i searched on here and couldnt find any pics or info for building a box on the ledge, i cant put it in the storage area b/c of my nitrous bottle. i have 2 12" alpine type E's and a 800 watt maxx kenwood amp. my question about building a box for this is should i use 1/2" ply? also a friend suggested that i completly frame it out then cover it with ply , is this nessecary (sp)??i dont want to add all of that weight in the car , lighter the better. the space up there is 18x30 and the height i want to use is 10"high in the back and 7" high in the front. any suggestions or help would be much appreciated. thanks

 

1/2"plywood is too flimsy for a subwoofer enclosure. 3/4" MDF (Medium Density Fiberboard) is the preferred material for building quality speaker boxes.

 

My first recommendation would be to not use plywood. You should definately use mdf. Plywood boxes sound awful--unless you use birch. And no need to build a frame. Just cut the panels and put them together. I'd suggest a center divider and that will be enough bracing for those subs and power level. The weight is something you're going to have to tolerate. If you want some tips on reducing the weight, let me know.

Second, I'm not sure where your measurements came from, but that space is a lot wider than 30" More like 39-1/2 to 40". Also, if your box is 10" high in the back, it's going to be very close to hitting the glass or blocking your view in the very least.

What I normally do is make the front about seat level and slant it down to about 5 or 6" toward the back. Those subs aren't very deep so that combination would work out well. Plus it would orient your subs so they reflect off the back glass and that will give you a little gain over trying to angle them forward right behind the seats. Hope that helps.

 

i built a box there for two 10s. i used 1/2" mdf (lighter than 3/4" obviously, just another option). i know i had the right airspace, but with the shape the box had to be to get the airspace into that space, the speakers did not sound good at all. i ended up ripping them out after about 2 weeks (i was extremely happy when i had them in the trunk area of my old car, but hated them in the new place) and replacing them with a solobaric L7 in the trunk area. it might have just been me, but its something to think about.

 

thanks for all the quick responses guys,
first where can you buy mdf? would menards have it?

megabass i ment 2 say 40" for the length, i had 39 written down but messed up #'s in my head sorry! for the center divider wouldnt putting a sheet of mdf in the middle disrupt airflow? could i cut holes in it? i dont as much about speakers as a do motors, so bear with me!, when i gave the measurements for the slope i should have said when you are looking at the subs from the rear of the car the furthest away would be 10" coming down to 6 or 7" , i have it that big so i can get clearance with my subs (due to magnet travel ) please correct me if im wrong. do u think i should consider porting it ?also n e tips you have on keeping weight down would be great!

raceguy333, i know the trunk area is perfect! a buddy of mine has an L7 setup in his 95Z and it pounds!, but i dont want to mount my nitrous on the ledge or even on the backseat hump, b/c if you get pulled over you can get in a lot of trouble aroud where i live, and i cant put it in my spare tire well b/c its a 15lb bottle.

thanks again guys all the help is appreciated

 

You don't have enough air space in that spot for porting. And it's okay to have each sub playing in a separate chamber. So long as the chambers are the same size. I agree that you could skimp and use 1/2" mdf. However, if the only method you have for fastening is screws, then that's not going to work. You need pneumatic fasteners like brads or crown staples (besides the glue of course) when working with 1/2". What you could do is use a combination. Use 3/4" for some parts of the box like the dividers and baffle. That way your screws will grab when they go in the edges. Then you could use 1/2" for other parts (like the bottom for example). But you'd have to buy a sheet of both.

