subwoofer instalation

[PeterCorreale]

hello everyone, i need some tips on the instalation of a subwoofer im planning on doing. the way i want to do it is like this, go to this link and look at the picture of the sub in the trunk http://www.autotrader.com/findacar/images.jtmpl?car_id=153460257&dealer_id=&cardist=0&&make=HONDA&address=53546&search_type=used&model=&max_price=&min_price=&start_year=1984&end_year=1994&car_year=1994&distance=25&advcd_on=n&advanced=n&color=&#main

i was wondering wut i should do? i was thinking of replacing the removable trunk floor with a wooden one with sub in it then just re-rugging it. Is there another material that would be better then wood. anything special i need to do? and would i still be able to have the spare tire in the trunk. If anyone has done something like this before, some tips would be great.

[AccordTunr333]

Not really, plywood, although somewhat heavy, is most likely going to give you the best results. As you probably know you have to take your spare tire completely out to do this type of install, but other than that the only advice i would give is to somehow brace the plywood once you get it all cut out, cause there's no spare to provide support like before. I made my own trunk cover like that. Knocked it out in a day, just trace te old one onto a sheet of plywood, cut, and sand, then carpet to your hearts content.

-Garrett

[matts]

i had my subs like that for a while, and hated it. i was always worrying about getting a flat, or stuff lying ontop of my subs. it'll work, but i wouldn't suggest it.

[AccordTunr333]

Yeah, not my personal preferance (i'd just setup 2 10's in a normal, rear facing box) but it really depends on if your after look or what type of sound you're interested in.


-Garrett

[PeterCorreale]

how did it sound when u installed the sub in the new floor?

[matts]

i had 2 12" in the floor, and honestly it sounded kinda bad. it really vibrated the trunk lid a lot.

after i got rid of that i made a box that went in the standard place, right behind the rear seat, and it sounded great. the 2 12" fit almost perfectly in the spot where the seat folds down. it did take up a lot of trunk space, but i had to ditch it when i got my rear strut bar. now i have them on the sides of the trunk, just outside the widest spot on the floorboard facing each other. it was a pain to get the panels to stop vibrating, but i used that expandable foam stuff, and it worked out ok. also, pep boys has a grey carpet that is fairly close to that of our trunks. i found that using a heavy duty staple gun was the best way to attatch it.

[PeterCorreale]

How did u run the wires with the sub mounted in the trunk floor, anything special?

[matts]

nope, nothin special. the amp was mounted on the floor too, and the amp has a thing that covers all the wires, so i just cut a hole, and ran 'em through. a cool thing to do might be to flush mount the amp in the floor, rather than have it stick up.

[PeterCorreale]

yea, im thinking a false floor for the amp with a plexiglass cover. im also thinking of somehow mounting the spare tire the the trunk lid. or something along those lines. i definetly want to keep the spare on my car, thats a must.

[matts]

yea, i tried, but i couldn't figure anything good out. it was easier just to build another box.

[PeterCorreale]

u tried to mount the spare on the trunk?

[matts]

yea, the best place i found for it was hung from the top of the trunk, but not on the lid. it really didn't fit that well, and i think it would be too heavy, and after some good bumps in the road it would begin to pull on the frame of the trunk, since it isn't really designed to take that kind of weight.
again, i'd strongly recommend you not to put subs in the floor board, unless it's a show car, and you don't need the spare.

[96cordlx]

Yeah I agrre with matts you really don't realize how important the spare is until your stuck on the side of the interstate at 2:00AM walking 5 miles to the nearest gas station.

[OOAccordVTECOO]

ya keep ur spare and just build a good box and put it behind ur seat, for best results put it as close to the back as possible facing the trunk

[PeterCorreale]

yea, thats wut i decided im gonna do, im just gonna build a nice box.

[takezo]

Wanna save some space? Buy Free-Air subwoofer. Put a piece of board between backseat and trunk. You can mount subs and even the amp there...

[PeterCorreale]

wuts a free air space subwoofer?

[matts]

it's kinda misleading, but its a woofer that uses a huge box size (your trunk) you'll still need to seal the front of the woofer from the back.

[AccordTunr333]

Oh man. I had a revelation a little while ago regarding th inside of my car and i realized that i'd much rather have a car that was a joy to be in than an all out race car. I'm still building the h22a to a high HP level, but i've decided to Dynamat the whole interior to the car even though it is really heavy.

About the sub box though, i'm actually gonna draw up some plans for a box seating 3 eclipse 10" subs, but built around the rear strut tower brace and molded to fit pretty much perfectly into the trunk. I'm about half way done with the Dynamat and partly finished with the sub box, but when i finish i will definetly be posting some pics so be on the lookout ya'll.

-Garrett

[takezo]

wuts a free air space subwoofer?

They don't need box. So like matts said, U can use your trunk as your box. This kinda sub save more space. U can put the sub on the rear deck too (if they're not too big) instead put on the board between backseat and the trunk like I said before...

[matts]

you could put any sub on the rear deck, i don't think 12s would fit, 10's definaly would. you'd just have to build an enclosure that sat down into the trunk. i think this would look/sound really good. you could also just turn the 6x9's sideways, and keep them on the deck too.

[PeterCorreale]

i made a pretty sick sealed enclosure today for my sub. i dont want to carpet it, but i want to cover it with somethin. anyone got any ideas? i was thinking of somekind of plastic or fiberglass or something. the box is made out of mdf.

[matts]

fiberglass is pretty easy to work with, but it's kinda expensive. you'd just paint it anyway, so just sand it down real good, then put many coats of paint over it. then some layers of clear coat.

[PeterCorreale]

could u explain how the fiberglass thing works, i want to try it. thanks

[matts]

first you make a mold. in this case you'd just use the wooden box. if you were using a mold you would want to seal it, using a few coats of paint, and then some car wax or something. you'd also need to cover it with a release agent. i guess if you wanted to just cover the box in glass, you would not want to seal it, then the epoxy would sink into the wood, and bond it together. you can get a package of fiberglass at a boat store, thats the only place i've seen it, and you'll need a 2 part epoxy system. get the type that you measure by how many pumps of the bottle you pump out, it's much easier. you'll need a fairly large table, that you don't mind ruining, and a epoxy squeegy, or just a flat plastic edge.
lay out your fiberglass, and plan how you will lay it. wrap all of your corners, and vary your layer angle. lay the first layer, then the second 45 degrees from that one. this is much less important if your laying over wood, but it'll give it much more strength. you'll probably want 2 layers over the wood. never crease the fabric. you'll need a few extra hands, and definatly rubber gloves.
on the table, pour out the mixed epoxy onto the fabric, and spread the epoxy to cover ALL of the fabric. after it's all covered squeegy the excess epoxy off the fabric. now take the fiberglass off the table, and put it over your mold. make sure it all lays flat, there are no air bubbles. lay the next layer before the first one drys. after your done laying, let it cure overnight. sand and paint.