Rear bin audio build...

JiMR2 · April 16, 2011, 00:13

Trying to find a suitable sized sub has been whats caused the probs to be honest. All this cubic ft and VAS rubbish I'm trying to work out is driving me insane, numbers numbers numbers! I'm not Rainman, how can any one work this stuff out ?!

Was hoping to work backwards, build the box and work out its volume, aiming for roughly 0.8 - 0.9 cu/ft. The box subs as pictured achieve 0.79 cu/ft. but trying to find a nice sub that achieves the cu/ft and isnt too deep (mounting depth) is a bugger. Unless you go for the shallow mount pioneers - which can rock out in something silly like 0.35 cu/ft.

But then you loose some of the oomph....

So time for another adaption to this "project"/path to insanity or what ever you want to call it; it seems the general consensus is that 8" subs are more popular.

I shall now be mocking up both a single 8" setup and a twin 8" setup tomorrow... if it keeps reducing this was ill be back to where i am currently with an active sub s:P

s:P

s:flame: :flame: s:flame:

Anonymous · April 16, 2011, 08:44

my sub is a shallow depth sub and twin coil worth the money if you ask me. check out the gto series.

AmeR · April 16, 2011, 09:47

My underdash is twin coil 6 inch. The bass is fantastic for its size and perfect for the car I'd say!!

JiMR2 · April 17, 2011, 21:49

Update time;

After getting called in to work on Saturday, Project Ice Ice Baby is off to a slow start.

Have decided that a 10" is too ambitious for the size enclosure im after. IF i were confident enough i would definately have a crack at this with fibreglass as the end result would be much better, alas, i'm sticking with wood as its a tad more comfortable/easier for me FG would just allow a better shaped box to sit in the rear bins. So am going with 2 x 8" subs with a centre compartment between the seats.

Spent today measuring, re-measuring, measuring some more, getting it all wrong, measuring again... and again... and another 3 times. And finally think i've got there, dimension wise.

So now I have my template. I have way to much of everything, carpet, wadding and MDF. Why i ever thought that i'd need 3 metres of carpet and wadding i dont know.

Have cut and put together 1 of the boxes. To confuse every thing, angles introduced themselves on several of the cuts which made the day even more entertaining. So i now i have all the bits and bobs to glue one box together the next one will be a breeze to knock up.

Must admit at several points today I thought i had bitten off more than i could chew so to speak.

The car looks like some one has chucked a bucket of saw dust over it at the minute. Not sure how it managed to get every where it has, hey ho. Will try and get the other bits cut up of an evening this week and glue together by Friday. Will pop pics up when i get a chance to take some!

Quote from: "rbuckingham"my sub is a shallow depth sub and twin coil worth the money if you ask me. check out the gto series.

Thanks for the advice re: sub Rb! Will make sure i get one with twin coil - you happy with a shallow depth, no loss of quality etc??? Still punch like a good un?

Cheers

Anonymous · April 18, 2011, 07:36

well mines a 12 so still lacks a punch so much im building it a new stronger box for it to shake apart lol. however ive have used the gto series for years none ever went bang and the base has always been good and loud if you turn it up

JiMR2 · April 25, 2011, 17:00

Update;

So been "beavering" away, a picture speaks a thousand words as they say;

Boxes fit like a glove, took the car for a spin, no rattles etc so seems like its in nice n tight. Roof goes up/down. Aye bit more weight in the car but i never thrash about in it anyways really, enjoy posing too much im afraid to say.

Once the subs are here i can carpet, install wadding, fit the subs, wire to the amp.

Got some magical finishing touches planned for the centre console.

Cheers

brad82 · April 25, 2011, 17:21

Looking good mate some good supervision skills there s;)

s;)

JiMR2 · April 25, 2011, 17:31

Mate my supervision skills are on fire recently s;)

s;) My fairy soft hands limit me doing too much s:P

s:P

had to crack the whip a few times today as well as it goes, its not on!

brad82 · April 25, 2011, 17:36

Just can't get the staff hey s:)

s:) bet your becoming an expert stone kicker haha

JiMR2 · April 25, 2011, 17:37

you line the stones up n ill kick em s;)

s;)

brad82 · April 25, 2011, 17:39

Can't even line ya own stones up hehe

JiMR2 · April 25, 2011, 17:42

s:scared: :scared: s:scared: and get my hands dirty?!

