Evo X Sub box build
Evo X Sub box build
So I was looking at the wickedcas.com sub box and was thinking to myself...... "Self, that looks easy" and I conquered. WC box price was $375 plus $25 shipping. I figured I'd try to build a comparable one for cheaper. I'm guessing the total volume of the box to be .8 -.9 cu ft. The sub calls for at least .75 cu ft.
Two things I noticed when I looked at the WC enclosure, first it wouldn't have worked for my car because the one they have wasn't for the Evo Xs with the upgraded stereo package because there are different trunk trays and secondly, their box is too big to allow for a set of golf clubs in the trunk.
Anywho, here is a rundown of materials I used. 4 - 8 sq ft packs of Bondo fiberglass mat, 1.5 gallons bondo resin, 3/4" mdf, 1/2" mdf, 5/16" dowell rod, trim router, angle grinder, glue gun, 1 yard felt carpet , 1 yard of fleece - both from Joanne's, terminal cup, lots of gloves, dust mask, fume mask, goggles, dust suit, and patience.
I bought my router cheap from harbor frieght because this was my first fiberglass attempt and I'd never used a router before so I didn't want to waste alot of money if I sucked lol. Total price with cheapie $15 router ended up being $147. I did get a hookup on the resin and mat from a friend who's the manager of an advance auto though.
I started by taping off the side of the trunk. This probably took half an hour to 45 mins. I wanted to make sure I got several layers in case the resin soaked a little. After you finish taping, mark where you want the edges of your box to be with a sharpie. This will transfer onto your mold and you can use it as a guide when you trim off the excess. Then I waxed the tape to help me remove the box later on. After covering the trunk and anywhere else I thought had the possibility of getting resin on it (I'm a little messy), I started laying down the fiberglass.
The resin takes a little bit to get used to as far as mixing it. You can see in the pics that mine had a little too much hardener in it, which isn't a big deal because it'll just get covered with more fiberglass. I put on two layers of mat and let it dry, remember to start from the top and work your way down.
I then popped out the mold and put on 6 more layers. It's sooooo much better when you can work at your bench and not bent over in a trunk. I was getting messed up even with my respirator mask.
After I was satisfied with the overall thickness of the shell, I trimmed the excess with an angle grinder. I read that the usual test for fiberglass strength was if it can hold your weight without flexing, you're gold.
After trimming, the next step was to mount the mdf speaker ring. I recessed my rings so it looks cleaner. I used my cheapie router and made a jig by cutting a piece of hardboard I had and drilled holes that corresponded with the sizes I wanted. I cut two rings; an 11 1/2" ring with a 9" hole out of 3/4" mdf and a 11 1/2" ring with a 10 3/4" hole for the recess. I siliconed the two rings and countersunk 4 screws for good measure. To mount the rings, I used a 5/16" dowell rod and cut them to size. I drilled 4 3/8" holes into the back side of the ring to help support the dowell and hot glued them to the box.
Then I stretched the fleece across the box and started soaking it with resin, start from the speaker ring and work your way out. Make sure to soak the edges thoroughly. After the fleece dried I laid down four more layers of fiberglass and let it dry overnight.
After drying and checking for thickness I cut out the speaker hole using my router and jig. I sanded down the entire thing with the angle grinder with a 40 grit wheel, then 80 grit. If you wanted to paint it, you can bond to fill and sand down to 800 grit.
Then I cut the terminal cup hole, carpeted the enclosure with the 3M spray adhesive and walked away. This project looked easy but it took patience. Overall I think it took me two full weekends to complete. I'll finish installing my stereo next week. Hopefully it won't take this long lol. I'll post up pics with the trunk back together then.
Two things I noticed when I looked at the WC enclosure, first it wouldn't have worked for my car because the one they have wasn't for the Evo Xs with the upgraded stereo package because there are different trunk trays and secondly, their box is too big to allow for a set of golf clubs in the trunk.
Anywho, here is a rundown of materials I used. 4 - 8 sq ft packs of Bondo fiberglass mat, 1.5 gallons bondo resin, 3/4" mdf, 1/2" mdf, 5/16" dowell rod, trim router, angle grinder, glue gun, 1 yard felt carpet , 1 yard of fleece - both from Joanne's, terminal cup, lots of gloves, dust mask, fume mask, goggles, dust suit, and patience.
I bought my router cheap from harbor frieght because this was my first fiberglass attempt and I'd never used a router before so I didn't want to waste alot of money if I sucked lol. Total price with cheapie $15 router ended up being $147. I did get a hookup on the resin and mat from a friend who's the manager of an advance auto though.
I started by taping off the side of the trunk. This probably took half an hour to 45 mins. I wanted to make sure I got several layers in case the resin soaked a little. After you finish taping, mark where you want the edges of your box to be with a sharpie. This will transfer onto your mold and you can use it as a guide when you trim off the excess. Then I waxed the tape to help me remove the box later on. After covering the trunk and anywhere else I thought had the possibility of getting resin on it (I'm a little messy), I started laying down the fiberglass.
