Boot Install (With pics)

[MrSix]

Yeah I hate droney bass too, I listen to 'real' music with bass drums as opposed to hip hop with it's beats. With it turned up it gives a nice punch. My components are amped too but don't give quite enough bass for my liking.

Fox, no worries - me and a friend are considering doing it as a little side job too, because it's rewarding and interesting to do.

And no, there isn't quite enough air for the sub, so it is under-performing, but that will soon be rectified by a little bit more of a box on "this" side of the boot space.

 

[eidolon]

Yeah but do you really need a sub in such an enclosed space as a car? Amped components do me fine, more than loud enough without the annoying boom boom boom of a sub.

If you want to hear music how it was meant to be heard you need the full frequency spectrum. Without a sub you're totally missing out on the lower end of the scale.

There are songs that I've heard hundreds of times on "normal" systems which have sounded completely different on a decent system, you discover bass lines that you never knew existed. I'm not just talking about dance music, there's a hell of a lot of run of the mill music that will have hidden depth that you won't be aware of.

 

[GT3]

If you want to hear music how it was meant to be heard you need the full frequency spectrum. Without a sub you're totally missing out on the lower end of the scale.

There are songs that I've heard hundreds of times on "normal" systems which have sounded completely different on a decent system, you discover bass lines that you never knew existed. I'm not just talking about dance music, there's a hell of a lot of run of the mill music that will have hidden depth that you won't be aware of.

Fair enough, I see what you are saying but music in my car is just something in the background. A car is hardly a place to have an ideal high fidelity system anyway, and all that audio equipment just weighs you down

 

[Sirrel Squirrel]

That's awesome, nicely done mate, having a sub in a car is awesome anyway, just makes driving more interesting I find lol

 

[Sp00n]

Fair enough, I see what you are saying but music in my car is just something in the background. A car is hardly a place to have an ideal high fidelity system anyway, and all that audio equipment just weighs you down

Why? I spend more time in my car than i do listening to my hi-fi at home, makes sense that i have a 'high fidelity' system where i spend the most time, no?

 

[GT3]

Why? I spend more time in my car than i do listening to my hi-fi at home, makes sense that i have a 'high fidelity' system where i spend the most time, no?

I meant due to the confined space and lots of different surfaces for sound-waves to bounce all over the place and road noise in the background. A stereo system in a car is never going to sound amazing so why bother spending loads when a decent headunit, 2 channel amp and pair of components will do?

 

[eidolon]

I meant due to the confined space and lots of different surfaces for sound-waves to bounce all over the place and road noise in the background. A stereo system in a car is never going to sound amazing so why bother spending loads when a decent headunit, 2 channel amp and pair of components will do?

I'm guessing that you've never heard a top end car audio system?

The difference between a "decent headunit, 2 channel amp and pair of components" and a "proper" system is night and day.

 

[russ9898]

hi, great job on the install, but 2 questions if you dont mind?

how did you manage to cut a piece of wood to fit so nicely in the sides of the boot? and what did you use to mount it securely to the side of the boot. a few pics would be great if you have any

cheers, russ

 

[MrSix]

Hi Russ, I used the existing "leash tie" mountings that were already in the car, then the space was measured up using a tape measure then the wood was cut roughly to fit. Once we had the basic shape, we fine tuned it until it fit perfectly.

The actual sealed box behind the sub was the hardest part as it had to fit in the space between the rear lights and the wheel arch. That took a lot of sanding and modifying to fit in there.

Oh yeah, that reminds me, the actual sealed box has thick pile house carpet on the back of it too in order to prevent rattles and for a little more sound insulation. There's no sign of vibrations or rattles from the near side rear quarter at all.

And lastly, lol, have a look at this - seems that I saved myself £160

http://www.autoacoustics.com/sbn-vg04.htm

 

[russ9898]

yup, you saved £160 and got a better looking product in my opinion....fits in better.

if you dont mind me asking how much did you spend all in? (excluding sub/amp) just on wood, carpet etc

 

[MrSix]

£20 for carpet (not £24.99 like I thought)
£8 on MDF
£5 on spray adhesive.

£33 all in

 

[russ9898]

**goes to get tape measure hehe**

 

[Freefaller]

So you don't listen to musak while you're driving?

Oh I do... but I'm quite happy with the standard setup. The speakers produce more than enough bass for the music I listen to - and I don't need it to be that loud for me to enjoy it - I tend to listen to music quite low anyway, I don't like anything louder for fear of being antisocial.

 

[saitrix]

MrSix,

That is the exact install that I want to do if i get a sub. When i was looking the hardest thing seemed to be finding a normal, nice looking grill for the sub. Still not sure whether to get one...

 

[paradigm]

Well thanks to your detailed description of how you did it MrSix, I now have a cardboard template of exactly the size and shape of the box and divider

Where did you get your carpet, or can you not say?

Thanks.

 

[eidolon]

This link might be useful for anyone wanting to do something similar

 

[MrSix]

Yeah that's pretty cool - didn't have access to glass fibre though, so I had to make do with good old MDF!

I got the carpet from Halfrauds, bit of a rip off, but nice to work with - real soft and matched the colour of my boot well.

 

[saitrix]

How large volume has the box got? I think its meant to have 1.25m^3 ideally?

 

[MrSix]

Not a clue, at a guess i't say half that.

 

[Durzel]

Freefaller has an MX-5. I think it's impossible to drive one of those without having to have a little hoon... especially when you have the sound of turbo spool to make you smile.

When I'm on a 'hooning mission', I don't have music on. I much prefer to hear the engine

But still, a superb looking install. Especially one that you've done yourself. Does the cubic capacity of the box match the sub? Awesome work

MX-5 drivers are too busy checking their eyeliner in the mirror to worry about decent sounds.

Nice install, very stealthy. How did you fasten the MDF panels to the sides of the car? I assume you didn't fibreglass the back of them to mould it around the trim?