Anonymous · April 26, 2011, 17:09

would it be possible to get the template of you and measurements on the boxes

JiMR2 · May 5, 2011, 13:42

I have made a note of the dimensions of the boxes. The fronts are just a basic cut out of the front doors... although ive put a "secret/hidden" compartment into mine on cupboard hinges s;)

s;) Will show a select few my James Bond box @ Ding Day... and pop up a pic when i have taken one...

So anyways, after a lot of messing around;

There they are in and secure. Almost drilled through the metal behind the passenger seat but found an old post of Aaron's saying that the fuel tank/line was behind it... so stopped immediately... got some uber strong dual lock velcro on the way so will use that! Thanks Aaron!

I've ended up removing the inner bin plastics which has highlighted how much road noise they keep OUT. As a result ill be buying some really thick insulation meant for lofts (looks like a big block of sponge cake) and will cut to the size of the area beneath the boxes, channeling out for the eletronicy stuff down there. This will improve road noise when the subs aren't thumping.

I'm very happy with the look of the unit, and due to not having hooked up the amp yet, cant comment on the sound.

As happy as i am with the look, and i dare say the sound... i cant help but think that its taken something away from the Roadster... don't get me wrong, it looks awesome and will sound great im sure... just at the moment it feels like ive added something that shouldn't be added and takes something away from the "spirit" of the car, rather than adds... not sure if that makes sense or if im just being a hippy... just feel like the vibes been tampered with...

That may all change once its all working as opposed to a pretty paper weight. On the topic of weight, the car feels no different in speed or handling, the wood didnt weigh too much, will weigh it when i take it out next, but the subs weigh a fair ammount, more than i thought they would.

Will get some better pics and update when the insulation is in and the amps hooked up...

AmeR · May 5, 2011, 14:09

Looks like you have done a great job to me!! Really well finished off! Will have a nosey at Ding Day if my clearance is high enough!? s:lol: :lol: s:lol:

nathanMR2 · May 5, 2011, 19:10

Handy with a bit of wood arent we Jim.

Looks neat mate. Shame you havent got them hooked up yet. If you fancy bringing a big big bit of cable you can always hook it up to my 1000w amp in situ to give them a test....

JiMR2 · May 5, 2011, 20:26

Cheers guys s:)

s:)

I was waiting on getting some velcro stuff through, arrived today, so i could fit the amp.

How is yours fitted Nath, just velcroed on? My ledge bit isnt flush all the way down, kinda bulges out half way down so worried the amp wont sit very flush and wont stick too well...? s:shock: :shock: s:shock: dont want it flying off half way down the road. Was tempted to fit it now but wanted one of you guys to check my ground @ Ding day as im not 100% that on the ball with electrics. I have it bolted to a point of the chassis atm but its NOT an existing earth point just a hole with a bolt through it in the chassis... is this a problem...?

IF i have room in the car ill bring the amp with me... all the cables are run, just need to confirm the grounding point ive used is cool and then stick the amp in...

Originally was going to stick a small piece of acrylic in the middle with the screaming chicken thing in stainless steel on it but like the look of it just carpet. Will save the sheet of acrylic for my next project s;)

s;)

nathanMR2 · May 5, 2011, 20:54

My amp is in the passenger side bin. Screwed down and straped in using the bin straps.

Ive grounded off seat belt retainer bolt before which looked a good point. Should be nice and solid.

Be a shame not to hear them mate

JiMR2 · May 23, 2011, 14:58

So...

following their pilot test @ Ding Day courtesy of Nathan's amp, they sounded AWFUL!

Tore them back out yesterday and looked at trying to get just 1 of them sounding good. After 3 hours of trying to work out why NOTHING was coming out of the subs... i reconnected the earth cable ( s:oops: :oops: s:oops: I have man flu currently and wasn't thinking straight)...

Whilst searching for the fault (earth cable not connected) it became apparent that the speaker screw terminals had crushed the wires to smitherines! No wonder they sounded cr@p, barely any connection, ie, 2 threads of copper connecting as opposed to 24 - 30ish... how can i prevent this happening again in the future?

