Custom box REPLACE FACTORY location

[wetvette92]

Great job! I have been wanting to do this for awhile, glad to know it can be done! I have two 12's now and they just take up to much room and really put out more bass than I need. Thanks for the write up, it gives me motivation.

I'm also with ya on the MTX box, MDF is cheap and so is my time!

 

[jdpber]

Wetvette --- it actually has right at a cubic foot the way i built the box.. takes a bit more time than the standard boxes i build for people. but i knew how i wanted my truck... Quality Sound and Functionality... it produces great sound no poly fill was needed at all..

Advice take your time and think threw the layout and make cardboard templets so you dont waist wood.. thats how i always make my boxes.. measure twice cut once...

 

[puckhead]

Looking good bud!

 

[primetime1267]

Any updates?? I like the build, I'm about ready to start on some plans for my Yukon XL.

Wouldn't fiberglass have been quicker and easier getting the arch formed?

 

[BillBlatt18]

is that hu the one with or without nav?

 

[jdpber]

05nali - it does not have navi i opted out bc that navi unit you cannot bypass the grounding ebrake for in motion music videos.. and i have a garmin hard wired top left a-pilar that works perfect.

finally got around to finishing up the box and final instalation tonight.. here it is.. it weighs in at about 35lbs 148 screws and a tube and a half of liquid nails.. it is a very dense box.. the amp is turned down and it rattles multiple interior pannels that will be addressed this weekend. the box is bolted to the body so it does not move.. the rear lift gate glass needed extra thick weather stripping so it would not rattle.. sounds good for a speaker still getting broken in..

the milling out of the grill is almost done,, it is very time consuming.. no room for mistakes..

 

[01TX_Tahoe]

o wow! your cutting out each one of those lil holes in the stock grille??? talk about patience... good job on the box! very similar to what i had in mind except i wanted 2 8"s but i might just go with one. the jl i have now sounds really good for its size.

 

[gdddup]

nice work

 

[Nebraska1]

I literally just tried doing this box TWICE in the past 2 weeks and failed both times...i wasnt using a shallow mount sub but was trying to make a regular 10" MTX fit in that xact spot . Im going to print out your pictures of this install if you dont mind and also i have a question.....when cutting to follow the curve of the wheel well , how did you curve the wood to follow that shape or did you use like a full sheet of mdf and cut each piece using a jig saw ? Any info would help as i GOTTA do this install , im sick and tired of people busting out my windows to steal a stereo then i end up paying for the glass and another stereo ontop of that ! Thanks man and keep up the stealer work ....looks awesome

 

[Physh1]

Do you have a GM part number for the under hood bottle jack bracket?

Cameron

 

[jdpber]

Physh1 - the bottle jack holder is the one that came with the truck that was originally located in the rear storage panel where my sub is now.. it was relocated to allow for larger airspace box..

Nebraska1 - ok i will try ans explain this as simply as possible.. 1/2 sheet of 3/4 MDF so 4x4 sheet.. i made the entire box from that.. the tire well radios was made with 7 individual arches. each cut different. when these were sandwiched in-between the front face and back it was a total of 9 MDF boards thick, so make the side walls this thickness.. now for the gas fill neck deal. i literally beat the crap out of it with a rubber mallot to gain anadditional inch or so of depth. cut the jack bolts. and all so it would fit... look at the beginning pictures.. the radiouses i made one at a time so that each was fit to the curve.. then i used a mallot and chissle to smooth the radious.. and a jig saw was the tool of choice.. i used a 1/4 smooth cut mdf blade.. $3 homedepot.. took my time to maximixe the space..

the reason i went with a shallow mount was the limited space of this area.. and i could have a greater airspace.. no it does not have a huge magnet and massive basket like other deep hitters. you have to remember the airspace loss that you have with huge deep baskets and massive magnets.. so i went with a shallow.. and i achieved a final airspace right at 1 cubic foot.. the optimal airspace rating for my sub.. the box also have interor walls for tuning and sound wave ditribution purposed.. that eliminate the need for filler.. and clean up the sound..

the sub still is not fully broken in.. but i played the new Lil Wayne single this weeknd and on about 20 volume. amp at 1/4 of the 770 mono, and sub at -1 boost on the Headunit, the rear glass flexes, change jumps off the dash... she is damn loud for a hidden 10" sounds just as good if not BETTER than the 2 500 watt 12s i had before.. and take up no space.. couple friends that didnt know of my sterio were blown away and thought the bass was comming from a diffrent car or looked under the middle seat and rear and asked how can this be?

i am very happy with outcome.. i will post more pics after this meeting

 

[MOBmentality]

When i was talking about the 8 i was wondering about like a full size high rms 8 not a shallow mount sub, im just super interested in how the specs came out and didnt know if it still demanded a shallow mount of not.

