Well, for my birthday my dad got me a whole new system for my car. I got a Pioneer Premeir receiver, JBL GTO front speakers, rockford fosgate 400S amp, and he made this sub box for me. It looks better than any box you can buy and spent over 40 hours making it. I looks awesome. After I finish putting my system in I will get more pictures.

 

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WOW!!!!!

Your dad REALLY loves you. You must have done/do well in school.

That's a nice looking box.

I have to say though, unless you live in a VERY nice area, I'm not all for the "easy-grab" handles for a thief.

Other than that, how much does he charge?

 

Thats one sweet bday present man. BTW do you think you could email the dimensions for that box? thats exactly what i want but i'm not too good with measuring things hehe. Tha'd be really awesome if you could do that. And also which headunit did you get?

 

ya, the inside there is two seperate chambers, 1 for each of the subs. And the inside is lined with felt as well.

 

Thats a sweet looking box.. I wish i could get that for my b-day.....Where you mounting your amp??

 

are those 8"s? how do 2 8"s sound?

- Andy

 

That is awesome! Your dad rocks.

Yeah they look like 8's, how do they sound?

 

c'mon 40 hours making a simple carpet box? i can wip one out in an hour max if i have a good plan.

 

If you think that you can whip one out in an hour you have no idea what you are talking about. He built that from scratch with no plans. There are about 20 different pieces atleast that are put together in this box. I had gotten plans off here to make the box but they were crap so my dad had to make it from scratch. It is no simple carpet box either. Those are 10" subs in there and they sound great. It makes my whole 2 story house shake, and my neigbor across the street said that their house was shaking. It is so awesome. My whole setup sounds great.

I ran all new power lines and speaker lines. Super heavy gauge stuff. I ended up having to take out all of the plastic panel in the interior, the rear seats, and the console. The power lines are run on one side of the car and the speaker lines on the other in order to avoid any radio static interference. On the rear speaker I ran it under the carpet in the rear. The whole setup looks completely clean and factory, super nice.

The amp has a thing called a power punch on it. I can turn a **** that I mounted in the dash in an empty panel and turn up the power going to the subs which gives me even more deep bass. The **** looks like it is factory installed. I will try to get pics of everything for you guys. Maybe even a sound clip/video also.

 

sure you can. I've built dozens of them and it still takes me 10-15 hours to build one. Hell, even a wedge shaped box is a couple hour investment if you do it right.

I guess your idea of a good box and our idea of a good box is just really different.

 

if i had all the equipment in power tools that i needed, a nice t-square that's longer than the biggest side, and a protractor....i could be making boxes every 1.25-1.5 hours or so....not counting the time it takes for the silicone and glues to seal.

oh yeah, don't forget the safety glasses...
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as for shaking yours and the neighbors houses, that's what subwoofers are designed to do...play low notes loud.

- Andy

 

Well I guess you guys all posess talents I've never seen before. Most pros can't pop out wedges that fast.

 

when your in construction you can figure out these kinds of cuts real fast you basically start with the outside and work your way in. For the most part it has alot of 45 degree angle and a few 30 degree angles but still someone with experience shouldent take 40 hours unless they hand saw every cut.

 

that's what i'm sayin...i don't have all this cool equipment that can put a degree cut on the edge of wood. so i avoid that kinda design... and they usually take me a while to do because i use 1 power tool, a sabre saw.

- Andy

 

cmon people at least let bes217 have his time in the spotlight...you people are just jealous that he has a kick A** box. i think the old people on this board are also jeolous of us "kids" getting all the good stuff.

 

I like it, I think it looks very nice. Theres nothing quite like getting a present that has alot of time into it...makes it nicer.

 

i'm 18, and i fabricate all my systems myself, from scratch, with my bare hands.... i'm not old. It is a very, very nice box. I just don't like the constant bragging and telling people they don't know what they're talking about when it was purchased and given to him. I'd kill to have my parents buy me something i can brag about.

As for the subs, how do they sound quality wise? I've been curious to hear opinions about Pioneer's new premier stuff.


- Andy

 

Good looking box! Personally I would take the handles off though.

 

My dad is a master carpenter and we have all the tools necessary, but when you build things from scratch there is a whole lot more work involved than just looking at a plan and doing what it says. I would like to see someon "whip" out a box like this in a hour with this kind of quality. I don't think it can be done but hey if you think you can do it go ahead, be my guest.