Other than avoiding titan like screwing of the terminals...

Anyways, they sound pretty good, NOT as loud and as BOOOOOOOM BOOOOOOOOOOM BOOOOOOOOOM as i was expecting but then i dont drive a Vauxhall Nova any more, I'm not 17, I have 8"s opposed to 15"s s:lol: :lol: s:lol: and my life doesn't revolve around dodgy car parks and burnouts. s:crazyeyes: :crazyeyes: s:crazyeyes: Mores the pity, i have grown up.

The subs give a nice crisp bass and add to the focal comp speakers i've got. Get a nice thwack in the back now whlst driving. Have currently got the bass set real low via the amp controls and the HU. Will let it all settle in and then take it back out and sound deaden all of the back and under the rear plastics and play around with it then. Is it worth sound deadening the outside of the box???

Have housed the amp beneath the box in the plastics and latched it in. Will be amping the Focal door speakers as well in the near future and sound deadening a ton more of the car.

I think the box is very much a work in progress and i will be taking out again to improve. If any one wants the general shape, namely the side dimensions as this is the only restriction, i can draw up a template.

Only had a quick drive last night as Man Flu was setting in BIG time and i needed to go get in bed to be looked after.

IF i survive my man flu i will try and do a video of it working half decently later on.

muffdan · May 23, 2011, 15:09

Ah, glad you sorted it, good work. All the best with the man flu. Hopefully you'll pull through!

stargazer30 · May 23, 2011, 16:06

Hey Jim, looking good :-) :-) :-) Did you sound deaden your doors, those focals will suffer till you do. PS I'm doing Stargazer's Stealth Install version 2 on my new MR2, will have to put some pics up once I'm done. The challenge is to get a sub and amp for the fronts in one bin only!

JiMR2 · May 23, 2011, 16:16

I did sound deaden the doors BUT i'm not convinced i did enough of the door skin after seeing Russ deadening a door @ Ding Day so will spend a day deadening the crap out of the car.

Quote from: "stargazer30"The challenge is to get a sub and amp for the fronts in one bin only!

I think this will be possible... Will it need to be behind the bin door or replacing it? So 1 sub and 2 amps... got my mind racing now... 1 in the plastic recess and 1 attached to the side of the box...

What i had considering was making a false footwell cover and hiding the amp in the footwell as a 2ch speaker amp can be very small dependant on power required.

stargazer30 · May 23, 2011, 20:03

Quote from: "JiMR2"I did sound deaden the doors BUT i'm not convinced i did enough of the door skin after seeing Russ deadening a door @ Ding Day so will spend a day deadening the crap out of the car.

Quote from: "stargazer30"The challenge is to get a sub and amp for the fronts in one bin only!

I think this will be possible... Will it need to be behind the bin door or replacing it? So 1 sub and 2 amps... got my mind racing now... 1 in the plastic recess and 1 attached to the side of the box...

What i had considering was making a false footwell cover and hiding the amp in the footwell as a 2ch speaker amp can be very small dependant on power required.

Well I found the secret to making the speakers sound good wasn't using enough deadening to sink the titanic, it not even about rattles, its about creating an enclosure. So basically cover all the holes on the outer door metal so the speaker is sealed in as much as possible. This vastly improves the bass response and sound quality.

My new build is the definitive ice baby build. I'm using a active flat sub which looks like it was designed to fit an MR2 sitting on the top of a two tear MDF rack, then a very small amp on the lower part to amp up the fronts. That way I'm only using the passenger bin. Its still work in progress and it may end in disaster or sound pap so I'm not gonna post it until I know it works.

JoniiBoii · August 27, 2011, 19:44

LOVE this topic/progress thread!

But how do you cover them when say i dunno ?? You go out and have no choice but to park in an area that your unknown too?

As this is what is putting me off making my own, all that hard work to then have them Knicked....I think the work *F**Ked off comes to mind if it ever happen'd, so do you have a fake door ? or something to cover them?

just curious if you have a solution to what is stopping me go ahead and making my own???

Thudd · August 30, 2011, 12:52

Two main things which stop me from doing something like this - the bins are the only real storage, and mine were full of water yesterday s:lol: :lol: s:lol: