i liike to no where you guys buy you amps
and sub encls. i paid 225.00 for my mtx
dual 8's in miami and digitalwavz is not the cheapest on the net. impulseusa.com is.
crutchfield is a ripoff,i use them as a guide to compare prices and they are $$$$$
way over.

 

I was just looking at building boxes for subs to go under the back seat. According to the measurements I took, if you are creative, you could make it 13" deep at the top and 11 on the bottom and have it go fully under the seat. I'm looking at covering the whole thing with beige carpet to match the carpet in the truck. Two boxes the same size with one on each side of the hump and the amp in the middle. It "looks" as if I could put a 10" on each side without losing any space (except under the seat of course) but they would have to fire up. Has anybody else tried this? BTW, I have two kids in car seats that ride back there sometimes so I need all of the seat.

Is it okay to build the boxes with 1/4" plywood? I've never built a bass box before and I want to do it right. Any good reference web sites for box plans?

 

Lovell1 try posting in "regcab subwoofer options"
I too am looking fro the answer to this one.


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99 XLT 5.4l reg cab
4 wheel disc/ABS
5 star larait style wheels
Toreador red 2tone
3.55 gears
255/70/16 OWL
Delta toolbox
Eclipse 5340 cd player
Memphis ARCS50 component speakers (excellent sound)
Sherwood amp
subwoofer coming soon
More mods as funds become avalible.

 

Hey again,

I hate the idea of paying $280-$390 just for a piece of plastic worth maybe 6 Bucks! I have been working (mentally) on a process of using that new expanding foam and a couple of garbage bags under the back seat. Take that and shave it down a little then make some molds out of fiberglass. I don't know if it would be worth the work but IF enough people think the idea is feasable I may just loan out the mold when I finish. You could make your own enclosures, add whatever, and pass it on. I dunno???
Just thinking outloud. (kinda)

Mark


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'98 XLT 4.6 SC 4x2,
Black SB flareside,
ARE Tonneau,
Lined,
Tinted,
Deflected,
Mini-Disked,
Amped,
Subbed 2x12,
K&Ned,
B-B-B-M-F
Goin' thru tires fast.

 

Prowler
I don't reccomend using .25" plywood
Bass response will suffer.
Thin wood is fine for small boxes but not for anything with over 4" woofer.


------------------
99 XLT 5.4l reg cab
4 wheel disc/ABS
5 star larait style wheels
Toreador red 2tone
3.55 gears
255/70/16 OWL
Delta toolbox
Eclipse 5340 cd player
Memphis ARCS50 component speakers (excellent sound)
Sherwood amp
subwoofer coming soon
More mods as funds become avalible.

 

About two months ago I put the JL box in my 99 extended cab. It comes fully carpeted (your choice of color)and assembled. I hooked it up to a Rockord amp, 150x1 to the box, and 75x2 to the fronts (MB Quarts). It sounds good and looks great.

Dan

 

I had some spare plywood and a couple of free hours last night so I took some measurements and built a "pattern box". I'll make two just like it out of fiberboard to install the subs. The box (internal) is 12 inches across the top and narrows to 10 1/2 on the bottom with the rear panel sloping backwards along the floor/back of the truck. The sides are 6"in the front sloping down to 5" in the back (had to cut out a notch to accomodate the small wedge in the floor). The box will slide in just about perfect after I cover it with beige carpet.

So here are my questions ... Can a box that small handle a 10" sub and still have room to function properly? (again ... it's exactly! 12" across the top)

How does the sub physically mount inside the box?

Which is better, firing up or down?

What's the maximum airspeed of an unladen African swallow? (ok ... I don't need to know that)

Thanks for any info anybody wants to share!
Ed

 

Hey! According to the Crutchfield catalog, you can mount a free air sub to a "baffle board". Is that just a frame built to contain the speaker itself? I'm not looking for "killer sound" ... just a little richer bass than I can get from my Pioneer 3 ways I replaced the factory speakers with.

Ed

 

Prowler.
That swallow wouldn't be laden with a coconut would it?

------------------
1999 Lariat Super Cab, S.B. 5.4L, 3.55 LS
and everything but the leaky slider window.
Bright red w/ gold 2-tone, Leather Captain's Chairs
Mods: Duraliner bedliner, Bugflector II, Hide-a-hooks.
& a leeetle chrome tip on the exhaust.

