Question about subwoofer removal

[PeterMJ]

I know there are people out there who modified their OEM subwoofers and obviously had them out of the car. What does it take to get this thing out of the car? Does anyone have a pic of the area where the sub resides after it has been removed?

I want to get another subwoofer enclosure, make a mold and make my own enclosure to accommodate larger sub and make the enclosure sealed instead of ported as it is right now. Also, has anyone by any chance measured the impedance of the OEM woofer?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[MoparMap]

Getting the sub out is fairly easy (at least in my convertible, coupe may be a little different). If you pull the back plastic bulkhead panel you can see the whole sub enclosure. It's only three nuts to remove and it comes out easy. I made up a box out of some MDF, but you're pretty limited in space unless you want to mod the plastic bulkhead panel.

 

[PeterMJ]

Getting the sub out is fairly easy (at least in my convertible, coupe may be a little different). If you pull the back plastic bulkhead panel you can see the whole sub enclosure. It's only three nuts to remove and it comes out easy. I made up a box out of some MDF, but you're pretty limited in space unless you want to mod the plastic bulkhead panel.

Not to sound dumb but how does the bulkhead panel come out? Just trying not to break anything. Also, it seems there is no way to make the enclosure any wider without cutting up the center of the bulkhead, correct? Do you know the impedance of the OEM woofer? Mine is a convertible as well.

 

[MoparMap]

To pull the back panel you have to remove the roll hoops. Pop the little panels behind the seats and you should be able to see the mounting feet for the hoops. There is a 1/2" (or 13mm if you feel metric) bolt on each side of the hoop going horizontal that you have to remove (really long bolts by the way). Once you pull them you can pull the hoops up out of their mounting feet. There's a small screw on either side of the center console that you'll have to remove and three down the side of the panel near the rear of the door. The bottom most one is under the the plastic trim panel that runs along the sill. That panel just snaps in place, so pull up gently at the back, middle, and front to remove it.

You could probably go just a little wider on the stock enclosure, but it's probably not worth it. The stock woofer is a dual coil 6.5" setup. I believe each coil is 2 ohms, so if you replace it with a single coil setup you can use a 4 ohm and just wire both inputs together (the stock setup actually runs two channels to the sub). I ended up using an Earthquake Sound SWS 6.5" shallow mount sub, but I'm not all that taken with it. Seems to have a pretty good amount of distortion/rattle at higher volumes. Others have used a Kicker 6.5" shallow setup (don't know the model number off the top of my head). I have a feeling it would be a better choice, but I didn't feel like trying to return what I just bought and paying for all the shipping. I do have an aftermarket amp though (Alpine F300) thats fits in the stock location. Car already had an aftermarket stereo setup with external crossovers for the dash tweeters. so I didn't need that built into the amp like the stock system.

 

[PeterMJ]

To pull the back panel you have to remove the roll hoops. Pop the little panels behind the seats and you should be able to see the mounting feet for the hoops. There is a 1/2" (or 13mm if you feel metric) bolt on each side of the hoop going horizontal that you have to remove (really long bolts by the way). Once you pull them you can pull the hoops up out of their mounting feet. There's a small screw on either side of the center console that you'll have to remove and three down the side of the panel near the rear of the door. The bottom most one is under the the plastic trim panel that runs along the sill. That panel just snaps in place, so pull up gently at the back, middle, and front to remove it.

You could probably go just a little wider on the stock enclosure, but it's probably not worth it. The stock woofer is a dual coil 6.5" setup. I believe each coil is 2 ohms, so if you replace it with a single coil setup you can use a 4 ohm and just wire both inputs together (the stock setup actually runs two channels to the sub). I ended up using an Earthquake Sound SWS 6.5" shallow mount sub, but I'm not all that taken with it. Seems to have a pretty good amount of distortion/rattle at higher volumes. Others have used a Kicker 6.5" shallow setup (don't know the model number off the top of my head). I have a feeling it would be a better choice, but I didn't feel like trying to return what I just bought and paying for all the shipping. I do have an aftermarket amp though (Alpine F300) thats fits in the stock location. Car already had an aftermarket stereo setup with external crossovers for the dash tweeters. so I didn't need that built into the amp like the stock system.