The system sounds great!! I really like the pioneer stuff. My front speakers are 4x6 JBL GTO, and the rear speakers are soundstream with the tweeters in the middle that can swivel and be pointed in any direction. The receiver is also Pioneer premier, 50Wx4 Mosfet, plays MP3's. All the stuff is pretty much top of the line from what I hear.

 

sounds sweet. I dunno about top of the line though. If all you want is for it to sound good, you don't really need top of the line stuff.

- Andy

 

me too. i love telling people what my parents have done for me. after all the did buy me my trans am.

 

Although 40 hours sounds excessive, it's far more believable than an hour. I've built enough thirdgen boxes that I now have a sheet with all of my necessary pieces mapped out for me, so all I have to do is cut and assemble. It still takes me a full day or more for a box. Precision cuts take time. Pre-drilling and countersinking every hole takes time. Clamping the pieces together before you screw takes time. 100+ screws per box takes time. Cleaning off the excess glue takes time. Once the box is together, siliconing it takes time. Undercoating takes time. Fitting the top piece over and over and over until it's a perfect fit takes time. Carpeting takes time.

I guess I'm just not willing to cut corners in order to save time.

 

Thank you very much!!! Someone that knows what they are talking about finally.

 

sounds like you go overboard on everything! for me making a new set of plans and buildng it takes in total 2 hours maybe 2 and 1/2 minus carpet. plans and measurement i do a day before maybe an hour total making sure it will all fit. Then i get wood, screws, and silicon and wood glue if you want. I lay out all my pieces on the board with all straight cuts mated together so i cut 2 pieces at once in total it takes me 20-25 mins laying out and cutting. Then the assembly i never use wood glue since its a waste of time and i never had ANY problems with squeeks or it gettin loose. I put the biggest pieces together first and fill the little ones in later and put the top on last. I get two 90 degree angle camps to hold it together then i countersink spend the money and get the right counter sink bit. I only use 4 or maybe 5 srcews per side to hold it together and screw in 1 side at a time. Then after another 20 mins putting it pysically together i silicon the cracks take about 5 mins at the most for the silicon, I spit on my finger (silicon doesnt stick to water/spit)and run it along all the joints i just siliconed to smooth it out and get it into the joints better. Then i lay my top out predrill take it off silicon and then screw it down. The total for construction is about an hour and the plans another 45 mins TOP. If i carpet it takes roughtly a half hour to an hour but i usually use that plether stuff. I takes me about an hour for construction and another for the carpet i took me about 40 hours to make a fiberglass box minus final sanding and paint. They must take a beer break per screw to make 40 hours on something out of normal mdf. O yeah check the link out it will save a good amount of time predrilling and counter sinking does it all at once! I guess some things come natural to people but for me i usually dont make plans up, i make a general idea and a few major measurement and start cuttin i build as i go. Ive had 3 years of wood shop and furnature buliding in high school and been a HVAC installer and with the kind of stuff going you get good at building stuff. I dont care what they say if it take more than 10hours MAX to build this you need more practice sorry.

http://www.rockler.com/ecom7/favorites.cfm?sku=321

 

these look great. does sears or someone sell them?

 

o ya what is the difference between fiberglass and a wood box. i am thinking of making one. and a beer break per screw sounds good.

 

i got my bit at home depot for i think 6 bucks it well worth it and sears should have the bit as well. And if you do a beer per srcew make sure you are done with all your cuts first... just to be safe.

 

the basic difference between them is ALOT of time. You could make the whole thing out of fiber glass but it alot more time consuming than what im gonna be doing in the near future. What i plan to do is that since i cannot see the bottom of the sub box anyways i was going to make the bottom out of regular mdf and the top from fiberglass. I figure this way would cut construction at least in half and i wouldnt have to worry about getting any fiberglass resin on my mint condition carpeting. Theres a link for it in a post on this site the first is step by step the other is just pics of the process.

http://web.njit.edu/~cas1383/glassing2/


http://www.carsound.com/ubb/ultimate...c;f=4;t=003867

 

Local #265???

 

Hey man that looks sweet, good job!! I've been thinking of building myself a box for the trunk in my Firebird. I have the T-Top bag so I don't have much room, but I want something that will fit down in that little area.

