Whittie Posted June 28, 2008 Share Posted June 28, 2008 Once upon a time a young boy decided that his zed needed a new head unit that, unlike the original specemin that came in the car, actually worked. Unfortunately for this young boy he didnt realise that the 30 year old speakers had disintegrated. literally. So after installing the head unit and finding to his surprise that all was not swell it was time for some new speakers. Once again all did not go smoothly as little did our little friend know 6" speakers dont fit in standard speaker spaces of the zed. So after removing the cowling and discovering that he was either going to have to chop the body (not a good idea near the window he decidede) or make some boxes it was time to make a trip to the hardware store. Several trips later and some custom boxes were finished. But all does not end well now either as once in the car the 6" speakers now sitting on the boot behind the chair lacked anything that could be called quality or punch. back to the drawing board... "I know!" says our little yound friend, "how about some 6x9's?!!". So it was off to the car audio shop for some 6x9 speakers and this time in purchased boxes. Now this solved our little friend problems for a short while as he wasn't driving the car on the road much but a few years later and our now not so little young friend revels in the attention that the car attracts and has decided it was time to fix the puny stereo once and for good. However, again we encounter another not so happy ending. As this car is raced by our friend and his father the weight and space that a proper stereo would occupy was not appropriate for use on the race track. So our new mission statement: Design and fit a stereo system that can be removed from the car quickly and easily at the track... Some tight fitting, some tricky wiring, some liquid nails, some staples and some velco later and this is what i have come up with: The power to the amp runs through the 20Amp plug and the aux cables simply plug in. the cables when not in use all tuck nice and neatly into the back of the centre console where there used to be some plastic trimming covering a hole. the 6x9's and the amp JUST wedge in and velcro helps hold everything to the carpet. the sub fits in nicely and is velcroed to the top of the amp and the carpet so that it doesnt flatten itsself when the loud peddle is mashed. All in all i am very happy with the entire system and even given the less than perfect speaker placement the system actually sounds rather good. It is also loud enough to be heard over the exhaust, tripple webers, and general road noise and when cranked could probably damage your ears faster than a trip to your local club Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woldson Posted July 2, 2008 Share Posted July 2, 2008 I used to have that amp! Loved the sound from it! Nice install:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whittie Posted July 3, 2008 Author Share Posted July 3, 2008 Cheers mate Yeah its not bad at all. originally had it running 2 of those 12 inchs in my daily but figured it was kinda going to waste. That and i needed my boot back Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
proxlamus© Posted July 8, 2008 Share Posted July 8, 2008 bad idea.. if you get into an accident those speakers and amplifier will RIP off the Velcro and catapult itself into the front of the car.. or YOU. find a way to mount them better Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sparky Posted July 8, 2008 Share Posted July 8, 2008 bad idea.. if you get into an accident those speakers and amplifier will RIP off the Velcro and catapult itself into the front of the car.. or YOU. find a way to mount them better Exactly, and this actually happened not too long ago, a gentlemen in his 240 got rear ended and his speaker box flew to the front of the car smashing his skull. If I recall correctly he later died in the hospital from head trauma. It wasn't even that bad of an accident. It's a damn silly way to go, make some straps and bolt that ♥♥♥♥ down correctly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Careless Posted July 8, 2008 Share Posted July 8, 2008 It's a damn silly way to go, make some straps and bolt that ♥♥♥♥ down correctly. thanks for mentioning that. my landlord and i were talking about shitty death stories the other day while working on the drywall for the basement. a lot of people don't realize that carpenters pencils are flat so that they don't roll. it'd suck to die by chasing a pencil off a roof. but I'll have to mention this one to him later today. sucks to go out like that Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whittie Posted July 9, 2008 Author Share Posted July 9, 2008 believe me "that ♥♥♥♥♥♥" aint gonna get anywhere near the front of the car. - In no way at all is it possible to fit the sub box under the roll cage - the amp is velcroed under the whole underneath, has to make its way over the lip on the parcel tray and doesnt fit between the seats anyways - thats after its negociated its way passed the 6x9's because there are protrusions on the side of the amp for the cable connections that sit on either side of the edge of the speakers - The speakers which are all wedged in between the sides of the car all of which sit right behind the seats and arent going to go anywhere near the passengers. Im not stupid and i did think about how to do this alot, hence why it took me 3 days till i was happy that i wasnt going to be killed by flying speakers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Challenger Posted July 9, 2008 Share Posted July 9, 2008 The box/speakers can still break and send shards everywhere... I just say no loose things in my car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
proxlamus© Posted July 9, 2008 Share Posted July 9, 2008 Drive to a SCCA event or any open track event.. they will tell you to remove them.. they are NOT secured. You might need a refresh on physics.. the boxes and amp will not simply "slide forward" and run into a lip. They will be catapulted into the air. If you think I am joking.. ask an inspector. and ask your local high school physics teacher Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sparky Posted July 9, 2008 Share Posted July 9, 2008 The physics of accidents are not linear. Imagine you hit some debris in the road. As the front end hits the debri the car and mass inside the car experience a singular force but in multiple axis depending on the mass position inside the car, lets say your front tires hit some debri causing a vertical force on the front of the car and a horizontal force on the rear, this may be enough to de- "wedge" or velcro certain items, now as the rear tires make contact with the debri a vertical force comes into play acting as a spring board launching the now unfastened masses into the cabin. This is not some far fetched never going to happen scenario, while a simple straight on rear end might allow everything to stay in place, most accidents involve multiple steps and multiple bumps/forces. The worst possible scenario of a rollover accident WILL cause those items to become loose. Nobody has called you stupid