[Breathegood]

Well, after four weeks of only being able to work on it 20-30 minutes at a time, I finally finished an 8" sub enclosure for the tool cubby in the back passenger side of an x-cab. I used 0.5" MDF and the enclosure volume is just a hair over 0.2 cubic feet without a speaker. I don't think you could make it significantly bigger without cutting sheet metal. I prefer the sound of a ported enclosure so I added a 1.875" dia. x 2" long port, but at this small size a sealed box would sound pretty good too. The sound quaility is pretty good for the size. Much better than a simple mounting plate over the cubby hole. I was able to back the gain on my amp down by about 2/3 and still get much better response than a free-air setup. It feels like a three year old is kicking the back of the seat. My total cost for materials was only about $25, and I have enough left over to make 3 or 4 more. I have pictures, but if I make them small enough to post, you can't see anything. If someone would offer to host them that would be great, or I can e-mail them to anyone who wants them. Next weekend I'll have to remove it to make some minor adjustments and I'll measure it all out and make detailed schematics for those that may be interested.

 

[stevet47]

i cant host them for you, but i'd like to see them....unless someone hosts them, send them to [email protected] for me...thanks.

 

[WILD YOTE]

Yeah, I'd like to see some pics!

 

[Breathegood]

you've got mail

 

[absolut taco]

That is very generous of you. I'm looking forward to those schematics!
What woofer/amp are you using?

 

[NisAznMonk]

I'll host the pics. Send them to [email protected] and I'll have them up that night.

If anyone ever needs a host, just let me know.

 

[Breathegood]

I'm actually embarassed to say what sub and amp I'm using. The sub is a $20 Roadmaster (Wal-Mart special), and I'm actually running two amps, a nice Premier 200W four channel (system) and an old crappy Optimus 100W two channel (sub), both off the stock deck. I had the amplifiers long before I bought the Taco, I just haven't put upgrading the stereo high on the spending priority list.

 

[stevet47]

Is there any sub out there that is specifically designed to opperate with very limited air space? I figure that would sound better, than a sub that is opperating with less air space then required. Also, using polyfill makes the sub think it is in a bigger box then it really is right? Because it slows down the soundwaves or something?

BTW - Thanks for sending me the pics!

 

[Breathegood]

Yeah, some are designed for smaller spaces than others, and some are designed specifically to be free-air, ported, or sealed. For an 8" sub generally 1.25 cubic feet is about the biggest I've seen , and I have an old pair of MTX truck boxes that are just barely 0.4 cubic feet. Any time you purchase a speaker new, it should list on the packaging or spec sheet the ideal range of enclosure sizes. I think the sub that I have recomends a 0.3-0.75 cubic foot sealed enclosure, but when building a custom box, you work with space you have. Filling the box with polyfill is one of the things I intend to do next weekend. I may fork out the dough for a nice JL or other top notch sub designed for smaller enclosures some day, but for now, saving for a supercharger takes priority over expensive stereo upgrades.

 

[NisAznMonk]

Image Dynamics, JLw0, and Kicker solobarics come to mind when I need to pick a sub with limited air space requirements. I'm sure there are others out there.

As far as polyfill, the stuffing inside a cheap pillow is the same. You'll notice on the packing it'll say "microfiber polyfill" on it. It works ok for subs that need more air space, but it can also hurt the sound if you don't need it.

 

[NisAznMonk]

Well, after four weeks of only being able to work on it 20-30 minutes at a time, I finally finished an 8" sub enclosure for the tool cubby in the back passenger side of an x-cab. I used 0.5" MDF and the enclosure volume is just a hair over 0.2 cubic feet without a speaker. I don't think you could make it significantly bigger without cutting sheet metal. I prefer the sound of a ported enclosure so I added a 1.875" dia. x 2" long port, but at this small size a sealed box would sound pretty good too. The sound quaility is pretty good for the size. Much better than a simple mounting plate over the cubby hole. I was able to back the gain on my amp down by about 2/3 and still get much better response than a free-air setup. It feels like a three year old is kicking the back of the seat. My total cost for materials was only about $25, and I have enough left over to make 3 or 4 more. I have pictures, but if I make them small enough to post, you can't see anything. If someone would offer to host them that would be great, or I can e-mail them to anyone who wants them. Next weekend I'll have to remove it to make some minor adjustments and I'll measure it all out and make detailed schematics for those that may be interested.

 

[NisAznMonk]

:welder:

 

[NisAznMonk]

I also found these 2 free websites that will host pictures for you. if you need to resize your pictures, just open the picture file in MS paintbrush and go to "Image" and then "strech/skew"

http://uploads.savefile.com/
http://imageshack.us/

 

[absolut taco]

Wow, that is a very cool little box. That has to be some strong glue to hold that bottom together when it starts thumpin'! Good job!

 

[Breathegood]

Thanks, I appreciate the hosting and links.

 

[Breathegood]

Actually, it's glued, stapled, and sealed with silicon caulk. I didn't get all the joints as tight as I would have liked, but there was a lot of back and forth to the truck for fitting. Now that I have one done, I'll get it measured out and build a second with much tighter tolerances. Part of the reason I put a port on it was to relieve some of the internal pressure so it doesn't "explode" while I'm rockin out.

 

[Munssey]

Actually, it's glued, stapled, and sealed with silicon caulk. I didn't get all the joints as tight as I would have liked, but there was a lot of back and forth to the truck for fitting. Now that I have one done, I'll get it measured out and build a second with much tighter tolerances. Part of the reason I put a port on it was to relieve some of the internal pressure so it doesn't "explode" while I'm rockin out.

It would be very generous of you to get the measurements for all the pieces so others can use it as a template to build their own in the future.

You did a good job on your project.

 

[stevet47]

I like that idea Munssey

Has anyone ever thought of putting a releasing agent on all the inside surfaces of the cubby hole and just forming fiberglas mat to it...I would think a couple layers of that would be plenty stong, and you would have the most amount of airspace physically possible.

 

[Breathegood]

It would be very generous of you to get the measurements for all the pieces so others can use it as a template to build their own in the future.

You did a good job on your project.

My plan is to pull it this weekend (if my honey-do list isn't too long) and make detailed schematics. I'd like to see how others would modify my design to get more out of it. Since I'm running seatless back there anyway, I've already got ideas about extending it above floor level and making room for a 10 incher.

 

[Breathegood]

Has anyone ever thought of putting a releasing agent on all the inside surfaces of the cubby hole and just forming fiberglas mat to it...I would think a couple layers of that would be plenty stong, and you would have the most amount of airspace physically possible.

Are you talking about permanent installation? Once you do what you've described, there's no removing the glass without cutting the sheet metal. If, heaven forbid, you ever decide to sell or want to use the cubby for it's intended purpose, how do you get it out? The thought has crossed my mind to use what I made as a starting point for a mold, but I have no experience with fg and lots of experience and tools for working with wood.