This is awesome info here. I have an extra sub enclosure on the way to start the build. 2 Ohm DVC could be wired to 1 Ohm, did you measure the actual impedance or is in series wiring pretty obvious? I gotta take some measurements to find out if I can use 10 or 8 inch driver. I have a couple of 8 inch SWS subs, they SWS subs do great in tiny enclosures. If not, I'll go with single sealed 8.

Are you using the OEM enclosure and just swapped the drivers?

 

[MoparMap]

I don't actually have a stock sub to measure for impedence, my enclosure was jacked up when I bought the car because they replaced the sub with 2 6.5" standard speakers. I had pretty much zero left of the stock system (amp was gone, all speakers replaced, flip out head unit, etc). Some people have had luck with an 8" and maybe even a 10" sub, but you have to cut out the stock grille and enlarge it and that back panel isn't cheap to replace. I ended up making my own MDF box loosely based on some plans that someone posted here in another thread. I originally copied the plans and was planning to keep my dual 6.5" setup, but the top speaker was hitting the bulkhead panel so I ended up modifying it to make it easier to fabricate at the cost of some enclosure volume and went to a single 6.5" sub.

 

[PeterMJ]

I don't actually have a stock sub to measure for impedence, my enclosure was jacked up when I bought the car because they replaced the sub with 2 6.5" standard speakers. I had pretty much zero left of the stock system (amp was gone, all speakers replaced, flip out head unit, etc). Some people have had luck with an 8" and maybe even a 10" sub, but you have to cut out the stock grille and enlarge it and that back panel isn't cheap to replace. I ended up making my own MDF box loosely based on some plans that someone posted here in another thread. I originally copied the plans and was planning to keep my dual 6.5" setup, but the top speaker was hitting the bulkhead panel so I ended up modifying it to make it easier to fabricate at the cost of some enclosure volume and went to a single 6.5" sub.

I get it know. Any idea what the original enclosure is made of? I am thinking about cutting it in half depth wise and hopefully bonding a new front to it, with recessed mounting flange to prevent any rubs against the bulkhead.

 

[MoparMap]

It's just plastic, maybe 1/8" - 3/16" thick. They cut the back out of mine when they wired the speakers in, so I really couldn't salvage it. I have a feeling a good sub wouldn't do real well in the stock enclosure unless you pack it since it's a little flimsy. I ended up tossing some spare auto carpet insulation in my box to help try to keep rattles down. I really should have built it with a table saw to get nice straight edges, but I was lazy and just loaded it up with glue and seam sealer to make up for the slight angles I used to follow the back of the bulkhead.

 

[PeterMJ]

It's just plastic, maybe 1/8" - 3/16" thick. They cut the back out of mine when they wired the speakers in, so I really couldn't salvage it. I have a feeling a good sub wouldn't do real well in the stock enclosure unless you pack it since it's a little flimsy. I ended up tossing some spare auto carpet insulation in my box to help try to keep rattles down. I really should have built it with a table saw to get nice straight edges, but I was lazy and just loaded it up with glue and seam sealer to make up for the slight angles I used to follow the back of the bulkhead.

I'll post some pics when my extra enclosure arrives. I'll measure the impedance too. I think that with a larger sub, you actually could just run IB set up or build aperiodic membrane enclosure. I noticed my OEM sub rattles real bad, time to fix this one way or another, LOL.

 

[Hirkophoto]

Peter, I already went though this. Take a look at my thread, feel free to PM me or email (you are in Socal club correct?) call me if you want.
I can tell what ever you need to know about the sub and the area. You are going to have a difficult time putting another enclosure in that spot, also you need to do a lot of work to the sub box when you replace the sub in it. I had the vibration problem too and I fixed it.
http://socalviper.com/message-board/index.php?topic=1642.msg16638#msg16638

 

[PeterMJ]

Peter, I already went though this. Take a look at my thread, feel free to PM me or email (you are in Socal club correct?) call me if you want.
I can tell what ever you need to know about the sub and the area. You are going to have a difficult time putting another enclosure in that spot, also you need to do a lot of work to the sub box when you replace the sub in it. I had the vibration problem too and I fixed it.
http://socalviper.com/message-board/index.php?topic=1642.msg16638#msg16638

Hey, thanks. I read your threads with great interest. Now, if I only was in So Cal instead of Sacramento...

