hey, I want to fold down the rear seat so I get better SPL, but I don't think maxima seats CAN fold down! Isthere anything Ican do?!

 

they dont fold down. all you could do is maybe take the seat apart and then fabricate custom hinges and a latch.

 

damn it, would that be hard? I would get such higher SPL with the seat down

 

have no idea how hard it would be. i can agree w/ u on the spl though. i once had my seat out cuz we were putting new springs in and i had a much higher spl. it was amazing, but then we had to put the seat back in i wouldnt want my seat to be able to fold down cuz my car seems to get broken into a lot and they try everything to get in the trunk. last time they pulled down that rear arm rest and pushed through the cardboard backing trying to get in there. but seems like a good idea for your ride.

 

yeah..i'm kinda weary about the trunk though..I mean, I have over 4 grand of car audio equipment in there . I even locked my trunk so you need hte key to open it yah know?..and its eems it'd be a waste if theyjust moved teh seat..hehe. also, i couldnt cut through the armrest, i have some woodboard where i have my amp mounted.

 

yeah i saw your setup on your page. looks sweet. i did that trunk lock thing also. kind of annoying when you have to turn the car off to get in the trunk. guess its worth it though.

 

yeah, it is annoying, espically when you popt he trunk, and some guy who's trying to be helpful closes it..damn it..

 

whats SPL? Hopefully it's not something too obvious which I'll feel real stupid about. You people make up too many abbreviations!

PJ

 

SPL is sound pressure level, eg: how hard our subs hit

 

Late addition to the thread, but it wouldn't be that hard to add hinges and a latch. I've been thinking about doing it myself for when I redo my trunk and put a pair of the subs facing the seat. it'd be nice to fold it down and have something purdy to look at.

As for what's involved, it won't be that hard. just a welder here, hacksaw there... nothing too bad for anyone who's serious about it.

the fun part is making the rest of the rear area look pretty when the seat is down. probably the best thing to do would be to cover all metal surfaces with dynamat (already did it here), then glue carpet over it and all the wiring. it should work okay.
As you can see, it's not that pretty in stock form. some mods necessary.

<img src=http://24.1.29.190/blehm/pics/car_stereo/forward_subs.jpg>

 

Hey Matt
what is that black rubber round thing right behind your backseat that's bolted to the ground?

 

I've been thinking about putting in some dynamat, is it make a big diff? right now my trunk rattles, will dynamat cure me of this problem?

 

The big black metal thing is simply a weight.. used as a "damper" to help reduce road noise on the GXEs. if you're putting more than 40lb of subs in the car, you can safely remove it. (in fact, I recommend removing it to make box building simpler).


As for the dynamat, it made a pretty big difference in road noise, but didn't stop many rattles. the rattles are mostly on the rear deck itself- with the vents that are across the back window.
To get rid of the rattles altogether, you'll need to put at least one layer of dynamat on the top and bottom of the rear deck, completely remove the stock rear deck, hot-glue/silicone all the wires down on the rear deck (before or after the dynamat, doesn't matter- but it needs to be done).
I ended up building a new rear deck altogether, as I don't run any speakers in the back. I cut a 4x8" hole in the center of the rear deck, just in front of the 3rd brake light. I was going to port my sub box and stick the ports through there, but things ended up not working out and I had to scrap the idea. I re-enforced the deck around the hole with some 3/4" angle aluminum that I bolted in place.
<I>In 3rd gen Maximas, the rear deck is a structural part of the car- cutting pieces out like I did will compromise some of the rigidity of the car unless you make allowances for it and brace things accordingly. I DO NOT recommend cutting holes in your rear deck unless you know what you're doing and are prepared to "suffer the consequences" if you screw up. </i> blah blah
build new rear deck and remove the vents in the back. stick tons of foam rubber inside the 3rd brake light, but make sure it's stuff that won't melt or catch fire, as the brake light does get pretty hot sometimes.


Also, to get rid of rattles, you'll need to do some work on your trunklid. I used spray construction foam (that yellow crap that expands after you spray it) to spray inside the crossbeams on the trunklid. be VERY careful doing this, or you'll bend and buckle the sheetmetal on the lid if you spray too much goo in the holes. I would actually recommend using silicone or a caulk of some sort.
Once that's done and dried, cover the entire inside of the trunklid with at least one layer of dynamat.
You'll also need to remove the rear plastic panel and dynamat behind it and use lots more foam rubber to "pad" the trunk lock.
that'll solve 90% of your rattles. it will take a full day to complete and dynamat will cost you $100-200 for enough to do the job right.

 

thanks for the reply, the only BIG deal for rattling is my trunk lid, and that rattles like a biatch. do you think a dynamat trunk kit will suffice? i can get one for cheap..if anybody is interested..about 70$ each, maybe less