Part IX - Custom Stealth Subwoofer Install

[5speed6 v.2]

Well, I believe I have saved the best for last. Although I will say, that this was the biggest PITA part of the whole project.

Please keep in mind when reading and viewing the photos, all of the following took place over a period of four months, while working on other parts of this project (and other projects as well).

My goal was:

- to install one or two 10" Subwoofers, in a custom fiberglass enclosure and not lose any trunk space.

-a stealth install, able to be fully concealed.

My subwoofer of choice was MB Quart's Reference 10". A subwoofer with GREAT reviews for it's sound quality. It's an extremely efficient speaker that works very well in small sealed enclosures.


This was the OEM Bose amp and subwoofer that was removed from the passenger side:



This was the space available on the passenger side:


This is the factory NAV & Phatbox with tray removed from the drivers side:


This was the space available on the drivers side:


I decided to maximize the space available, so I would remove some sheetmetal that was in the way.

Drivers side after sheetmetal removed:


Passenger side after sheetmetal removed:


The sheetmetal removed from drivers side, plus one of many Bosch blades I went through:


Passenger side prepped for the project at hand:


Drivers side prepped:


Raw fiberglass ready to be used:


Liquid resin used to mix with the fiberglass:


Drivers side after a few layers:


Passenger side after a few layers:


At between 6 to 8 layers, I broke the "molds" out of the car. This was extremely difficult due to the contour, and how far down I went in the well.

Drivers side mold:


Passenger side mold:


Right away you can notice the difference in the volume the boxes would have.

After the molds were out, I triple layered Dynamat all over the inside quarter panels.

Next, I had to grind out all the air pockets and rough surfaces before laying in more 'glass.

I added 15 more layers of 'glass all around. This was the most time consuming part, as I would only be able to do one side of each box per day while waiting for it to cure.

I then traced the open face of the molds onto mdf wood. I cut out the wood, and then began attaching the wood to the molds by applying 'glass to bond them together.

Drivers side:


Passenger side (note that I have elongated the wood to add some volume to the enclosure):


I then poured in more liquid resin to seal the wood & mold together. I then templated with cardboard, the tops and sides for the enclosures. With that done, I was able to calculate the enclosure volumes. The passenger side was falling a bit short for my desired volume of .75 cu feet. The drivers side had plenty of room to spare.

I cut back the size of the drivers enclosure a bit from the inner side to get my desired volume. I could have been content with one enclosure and used the drivers side only, but thought about all the work I put in to building the passenger side. I had a trick up my sleeve, so I decided to see if I could pull it off.

I made an extension ring out of mdf wood to sit the woofer further out of the enclosure. I recalculated, and it was dead on eqaul with the drivers side!

Passenger side with mdf ring:



I then cut and sanded more mdf to complete the top and sides of the enclosure. I screwed, glued and glassed those to complete the enclosure. For added sealing I went over all the joints with silicone sealant. I also added wire terminal cups to the tops of the enclosures.

After the enclosures were completed, the OCD part of me covered the exposed sides of fiberglass inside and out with spray on sound deadener.



I then test fit the enclosures, fabricated some brackets to fasten them in, and removed them.

I wired up the subs, mounted them in, and sealed them up.

Then the enclosures were put in the car.

Drivers side:


Test fitting the panels:


Due to the tight fit of the passenger side, and the extension ring, the lock mechanism of the passenger side door became an issue.

But, I took care of that.

The lock mechanism was removed:


I hot glued in some ABS plastic:


Smooth finish:


I added Velcro on the ends to keep it in place:


To finish things off, I removed the panels again, sprayed up the face and sides of the enclosure with adhesive spray glue, and applied carpet.

Finished drivers side:


Finished passenger side:








How does it sound???.........

Absolutely INCREDIBLE!!!!! with one playing, even more so with both playing.


-Stephen

[Audeye A6]

[Kris Hansen]

A pal of mine uses t-shirt material, sometimes carpet, sometimes sweatshirts, whatever.. But very rarely does he use actual fibreglass mat or cloth...

He makes some SICK boxes, consoles, etc.. He's a master installer.

[*C5 AVANT STYLE*]

[Dimi (A6 2.7T)]

[2.7t @Altitude]

Bravo!!!

[john in cincy]

[Tgr_Clw]

[5speed6 v.2]

...found out I'm alergic to the raw 'glass on the first day.

[5speed6 v.2]