 

[Hirkophoto]

Peter are you going to the western states rendezvous ? It's in Santa Barbra this August. We can meet up there! http://socalviper.com/message-board/index.php?topic=1670.msg16965#msg16965

 

[PeterMJ]

K, got an extra subwoofer enclosure, seems to be made of ABS and pretty crappy. From looking at the box, there is an indent, a big one on the backside and a hole which looks like a mounting point. Are both of these necessary? The indent wastes a lot of volume and hole complicates the build. If anyone knows about these issues, please chime in. 8 inch driver should fit without any issues, 10 could be an issue without slightly widening the box.

 

[Viktimize]

Why are you spending all this trouble to fit a sub in a poor design box to begin with? Could have had a new box built already. If you don't want to do the measurements you could just follow the blue prints posted by someone else here that did it already.

http://forums.viperclub.org/threads/624763-Subwoofer-which-fits-and-sounds-(finally)

 

[PeterMJ]

Why are you spending all this trouble to fit a sub in a poor design box to begin with? Could have had a new box built already. If you don't want to do the measurements you could just follow the blue prints posted by someone else here that did it already.

http://forums.viperclub.org/threads/624763-Subwoofer-which-fits-and-sounds-(finally)

I am building a new box, LOL. All I need is the mounting points from the OEM box, thus my questions. I know a bit about fiberglassing but tend to be methodical prior to building the box. Once I get rolling, it will be done in a pretty short time.

 

[Viktimize]

I am building a new box, LOL. All I need is the mounting points from the OEM box, thus my questions. I know a bit about fiberglassing but tend to be methodical prior to building the box. Once I get rolling, it will be done in a pretty short time.

ok gotcha. I thought you were attempting to modify the stock one. I don't think I would spend much effort over thinking it though. There is only so much one can do with that little space, and chances are someone else has done whatever options are available. I'm still interested to see what you come up with though.

I just installed my fiberglass box the other day that billseast made me. Sounds much better so far, but I'm mainly just happy that I can hear some bass now.

 

[PeterMJ]

Well good we clarified this part, LOL. Now, can you tell me why there is something that looks like a mounting hole on the backside of the enclosure? Is there a stud that goes into it? Also, what is up with that recess on the backside? Seems to me it is there to support the port snaked inside of the box but I am just guessing. I am trying to maximize the volume, if the recess is not necessary, I can flatten out the backside. I have seen the enclosure someone else built, it required cutting out a larger hole for the sub to move freely, I want to avoid doing this and still use 8 inch sub that apparently moves a lot. If I was to cut up the bulkhead, I would be doing a 15 to justify the effort

 

[Viktimize]

Well good we clarified this part, LOL. Now, can you tell me why there is something that looks like a mounting hole on the backside of the enclosure? Is there a stud that goes into it? Also, what is up with that recess on the backside? Seems to me it is there to support the port snaked inside of the box but I am just guessing. I am trying to maximize the volume, if the recess is not necessary, I can flatten out the backside. I have seen the enclosure someone else built, it required cutting out a larger hole for the sub to move freely, I want to avoid doing this and still use 8 inch sub that apparently moves a lot. If I was to cut up the bulkhead, I would be doing a 15 to justify the effort

I'll look at mine when I get home, I don't recall a recess but I didn't examine it too closely. I removed it and threw it on the floor. The bulkhead is flat though, the only mounting parts are the 2 side bolts. Then it dips in over the top of the bulkhead.

Honestly the bulk head cover is an easy removal, your best bet is to just pull it off and see what you're working with.

 

[PeterMJ]

I'll look at mine when I get home, I don't recall a recess but I didn't examine it too closely. I removed it and threw it on the floor. The bulkhead is flat though, the only mounting parts are the 2 side bolts. Then it dips in over the top of the bulkhead.

