I have a 1987 chevrolet celebrity. In the trunk there is the spare tire which i would like to take out, and put in my kicker comp VR 12. CD15 i believe is the model #, it's the older one. Can i just seal a pice of MDF over top of it and mount the sub in it? What do i have to do to complete this install? Should i sound deaden the wheel area? i'm lost but want to do it.
Thanks a lot
TJ

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Replies (1)

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Swez on 03/29/2003 15:12:50
Others have done that with good success and so can you. The trick here, is to make sure your internal air space is within sub operating range.

Too large an air space, will net boomy bass and poor cone control. Too small an air space will give good punchy midbass, but not much low bass.

You'll have to measure the H, D and diameter of that well and determine the approximate cubic foot dimension of that opening. Then compare that number with the operating specs range of your sub. It does not have to be a perfect match... but if off by more than +/-15% , a few modifications may be in order.

Also, you have to seal the spare tire cavity with water proofing material. (sound deading spray is fine) Older cars can develop leaks in the well and that's not good for a sub either.

Then, as mentioned before, you have to mount the sub to a rigid board (5/8 -3/4" plywood seems best here) that covers the tire well and is very well sealed against air leaks. You may have to coat the baffle board with several coats of polyurethane to seal out moisture as well. MDF is a very poor choice for high moisture areas. It breaks down, swells and just falls apart. That's why I recommend plywood.

OK, get your cf measurment number together and see if you can find the recommended cf airspace for that sub. Typically, most 12's do well in 0.88 - 1.2cf internal air spaces. (sealed)
If using a 15" , more like 1.5 - 2.0 cf airspace. (sealed)

Come back with your figures and we'll move along from there.

Swez

PS Plan on using poly-fill inside the cavity to reduce rear bass reflections and resonances. Figure ~1-1.5 pounds of fill here. Can get most of what you need at Walmart... except for the plywood.

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