 

[jdpber]

MOB - ok so the depth would not allow for the driver depth of the 10 i wanted.. because you have to remember there is a huge freaking gas filled deal in the way.. if you were to off set the 8" to the right to the middle of the top plate i think you would have little over 5" before the magnet would hit the back.. a 10 could have gone there BUT i wanted the cone to line up with the factory grill. if you take a look back there you will understand the dimention issues to get this size box behind the pannel...

GM F'ed up and should have put rear AC on drivers side and the sub on passengers side for more room.. also so the rear passenger side window could be larger and make a smaller blind spot.. who looks over there left sholder and out the rear window that crazy for that the be the larger of the two..


but there is such limited space driver depth is a huge variable.. if you use glass you could gain 1/2" but then again glass costs more and can sound hollow and resonate if not designed properly. and sometimes poly fill is the only option to solve this.. but for a shallow mount this speaker sounds amazing and is very impressive.

 

[MOBmentality]

MOB - ok so the depth would not allow for the driver depth of the 10 i wanted.. because you have to remember there is a huge freaking gas filled deal in the way.. if you were to off set the 8" to the right to the middle of the top plate i think you would have little over 5" before the magnet would hit the back.. a 10 could have gone there BUT i wanted the cone to line up with the factory grill. if you take a look back there you will understand the dimention issues to get this size box behind the pannel...

GM F'ed up and should have put rear AC on drivers side and the sub on passengers side for more room.. also so the rear passenger side window could be larger and make a smaller blind spot.. who looks over there left sholder and out the rear window that crazy for that the be the larger of the two..


but there is such limited space driver depth is a huge variable.. if you use glass you could gain 1/2" but then again glass costs more and can sound hollow and resonate if not designed properly. and sometimes poly fill is the only option to solve this.. but for a shallow mount this speaker sounds amazing and is very impressive.

Ahhhh i have never cut one open so i dindt know how the filler etc lined up with it.. i was just thinking it was a diameter issue in which i was thinking an 8 would sound more full and have the range and power a SMS doesnt.. but then like you said at 5 inches.. youre still limited on selection to a less than top of the line 8.. i was thinking an 8w7 or an Excruci8 in there would be ****. But is obviously not possible.

Was def not taking away from your 10 build and think its about the sickest covert way to go (without modding sheet metal). Just not an SMS fan and was wondering why you chose the SMS over a full throw sub.

 

[jdpber]

Yea the depth was the issue and i could not use the speaker i wanted.. so i put it in my bazooka tube and in the boat.. lol and grabbed a 10" from buddy at that owns sterio shop.. i love not paying for things. just walk in and say "hay i need this" and order this please.. and spools of any gauge wire are very convenient to help cut costs....

but the 10" ended up beeing the best solution... was going to throw in a SMS 12" but i didnt like the air space numbers.. you need to listen to a proper setup SMS 10-12 and you will have new respect for the size... this is a 800watt 4 ohm speaker so it can deliver nicely

 

[dirty runner]

awesome job! i want to build a box just like that

 

[J-dub]

Looks good!

I could suggest that the Polk Audio db1040 would be a good subs for that amount of air space. I installed one in a .75 cubed box in a single cab Dodge Ram and it sounds super clean. Not crazy loud, but the SQ is spot on. I could try to pick up a video sometime when they guy I installed for is free..

 

[MOBmentality]

Yea the depth was the issue and i could not use the speaker i wanted.. so i put it in my bazooka tube and in the boat.. lol and grabbed a 10" from buddy at that owns sterio shop.. i love not paying for things. just walk in and say "hay i need this" and order this please.. and spools of any gauge wire are very convenient to help cut costs....

but the 10" ended up beeing the best solution... was going to throw in a SMS 12" but i didnt like the air space numbers.. you need to listen to a proper setup SMS 10-12 and you will have new respect for the size... this is a 800watt 4 ohm speaker so it can deliver nicely

I have definitely heard proper sms setups... from underseat stuff in bmws to behind seat stuff in regular cabs.. all like.. sema spec stuff.. but i just dont like the curve on them.. they can be tuned to hit a very specific note but i feel like musically it sounds like.. a recording of bass.. as opposed to free spl/sq.. when they get out of that range.. that being said.. i agree the one you used seems to be the best one i have heard.. i wanted to try the mb quart one.. but it was always on back order.. the company i go through developed a ported 6x9 setup instead of an sms sub and it sounds neat and has range for days but HAS to be ported to filter out the weird wave that 6x9s produce.. but at 3 inches deep it was a neat way to go about trying to solve the shallow mount problem.

I still think yours is one of the best covert solutions outside of sheetmetal mod...

 

[jdpber]

true 6x9 have always been out of the question for me.. i simple do not like them..lol well my SQ is right where i am happy and accomplishes everything i need.. there are pros and cons of every sub.. there is no true PERFECT sub.. just the right sub for the aplication

 

[MOBmentality]

true 6x9 have always been out of the question for me.. i simple do not like them..lol well my SQ is right where i am happy and accomplishes everything i need.. there are pros and cons of every sub.. there is no true PERFECT sub.. just the right sub for the aplication

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