Like the topic says ...

I have a single 10" and I'm at a loss for a good place to put it. I don't really like the box idea because it chops up the cargo area. Only other idea I can come up with is to build a box that covers the whole cargo area. I'll lose about 6" of height there but I could put some trap doors in for storage.
If anyone has better ideas I'd love to hear them. Thanks! :cheers:

 

look up my post in c4 tech, it should be in archives or im me if you can't find it. i have a complete walk through wrote up for what your asking

 

GTS I think I read that and I really liked your idea, but how do you handle the airspace issue? I measured the area and it was way short of the .7 cf that I need. Also what is the best way to remove the storage compartment door?
Did you notice any loss by "swiss cheesing" the cover? How do you think an elongated port cut beside the speaker would work?
Thanks!
:cheers:

 

put some aura bass shakers under your seats:p:

 

you just unbolt the entire cover bin from the car, as far as a loss from swiss cheesing? hmm, what even made you think of that? if anything there are gains from the sub not firing into solid wood.

box considerations, in home audio or a real high end system this stuff matters but lets face it. this is car audio, a cosmetically pleasing install is much easier to live with than a big box. another thing to consider is what the sub is actually doing the the box space you give it. sometimes a larger box will bring up the bottom end so much it drowns out the highs your using. the other thing is...what else can you do? the c4 is a fairly small car interior wise. doing the base board across the rear end & making a cover like my article suggests is just a painless way to add your system. it also makes amp mounting easy & out of the way. it would have been nice to build a real box but there's just no room for it. pick a good sub and run some hardcore power to it & you'll probably be very happy. a lot of guys like the IDQ, JL w3 or 6, eclipse aluminum, rockford he2's and many others. you can get the fosgate he2's new off ebay for under $100 ! the old series JL w6 is also on blowout for $140 or so new. the eclipse aluminums are $300 new but sell on ebay for half that in good used condition, sometimes just a few bucks more new.

 

gts you da man! :cheers: I think I'm gonna take your idea, modify it a bit and run with it.
Here's what I've worked up so far ... I'm going to lay a board in the cargo floor with a cut out for the storage bin and the ABS hole on the other side.
I will build an "L" shaped box that has the correct airspace (I'm **** like that) mount my 10" and drop it in the hole. There will be cleats on the sides to get the correct depth in the hole. I'll mount my amp and XM receiver on the board like you did and then make a "bottomless box" like you did to cover the whole cargo area. Instead of swiss cheesing it I'm going to cut a hole over the sub and mount a flush grill. I'm going to take it a little further and cut 2 access doors in the cover near the back of the cargo area so that I can stow and access my jack that I'll have to remove from the storage bin and I figured it would also be a great place to hide my Cal duster, glass cleaner, towels etc.

The bottom line is I'll gain some storage area, hide my amp, XM reciever, have a 10" sub mounted and all it will cost me is about 4" of vertical height in the cargo area. A great deal imo! :yesnod: :yesnod: :yesnod:

If you or anyone else has an idea to improve on mine I'm all ears!

As for wondering about your swiss cheesing I just thought that if you carpeted over the holes you might lose some air movement.

gts, thanks again for the great idea in the first place! :chevy

 

toss the jack and spare tire, buy a z06 repair kit for your tires. it's basically slime and a inflate cartrage.

your going to have fun with the box, i mean it could be done but your probably going to increase overall height doing it. i also wouldn't be thinking about a ported box, you need more space, there's much less fudge room and you wind up with insane port lengths when you run it through leap. you can put any sub in any size box you want. how it performs is another question :lol: sealed boxes are really idiot proof, if it's smaller or larger there's no big noticable difference. take some pics along the way when you do your project and post em for us :lurk:

 

gts check back in a week or 2 for pics :cheers:

 

Update!