The resin takes a little bit to get used to as far as mixing it. You can see in the pics that mine had a little too much hardener in it, which isn't a big deal because it'll just get covered with more fiberglass. I put on two layers of mat and let it dry, remember to start from the top and work your way down.
I then popped out the mold and put on 6 more layers. It's sooooo much better when you can work at your bench and not bent over in a trunk. I was getting messed up even with my respirator mask.
After I was satisfied with the overall thickness of the shell, I trimmed the excess with an angle grinder. I read that the usual test for fiberglass strength was if it can hold your weight without flexing, you're gold.
After trimming, the next step was to mount the mdf speaker ring. I recessed my rings so it looks cleaner. I used my cheapie router and made a jig by cutting a piece of hardboard I had and drilled holes that corresponded with the sizes I wanted. I cut two rings; an 11 1/2" ring with a 9" hole out of 3/4" mdf and a 11 1/2" ring with a 10 3/4" hole for the recess. I siliconed the two rings and countersunk 4 screws for good measure. To mount the rings, I used a 5/16" dowell rod and cut them to size. I drilled 4 3/8" holes into the back side of the ring to help support the dowell and hot glued them to the box.
Then I stretched the fleece across the box and started soaking it with resin, start from the speaker ring and work your way out. Make sure to soak the edges thoroughly. After the fleece dried I laid down four more layers of fiberglass and let it dry overnight.
After drying and checking for thickness I cut out the speaker hole using my router and jig. I sanded down the entire thing with the angle grinder with a 40 grit wheel, then 80 grit. If you wanted to paint it, you can bond to fill and sand down to 800 grit.
Then I cut the terminal cup hole, carpeted the enclosure with the 3M spray adhesive and walked away. This project looked easy but it took patience. Overall I think it took me two full weekends to complete. I'll finish installing my stereo next week. Hopefully it won't take this long lol. I'll post up pics with the trunk back together then.
Last edited by jackal5555; Oct 18, 2010 at 02:29 PM.
Thanks, it was a pita.. lol.
If I would have known it would take that long, I would have just bought it....
I'll find out how it sounds here in a day or two when I get to installing my new system.
If I would have known it would take that long, I would have just bought it....
I'll find out how it sounds here in a day or two when I get to installing my new system.
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The box sound really good. I finally installed the amp and components last night.
As far as securing it, I molded in a bracket on top that I still need to drill through the front to mount. So far I don't need it because the styrofoam trunk tray is actually doing a good job. There is a machine screw that holds the trunk tray in place, but tray wedges itself between the box and the truck well enough to keep it snug. Also, I put a couple layers of fiberglass on the outside of the box to make it a little bigger than the mold so it stays put.
I tested it out last night playing rally racer to see if I could dislodge it and it didn't budge.
Long term, if it moves I can always put some L brackets bolting it to the trunk floor and drill out the holes for the top mount. I doubt I'll need to though. There's also two bolt holes at the bottom of the trunk from the factory sub mounts that can be drilled into the sub too.
As far as securing it, I molded in a bracket on top that I still need to drill through the front to mount. So far I don't need it because the styrofoam trunk tray is actually doing a good job. There is a machine screw that holds the trunk tray in place, but tray wedges itself between the box and the truck well enough to keep it snug. Also, I put a couple layers of fiberglass on the outside of the box to make it a little bigger than the mold so it stays put.
I tested it out last night playing rally racer to see if I could dislodge it and it didn't budge.
Long term, if it moves I can always put some L brackets bolting it to the trunk floor and drill out the holes for the top mount. I doubt I'll need to though. There's also two bolt holes at the bottom of the trunk from the factory sub mounts that can be drilled into the sub too.
Last edited by jackal5555; Oct 18, 2010 at 02:29 PM.
The only way I know to the the air volume test on a mucked up curved box is to use a known measurement, like a cubic box and fill it with packing peanuts and go from there. I guestimate mine to be .8 cubic feet.
Just bring the edges of yours out a little further and you should be good to go.
Just bring the edges of yours out a little further and you should be good to go.
Evolved Member
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 1,016
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From: Denver, CO
Looks awesome! Very nice job.
Though when building a box, you should never put a terminal connection in it. Always use a solid wire, and silicone it in the box. Results are a smaller hole in the box, and better connection from Amp to sub. Connector terminals create a power bottleneck, even if they are rated for the wire you are using.
Though when building a box, you should never put a terminal connection in it. Always use a solid wire, and silicone it in the box. Results are a smaller hole in the box, and better connection from Amp to sub. Connector terminals create a power bottleneck, even if they are rated for the wire you are using.
Newbie
Joined: May 2009
Posts: 46
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From: Santa Clarita, CA
^I've heard that before, but the professional audio installation guys said it was because they get melted all the time. I haven't ever seen anyone I've used melt, and I've installed a few 1000W RMS systems. But for a W6, just for sound quality I would have used a direct connection too.