 

Yup. I take the extra care to ensure that my boxes are as good as they can be. Since it's inevitable that a custom box is going to result in a little overhang here and there on the joints, I even sand those down so that it's all flush and even. I sand the corners of the boxes to ease installation and make sure it doesn't mark up the interior panels when they move. I definately overdo it. That's why people are willing to pay a premium for my boxes.

Quote:

I dont care what they say if it take more than 10hours MAX to build this you need more practice sorry.

I've been building them for years. It's not an issue of practice, it's an issue of attention to detail. I'm fussy as hell. If somebody is paying me $250-350 for a dual 12" box, I'm making sure they are getting the best box their money can buy. I've seen so many absolutely terribly built boxes that I've learned never to underestimate just how low the standards of some people can be.

Quote:

http://www.rockler.com/ecom7/favorites.cfm?sku=321

I've got those. They work nice, but the MDF dulls them pretty quickly, and they don't keep an edge long after you resharpen them. But... it's still the best choice.

 

is that a flame towards the person that can build a box in onw hour

ok now seriously how long am i looking towards if i build my own box. im thinking of doing it this weekend.

 

If you've never done one before, I'm sure it'll take a while. Just how long will depend completely on how well skilled you are at this sort of thing. Since the thirdgen box is pretty complicated compared to a wedge, you'll probably botch up a few panels the first time around, and you may not be happy with how well it fits, which requires a design change.

 

I too am amazed at this one hour box. (although now it looks like it's more like 2hrs 45 mins. if you include ALL the time to get things done ) I'm with you Jim, if you're getting a box that's made that fast, it's a maaco paint job. You get it fast and cheap, but you're definently not getting the best. I'm definently with you on "overdoing" boxes. I even take filler and fill in and sand all the screws and seams so that the box is totally smooth. Sure it takes a long time but it's worth it cause the boxes look so nice when they're done.

novadk13, if you're only using 4-5 screws per side with no glue, I wouldn't be surprised if after a year or so your boxes start to flex. I will agree with you that once you have a set of good plans for a particular car you can make a second box faster, but not one hour fast.

And Bes217, that's a great looking box! My dad used to build stuff like that for me when I was younger, it was the best. Now it seems like I build more stuff than he does. Eh, like father like son, right?

 

yeah, box with no glue and only a couple screws? not good. you can do a box without screws and just use glue, but screwing everything together just helps free up your hands to do other parts. my box took a while because nobody had one like mine (that i know of), so i had to test fit, redo, fit, redo, etc. you can see some of the shapes my box took on while i was building it on my car domain site (in sig). next box i'm going to try building is a (correctly) ported box for my sub.

 

Wow... I missed that 4-5 screws and no glue thing. No wonder it only takes him an hour. If I bought my crap pre-cut from Home Depot and put it together with duct tape I'll bet I could do it in 20 minutes, but I sure as hell wouldn't want to be there when my customers got it.

Screws every few inches, and glue at all joints with a clamp holding it tight until all screws are in place. That's how a box needs to be built.

 

4-5 screws IS rediculous...but what do you need 100+ screws for, is that all your using to hold the box together? If done correctly, after you use glue and screws, you can take the screws out and it should be just as strong as with them. I don't think the boxes are designed to withstand structual challenges of say doubling as a jack-stand..heh, just incase you get caught on the side of the road and need one..you could be like "hmm, now where could i-.... wait a minute!"...... As long as they're stout that's all that matters.

- Andy

 

i dont pay em to cut my wood i got all the powersaws to it cut myself and its not some gay cube box either. You said for your customers no wonder why it takes 40 hours to build them so you can rape them on the the hourly fee for your time constructing them. Why would it matter if you glued mdf anyways i can stand on them with out a problem i guess when you split the wood on EVERY screw you do need glue the silicon seals it not glue. if i glued it, it wouldnt take me 40 hours add 5 mins to my construction time so an hour and 5 mins for me. Have you ever heard the term "milking the job" thats when you take your sweet *** time even though you can easily do it in half, sounds like your in a union or something. What do you measure the exact amount of glue and measure exactly 4-5 inches per screw and use a hand screw driver to put thim in? You know using hand tools also slows
down the job!also if you play on your computer all day and have your *** get fatter doesnt help when you come into the real world of constructing things. Sorry if im right about milikin the job and i do admit im for sure using the glue on the next 1 just to be safe i guess, but i know its gonna take less then 40 hours even when covering it. But if you work construction and not play on a computer all day you can build a box fast maybe i should use subfloor adheasive instead of glue for the next one bout a hundred times stronger than glue!