 

when you say use 3/4 for dividers and baffles , do you mean just for the "center divider" or is there more? for the bottom i want to use 1/2 , could i use that for the top as well? then 3/4 on the sides , what about the front and the back? can i get away with 1/2"? if it will be stronger to use the 3/4 i would rather do i right the first time. also you were talking about brads and crown staples? brads are the lil nails you put in a electric or air powered stapler right? again thanks for all the help

 

First off, have you seen the Milhouse box? That should still allow the storage of your nitrous bottle. Subthump also makes both driver and passenger side stealth boxes....yet another option for ya. But if you still wanna build a box for the ledge, I'd just use 1/2" Hardwood Birch. You can find it at any Lumber yard. Home Depot, Lowes, where ever. It's just as strong as MDF, but about half the weight. I used it on the box I'm making and I'm VERY happy with it. I'm sure 1/2" will be thick enough for a pair of Type E's with a divider. Yes, divide the box exactly in half.

 

could also build a box to go in the trunk area on top of the bottle. there is that nice little ledge around it that could be used for supports. this would help to hide the bottle even further, but require lifting the speakers out to refill (and way cheaper than a millhouse)... i like the millhouse idea, but it costs as much as some speakers

 

It can be done no problem especially with 18x30. to make it simple for you:

* (2) 12x24 3/4 MDF sheets --Home depot, $5 a sheet!!!!
* 2 Inch wood screws --Home depot, few bucks
* Liquid Nail--home depot, $5-9 bucks depending on what kind (buy the plain liquid nail)
* Table saw or jigsaw
* 10" sub templates (found in the box when you buy them or go to the local stereo shop and ask someone)


*Start with your bottom piece first (18x30),
*cut the next piece which should be the one facing the rear of the backseat (should be 30 x 10)
* make two pieces that are at the desired angle, to connect the back and bottom pieces
*Finally the top piece, if done right it should be at about a 40-45 degree angle, this too should be around a 18x31 or 32
-----------you'll also need to make a third copy piece of the sides so you can divide the box down the middle---------

Hope it helps, I'm doing this from the top of my head, I could go build one real quick and tell you the actual dimensions if you want. Let me know how it comes out. It wont beat like a well box but it should sound descent with upgraded OEM mids and some nice amps.

 

alright , today i got the z out, and put the subs( 2 10" jl's in truck boxes) in with my 800watt kenwood 2 channel amp. and i put one of subs in the well area and it sounds so much better so i want to build a box that hangs over the ledge for sure now. But i need to keep my n20 bottle in that area as well , i almost want to build a millhouse box but for 12's not 10's any help would be appreciated.
stang killa1 is this the type of box you were talking about?

thanks

 

i was measuring my possibilities and it seemed like my "custom dual 12"s millhouse knock off idea wont work. b/c i wouldnt have enough clearence for magnet travel and to have my 7" dia , 15lb n20 tank in the well area as well. i was looking on subthump.com and seen http://www.subthump.com/acamarostealth.htm

the pass. side stealth box but i cant justify spending that much on wood and carpet . has n e one built one themselves? also can i do a 12" stealth box on my driver side as well? ANY HELP would be appreciated, i have my ( 2 10" jl's in truck boxes) in with my 800watt kenwood 2 channel amp. and the magnets hit the box and make this horrendous noise. thanks again

 

alright i just emailed megabass this so tell me what you guys think. I know what your sayin about how the well enclosure sounds the best. what if i got rid of my 2 12" type E's , got a 10" stealh box from you and put a 10" type R in it? connected to a 2 channel 800watt kenwood amp? would that pound pretty good? i was looking a the type r's on crutchfield.com and i came across 2 . one thats 4 ohms and one thats 2 ohms. i dont have a good handle on speakers yet , so could you tell me which one would be better for my application? do 4 ohms sound louder but more distorted, and 2 ohms quieter but clearer???

thanks again

 

A subwoofers impedance has nothing to do with how it will sound. It just determines the load put on the amp. Since you will be using a two channel amp....I assume you are going to bridge it? And the rule of thumb is a 4 ohm min load for an amp running in bridged mode. So there you have it. You need a subwoofer with DUAL 2 ohm voice coils or a SINGLE 4 ohm coil.

 

i just had another member tell me the exact thing, thanks for the help!, i noticed in your sig, you have some thing bout a high output alternator? can you give me some more info on that? thanks