Honestly the bulk head cover is an easy removal, your best bet is to just pull it off and see what you're working with.

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[MoparMap]

There were three mounting points for my stock box. There's a stud at the bottom right behind the center console over the tunnel that the little "fork" at the bottom of the stock box slips into. Then there are two bolts that hold either side in toward the top. I noticed when I made a flat box that it didn't quite sit flush against the rear bulkhead. There's a seam or something that runs right up the middle that had a bunch of sealer on top of it. When I set my box on and starting tightening down one side it would rock the other side up. Tightening both sides down slightly bows the box, but not enough for me to care because it was a quick and dirty job to replace my lack of an original enclosure and frustration with making the box two or three times over.

 

[PeterMJ]

There were three mounting points for my stock box. There's a stud at the bottom right behind the center console over the tunnel that the little "fork" at the bottom of the stock box slips into. Then there are two bolts that hold either side in toward the top. I noticed when I made a flat box that it didn't quite sit flush against the rear bulkhead. There's a seam or something that runs right up the middle that had a bunch of sealer on top of it. When I set my box on and starting tightening down one side it would rock the other side up. Tightening both sides down slightly bows the box, but not enough for me to care because it was a quick and dirty job to replace my lack of an original enclosure and frustration with making the box two or three times over.

Did you notice how the pin on top works? It seems the pin must fit a hole in the body of the car to prevent movement and assure exact mounting location. I guess I will keep the back of the OEM enclosure as is, and just get rid off that big recess to match the surrounding area. Still no clue why the hole in the back, LOL. Sounds like I can just seal off the back. I will be making the front with speaker mounted flush with the surface to avoid possibility of surround rubbing against the back of the bulkhead. I'll be grinding off the front smooth, make a mold of the front and then glass the front area to mount the speaker ring. I think this should work pretty good considering the crappy factory design.

This was great info, thanks a bunch.

 

[MoparMap]

Yeah, the whole back of my enclosure was cut off when I got the car, so I have no idea how it interfaced with the car. The car had two 6.5" coaxial speakers mounted in what was left of the stock enclosure with plenty of silicone to help try to seal up the fact that the front of the box really isn't made for two speakers. It was pretty cobbled together when I got it, but it had pretty good components at least, so if nothing else I have some decent quality speakers sitting around now for other projects. None of the components matched brands or anything, so I'm guessing it was probably leftovers for whoever did it to begin with.

 

[Viktimize]

There were three mounting points for my stock box. There's a stud at the bottom right behind the center console over the tunnel that the little "fork" at the bottom of the stock box slips into. Then there are two bolts that hold either side in toward the top.

Good catch. I forgot about that one real pain in the butt bolt on the bottom.

 

[PeterMJ]

Well ok, I started making myself a sub replacement...

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[PeterMJ]

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Patiently laying cloth and resin. The spacer goes under to give the sub some breathing room...

 

[PeterMJ]

So, I popped the blank front out of the mold, seems pretty sturdy, LOL. All I have to do is cut out the center and mount the mounting ring. Then, it is time to address the rest of the enclosure.

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[MoparMap]

I'm curious to see how this works out. I would prefer to have just a little more punch out of my system to overcome both the exhaust and convertible aspect of my car without having to tear up the stock bulkhead.

 

[PeterMJ]

I'm curious to see how this works out. I would prefer to have just a little more punch out of my system to overcome both the exhaust and convertible aspect of my car without having to tear up the stock bulkhead.

I do not see a reason why this would not work

 

[PeterMJ]

Here is some stuff I have not seen anywhere. I dissected the box and see some interesting stuff. Seems like the box can be easily modified to a sealed enclosure for another 6.5 in, without stuffing a sock in the port.

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Pretty apparent that 6.5 is as big as direct driver replacement gets, regardless if the port is in or out.

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[MoparMap]

Wow, that is downright goofy on the inside. No wonder they cut the whole back off of mine when they messed with it. I wonder if that big indent is just to take up volume to tune the box to some frequency. Pretty sure I never saw anything that big on the bulkhead they'd need clearance for.