 

bes217, man, that is one great looking box. I am doing mine this weekend, and I can only hope that it comes out looking as good as yours does!

On a side-note, I opened this thread to read about "Some pics of my new sub box" ..... thanks for sharing bes217. To the people that want to discuss how you can build a box in an hour, start your own thread. thx.

 

sorry it is a nice lookin box and i guess me and some others got carried away but i guess as long as you have fun building it doesnt really matter how long it take's right. And im sure it looks great in your bird are you gonna get bigger woofers in the future, or do the 8's sound good?

 

sorry camaro

 

Just FYI...

 

can't you read? Screws and glue. By using screws every few inches, it keeps the wood tight as hell while the glue dries. And yeah, once it's done I could pull the screws out and it would still be fine, but I have a feeling that a customer would get a little miffed if I took all his screws out before I gave it to him.

The box is designed to not resonate. The way to do that also happens to make the box capable of witshtanding structural challenges such as doubling as a jack stand. The more solid it is, the more well damped it is. Just a few screws and no glue sure as hell isn't my idea of "stout".

But you feel free to build them however you want, and I'll do the same. This arguement is getting stupid.

 

agreed

 

3 things...

yes, i can read, i did go to school, 100+ screws is freakin retarded if you're using glue, especially since you use you're ever-so-stressed clamps.

If his dad spent 40 hours making it, it just goes to show you how much attention to detail. If you can make one in less time, good for you, i almost forgot that the topic of this thread was "MY DAD CAN BUILD A BOX IN 40 HOURS, HOW ABOUT YOU??"

yea, it is getting rediculous, coming to this site is getting rediculous. everyone starts wars and Jim's always on this damn power trip like he's the f*cking g0d of everything and everything under him. remember the golden rule, he's always right! Jim, if he thinks he can build a box in an hour, so be it... no reason to voice your opinion on it and give us a tutorial on how you go about building your boxes...no one cares. Say hi to your gerbil for me...

Getting BACK TO IT.... bes217, you're very lucky to have a father that'll go that out of his way to bring you something that high of a quality. I'm sure you're system sounds great, welcome to the world of car audio!! it only goes uphill from here.

- Andy

 

hey, come on now guys. now we're really getting personal, and there's no reason for that. we all agree its an awesome box. something that took blood and sweat is always more personal because you know what went into it.

this topic got off track when we started talking about who's way is best for building a box. i'm going to put in my last $0.02 and then i'm done. a box needs to be air tight for it to be completely effective (when were talking about sealed ones. ported, different story...). a box must also be strong, no puny 1/4" plywood. for those of you who think $250-350 is expensive for a custom box, you obviously have never stepped foot into a quality car audio shop. heck, even normal, simple prebuilt boxes cost around $75-100 for a well built one. i'd rather have something overly built then under.

 

Most of the arguements that I wind up involved in are with people that don't know what the hell they are talking about and yet they continue to try to show me how much they know. When I see somebody spreading incorrect information, I'm calling them out.

You'll also see plenty of posts that I choose not to reply to or get involved in. If I don't see something that's obviously wrong, or if I do see something that I suspect is wrong but can't prove wrong, I stay out of it. The only time I put my $.02 in is when I'm sure of what I'm saying. I don't want to pass incorrect info because I do realize that a lot of people put way too much trust into what they read on the internet. Unfortunately, sometimes you wind up with opinion-based arguements like this one instead of fact based arguements. It's a lot easier for me to get my point across without looking like an *** when I can use fact to support what I say. But sometimes, even with opinion-based conversations, they wind up so far in left field that I still put my $.02 in. That's usually how the never ending threads about the low quality garbage products wind up.

Quite often I disagree with the opinion of somebody that knows what he's talking about, but this doesn't ever seem to get noticed because no flaming erupts. We both handle it like adults and usually we both learn a little bit.

I'm certainly no g-o-d (well, maybe I've got a few g-o-d -like attributes ), but I've been around this industry long enough to know the difference between fact, fiction, correct, incorrect and of course, complete and utter bullsh*t.

I have no idea why g-o-d is sensored.

I also wish somebody would make an igorant comment (such as the gerbil one) to my face instead of hiding behind their keyboard. It's amazing how many Internet Tough Guys there are these days.