I measured the storage cubby again and I think if I remove the jack I'll have the room I need. I think if I cut an access hole on the pass side similar to the driver's side I can build a box approx 8 1/2x 8 1/2 x 14" and that will give me the .6 cf I need. I can then just drop the box right in the cubby.
Pics and more to come

 

work the box :auto: i'm curious to see how it all goes

 

i have not installed a stereo in an 84, but if its under the carpets as the later years than this might be a good idea. under the rear speaker covers is actually a sealed compartment meant for the bose system. i am getting ready to start an install in a 90 w/ 2 12" subs that will take up bairily any cargo floor area. so your 10" will require even less space. you need to flip the sub upside down at a 45 degree angle. it is unconventional but you actually will get better responce out of the speaker because you are not trying to push the cone up, you are now pushing it down. there is definately a noticeable difference in spl. this enclosure will have to be sealed air tight, so tight you can't move the cone by hand in the enclosure. keep in mind clearances of a removable top and cargo cover. fit the speaker as tight as possible in the rear corner w/ magnet facing up. build an enclosure that seals to the existing sealed area in the body. i'm not sure if i'm making sence in my desciptions , but if you need more info e-mail me. what you will end up with is a very small visible enclosure where no one can tell there is a speaker in it because the cone faces down. you should only need to use a few sq" of your cargo floor area and still have all the storage space in your rear compartments :thumbs: :cheers:

 

You're right, it is louder, but that's not why. If you hold a board over the top of the sub, it gets louder too. If you up-fire the sub, and put the solid top OVER it, you gain 3db in sound. I believe this is called "loading"

You can get the same effect by firing it backwards, into the vehicle wall, etc.
:cheers:

I'm not sure how you'd accomplish that... Simply making it air tight doesnt keep the cone from moving. You push the cone, it compresses the air behind it. (hence, air suspension).

You'd have to run compressed air in your sub box to keep someone from actually pushing the cone in. So keep that in mind when telling someone that, or someone might take what you mean literally and drive themselves insane trying to "seal it up" and keep it from moving.


Wicked looking ride you have there, by the way!



[Modified by Nevermind, 11:27 AM 1/12/2003]

 

Nevermind I don't know if you saw gtsyellow's idea, but that's what I'm going to go with. So you think that if I build a 3" high box to cover the amp and sub I really don't need to "swiss cheese" the area over the sub or make a cut out over the sub? You think it will sound better if I don't do these things? I know cosmetically I'd sure like it better :cheers:

 

yes you are right. some one might take it litterally. in hoping that it would help someone in underatanding the importance of a sealed box being sealed 100%, maybe that would help them in the design and structure of there box. but also depending on the volume of the box and the suspension stiffness, also the rigididy of the box,you can seal it good enough so that it would take a serious amount of pressure to move the cone. but it takes gasketing the speaker and everything to accomplish. i have also fired speakers upside down in both configurations, with an angled board in front of speakers and not having anything in front of them with db gains both ways. you are right, putting an angled board in front adds more but i'm not sure what that would do for your frequency responce. i think you start to tune it like a port when you start to load it. most all of this is for the serious audioplile that is very picky about there sound quality and performance. thanks for keeping me on my toes though. a good speaker in a sealed enclosure with alot of watts can generate ALOT of pressure inside the box, so the stronger the enclosure the clearer your sound will be. ther is obviuosly alot more to it than putting in a speaker and hooking up wires, but i try to just touch the surface to get a point across and not ramble on. if someone doesn't understand something feel free to ask and i can go into further detail. i used to compete in stereo sound offs for a few years and picked up alot of info. sometimes all the technical stuff sucks, most of the time i just want to CRANK IT UP AND RIDE!!! :cheers:

 

You're absolutely right on the strength of the box... I bought a cheapie particle board box for my IDQ10 as a "temporary"... and that sucker flexed like crazy... Made the sub sound... weird. You could actually feel the box flex.. and this is with a SQ sub. I'd hate to see what would happen to that box if say, an e10k, was in it. :eek:
:cheers:

 

cosmetically you can't tell the difference. the swiss cheese is only in the wood. the carpet is not cut up so it looks flush. look close at my old post, you can't see any of the holes.

 

Kyle you keep trying to make me a cheese head :lol:

I understand your whole idea, my only concern would be the carpet muffling the sound a bit .. maybe with a sub that's a non issue :confused:
How big were the holes you drilled and did you only drill them right over the speaker?

I bought my 1/2 mdf today and have it mostly cut and ready to go. Also I just put on muffler elims and although they aren't real loud I'm hoping the mdf in the cargo area might quiet things just a bit. :cool:

 

the carpet is thin, it's a non issue with the sub, i used a 3/4" wood bit right over the sub in a 12"x12" square. make the distance just slightly closer than my weenie winders eyes below :jester


[Modified by gtsyellow, 11:05 PM 1/13/2003]