and I'm sure you did spend a lot of time thinking about how you installed your stereo but the forces involved in accidents and collisions are wildly unpredictable....two quick examples: Driving along with a friend of mine we are rear ended in traffic, the stereo flies out of the dash, bounces off the gear shift flies into the back of the car and smashes another friend of mine in the face.... we would have never though it possible for the stereo to 1, come out of the dash, 2, make it past the gear knob as the stereo sits much lower, 3 bounce off the gear knob and fly perfectly between the seats to make contact with my friend face. Next my sister is a passenger in a car that looses control after hitting a bump during a transition from paved to gravel road. The car digs and rolls multiple times, my sisters seat belt breaks and she is tossed around inside the car only to be ejected out the back window before the car smashes itself into a tree. Photos post accident show the entire passenger side of the car smashed to the trans tunnel and the roof collapsed as well, without her seatbelt breaking she would have not made it. The point? Accidents are unpredictable. It's because of this that we take extra, seemingly unnecessary steps to account for every scenario. Besides, it's always the one thing you don't account for that always happens. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Evan Purple240zt Posted July 9, 2008 Share Posted July 9, 2008 I saw a 35 pound toolbox damn near come into the passenger cabin of a ford Taurus that hit a parked car at 40mph. The toolbox smashed a subwoofer box like yours, and almost ripped its way all the way through the sheetmetal that seperates the trunk from the interior. All you really need to do is mount a couple of eye bolts and a ratchet strap to keep everything in place IMO. Evan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Challenger Posted July 9, 2008 Share Posted July 9, 2008 Anyone seen the video of the fat guy without a seat belt thrown around in a car? Ill try to find it. This isnt the one I was thinking about (which is better) but shows what that sub could do. http://www.metacafe.com/watch/1417/no_seat_belt/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whittie Posted July 12, 2008 Author Share Posted July 12, 2008 Yeah i see where you're all coming from but in my case when i drive the car its either gonna be a stereo in the back surrounded by tools and gear or just the tools and gear so really its a bit unnavoidable having stuff "loose" in the back for me. Ill have a look into where i can mount some straps as well thought as an extra precaution. Im thinking from the back left and right hand sides of the car and having them cross over the sub and strap onto or just infront of the little lip at the front of the shelf. This way the sub is strapped down on top of the amp and the speakers are in no position to move either. Took the ole girl for a spin the other day to try and dislodge stuff and while race tyres dont proivide any where near the forces of an accident, still, nothing moved so much as a centimetre so i THINK these extra straps should be sufficient. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woldson Posted July 12, 2008 Share Posted July 12, 2008 OK OK, look not to bust too many chops here the topic is safety related. How many cheap bumpers (for the cars that even have them) and other safety items have been removed (compromised) for our cars. Fuel pump cutoff for example. Frame rails, rusty rocker panels not addressed. Custom roll cages (some possible not inspected), tubular fount end (possibly not engineered to even realize full potential in any sort of accident condition). Not to ruffle to many feathers but he was taking precautions and it was removable for track safety. Yes it can be improved, so can any safety item to a large degree with money. The science of car safety has got to be staggering. To consider all probabilities in infinite possibles. No fire extinguishers, etc. I'm not any kind of role model here for I have speakers floating around back there and often other things. Yep not safe. When I really get into the car I will probably weld in some kinda shield. I struggle with what to do with two safety features on the car, bumper and fuel cut off. I don't want to admire the fact that my case of frozen otter pops did not take me out while I slowly burn to death. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David K Posted July 24, 2008 Share Posted July 24, 2008 I was doing some night canyon driving here in SoCal after a Z meet. I slammed the brakes on and the box holding my brake fluid and all kinds of crap flew all over the car. The brake fluid bottle went down under my brake pedal and gas pedal. That wasnt very fun, going about 60mph and trying to find a way to get the bottle out so i could drive the car. Ever since then, i dont drive with anything unsecured, even in my truck behind the 3rd row seat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BurnoutZ Posted July 24, 2008 Share Posted July 24, 2008 Some people bolt down the boxes... but what if you changed your mind about subs? Then you have holes in the chassis. Subs weigh about 50-65 lbs per sub so it would have to take a pretty devestating blow to move them. Plan for the worst or drive safer? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Challenger Posted July 24, 2008 Share Posted July 24, 2008 Some people bolt down the boxes... but what if you changed your mind about subs? Then you have holes in the chassis. Subs weigh about 50-65 lbs per sub so it would have to take a pretty devestating blow to move them. Plan for the worst or drive safer? I wouldnt count on it... what sub weighs 50-65lbs? Those will still move easily. How about drive safer and plan for the worst. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BurnoutZ Posted July 24, 2008 Share Posted July 24, 2008 http://www.reaudio.com/specs.html#sp_xxx this sub weighes 72 lbs... but this is a heavier one... So do subs weigh 50-65? Typically yes... some are lighter some are heavier. Edit- keep in mind this is only the sub... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chemicalblue Posted July 24, 2008 Share Posted July 24, 2008 The physics of accidents are not linear. Imagine you hit some debris in the road. As the front end hits the debri the car and mass inside the car experience a singular force but in multiple axis depending on the mass position inside the car, lets say your front tires hit some debri causing a vertical force on the front of the car and a horizontal force on the rear, this may be enough to de- "wedge" or velcro certain items, now as the rear tires make contact with the debri a vertical force comes into play acting as a spring board launching the now unfastened masses into the cabin.. Man I totally agree, I hate unfastened masses. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sparky Posted July 24, 2008 Share Posted July 24, 2008 Man I totally agree, I hate unfastened masses. LOL, Sounds like a terrible 80's band name, "The Unfastened Masses." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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