TheBigDu

iTrader: (1)

Hey guys,

I picked up my subs and amp from Don on Saturday and now it's box time. Some of you may have seen the current trunk layout I have:



That all goes below another sheet of plywood and then the carpet goes on top of that. I'm not really happy with this layout because, although it's a nice way to hide the amps, it eats tons of space back there, and I like having trunk space.

Now I have 2 10" subs, the KAR 400.4 that you see in that pic, and a KAR 1000.2T for the subs. I'm going for tight response, so the box(es) will be sealed and only .4 or .5 ft^3 for each sub. (They are ARC 10D2, require very little volume.) I want to do something easy and clean. I would just build the box and mount the amps on the back of it, but I've heard mixed things about mounting amps on boxes; the general consensus seems to be, "Don't do it." One idea I had was to keep the tray like I have already, but just squeeze everything in so that it's much more space efficient and can all fit nearer the cabin. Then throw the sub box on top of that. But I thiink the subs should have a more secure base; I don't like the idea of them collapsing onto my amps. I'm not going to mount the amps under the seats--they have to be in the trunk.

Anybody got any ideas for something clean and space-efficient?

slickrick

iTrader: (12)

mount both amps on the back seat if possible if not mount 1 on the back seat and 1 on the box. every other system ive had i put the amp on the box with no problems. i mean 2 10" sealed subs should not rattle loose any internals in the amp if mounted right. try putting some spacers between the screws and box.

TheBigDu

iTrader: (1)

Thanks for the ideas rich, but I think I'm going to do something like this:



That is Don's wife's car, if I'm not mistaken. Anyway, those are only 8" subs, but I measured the same area in the Max and it should be just wide enough to do that. I'll make two individual boxes and separate them like that, which I think looks pretty cool. Then I'll make a triangular platform for my two amps. One amp will sit on the one side and face the backseats, the other will face the trunk lid (like the amp in the pic above).

What do you guys think? Thanks for the idea, Don.

slickrick

iTrader: (12)

its a pimp way to save space but just remember its more work making two boxes and make sure the boxes will fit and have sufficient air space for the subs.

danhaman

Don't worry about putting the amps on the box, especially with a company as good as Arc Audio. If you are really worried about it, use rubber bushings between the amp and the box to absorb some of the vibration. Or you could mount a piece of wood to the back of the trunk, and mount the amp on the seat side [apply some carpet or vinyl to make it look good]. I would include some fans to keep airflow over the amps, though.

dh

TheBigDu

iTrader: (1)

It will be more of a pain, but I definitely think it'll look cool when it's done. I'm going to have the guys at Lowe's or Home Depot cut the MDF for me so it comes out right. (I'll be sure to emphasize that the measurements need to be exact.)

As for the air space, Don recommended between .4 and .5 for each sub for some nice detailed bass. So I just figured I'd go in the middle. And yes, I am taking account of the .05 ft^3 displacement of each sub.

I shouldn't need bracing in these things, right? They're going to be fairly small, so I assume not. Also, if I'm going to carpet the boxes later on, should I be including an overlap for the carpet to look neat? Thanks guys.

-Brian

slickrick

iTrader: (12)

no bracing is needed. if anything go a touch too big than too small...that way you can put a piece of wood in the box to lower the airspace if its too boomy.

JDogg96

That's exactly what I did, and they will give you **** about not being able to make exact cuts because of the blade they have on the pannel saw, but you should eventually be able to find some place that is willing to try. I ended up talking to a kid at home depot who seemed pretty confident and said he would give it a shot. He ended up ripping the board twice on the pannel saw, then he took those pieces over to the radial arm saw and was able to make some pretty accurate cross cuts. In the end everything came out good, and it all fit together nicely after some sanding. The one thing I made sure to do was to know exactly what cuts I needed before I went in there, I also figured out how to get those pieces with the least waste so they wouldn't have to spend time figuring anything out, just making the cuts. Just make sure you go on a weekday evening when they aren't too busy so they will have the time make as many cuts as you need and so they have the time to make them exact.