Custom Stealthbox

[Radiologue]

Spent the last two weeks fabricating a custom sealed subwoofer enclosure for the rear door. I have to say it is an excellent result. The sound quality is amazing!

Check out the pics linked below.

http://www.shutterfly.com/osi.jsp?i=67b0de21b3342767e433

[Joe_Black]

Thanks for the pics, good idea on the design. Do you know what the volume of your enclosure is?

[valenki]

great job on the stealth sub !!! cool idea

[Navigator]

The only thing I would have done different is cut a custom hex hole for the Xtant sub, but you did a dayum fine job. How did you ever come up with that idea :D

One question, does the cover vibrate when you pump up the volume?

[Bantan]

First I must say, Great Job!

What material did you use to make it?
What size is the hole?
Will you making more to offer for sale?
What is the power rating on that speaker?
Does the door vibrate?
Can I get one?

Thanks in advance for your help.

[WormGod]

AAAHHHHH! He cut the interior! He cut the interior! Call the defacing police!

;)

Nice job. Now REALLY stealth it and cover that speaker. It stands out like a 5 finger discount. :p

[Dallas4u]

Xtant... nice!

Nice setup, dude!

[Tone]

Great job - did you use a trash bag to line the wheel and then glass inside of it? My first sub design was very similar to that but I didn’t like the sound of the SoloBaric woofer as well. Attaching it to the wheel was also problematic.

[Radiologue]

Joe Black:
Volume estimate: 0.7-0.8 cubic feet by my calculations.
If you are going to do something like this, be sure to check
your sub specs. My sub is meant for a small sealed
enclosure.

Bantan:
The enclosure is made of fiberglass and MDF. It is coated
with a rubberized undercoating for dampening purposes.
Attention to detail has resulted in very little to no vibration.
The enclosure fits very very very tightly in position.
If I had the time I would make one for you, however this
project was a real pain in the a__. There's no reasonable
amount of money I would accept. Stereo shops should be
able to fabricate whatever you want within a couple of days.
I was not willing to spend the $900-$1,000 the shops were
asking to do the job, so I just read about fabrication and
started building.
The speaker is a dual voice coil subwoofer rated at 500
watts.

WormGod:
I could not cover the speaker if I wanted to. Number one, I
picked the speaker because of it aesthetics (I want it to be
seen). Number two, it sticks out of the door due to the very
large magnet and because of volume requirements of the
subwoofer. I would have to disagree with you. I love the
way it looks.

Tone:
I lined the spare tire with masking tape covered with WD40,
but otherwise a similar idea.

[-x-]

Nothing less than beautiful bro ;eeky; if i may be so bold as to ask 'bout how much of a financial investment in making that? My friends quoting me 700 for a custom fiberglass box enclosure 3 10's or 2 12's so im debating what to do and just curious,thanx and once again nice....x

[Joe_Black]

-x-, if you're not in too much of a hurry I'm thinking about doing this within the next six to eight weeks and it wouldn't be much of a problem to make another. If there's enough interest I might consider making a mold for additional units. It would be an enclosed glass design similar to radiologue's but would use a foam core or composite honeycomb sandwich construction. I might even face the visible portion in carbon. Ooooh, aaaah!

[Radiologue]

-x-

Materials cost me around $100 including fiberglass sheets, resin, MDF, screws, paint, rubber undercoating, wire, brushes, acetone, etc.

Cost savings were enormous doing it myself! It is a labor intensive process, and it is the labor that you pay so much for.

[Navigator]

Originally posted by Joe_Black
-x-, if you're not in too much of a hurry I'm thinking about doing this within the next six to eight weeks and it wouldn't be much of a problem to make another. If there's enough interest I might consider making a mold for additional units. It would be an enclosed glass design similar to radiologue's but would use a foam core or composite honeycomb sandwich construction. I might even face the visible portion in carbon. Ooooh, aaaah!

