Woofer Box

[73OpelMan]

Hello all,

Ok here is the thing, I highly doubt that most of you have no idea and do not even know where to start on building a sub box for 2 12" subs in the back of an Opel GT. Lets hope you guys can prove me wrong!!!

I am looking for someone to build me a custom made box made to fit a 1973 Opel GT. REALLY snug in the back part of the car. What better place to ask then the place that knows the most about space and what not in a GT.

I am willing to pay a fair amount of money for this box to be made and I have the basic look to it drawn out to how I want it. I will give that information to you once I get a PM or a reply on this thread!

If you have any more questions just PM me or email me at bug1988@mchsi.com

Thanks
Spencer

[greensmurf20]

post a pic of what you want the over-all design to look like....i might be able to snap something up in wood shop for you. from your drawing, and before my GT leaves i can snaz up some measurements and give you a materials cost. all our woodshop offers at school is pine and oak, you could carpet if you wish.

[yiger]

Before you come up with a final design, do some research. Those who are knowledgable in car speakers (and I am not one of them) say the shape of the box is more important than the quality of the speakers.

[73OpelMan]

I dont care much on "OMG you have the loudest and coolest system around" type of knowledge on the stuff, I just want somthing that can have decent sound to it. Instead of the stock (eww lol)

Anyways the main drawing I have is at my school in my digital design class (it is alot more detailed lol) I just made a small one up in paint within about 2 seconds so it does not look THAT great but I willdescribe it for you.

Of course the 2 black circles are the areas where the speakers will go, those will both be directly behind each seat. then Instead of it being one HUGE rectangle box like most of them boxes now a days, I want the box to slant from both sides and meeting in the middle. You will know what I am talking about when you see the picture. Also I do not want the speakers sitting in there straight up if at all possible...The side view describes this by showing it at a small slant.

[baronbors]

I had this in my file- looks cool

[73OpelMan]

What type of car did that come out of and if it came out of a GT think it can work with 12" subs?

[baronbors]

Originally Posted by 73OpelMan What type of car did that come out of and if it came out of a GT think it can work with 12" subs?

Yup - came out of a GT - one of the members on the list made it out of carbon fiber. I want to eventually do the same.

[simplemind7]

hey, i work at a car audio shop and i've built a few boxes, my boss used to be the guy you would go to within about an hour around if you wanted a really nice box custom built... hes got all the formulas and stuff memorized and knows all the tips and tricks to building a nice box, and i'm picking up on some of them... i'd love to help you out and i would build the box for you for a good price... but your pretty far away (southern ontario vs florida) so getting it to you would be a bit of a problem... an expensive problem since a subbox for 2 12's isn't the smallest or lightest thing to ship...

[73OpelMan]

It might make me change my mind on getting a box done....unless of course someone on here could actually make me one...thanks for the picture though, I will definitly keep it in mind.

[okiewelder]

hello opelman, I have gotten a few drivers from this place over the years. they have a tech section that is pretty good also.
www.partsexpress.com Good luck with the enclosure.
Steven

[GT Tim]

I am building a custom enclosure for a JL W7.It probably won't work for anyone else.My speaker needs much more air space than the average speaker.It should take competitions next year.I use to install custom stereios.I am what you would call a BASS head.

[WannaBOpelOwner]

your going to want to make it out of half inch mdf. because if you make it out of plywood it will eventually rattle itself apart. you can find mdf at your local lumber store. i have made many sub boxes so if you need any help or questions just pm me.

[69-GT]

i'd recomend 3/4" mdf, thats what most boxes are made out of today. 2 12" subs can pack a punch

[WannaBOpelOwner]

if hes makes 2 seperate boxes 1/2 inch will be just fine but with only one box i agree with Phil.

[opelwasp]

this is how i house my 2 Pioneer 10's and their amp. btw, you cant just build a box to fit the car, you build a box to fit the speakers. first you find the box size the speakers need then you hope like hell it will fit your available space. PM me if you have any questions. i used to build custom boxes, it is not as easy as one might think. a $50 sub in the right box can out perform a $500 sub in the wrong box.

[heimue]

- Step 1: remove your wooden board (the one where you place your luggage on);
- Step 2: fabricate a riser out of plywood/MDF or whatever, that is about 2 inches wide and as high as you need to clear your speakers (glue some sheets together)
- Step 3: make a sturdy lid out of 3/4" MDF, cut speaker holes in.
- Step 4: screw it all together
- Step 5: connect speakers to 1000 Watt amp and have your GT hopping through your driveway. It easily accomodates 12" woofers.

Done on my former GT in the 80's. Sound could not be better. Entire rear serves as resonator.

Dieter

[opelwasp]

with the luggage tray desighn you can only use "freeair" subs or it will sound like crap. also you get interesting resonance in the car. and if anything falls behind the speaker grill the buzz it makes from bouncing on the speaker will drive you nuts. you also can no longer use the luggage area for anything, if you place anything over the speaker it can damage it by not letting the air to move infront of it.

[Clayton918]

Chris,
I know nothing about this sort of thing, but is there no risk to your speakers being damaged by the sun in that placement?
I have 2 10"ers and an amp someone gave me that I'm going to put in mine.(Rockford Fosgate and Kicker amp, any good or cheap garbage?)
I really like that design but I'm also concerned about giving up my spare tire. Did you find another place for it or just go without?

[namba209]

O.K. folks, I'm not here to rain on your parade or anything like that. But I do want to pass on some info based on my experience after 20+ years in the USAF working on the flight line around running jet engines. The auditory system of the human body (ears), are one of the few organs that DO NOT repair themselves. Any hearing impairment, regardless of duration, is cumulative. That means, figuratively speaking, a drop a day will eventually add up to a gallon, so any damage to the ears will not get better and will progresivly get worse. On this subject my favorite personal statement is: Eventually, you will need the boom boxes to be as loud as they are now just to be able to hear the tunes, close up. Personally, I would like to be able to tell when a lifter is not adjusted correctly, than stand next to a bass drum and not be able to hear it. The hearing aid companies just love the loud high powered amps in the cars today too. O.K.., off the soapbox.

[opelwasp]

after i put 15"tires on my car the 13' spare was worthless. RF's are good speakers, and kicker makes good amps too. the only reason you can see the subs through the window is because of the flash. i have 90% tint back there. to make a good box you will need at least 1/2" MDF and the Theil/Small parameters. "Q" values and the like. i can plug all that info in and make some recomendations. also what type of music do you most listen to?

[opelwasp]

i figure i am still ok because if i blow out the low freq. i can still hear the high tapping of the lifters.

[Clayton918]

I listen to a very wide variety of music.
Steppenwolf to Metalica to Korn to Skynyrd to Bach to Bagpipes to....I listen to everything. I guess mostly rock, 70's to now.

[neuropel]

Wayne Torman wrote an article years ago on this. He had a luggage tray design similar to Heimue's above. His design was very slick...anyone know if it's somewhere on the web still?

Todd

[BQS4]

Originally Posted by neuropel Wayne Torman wrote an article years ago on this. He had a luggage tray design similar to Heimue's above. His design was very slick...anyone know if it's somewhere on the web still? Todd

Todd, ET-AL;
I have that article printed up. I guess I need to scan it and post it here.

[73OpelMan]

I am not taking ANYTHING stock out of the car...the luggage compartment IS staying, and I will have a box sitting right in front of it. I do not want to ruin the look of the car so when I can take it to a classical car show I can rip the subs out and still have the luggage compartment still intact. lol. But thankyou for everyones responses. It has helped me out alot.