Sub in spare tire well?

[marcus70ZT]

i've heard conflicting opinions on the viability of this. i want to put a single 10" sub in the spare tire well. make an airtight top out of MDF and boom away. anyone have any experiences with this? i can't see why the metal tire well would make a bad back for the box. if there is something bad about the metal, could i put a thin layer of fiberglass in there and then do the same thing?

[Phantom]

I have also heard of doing that - as long as you have no need for a spare tire. The sound guy I went to decided against that spot though and is putting a 10" Sub on the drivers side behind the rear strut tower (directly across from where the expansion tank is on the 280Z's) and is directing it to reflect off the back hatch. It's only going to have about 250 watts to it so we're going more for sound quality than 'thump'.

[Sparky]

I did that in my 72. It was a half circle box made out of mdf and internally caoted with fiberglass. It made the box and Amp easil;y removeable so that I could take it out during my AutoX'ing. It didnt sound that bad and I was able to get the speaker fairly centered in the car. You do loose the spare though, and I began to question my need for a sub in the already loud 240Z. After a year the box was removed and scraped, making way for the spare.

[CableSrv]

you mean like this ?

 

 

that's what i did for my car. Pure fiberglass!! sounds good too

[marcus70ZT]

i don't use my car for anything more than a weekend warrior, and there is no spare on there now anyway, so i don't think i would miss that. i was actually wanting to do the stealth install and bottom mount the sub to the board underneath the carpet. i'm really not looking to shake the windows or anything, just want to round out the sound quality. i wouldn't make the box removable, as the MDF would just be screwed down to the spare tire well, and the back of the well would be the rest of the box. would i need to put a layer of fiberglass in the well, or does the metal make a good "box"?

[CableSrv]

Metal has a bad sound absorbtion and reflection. Fiberglass has one of the best bass absorbtion and reflection.

 

At least that's what most ppl that build sub box's say. I personally lined the bottom of my spare tire well with fiberglass to make sure that it was solid all the way threw. The only problem with my system is it hits HARD and causes a 30+ year old car to rattle like a rattle snake. nothing like being next to another car and your car vibrating so much that you can hear all the loose things rattling around.

 

Once I start refreshing up my body and sealing all the things up I can only assume it will sound really nice.

[2126]

Fiberglass does tend to attinuate most frequencies above about 1khz. As for bass responce, fiberglass does little to absurb these low frecency responces. Thats why the rest of us hear those frigging boomer bass setups kids now have in their rides. The fiberglass does however attinuate some of the buzzing and rattling your car makes when the sub woofer is crankin! Don't believe everything people in the business tell you....remember, people once thought the world was flat too!

[Guest billyzbear]

I use a 12" JL flushed mounted in a custom box. Banged in the center of tire area for more room. Filled in the gaps with whatever and layed the carpet over it. I point it up and power it with 150w Memphis amp under the seat. CDT's in the doors and Memphis tweeters just under dash. I don't even tint the windows. If "they" look and can't see anything, "they" don't break the window and look for something. I have lost a couple of speakers with tinted windows and box covered with a blanket. Fill in the inside of the hatch, the backside of lock it will vibrate.

[hanomon]

Should be no prob. I've got two 12" Audiobahns back there on a 1/2" piece of bullet-proof plexiglass. Sounds good.

[JaysZ]

no... dont use the metal as a bottom please lol.

 

building a fiberglass sub enclosure is not as hard as most people think. here are the steps.

 

1) gut it first, of course

2) clean the area as much as possible

3) tape the area off with masking tape. try to keep the layers as flat as possible, but make it at least double thickness. what i usually do is put a layer of foil on top of the tape by spraying on some spray adhesive (3M works great) and laying down the foil in the same manner. again, keep the layers as flat as possible.

4) build a panel around the spare tire well. basically it will look like a fence that sits on top of the spare tire well. (i'll refer to it as a fence lol) you could make it the same height as your access panel behind the seat to make it look flush mounted. your sub will be this high.

5) cut your fiberglass mat into manageable pieces. i usually cut some squares and some rectangles and use whatever fits best.

6) mix your resin and hardener per the instructions

7) soak the mat lightly and lay it on the edge and inside of the "fence" you just made. (not on top because it will not allow a board to lay flush on top) use a paintbrush to push it in the edges, thoroughly soak the mat with resin and to push out any air bubbles.

8 ) put it down on the floor of the enclosure, the resin will usually drip from the top where you started and pool up at the bottom, which isnt necessarily bad, but might get messy.

9) after the first layer is down, wait a while. if you mixed the resin right, it should start to harden up after an hour or so, depending on how much hardener you put in. becareful when you do that, too much and the mixture will overheat and *may* catch on fire.

10) keep putting down layers.. after the 2nd one or so has hardened, you could probably actually pull the enclosure out depending on the contours of the bottom and work on it out of the car.

11) after the base is done, let it cure and work on the top. a board the size of your "fence" should be cut. test fit it. when its all ready, take a jig and cut a hole out the center for the size of your sub.

12) if you want to flush mount it, you'll need to build a trim panel, otherwise, just screw the sub in, run the wires, and you are done. if you want, you could get a set of banana plugs and have the plugs at the top. this way you can plug the sub in whenever you want and take it out with ease whenever you're racing or whatnot.

 

i hope the directions are clear... they're clear to me since i've done it so many times already lol

anyway, hope that helps. keep in mind, this *will* add at least 15 - 20 lbs to your car. then add in the amps, sub, wiring, etc..

[CableSrv]

that's exactly how I did mine and I mean to the T!!

 

works very well don't try to mix more than a small cup at a time of resin as the more you make the faster you have to move. mix a small cup and use it all then mix another cup and use it. You'll eventually get the understanding of how to lay down the fiberglass fast.

 

one thing i suggest is get those carbon filter breathing mask as resin STINKS!! and can be bad for your health if you inhale that crap!!

[Guest rick458]

Has anybody heard, or tried, the new KICKER Solo Baric Square subs?

Those look like they would fit well in a tail light panel style enclosure.

on the 10" it list a min Q of .66 cu ft and a max of 1.0 cu ft.

you could mount them to the out side angled up slightly and run the 6x9s in the stock location.

[Dnaught14]

solabarics are really nice. My buddy has 3 12's in his explorer and they pound. Hes running over 1000 watts to them. When they hit it almost feels like wind s getting knocked out of you. I dont understand the necessity to having that much power, but it is kinda cool none the less. And they're square, which is cool.

[sir_daniel]

you can also totaly forget the practical use of the trunk

here's a pic of my old installation of my audiosystem...

http://photobucket.com/albums/v405/sir_Daniel/?action=view&current=4.jpg'>http://photobucket.com/albums/v405/sir_Daniel/?action=view&current=4.jpg

and a pic of the installation that i'm doing right now where ones the backseat was located

http://photobucket.com/albums/v405/sir_Daniel/?action=view&current=cover7.jpg'>http://photobucket.com/albums/v405/sir_Daniel/?action=view&current=cover7.jpg

 

more pic's of the installation can be found at: http://photobucket.com/albums/v405/sir_Daniel/