Purchased a truck, time for a stereo.
Printed From: the12volt.com
Forum Name: Car Audio
Forum Discription: Car Stereos, Amplifiers, Crossovers, Processors, Speakers, Subwoofers, etc.
URL: https://www.the12volt.com/installbay/forum_posts.asp?tid=41133
Printed Date: May 11, 2025 at 6:08 PM
Topic: Purchased a truck, time for a stereo.
Posted By: robert.ritchie
Subject: Purchased a truck, time for a stereo.
Date Posted: October 18, 2004 at 1:40 PM
I have Pioneer Head Unit, a 1500watt Phoenix Gold amplifier, and two 12 inch MA Audio 700watt (max) subwoofers. The subs came in a box, however the box does not fit in my truck. I purchased a 1996 Dodge RAM 1500 with a regular cab. There is approx. 12 inches of clearance between the bottom of the back seat, and the actual cab of the truck. The sub box I have now is 15 inches deep, so that's a no-go. I need a new sub box, and I think that the cheapest thing to do is build one myself. I looked up the specs for my subwoofer, and it says that the optimal sealed box is 0.75-1.25cu ft. I don't know what the difference is between a sealed box and ported box, other than one has a hole in it. I'm not a complete idiot, but this is really my first time doing anything with car audio. I figure that I'll stick with a sealed box because it's easy, besides, I only have 12 inches of clearance to work with, and from manufacturers specs, the port length for my subs should be 15.5 inches. I only have a few questions, because I need to fit this sub box behind the seats in my truck, it is going to have to be rectangular, if I make the box 32 inches wide, 18 inches tall, and only 9 inches deep, will there be a problem with standing waves? Will those dimensions work, or should I use other dimensions? Also, what is the best way to construct a sub box? Glue? Nails? Screws? All of the above? Any suggestions are more than welcome! -rob ------------- Later
Replies:
Posted By: forbidden
Date Posted: October 18, 2004 at 1:51 PM
Use mdf for the box, use a good wood glue to adhere the panels. If you have a brad nailer, that is all that is required to hold the seams together until the glue dries. If you are going to use screws make sure that you predrill the holes first. (mdf splits very easy). Do not put screws too close to the ends. In general a ported box will play louder and if done properly can sound great as well, it however is totally dependent on the volume and the port. It is a much harder enclosure to build for a beginner. A sealed box usually handles a little more power, 99% of the time sounds great and is highly forgiving about how close you are to box volume. You should be able to build this enclosure as a wedge type, use card board to find your maximum height and depth (top and bottom). Make sure you leave enough room so that the sub does not hit the back of the seat at all, meaning the sub comes out of the driver say .25" or more and when you are sitting in the seat, it comes back who knows how much. The sub cannot ever make contact with the seat or it will destroy itself. Once you have the wedge made out of cardboard, head over to the wedge box calculator on this site to enter the dimensions and find your overall dimensions. ------------- Top Secret, I can tell you but then my wife will kill me.
Posted By: robert.ritchie
Date Posted: October 18, 2004 at 3:34 PM
Is there any particular reason everyone uses MDF? Why not HDF? Also, is there any specific reason to use 3/4" as opposed to 5/8" I know better than to let the subs contact the back of the seat, and what sounds better, more volume or less volume when you're contructing the sub box The range from manufacturer as stated already, is 0.75-1.25 per driver, I've got 2 drivers... So would it be better to go closer to 1.5cu ft, or closer to 2.5cu ft? Also, if I use screws, do I need to apply the glue as well? I guess I don't really have much of a choice either way, I'm really limited by space, so in order to fit both subs behind the seat, I'm going to end up constructing a box with approx. 2.25 cu ft. Thanks again for all the help. ------------- Later
Posted By: forbidden
Date Posted: October 18, 2004 at 3:51 PM
Rob, when I post things I try to be specific and generalize at the same time. Thus when I post things like "Make sure you leave enough room so that the sub does not hit the back of the seat at all", I assume that although you may know this, the other people that will read this may not. Thus it is always in the best interest of everyone to post information that is applicable to all. Most stores do not carry HDF, simple reason why people don't recommend it. As far as the thickness goes, it depends on the task at hand or even sometimes the amount of internal airspace, I have had to use 1/2" sometimes in order to get more internal air volume. With most 12" high output subs, 3/4" is used to keep the walls from flexing. Yes 1/8" makes a difference. Glue is the best adhesive for mdf as it bonds the two pieces together. Screws are a much poorer method of securing mdf together. Glue is much stonger of the two. As far as the box goes, work the problem backwards, find out how much room the box has behind the seat, figure out the internal volume and go from there. ------------- Top Secret, I can tell you but then my wife will kill me.
Posted By: Rushman
Date Posted: October 18, 2004 at 9:21 PM
Just want to add that I agree using wood glue is best but sometimes I dont have the time for the glue to set up and bond so occasionally I do put a screw or two along an edge just enough to hold the two pieces together until the glue dries. If you do decide to use screws , like Forbidden said , pre-drill the holes and stay away from the ends of the pieces. Good Luck
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99 F-one fitty
Pioneer Premier H/U
Alpine EQ
Kicker 1200 amp
4 Kicker comp 10s
6 kicker SS65.2 components
Posted By: bullman96
Date Posted: October 18, 2004 at 11:21 PM
take you center seat out, then your box size will no be an issue. bucket seats are far better than a bench anyways. you can bolt the box right down on the brackets for the center seat. you also wont have to deal with sitting right over the wheel
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