 

Prowler,
The Vas of a speaker determines how much airspace behind the box is required.
The 12" dimension is irrelvent, as long as the woofer fits in the box.
measure the cubic ft of the box.
See how much airspace the woofers you plan to buy require.
Try to match as close as possible.
The "freeair" concept won't work in a truck without extensive modifications.
Remember the airspace in front of the woofer must be sealed from the back.
Buy woofers that work well in small boxes they cost more but that is what you have to do.


------------------
99 XLT 5.4l reg cab
4 wheel disc/ABS
5 star larait style wheels
Toreador red 2tone
3.55 gears
255/70/16 OWL
Delta toolbox
Eclipse 5340 cd player
Memphis ARCS50 component speakers (excellent sound)
Sherwood amp
subwoofer coming soon
More mods as funds become avalible.

 

Thanks 54regcab ... good info. I'm usually pretty good with this kind of stuff but for some reason the whole amp/subwoofer thing really confuses me. I just happen to live on "stick in the mud" lane so nobody around here knows anything about stuff like that

 

I tried a 10" Pioneer Free Air Subwoofer with a baffleboard and it was really wimpy. Not very loud or deep. I put the subwoofer in a tube cabinet from partsexpress.com (Part#260-652, $49.95) and it works great. The cabinet comes with a bass reflex port installed but you could block the port if you wanted to go with a sealed design. I placed the tube dead center behind the seats of my 99.5 Lightning and it just clears the center console, even with the seats all the way back. You must move the seat forward about halfway to raise or lower the center console but that is the only problem.

 

Here are some pics that i took during my install. Note: these are just during the "test fit" stage, the speaker enclosures actually have "legs" on both ends that keep the woofer away from the floor(the speakers actually fire toward the floor, when installed).

 

a bunch of replies and some general comments:

I'd like to add for measurements, remember that the volume in the specs of the sub is interior to interior of the box minus any bracing (you did brace it I hope) and most importantly, the sub itself.

oh and for materials. MDF! If you can find/afford it and if you deal with the wear and tear on your tools it is the best way to go. Std lumber, ie plywood, is not a good box material as it is not acoustically dead (MDF isn't either, but its not too shabby, some high end home gear I've seen uses concrete to deaden it. The speakers weighed several hundred pounds

I've learned over the years that most ppl have no idea what bass is supposed to sound like and that for all intents and purposes, it doesn't matter. If you like the way it sounds, it worked. But if you're an audiophile, port vs sealed is a sticky issue. most ported systems I've seen are done incorrectly. They have serious port noise, poor response, and are generally not worth the trouble for music. If you want muddy thrumming, they're great. Sealed enclosures, no port noise, very inefficient requiring a significant amount more power for same volume but also almost idiot proof. its hard to mess up a sealed design. although they do have some problems at higher volumes.

I have looked at a lot of setups both pre-fab and custom and there is no way in hell you can put a sub under the seat and still fold it. The folding hinge requires too much area. You'd have to put a 3 inch or smaller driver in there and whats the point of that?

Another option for custom boxes is to build a 3 sided box and silicone it to the floor. This is a permanent installation and requires removal of carpet and such. Not a good idea if you ever want to take it out but you save up to 1/2" of the interior volume of the box depending on materials.

hrm. lots more to say but this is getting pretty long so i'll cut it off here for now.



------------------
IDEITY
99 4.6 Auto, 3.55LS, LB, SC, Tow, Line-x.

 

I'm going to start my speakerbox project this weekend. I pick up 3 JL10W0's tomorrow that are gonna get stuffed under the back seat. The back seat is out already and I know it's going to get raised. I'm hoping that the top of the seat will be at the level of the bottom of the back of the bench when I'm done. It looks to be about a 3" raise. I'm going to have new brackets fabricated for the sides of the bench seat and not use the center bracket (the box should support the weight. My only concern is fastening the brackets on the back of the bench because they attach the seat belt latch's to the truck. I'm going to document the building of the box, hopefully with pics so that if anyone else wants to build one it made be easier. I plan to have the box sealed and use either 1/2" or 5/8" MDF for it.

------------------
Silver 99 F150 XLT Sport with Flare Sides...
Mods: K&N Air Filter, Tinted Side Windows, Pioneer Deck, Zapco Amp, JL Audio ('nuff said.)
Coming soon: Herculiner Bed Liner, SnugTop Tonneau Cover, Class 3 Hitch