Decided to have more fun with the car, and changed my sub setup.

The old setup was 2- JL Audio 10W3 subs in an 1.8 cu.ft box.


(Currently for sale if anyone wants to PM me)

That was nice an all, and didn't take up a ton of trunk space (12" total thickness), but was still more than I wanted to give up in the long run.
In comes the JL Audio 13.5w6. The sub is over twice the size in every dimension, yet will take up less space. I will have to raise the floor of the trunk 2" though.






The finished volume is ~3.5 cu.ft. That is over twice what the sub needs. I'll probably end up adding some blocks of foam to the inside to take up some space.
Not quite done yet, as I still need to complete the raised trim panels. Then the factory trunk carpet will go back over the whole thing, for a completely stealth install. If I want to show off, all I need to do is leave the carpet at home, and the trunk will remain usable.

This is running off a JL 500/1 amp. It is amazingly loud. I had the gain appropriately set for the 10s, and that was about 40%. I have had to turn the gain to about 10% in order to balance with the factory stereo. I also took this opportunity to do a stealth install of a bass control **** under the factory radio. This lets me turn it up when I feel like vibrating my brain.

For the answers about fiberglass:
I used the Lowes Home Improvement resin and glass.
The resin was $37 for a gallon, and I used a little over half of it.
I used 4 packages of 8 sq.ft. woven @ 7 per package.
For structural fiberglass, you want 5-7 layers depending on how curved the structure is. The more it bends, the less layers needed for rigidity. Since this was molded to a trunk tub, I did not need as much strength, and went with 2-3 layers on every surface. Some may disagree, and that is a personal choice. Feel free to use all 5-7 layers in your trunk. It will make a more rigid box.
The woven glass is easier to use that the matt material IMOP.
First, I removed the trunk guts, as well as the plastic trim on the front of the trunk.
Second, I tin-foiled the entire area that I would be working it, including the bumper where I would be passing over it with resin.
Third, I laid out the cloth, and cut notches where there were wrinkles from the curves. Once I was happy with how everything was laying, I used painters tape on the outer edges to hold everything in place while i was painting on the resin.
Fourth, I mixed up the resin and applied. I used a small disposable paint liner to mix in and paint from. I did about 1/5 gallon at a time. I use disposable paint brushes for application. You have to apply pressure and make sure the resin is through all layers. It turns see-through instead of white when using fiberglass. If using fleece, this isn't the case. Once you are happy with the coverage, it has to cure for a couple hours.
Fifth, I used a jig saw to trim the outside to finished dimensions.
Sixth, I used more glass and resin to glue the tub to the MDF floor.

 

Nice work, can't wait to see the finished product!

 

Nicely done! The 13W6 is a very nice sounding sub, that can also get plenty loud. I used one for a while in a box that was 2 cubic feet. That's one sub I wished I would have kept.

 

1/4" ply floor cut and fit.


Getting the finished floor ready:

 

Very much impressed with your work, good job!
Maybe a dumb if not somewhat practical question and concern would be the spar tire.
Will it still fit below your modification?

 

If I had purchased a 13tw5, I could have made this so it worked with a spare tire.
With the 13w6, the spare is gone.
I have AAA, and a tire warranty, so I'm not concerned.

I could not find a used tw5, and they are over $700 new. I picked up the w6 for $225.

 

well done! make sure to post finished product pix. Thats gonna hammer in that enclosure.

 

And, it is finished.

 

I recommend fix a flat. Even if you did have a spare.

 

Having had to fix tires with that crap in it.... Never.
That is the worst stuff invented.
I have AAA and I'll use that if needed.