Foam and MDF... Yeah that's the ticket :D

[coachreed]

I definitely like what you did... actually, I had planned to do the same once I got my VX... which I have now. There is one thing I haven't figured out yet... how to attach the box into the spare tire/wheel so that it can be easily removed in the event of needing to use the spare. How did you do it? I hope that the box and that relatively massive sub aren't just held in by the plastic panel and the four plastic screws. If you can explain, I'd really appreciate it. This is the first step I plan to take in the installation of my full audio/video/computer system in my VX. Thanks in advance.

Coach... aka Randy!

[james1_10018]

Do you guys consider making thisto sell, I want one pleaassseeeee

James

[transVXmen]

I just recently put in a 10" Sony Xplod sub into the spare tire housing...it took some figuring out and planning, but it works great and the sound of my system drastically improved!!!...It is basically the same as the one Tone sells on his website...but I decided to cut a roughly 4" thick acoustic foam that is round that fits inside the spare wheel housing ...with a round hole cut in the center of the foam to securely hold the back part of the sub and the 1/2" thick MDF that is mounted on it...this in turn acts as a stealth box and also gets rid of the SHAKES !!! It is also super easy to remove the sub to access my spare, just in case I'll need it...I'll post some pictures of this mod ASAP...also the guys at the audio installation shop where so impressed that it looked like a professional job...functionally as well as aesthetically!!! It looks GOOOOOD with my Ebony VX ..due to the red hexigonal shaped speaker cone as well as a semi translucent grill that protects the sub..I also put some black door edge protectors around the circular cut out of the plastic ..so it frames it real nice!!!

[carlymac]

YEA...YEA PICS PLEASE,
I want to add a sub to my existing stock system. Just to even everything out. Not wake up the neighbors.

[IsuZOOM]

Tone sells a sub enclosure - www.tonemonday.com

[james1_10018]

The choice of good air free subs is very limited, my preference is with an inclosure

[coachreed]

Here's the picture of Tone's from his site...

http://www.tonemonday.com/images/subencloser/subencloser_lg.jpg

My question is... is this a complete replacement panel? Or, is it just the stock panel with a hole cut in it, with a board attached to it? If it is a complete replacement panel, what is it made of? Lemme know as I had a plan to make something that would be VERY easily mass producable... and it wouldn't be the first time for me to do such a thing. Basically... I would gel-cote my stock rear cover panel, fiberglass it, and then I will have a mold for a foberglass replacement... but its not done there... I would mold into the panel, a sub enclosure. Of course, this would either require the panel to be painted to match... unless I can get a decent price on a color matched gel coat. It would also have the original texture and markings. Anyway, lemme know what you think of that... maybe I'll post a new thread on this... just got off on a tangent.

TTYL!

Coach... aka Randy!

[Tone]

I offer a Russian birch plywood panel covered in black trunk carpet, brackets and custom grill that fits in the stock tire cover (after you cut the plastic inside the line already molded in there) - almost like it was designed for it. Anything more than the 10” FreeAir driver is really pushing the physical space limitations of the rim area or requires the removal of the spare not to mention the increased modification of the rear cover.

I wanted a simple, good looking but highly effective way to noticeably increase the sound of the stock (or aftermarket) system that doesn’t disturb the car next to you or be overly complicated or take up more space than necessary. Switching the sub in and out of the system shows the huge difference that it makes - true, it isn’t going to win any competitions, but you’ll feel and hear the difference. Demos avail at any meet....

[coachreed]

Originally posted by Tone
Demos avail at any meet....

Don't guess there'll be any meets here, will there?! ;pb; Yeah, sounds like a decent simple system, one that is probably more than good for most... I'd like to hear it first hand, but don't guess I'll be getting that chance anytime soon... at least not before I end up going nuts on my own VX. Ahh well, guess I need to go buy some fiberglass supplies before the weekend rolls around. TTYL!

Coach... aka Randy!

