For John P., TTRay, and others, here's a shot of my new rear platform for subs and amp.
06-14-2002, 06:11 AM
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For John P., TTRay, and others, here's a shot of my new rear platform for subs and amp.
<img src="http://www.tr-international.com/ttingables/newshelf1.jpg">
The risers where the subs will sit are mounted using hex-head bolts meeting T-nuts on the other side. That way, if I need to take the speakers out, I can quickly unbolt the frame that they are mounted in, without having to unscrew the speaker itself, which would weaken the bond where the driver is mounted. The material is 3/4" ULMDF.
The amp will sit in the rectangular hole, obviously. Last night I mounted the aluminum brackets that I made to hols the amp, and adjusted their fit. The brackets are attached with the same hex-head bolts into T-nuts on the other side.
The shelf sits on ¾" X 2½" hardwood, cut to 8" and 10" lengths and fitted underneath the platform in strategic places where they will rest on the metal surfaces surrounding the spare in the cars trunk area.
Keep in mind this whole thing will be painted and then covered with fabric. The bolts and washers, as well as the top part of the aluminum amp brackets, will be exposed, which I think will give a nice contrast with the dark fabric. There will also be a recessed ring handle that I will mount towards the amp side, to aid in removing the enclosure to access the spare. Originally, this rear shelf was to be hinged, but I decided to make it one piece instead for added rigidity.
If it's really difficult to remove with the added weight of the amp and speakers in place, I may hinge about 6" of one side longitudinally, to allow room for it to be lifted straight up instead of sliding it forward, then up, which is what I have to do now. It's easy now, but with the amp and drivers in place, and sealing foam around the perimeter, it might not be so easy then, we'll see :-)
I am going to rout out the shelf where the D-rings go on the OEM shelf, to refit them in the corners and have their use again.
I should be able to finish it by tomorrow afternoon. Ray, if you're not inspecting or approving something tomorrow and you want to come by to help, you are more than welcome to join me, a second set of hands always comes in handy. :-)
Well, that's it for now. More reports to follow, and of course I'll eventually post the whole process on my site.
The risers where the subs will sit are mounted using hex-head bolts meeting T-nuts on the other side. That way, if I need to take the speakers out, I can quickly unbolt the frame that they are mounted in, without having to unscrew the speaker itself, which would weaken the bond where the driver is mounted. The material is 3/4" ULMDF.
The amp will sit in the rectangular hole, obviously. Last night I mounted the aluminum brackets that I made to hols the amp, and adjusted their fit. The brackets are attached with the same hex-head bolts into T-nuts on the other side.
The shelf sits on ¾" X 2½" hardwood, cut to 8" and 10" lengths and fitted underneath the platform in strategic places where they will rest on the metal surfaces surrounding the spare in the cars trunk area.
Keep in mind this whole thing will be painted and then covered with fabric. The bolts and washers, as well as the top part of the aluminum amp brackets, will be exposed, which I think will give a nice contrast with the dark fabric. There will also be a recessed ring handle that I will mount towards the amp side, to aid in removing the enclosure to access the spare. Originally, this rear shelf was to be hinged, but I decided to make it one piece instead for added rigidity.
If it's really difficult to remove with the added weight of the amp and speakers in place, I may hinge about 6" of one side longitudinally, to allow room for it to be lifted straight up instead of sliding it forward, then up, which is what I have to do now. It's easy now, but with the amp and drivers in place, and sealing foam around the perimeter, it might not be so easy then, we'll see :-)
I am going to rout out the shelf where the D-rings go on the OEM shelf, to refit them in the corners and have their use again.
I should be able to finish it by tomorrow afternoon. Ray, if you're not inspecting or approving something tomorrow and you want to come by to help, you are more than welcome to join me, a second set of hands always comes in handy. :-)
Well, that's it for now. More reports to follow, and of course I'll eventually post the whole process on my site.
06-14-2002, 06:44 AM
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Thanks. No, I want to keep it for obvious reasons, so that's why I'm raising the entire rear shelf
by 2½". The drivers require little volume to begin with, anywhere from 14-40 liters each. By my calculations, the riser combined with the space in the spare tire well with the tire in place will give me about 1.7 CF, or around 48 liters, so 24 each driver, should be enough.
To overcome space limitations it will be well damped under the platform, and of course, lots-a-watts to move those cones, 200W continuous per driver.
To overcome space limitations it will be well damped under the platform, and of course, lots-a-watts to move those cones, 200W continuous per driver.
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06-14-2002, 07:15 AM
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I wanted to preserve the flatness of the oem shelf as much as possible, and therefore retain
as much of the usefulness of the rear hatch area for storage, etc. I could have stuck a big box back there and be done with it, but that would have been to easy. :-)
06-14-2002, 07:38 AM
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Thanks for the update. It looks like it's coming together nicely. Have you considered using
rope caulk as a sealant?
<img src="http://www.exelaris.com/ttaudio/cord_weatherstrip_front.jpg">
<img src="http://www.exelaris.com/ttaudio/cord_weatherstrip_back.jpg">
(Available at Home Depot)
I used it to seal my a/d/s/ sub way back when, and it has worked great. No caustic fumes (for the rubber/foam surround), no cutting through caulk or other sealant when you want to unseat the driver.
Maybe you could use this to seal the lid to the trunk metal surface?
<img src="http://www.exelaris.com/ttaudio/cord_weatherstrip_front.jpg">
<img src="http://www.exelaris.com/ttaudio/cord_weatherstrip_back.jpg">
(Available at Home Depot)
I used it to seal my a/d/s/ sub way back when, and it has worked great. No caustic fumes (for the rubber/foam surround), no cutting through caulk or other sealant when you want to unseat the driver.
Maybe you could use this to seal the lid to the trunk metal surface?
06-14-2002, 07:49 AM
#10
Nice idea for the speaker mount...
never know, it might come in handy. Cool to be able to 'watch' as you build this... time and effort so far is a sure sign that this will be a killer system.