried to mount the subs to the trim panel I'm sure it would crack, rattle, and break. Also cover the entire rear hatch (ie metal and trim panel) with Dynamat. Other wise its gonna sound awful. Remember the rear hatch wasn't made to hold subs.
 






yea, get some free air subs.. that way the face plate will be sufficient for the bass, you won't need a box
 






Just remember with free air subs, a free air sub is usually just a regular sub that can be used with out a box. On the box it may have a power handling rating. This rating is 9 times out of 10 for sealed enclousures. Free air woofers can't handle as much power with out a box as they can with a box. I just don't want you to do this install and hook up a 400 watt amp to some subs when they can only handle 250 in free air.

Steve
 



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Bronco_Bill -

The amp looking thing between your amp and your factory sub is another amp, for the sub specifically.

If you're going to try two tens, I'd recommend something light, like any sub with no more than 30 - 50 oz magnets. Maybe a little more, but if you start wanting to get really bass heavy the subs will get insanely heavy. It'll make the rear door difficult to open, and may make it so heavy that if the rear was open, that you'd have to worry about the panel getting damaged.

Also think about the depth of your subs. If you can't find any too shallow, then you'll have to look at making some spacers.

For this type of thing, I'd recommend a deluge of products to help make the hatch more like a box. Dynamat (or another suitable) to toughen up the panel, Polyfill to make the volume seem larger, and Deflex Power Pads for helping to break up the backwaves in such a small space.

I think something like a JL W0, W1 or IB series might be wiser for your application. Light, but nice.

Jon
 






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