1. Welcome to Tacoma World!

    You are currently viewing as a guest! To get full-access, you need to register for a FREE account.

    As a registered member, you’ll be able to:
    • Participate in all Tacoma discussion topics
    • Communicate privately with other Tacoma owners from around the world
    • Post your own photos in our Members Gallery
    • Access all special features of the site

Sub install help!

Discussion in 'Audio & Video' started by pingoflamingo, Oct 17, 2020.

  1. Oct 17, 2020 at 8:54 PM
    #1
    pingoflamingo

    pingoflamingo [OP] Member

    Joined:
    Sep 22, 2020
    Member:
    #341631
    Messages:
    6
    Gender:
    Male
    First Name:
    adrian
    Vehicle:
    2001 tacoma sr5 4 cyl
    Hello!! I have a first gen xtracab tacoma and have a full audio set up. All I’m missing is some badass subs.

    I was doing some research and saw some work I would like to replicate but unfortunately I have no idea how to do so.

    the picture I saw was that he had turned the passenger rear seat storage compartment into an 8” sub housing .

    That part I’m struggling with is how they filled the compartment with mdf. Plz help!!!!

    69F61EBB-305E-4785-92AE-6499D4BA3C4B.jpg
     
  2. Oct 18, 2020 at 3:40 AM
    #2
    dolbytone

    dolbytone Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    May 14, 2010
    Member:
    #37165
    Messages:
    1,313
    Gender:
    Male
    South Carolina
    Vehicle:
    09 TRD Off Road
    It’s probably lined with fiberglass.
     
    Philrab likes this.
  3. Oct 18, 2020 at 6:21 AM
    #3
    Philrab

    Philrab Curator of useless knowledge

    Joined:
    Apr 7, 2019
    Member:
    #289392
    Messages:
    834
    Gender:
    Male
    First Name:
    Phil
    New Orleans, Louisiana
    Vehicle:
    2015 Pyrite Mica Quad Cab Prerunner
    Bunch of Basic Taco mods.
    Agreed. Almost certainly a fiberglass enclosure.

    If you’ve never worked with fiberglass, start doing your search and decide if that’s a rabbit hole you want to go down.
     
    dolbytone likes this.
  4. Oct 18, 2020 at 7:15 AM
    #4
    rob feature

    rob feature Tacos!

    Joined:
    Aug 10, 2011
    Member:
    #61468
    Messages:
    1,687
    Gender:
    Male
    Colorado
    Vehicle:
    2003 4x4 V6 X-Cab SR5
    Shocks. Pegs. Lucky.
    Yeah, that's not gonna be easy.
     
  5. Oct 18, 2020 at 7:17 AM
    #5
    Philrab

    Philrab Curator of useless knowledge

    Joined:
    Apr 7, 2019
    Member:
    #289392
    Messages:
    834
    Gender:
    Male
    First Name:
    Phil
    New Orleans, Louisiana
    Vehicle:
    2015 Pyrite Mica Quad Cab Prerunner
    Bunch of Basic Taco mods.
    It depends. I have car audio friends that’ll punch out fiberglass enclosures like it’s nothing but hate MDF. I’m a woodworker, that’s what I learned, so fiberglass isn’t my go to. Just depends.

    But, in that application, it’s fiberglass or nothing.
     
  6. Oct 18, 2020 at 7:21 AM
    #6
    rob feature

    rob feature Tacos!

    Joined:
    Aug 10, 2011
    Member:
    #61468
    Messages:
    1,687
    Gender:
    Male
    Colorado
    Vehicle:
    2003 4x4 V6 X-Cab SR5
    Shocks. Pegs. Lucky.
    It would be a lot easier if you could build it outside the truck and toss it in, but it doesn't seem possible in this space. Seems like you'd need to build it in place. That is what I'd expect to be challenging.
     
  7. Oct 18, 2020 at 7:53 AM
    #7
    Philrab

    Philrab Curator of useless knowledge

    Joined:
    Apr 7, 2019
    Member:
    #289392
    Messages:
    834
    Gender:
    Male
    First Name:
    Phil
    New Orleans, Louisiana
    Vehicle:
    2015 Pyrite Mica Quad Cab Prerunner
    Bunch of Basic Taco mods.
    What I’ve seen done is lining the space with two layers of painters tape, use an old fleece and resin to rough out the shape. Once it cures you pull it out, and add additional layers of mat and resin to the inside to your desired thickness.

    But, that first layer has to be done in place. And it the resin cures to anything but that sacrificial layer of painters tape good luck getting it back out.

    Once you have your fiberglass layer done a front baffle of MDF is usually adhered.
     
  8. Oct 18, 2020 at 8:06 AM
    #8
    pingoflamingo

    pingoflamingo [OP] Member

    Joined:
    Sep 22, 2020
    Member:
    #341631
    Messages:
    6
    Gender:
    Male
    First Name:
    adrian
    Vehicle:
    2001 tacoma sr5 4 cyl
    Actually the guy said he lined it wit mdf!

    31C7A5D6-0F5F-4895-B0B1-3960D974FE36.jpg
     
  9. Oct 18, 2020 at 9:24 AM
    #9
    Philrab

    Philrab Curator of useless knowledge

    Joined:
    Apr 7, 2019
    Member:
    #289392
    Messages:
    834
    Gender:
    Male
    First Name:
    Phil
    New Orleans, Louisiana
    Vehicle:
    2015 Pyrite Mica Quad Cab Prerunner
    Bunch of Basic Taco mods.
    I guess that could work, but the enclosure needs to be pretty close to airtight. The MDF would have to be bonded to the sheet metal in order to accomplish that, a friction fit wouldn’t be sufficient without some sort of gasket and even then, I think people underestimate how much pressure a subwoofer can generate inside a sealed enclosure.
     
  10. Oct 18, 2020 at 12:10 PM
    #10
    mjc251

    mjc251 Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Apr 12, 2017
    Member:
    #216040
    Messages:
    294
    Gender:
    Male
    First Name:
    Mark
    Vehicle:
    2022 TRD Off-Road DCSB
    I built an enclosure like that for my first gen years ago, you have to disassemble the rear area so you can pull off the metal shelf. Make a frame that fits underneath the metal shelf, once it fits, i used fleece and fiberglass to contour the floor.

    Lots of test fitting and back and forth between the bench and the truck, but once you find fitment, its a few layers of fiberglass.

    edit: not the greatest photos but hopefully this gives you an idea

    B93E2BED-64EB-4D6D-A21F-97564C3CD9B3.jpg
    3768C59B-2D8C-483A-9B01-DB4C7E88394D.jpg
     
  11. Oct 18, 2020 at 12:56 PM
    #11
    5nahalf

    5nahalf I build dumb things

    Joined:
    Sep 22, 2018
    Member:
    #267058
    Messages:
    10,305
    Gender:
    Male
    First Name:
    Erik
    Minnesota
    Vehicle:
    2018 Inferno Longbed
    You can do it with a small amount of fiberglass and mostly MDF.

    You need to cut each panel to a size that fits in the hole. You will pretty much be building the enclosure inside of the cavity. Since you wont be able to get perfect lines or perfect seals you will then use the fiberglass inside to seal up the enclosure. Just remember once you build it in there, its going to take a more work to remove it than it took to put it in.


    I made the same enclosure for my 92 pickup many years ago. Thats how I did mine.
     
    dolbytone likes this.

Products Discussed in

To Top