[james1_10018]

Someone make one for sale pleeeeeeesse, I want one other wise I have to go with a free air sub, I am not sure I want to do that

James

[VCAMILO]

I did this 3 months ago and I do like the space saving idea but when you really crank up the bass it makes the whole rear door rattle. For the life of me I can't stop the license plate area from rattling just a bit. The whole rear door is dynamated and the internal mechanism have been tweeked with so that they won't rattle. The guy that did mine will charge 400-450 if anyone is intersted in one. Im 90% happy cause I never crank it up too much and I dont have to remove a sub-box to throw stuff in the back. ;Db;

http://66.135.165.190:81/images/Vehicross/DYNA08.JPG

http://66.135.165.190:81/images/Vehicross/DYNA11.JPG

[james1_10018]

Im sorry but I think the way he cut the panel was not very good, the finishing isnt top notch , may I say

[carlymac]

I concur, looks like he cut it out with a circular saw. I want a sub but not at the extreme expence of my rear door panel. I'm not knocking your ride VCAMILO, but that ain't for me.

:freek: :freek: :freek: ;Db;

[Navigator]

Originally posted by VCAMILO
I did this 3 months ago and I do like the space saving idea but when you really crank up the bass it makes the whole rear door rattle. For the life of me I can't stop the license plate area from rattling just a bit. The whole rear door is dynamated and the internal mechanism have been tweeked with so that they won't rattle. The guy that did mine will charge 400-450 if anyone is intersted in one. Im 90% happy cause I never crank it up too much and I dont have to remove a sub-box to throw stuff in the back. ;Db;

http://66.135.165.190:81/images/Vehicross/DYNA08.JPG

http://66.135.165.190:81/images/Vehicross/DYNA11.JPG

To get rid of that license plate rattle, first Dynamate the back of the license plate, then add a 1 inch cube of plumbers putty between the plate and car body to absorb any and all other vibrations. Worked for me :dance: Also, my advice to EVERYONE doing a rear door sub modification... NEVER cut your panel. Put your panel away someplace safe, it wil only get in the way of the bass. Check out my gallery for pictures of mine, and email me if you need more ideas. For those who haven't done one yet, foam is cheap and easy :D

[VCAMILO]

I did all that. Dynamatted the frame, license, etc... and there still a rattle from the plate inside the license plate area. The reason we cut the hole sho big was to add a ABS plastic with the word "VEHIcross" lazered cut into it. I just need the find the ABS plastic that big and then a place that will lazer cut it out. I can work in autocad if anyone had a source for those things. I also have another uncut rear panel that I bought on ebay for $40 bucks. ;Dr;

[Moncha]

Originally posted by VCAMILO
... the word "VEHIcross" lazered cut into it. I just need the find the ABS plastic that big and then a place that will lazer cut it out.

Are you going to use clear ABS? You could add a couple high intensity LEDS shooting in from the side to illuminate the VehiCROSS that you cut in.

[coachreed]

Originally posted by VCAMILO
I did all that. Dynamatted the frame, license, etc... and there still a rattle from the plate inside the license plate area. The reason we cut the hole sho big was to add a ABS plastic with the word "VEHIcross" lazered cut into it. I just need the find the ABS plastic that big and then a place that will lazer cut it out. I can work in autocad if anyone had a source for those things. I also have another uncut rear panel that I bought on ebay for $40 bucks. ;Dr;

If you have the ability to set something up on autocad, I could probably have the guys down in our CNC department toolpath it and it could by CNC'd into the plastic. Lemme know what you think. Where exactly are you located? TTYL!

Coach!

[Moncha]

Does it have to be in Autocad?
I'd love to get a piece of ABS cut for my computer side panel.

[ron]

hey Scott..

If you have a 3-D file of what you need for the side of your computer side panel, you should try to export the file in an .igs format file to be imported into Autocad for CNC toolpath.

VCamilo...

