custom enclosure help?

[kunar]

i'm seriously thinking of building a custom enclosure for my two 10's in my car. the box i have in there is a sealed box, exterior dims are approx 12x14x28. the biggest issue i have is that it takes up too much space. i've designed something that takes up much less space and fits the car well, and is still about the right volume (i think lol) i need any advice you can give, is the volume okay? sealed or ported? 2 separate chambers or should they be connected? is 3/4" mdf okay? i can still go back and make any revisions i need to, nothing is really set in stone other than the width, the height and the angle of the rear face. keep in mind that i'm not making a competition product, its just my daily driver. i'm also not building this box around a specific sub, its specific to my car.

just for reference, the speaker in the illustration has a 4-1/2" mounting depth and a 4" diameter magnet. (just realized that the mounting depth i used for mock up isnt very deep) its a 10" sub with a 9" mounting hole. the internal volume is 1248 cubic inches, or about .72 cubic feet per speaker, assuming i divide the box in half. and here's a pic of the car it's going in, my 91 escort gt. i know it doesnt do much good without seeing the interior, but oh well.

 

[4x4fun]

first, 3/4 inch is good. as far as ported or sealed? thats kinda up to you. sealed will allow you to get a smaller box, and will be more simpler to construct. my 2c is ported boxes in trunks sound funny, but thats just me.

when you build something, you have to follow form or function, if you dont have any subs in mind. then i would build your box to form fit the car, and make it look pretty. you can find subs that fit all applications as far as mounting depth and cf requirements are concerned. .75cf is a good number per sub, you can find subs that fit in there, or are close enuff.

once you get your design set in stone, send us the specs and we can look for subs that fit and see what ones will work for you. and what will be close, because maybe fudging .75 of an inch on its width, is worth it for the subs sake.

but keep us posted

 

[Darkhorse88]

^x2 what he said. Just make sure when you build the box to match the subs with the size box you have. The box you build will make or break the subs you choose.

 

[baxtej44]

not to hijack.... but how do you get the volume of wedge/angled boxes?


do i have to break it into the two parts (triangle part and the square/rectangle part, find the volumes of each of those shapes, and then add the two together?

 

[kunar]

well like i said, its being built to fit my car, not to fit my subs. i have a couple old junk subs that will be going in there for now till i can buy something else. i can change the depth of the box (front to back) that's fine, if thats whats needed to keep the volume optimal. the width and height are the important dimensions. i was planning on making it sealed but for no reason other than that's what i have now. it can be ported, but i would need a little help on port dimensions and such. does it matter if i make it as 2 separate sealed chambers or can they be connected? also, i was planning on mounting my amp on the face of the box between the subs. ive got a square 13x15 i can mount to. i dont need a ton of power so i dont see any problems here, right?

not to hijack.... but how do you get the volume of wedge/angled boxes?
do i have to break it into the two parts (triangle part and the square/rectangle part, find the volumes of each of those shapes, and then add the two together?

that's one way to do it. i was lucky enough to have access to cam software that did it all for me

 

[4x4fun]

not to hijack.... but how do you get the volume of wedge/angled boxes?


do i have to break it into the two parts (triangle part and the square/rectangle part, find the volumes of each of those shapes, and then add the two together?

http://www.the12volt.com/caraudio/boxcalcs.asp

^^^scroll down a lil till you see your box shape, then input required info^^^

 

[4x4fun]

well like i said, its being built to fit my car, not to fit my subs. i have a couple old junk subs that will be going in there for now till i can buy something else. i can change the depth of the box (front to back) that's fine, if thats whats needed to keep the volume optimal. the width and height are the important dimensions. i was planning on making it sealed but for no reason other than that's what i have now. it can be ported, but i would need a little help on port dimensions and such. does it matter if i make it as 2 separate sealed chambers or can they be connected? also, i was planning on mounting my amp on the face of the box between the subs. ive got a square 13x15 i can mount to. i dont need a ton of power so i dont see any problems here, right?

you can mount your amp between your subs thats no biggie. you can leave your sub box one big box, or chamber it. there is no gain with it one or another. I would stay sealed. if you looking into porting, then you need to pick out your subs now, and build the box to there spec's. because they will all be different, it will be challenging to change a port after the box is built.

side note i would pick out 2 or 3 subs you would like to put in there, just for the mounting depth issue.

 

[flyingbrick]

http://www.the12volt.com/caraudio/boxcalcs.asp

^^^scroll down a lil till you see your box shape, then input required info^^^

I prefer THIS one.

 

[baxtej44]

i feel like i might be doing something wrong


on the calc that flyingbrick put out there, i did the entire area(basically entire) behind my seats (reg cab), and i only ended up with 1.68cf...


well, actually that might be alright, but idk if i could do 2 subs with that, mainly because the subs take up cf too, and that is already at only .8cf per sub.

obviously ported is out of the question unless i only did one sub...

i would feel more comfortable doing a single ported sub for my first time (which won't be until summer anyway, but you can never plan for too long)

 

[baxtej44]

well like i said, its being built to fit my car, not to fit my subs. i have a couple old junk subs that will be going in there for now till i can buy something else. i can change the depth of the box (front to back) that's fine, if thats whats needed to keep the volume optimal. the width and height are the important dimensions. i was planning on making it sealed but for no reason other than that's what i have now. it can be ported, but i would need a little help on port dimensions and such. does it matter if i make it as 2 separate sealed chambers or can they be connected? also, i was planning on mounting my amp on the face of the box between the subs. ive got a square 13x15 i can mount to. i dont need a ton of power so i dont see any problems here, right?




that's one way to do it. i was lucky enough to have access to cam software that did it all for me

sorry for my posts... i feel like i'm focusing too much on my needs instead of of yours

anyway dude, yes it has to fit your car, but you don't want to compromise on the sub either... IMHO, you need a sub before you can design a box.

you need to know what will or wont fit in your car, obviously you're looking at a 12" max, most likely (looks like a small area to work with)



all in all, just start posting up some subs on here, and you can get help designing around it.


pictures of the specified area would be nice though too.

