Replacing center bench with a custom subwoofer box!

[Chris M.]

Looking to replace my basslink with something more powerful. I will be making my 6 seat KC into a 5 seater by taking out the center bench and replacing it with a custom box. The metal rail system under the center bench will be removed and bolted underneth the new box. The new box will also serve as a armrest with a soft support on the top. The maximum dimentions will be 27 inches long (2 chambers 13 inches deep with a 1 inch mdf seperating them) , 14.5 inches high and 14.5 inches wide. Using 3/4” mdf board the volume works out to be 1.27 cubic feet (13x13x13) for each chamber. I can make the box really any size since the center bench takes up a lot of room. I will be buying the raw material very soon and I should have a pic up.

Now to my dilema,

I don't want to spend a lot of money and place high amounts of stress on the electrical system. I'm looking for a system that will hit hard and accurate but not use to much power. I was thinking about 2 alpine 12 inch SWS-1242D 4 ohm subs for $100 at Crutchfield and a kenwood kac-8101D class D mono block amp for $160 on ebay. The subs are rated for 200rms apiece and the amp can output 400 rms into a 2 ohm load. What do you guys think compared to the Infinity basslink? Should I double the handling power of both the sub and amp or am I fine with this setup?


You can't see it in the picture but the rail is held in with 2 hex screws on each side at the bottom of the center seat making a study mouting system for the custom box.

[jhedges]

For an amp that does it's power at 2-ohms, you'll want the dual 2-ohm voice coil subs, not the dual 4-ohm configuration. Two dual-4's can only be wired at 1-ohm or 4-ohms. Two dual-2's can be wired at 1/2-ohm or 2-ohms.

I would also suggest getting the Alpine Type-R's in place of the Type S. Those are some awesome subs.

I'm very interested in this project though. I may go down this route in the future if the 10's under the rear seat don't satisfy me.

[Chris M.]

Originally Posted by jhedges

For an amp that does it's power at 2-ohms, you'll want the dual 2-ohm voice coil subs, not the dual 4-ohm configuration. Two dual-4's can only be wired at 1-ohm or 4-ohms. Two dual-2's can be wired at 1/2-ohm or 2-ohms.

I would also suggest getting the Alpine Type-R's in place of the Type S. Those are some awesome subs.

I'm very interested in this project though. I may go down this route in the future if the 10's under the rear seat don't satisfy me.

The subs mentioned are the cheapest that alpine makes (E for entry). They are 4 ohm subs (Single voice coil) and I was going to run them in parallel to get the neccessary 2 ohm load. I know that I can go hog wild but I have to watch a budget. I was even thinking about dividing the box into 4 instead of 2 so that I can fit 4 10's (2 front firing, 2 rear firing) but keeping a clean look with the wires would be difficult. 4 12's would be possible but that would rise the box another 13.75 inches. The point is that the possibilities are there for center bench owners looking to avoid taking space from the rear. I've only used my center bench seat once since buying the truck last August.

[jhedges]

Originally Posted by Chris M.

The subs mentioned are the cheapest that alpine makes (E for entry). They are 4 ohm subs (Single voice coil) and I was going to run them in parallel to get the neccessary 2 ohm load. I know that I can go hog wild but I have to watch a budget. I was even thinking about dividing the box into 4 instead of 2 so that I can fit 4 10's (2 front firing, 2 rear firing) but keeping a clean look with the wires would be difficult. 4 12's would be possible but that would rise the box another 13.75 inches. The point is that the possibilities are there for center bench owners looking to avoid taking space from the rear. I've only used my center bench seat once since buying the truck last August.

Sorry, I was confused because the model number you listed (SWS-1242D) is for the dual-4 version of the Type-S subs.

[Chris M.]

Your right, must have been halfway asleep. The correct model is Alpine Type-E SWE-1241. Crutchfield has buy one get one free going on right now. After measuring I will stick with 2 12" instead of 4 of them. The height is just to great; will block my view out of the passenger window.


http://www.crutchfield.com/S-Pvqm5t2...0&I=500SWE1241

[Chris M.]

Here's the dry run. Box is huge but it is the right height for my arm. Box is for 2 12's but I wonder if I should go with 2 10's with the same height but make the box shorter or cut the box down for 1 12”. Any thoughts?

[Chris M.]

Here's a pic with the box pushed back.

[smoketitan]

i taper the top with some fiberglass and make it smaller in the back to make it fit better

Id be scared of driving with that thing--LOL

if you glass the bottom, you can lower the ht and still fit two 12 from my old calc

[Chris M.]

Originally Posted by smoketitan

i taper the top with some fiberglass and make it smaller in the back to make it fit better

Id be scared of driving with that thing--LOL

if you glass the bottom, you can lower the ht and still fit two 12 from my old calc

The height is fine but it's too long. Think I will cut 8 to 12 inches from the back and go with one 12 inch sub that can handle around 400 to 600 watts rms.
I can cut a total of 6 inches to decrease the depth and cubic volume and still go with 2 12's but I think I'm making things to complicated. My entire goal was to save the back floor, replace my basslink that does not fit, add additional power and keep things looking good.

[smoketitan]

is it sitting on the ground or on that metal thing??

[Chris M.]

Originally Posted by smoketitan

is it sitting on the ground or on that metal thing??

sitting on metal rail. It will be bolted in four places with machine screws, washers and nuts for extra strengh and security. Should be real sturdy since the rails came off the middle seat which was designed to hold people.

[titanflava]

Originally Posted by Chris M.

Here's the dry run. Box is huge but it is the right height for my arm. Box is for 2 12's but I wonder if I should go with 2 10's with the same height but make the box shorter or cut the box down for 1 12”. Any thoughts?

IMHO, if you use 2 10"s driver on a fiberglass/MDF combo you'll get an little more air volume and a slightly smaller box

[Chris M.]

If I go with a measurement of 12x12x9, the volume works out to .75 cubic feet, decent for a 10 inch sub. I will save 8 inches in depth, 1 inch in height and 1 inch in width over the 2 12 inch setup (13x13x13).
If I go with 13x13x9 (still a savings of 8 inches in depth) for 2 12's my volume would be .88 cubic feet.
After looking at some sealed box volumes on crutchfield I might be back in the ballpark with 2 12's.

[Chris M.]

Here’s the final product. Took me almost a week to complete but here it is.

[Chris M.]

A few more.