Custom subwoofer boxes and audio

[coexist123]

Hey guys,

I'm not entirely new to this Forum.
I joined the day after I test drove my sonic and have been reading your wonderful threads ever since. I am now the proud owner of a 2012 Chevy Sonic Turbo Hatchback Manual LT in Victory Red:banana:
This IS however my first thread on ANY forum and it's a little write up I've been planning for a while.
I hope I've posted this tread in the right category.
This project is just past it's beginning stages and has been more fun than any other car I've worked on.
Anyways, here goes.

After I installed a 1,000 watt amp in my car I decided to put my 12" subwoofer box in the back. This proved to be a problem as the box took up most of the room in my trunk.
SO I decided then to build my own.
I used 3/4 MDF
Gorilla Glue
A small nail gun
and basic caulking from home depot.
After much trail and error, I've ended up with this.

Hope you guys like them. I will be updating this post with more pictures and info as soon as I get them. Feel free to ask questions

 

[seanp1]

Very nice... Pics of them installed?

 

[KJ23F]

how is the airspace? fiberglass the inside will help sound quality too as i image alot will bw lost with such a small box

 

[coexist123]

Very nice... Pics of them installed?

Yes, I have them installed now I will take pics tomorrow.
I have not carpeted them yet, I just spray painted them matte black for now.

 

[cndctrdj]

would love to see these in the car

 

[coexist123]

how is the airspace? fiberglass the inside will help sound quality too as i image alot will bw lost with such a small box

I think my speakers called for 1.25 cubic ft of volume.
I did the calculations and these only have .86, not counting the volume displaced by the speakers.
Though I cannot tell the difference between the previous box I had, I will probably still get slim speakers that call for less volume, as I would like to upgrade the speakers and amp anyways.
I can't see how fiberglassing would help, it seems as though that would only take up more volume.
Maybe you could elaborate on that, I appreciate the input.

 

[coexist123]

Alright guys,

Here are some pictures of them in the car.
For the time being I have just painted the speakers matte black.
Not sure if I want to put it on heavier, or if I want to carpet them.
I plan on Plasti dipping a few items on the car so the matte black may run with it.
Still more stuff to do. I plan on mounting my amp somewhere, for the time being it is under the floor compartment.

Hopefully more to come.

 

[sonic007]

oooo that ooks sweet..if you dont mind me askin y did u put the lip on the inside there? any plans for it?

 

[cndctrdj]

It looks like the lip let's the cover open and close with the hatch

 

[sonic007]

Ohh I see. I dont have the hatch so I didnt know..lol

 

[alarmguy48195]

That's a job well done, looks great. would you mind posting(or PM'ing) the measurements for the box-the individual cuts.
thanks

 

[coexist123]

Thanks folks,

It was nice to see finished.
The lip was initially for the panel that folds up with the hatch.
It sadly didn't work, as the panel folds down too far.
I think what I am going to do is fabricate my own that has a hinge.
I'll make it out of 1/4" mdf or something.
Not really sure.
Just Happy to have that extra sound in my car now.
I will have to take measurements again.
A lot of the cuts were done at a 45 degree angle, so I'm not sure what to send you as far as measurements.
Anyways, input is always appreciated.

 

[HareBrained]

For those thinking of build this box, the Dayton Audio RSS315HO-44 would be perfect for this volume. And I don't believe depth would be an issue.

If you're unfamiliar with this brand, it is the "house brand" of Parts Express but they are extremely well designed. You get a lot for the money.

Also, there are numerous 10" subs that could work these boxes. And a 10" would allow you to use the stock hatch cover by going a tad smaller.

 

[sonic007]

As far as the fiberglassing goes typically u do it inside the box to help with sealing. It fills any holes or gaps you may have missed while building. It does however add some volme to the box. Typically we just use a decent ammount of wood glue to make sure its sealed and sturdy.

 

[Protocol]

Sweet!!

I really like those boxes. I imagine it wouldn't take a whole lot of measuring to get something similar into the sedan. I will be using four 3 way 6x9's and maybe some tweets or horns to fill in the gaps. I don't need a ton of bass that rocks the neighborhood, but I can certainly use a little more pop in the mids, and I would at least like to be able to feel the bass a little, rather than just imagine it. I was also gonna try to put a small 4ch amp somewhere behind the head unit to help push those door speakers and the pillar tweets a little better, though it sounds like it may need a speaker upgrade as well.

Awesome inspiration man. Keep it up! Can't wait to see where you go with your sound.opcorn:

 

[HareBrained]

I really like those boxes. I imagine it wouldn't take a whole lot of measuring to get something similar into the sedan. I will be using four 3 way 6x9's and maybe some tweets or horns to fill in the gaps. I don't need a ton of bass that rocks the neighborhood, but I can certainly use a little more pop in the mids, and I would at least like to be able to feel the bass a little, rather than just imagine it. I was also gonna try to put a small 4ch amp somewhere behind the head unit to help push those door speakers and the pillar tweets a little better, though it sounds like it may need a speaker upgrade as well.

Awesome inspiration man. Keep it up! Can't wait to see where you go with your sound.opcorn:

Alpine has an amp designed to be stuck in the dash. But IMO, it's only a minor step up from the headunit, and a significant step down from other options. There are many small-form-factor amps. I prefer the Arc Audio amps but this Sony is a good value.

Where are you going to install 6x9 speakers? Why? There are no 6x9 speakers, especially 3-ways, that are worth the effort to install in a car that uses 6.5" round drivers. You should consider something else. But I wish you the best of luck if you're going forward with your plans.

 

[inm]

Wow, very clean install!

 

[ThatTmoGuy]

If you're looking for an awesome way to mount the amp, ditch the stock carpet/cover and build a false floor out of MDF. You can sink the amp down into the floor and hide all your wires. That would look sick!