 

[kunar]

sorry for my posts... i feel like i'm focusing too much on my needs instead of of yours

anyway dude, yes it has to fit your car, but you don't want to compromise on the sub either... IMHO, you need a sub before you can design a box.

you need to know what will or wont fit in your car, obviously you're looking at a 12" max, most likely (looks like a small area to work with)



all in all, just start posting up some subs on here, and you can get help designing around it.


pictures of the specified area would be nice though too.

hey, dont worry about the thread jack, we are all here to learn right?

anyways, i was thinking about fosgate p2's, cause thats whats in my truck and i'm pretty happy with it (a single 10) but i'l be using 2 for my car obviously. im open to suggestions though. i am however pretty set on 10's rather than 12's, cause i am looking for a cleaner sound rather than just loud. i've revised the box a little and the volume is up to .79 cubic feet now, and my mounting depth is a little deeper too. the big problem is that im really not ready to shell out the cash for new subs, when i can use the ones i have for the time being. so basically i'm just kinda making a box thats more tailored to the car than the sub. if i need to i can always add some blocks to the inside if i have to, right?

i was planning on cutting this stuff tomorrow, but maybe i'll just have to wait. i'll try to grab some pics of the interior.

edit: heres a generic picture. at least enough you can tell what im trying to do. the box will be as wide as possible while still fitting inside the trim, and the rear slope of the box fits the seat back.the overall height is determined by a cargo cover that sits at the top of the trim (same area where his strut brace is) and the depth of the box can be whatever it has to be to make things the right volume (pref the smaller the better. thats the whole point is to keep the cargo area as open as possible)

 

[baxtej44]

hey, dont worry about the thread jack, we are all here to learn right?

anyways, i was thinking about fosgate p2's, cause thats whats in my truck and i'm pretty happy with it (a single 10) but i'l be using 2 for my car obviously. im open to suggestions though. i am however pretty set on 10's rather than 12's, cause i am looking for a cleaner sound rather than just loud. i've revised the box a little and the volume is up to .79 cubic feet now, and my mounting depth is a little deeper too. the big problem is that im really not ready to shell out the cash for new subs, when i can use the ones i have for the time being. so basically i'm just kinda making a box thats more tailored to the car than the sub. if i need to i can always add some blocks to the inside if i have to, right?

i was planning on cutting this stuff tomorrow, but maybe i'll just have to wait. i'll try to grab some pics of the interior.

edit: heres a generic picture. at least enough you can tell what im trying to do. the box will be as wide as possible while still fitting inside the trim, and the rear slope of the box fits the seat back.the overall height is determined by a cargo cover that sits at the top of the trim (same area where his strut brace is) and the depth of the box can be whatever it has to be to make things the right volume (pref the smaller the better. thats the whole point is to keep the cargo area as open as possible)

looks pretty cool... ever consider just taking up the whole bottom of the cargo area and putting your cargo on top of the box? like plexi the top of the box, and be able to store stuff on top of it instead? no real preference, IMO, to either, but it's just another idea.

so basically you would create a new "floor"



your stuff here
subsssss
actual floor


^like that^

 

[kunar]

looks pretty cool... ever consider just taking up the whole bottom of the cargo area and putting your cargo on top of the box? like plexi the top of the box, and be able to store stuff on top of it instead? no real preference, IMO, to either, but it's just another idea.

so basically you would create a new "floor"



your stuff here
subsssss
actual floor


^like that^

i would have to take my spare out and put it above the subs... or rip everything out if i ever get a flat. the way i have it planned, i will still be able to get to my spare, and if i need to i will be able to fold down the seat and slide the box up and have a bunch more room. just a couple weeks ago i had a door, a fender and a trunk lid in there and i had to take my box completely out so i had the room.

 

[baxtej44]

i would have to take my spare out and put it above the subs... or rip everything out if i ever get a flat. the way i have it planned, i will still be able to get to my spare, and if i need to i will be able to fold down the seat and slide the box up and have a bunch more room. just a couple weeks ago i had a door, a fender and a trunk lid in there and i had to take my box completely out so i had the room.

didn't think about spare


any chance anybody can help me out on my sketchup right now?


the area i am working with is behind my seat, there is a "shelf" that the stock rear speakers are sitting on right now, as well as the jack and tire iron.

the shelf is 7 inches deep (believe this is partially off to my seat, but let's just assume it's 7"), 52 inches wide (the width of the cab), and 13" high.


i created the sub box to fit those exact specifications, and when i try to draw a circle on the face of the box, i can't even get a ten on there, even though the hypotenuse of the right triangle box is over 14".

what is going on?

 

[kunar]

so here it is. just need to finish it (probably carpet) and get some speaker terminals. sorry for the low quality pics, i used my camera phone.