I want to add a 12" sub in my rear compartment. I saw some clean installs awhile back but I couldn't find them again when doing a search. Could someone give me some suggestions and post some pictures. I want to add a single 12, I don't think the stealthbox will cut it for me. I also want to add a set of tweeters. How much would it cost for a shop to build me a custom box for a single 12? Please give me some suggestions on what you would do. Thanks!
If you are fairly handy with tools and have the determination you could build the sub enclosure yourself. Head on down to Home Depot/Lowes..etc.. and grab some fiberglass resin and hardener. A couple of gallons of the resin should do and a small container of hardener. With it being summer the fiberglass should cook of fairly quickly. Grab some good paste wax, 100 mile an hour tape and a chunk of 3/4"MDF. You will use a bit for the doors if you are mounting component speakers. Two birds with one stone.
What you want to do is use your center compartment as a mold! Remove the carpeting and other items in the rear. Grab some soft blankets or whatever that you can destroy, if it happens :D . You want to protect the paint finish from the fiberglass work you are gonna do.
You want to use the paste on the center area with a couple of good coats of the wax and polish as if it were a car.. get the idea? Use the duct tape to tape over the pop rivets and put a bit of wax on the tape as well for good measure. I had the 12 disc changer in the compartment as well. Since this was there it just so happens that there are four bolts/fasteners in the compartment that will severely hamper the fiberglass removal. I took a couple of pieces of wood that was a little wider than the length of the bolts and drilled holes in the boards. I cut them to a length that would be just short of the top of the sub enclosure you are gonna make. Put the 100 mph tape on the boards and wax.
Once you have prep'd the area you can start with the fiberglass. Use a small amount of the hardener as in epoxy or bondo. Have a good pair of gloves as the stuff I used would burn a hole in your hand. :eek:
Apply with a paint brush and put a good coat in the mold and a little overlapping on the top. You can contain the top by taping it off if necessary. This will make the lip you will use to attach the top (with the sub in it) to the 3/4"MDF that you will use as the top.
After a couple of coats you can remove your project from the mold. This may be a bit difficult but if you waxed it well it will pop right out. If not grab some release agent and spray along the sides if you can or use compressed air.
Once you have it out you apply more fiberglass and a sheet or two of fleece or other material. I did a layer of fleece and a layer of corrugated cardboard. I used a few 1x4's inside as bracing. Place the braces at your discretion. Once you have a few layers of fiberglass and strengthening materials you can apply the sound deadener to the inside. Attach your top that is carpeted or use vinyl and then fill the box with fiberfill or suitable stuffing material. Attach the speaker as you would with any other enclosure and you should be good to go.
I am going to try another approach this weekend and use the compartment as the enclosure and build a top and seal it. I want to be able to offer alternatives to the fiberglass experience for those that do not want to do it. I plan on removing the carpet and stuff again... :sleep: and get some good sealer/caulk. I ripped me some mahogony strips that are approx. 1/2" thick by 1" wide. I am going to seal these to the rear area of the car. I have already made a second top with my sub in it. I have some latches that we use for generator enclosures that I am going to use to fasten the top to the wood. They are black and mount flush. Will be interesting to see how this comes out. OH well that is enough for now. There are many pictures though I think. I was negligent in not taking any. I do have a couple of the component mounting in the doors and how I did them if interested.
Later. Good luck. I would think that you can do it. I didn't want to pay anyone to be around my baby. I did the entire stereo install myself. Took 3 weeks off and on and long days on the weekend.
You can do it!!hehe :flag
Neglected to mention that I waxed it then thought of doing it another way. I used acetone to remove the wax the best I could from the mold and lined with the dynamat. Then placed plastic on the dynamat with double sided tape to keep the fiberglass attaching to the mat. It worked like a charm. I get to rattling and forget steps or changes I did... my bad.. :bs
You IM's me about this, but figured it doesn't hurt to make it a public response :).
I spoke with my install shop today and they said to build the enclosure that my sub is in will run around $350 without the sub or speaker grill. One thing to mention though...This is not a standalone enclosure that dropped in. They actually dynamatted the well and fibered the dynamat to seal it. Then they build in supports to actually hold the sub. This gave the maximum volume possible as there was virtually no loss because of box materials. Point is, they could not build it and ship it to you, they would need to construct it in the car.
$350.00 is crazy .......It costs abouts 20.00 for a sheet of 3/4" MDF... another couple of bucks for some tubes of Liquid Nails and some drywall screws. I can send you some plans for a single Kicker 12" L7 Square sub that will knock your socks off with the right power. :yesnod:
That would be great! Thanks for your help. I just don't want to be disappointed with the kick of my system. I would love to see the plans for the kicker.
Not at all when you're talking about a custom professional install. Yes, I could have done it myself for much cheaper, but it wouldn't have come out anywhere near as good.
Yes, it is a 13W7. While it sounded great, it was way to much weight and it was messing with the ride of the car. I went ahead and removed it and put the Kicker 12L7 back in.
Just sold my JL 12" PowerWedge sealed box sub on e-bay. I kept having plastic rivets in the ceiling pop out, plus, it just overwhelmed the rest of the system. Made everything a tad muddy sounding.
I replaced it with the 8" JL PowerWedge in the center rear compartment. Took out the center panel and bought a one of those "cover-all deck carpet pads" from Zip through the forum. I think it sounds much better. But, I listen to predominantly classical and orchestral music, some old time rock and roll, and new age. So, car shaking bass is not a priority for me.
The stealthbox sounds pretty damn good in my coupe. Hits hard when it needs, booms, and plays tight when needed. I like it! It is powered by a very clean Zapco amp.
Corvette Store
12" sub in C5