I believe that you can't really laser cut through ABS plastic. I think it gumms up during the cut which leaves you with crappy results. I've consulted with Tap plastics about this when I was researching ways to cut my abs grill kit out. You might have better results with water-jet cutting but not much. The other option, if your heat is set in laser cutting, is acrylic. Keep in mind that acrylic has different characteristics than ABS in terms of durability, heat resistance, and finish results both good and bad depending on what's important to you.

However, if you do go with water-jet, may want to consider a stain-less steel designed cover. The results are very good and the finish is chrome-like. That's how I did my stainless steel grills. Good luck with you decision and quests.

[Moncha]

Ron, thanks for the info but, I don't do AC.. I need to find someone that can do it for me, I guess.

[coachreed]

Originally posted by Moncha
Does it have to be in Autocad?
I'd love to get a piece of ABS cut for my computer side panel.

I'll talk to one of our CNC operators on Monday to see what files he can deal with... if there are any variations. As for the ABS thing... I think Ron is right... I wasn't even thinking about the material. I'd personally stick with polycarbonate or something of the sort or one of the poly-hybrid materials (specific names slip my mind right now). I'm not sure who does our waterjet stuff for us, but I could check into that too... I recall seeing some stuff we did for some prototypes that were waterjeted... I think they were done in a material called sentra or centra... its an extended PVC material that we get in black or white... pretty easy to work with for decorative things.

Anywho... ttyl!

Coach... aka Randy!

[james1_10018]

hey Radiologue

Would you be willing to make one for fellow vxer for a price ?

[Radiologue]

James

Man, I would love to make more of these boxes for people. However, It was a very time consuming and tedious process that I just really do not have time for. I'd be more than happy to tell anyone who wants to know how to do it. Most importantly for me, I would like to avoid further exposure to fiberglass resin if at all possible. I reaked, my garage reaked, my neighborhood reaked!!! Fumes, fumes, fumes!!!

It's definitley worth doing. I'm definitely glad I got rid of my two 10" JL's in the big box taking up to whole rear cargo area!

[VCAMILO]

Thanks for the offer. I will start working on Autocad this week. Its more like home play right now since I dont use it anymore.
Will do my friend. Autocad 2002 Ok? Do you need a 3D or 2D drawing?

[AlaskaVX]

How about AutoCAD 2004? :D

Just got it on my computer so I had to say something

[james1_10018]

hEY rADIOLOGUE,
When you get a chance would you kindly write up the instructions ? I really want one to finish up my b4 I run out of money

[Radiologue]

James

I did a simple search on the internet for fiberglass, fiberglass enclosures, fabrication etc. and found sites that discussed their experience with fiberglass.

It is actually a very simple but time consuming process. You can buy the woven glass and resin from Walmart. All you do is cover the spare tire with something to keep the resin off of it. Most people advocate using plastic. I used wide masking tape lightly coated in WD-40 (cover the entire tire and wheel and then spray with WD-40). I think the tape is easier to mold to the shape you desire and will stay in place (its not that hard to get off either). You then cut your woven glass into small strips that are easier to handle. I cut mine into thin trapezoidal shapes so that that it was like putting the fiberglass down like you would place pieces of a pie together (but with overlapping edges). This technique works well for circular fabrication. You then place each strip separately covering/soaking it in resin as you go. It is very messy, so you better think ahead and have all of your supplies that you will need all ready set up (with extra brushes, containers, acetone, eye protection...) I did a layer of fiberglass a day allowing each layer to cure in between.

You must repeat the process several times, adding layers to get the fiberglass thick enough for the job. I opted to use MDF for the front of the enclosure as my pictures showed. I just fiberglassed the MDF to the fiberglass mold of my spare tire/wheel and covered the MDF with resin. Allow it to cure for a couple of days and finish off the details (cutting holes, placement of a speaker mount, wiring, polyfill...)

Again, it's not hard--just a pain in the rumpuss.