Spare Tire Sub
Thread Starter
Member
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 157
Likes: 1
From: Surrey, BC
Car: 1985 Camaro Z28
Engine: 355 SD TPI
Transmission: 5spd w/Hurst Short Throw
Axle/Gears: 4th Gen 3.42 LS1 Brakes
Spare Tire Sub
(My original plans for this build were to keep the rear hatch area totally clean, be able to store my t-tops and have it look as stock as possible.)
I finally got around to getting a sub installed in the spare tire compartment. Running 1LE brakes up front and LS1 brakes in the rear make it sort of hard for the stock spare to fit, so it made perfect sense to actually make use of the space!
I cut down an old 10" sub box to fit very tightly in the spare compartment. There is .6 cubic feet internally in the box, which i've found is more suited for this sub (Infinity) than when the box was 1.0 cubic feet, as the bass hits harder and deeper. It might not be the prettiest setup or look all flashy, but it sounds fantastic, and being totally out of sight was my orginal goal.
I know I shouldn't mount the amp on the box, but it does the trick for now. There is about 1" of clear space from the woofer to the closest piece of metal that used to mount the spare and jack. Having the sub mounted towards the inside of the wheel well actually helps produce more bass at a lower gain level.
There is absolutely no rattling of the any the interior plastics and as a bonus i can adjust all of the amp settings from the rear quarter vents without removing the cover!
With the cover off:

All covered up:
I finally got around to getting a sub installed in the spare tire compartment. Running 1LE brakes up front and LS1 brakes in the rear make it sort of hard for the stock spare to fit, so it made perfect sense to actually make use of the space!
I cut down an old 10" sub box to fit very tightly in the spare compartment. There is .6 cubic feet internally in the box, which i've found is more suited for this sub (Infinity) than when the box was 1.0 cubic feet, as the bass hits harder and deeper. It might not be the prettiest setup or look all flashy, but it sounds fantastic, and being totally out of sight was my orginal goal.
I know I shouldn't mount the amp on the box, but it does the trick for now. There is about 1" of clear space from the woofer to the closest piece of metal that used to mount the spare and jack. Having the sub mounted towards the inside of the wheel well actually helps produce more bass at a lower gain level.
There is absolutely no rattling of the any the interior plastics and as a bonus i can adjust all of the amp settings from the rear quarter vents without removing the cover!
With the cover off:

All covered up:
Last edited by TG Goose; Apr 18, 2009 at 12:32 AM.
Junior Member
iTrader: (1)
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 63
Likes: 0
From: Fairborn, OH
Car: 1984 Camaro Sport Coupe
Engine: 2.8l v6 soon to be 350
Transmission: auto
Re: Spare Tire Sub
thats about one of the cleanest installs i have ever seen, and i do this for a living
Props man, looks good
I'd still be tempted to throw some dynamat or hushmat in there. Thread Starter
Member
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 157
Likes: 1
From: Surrey, BC
Car: 1985 Camaro Z28
Engine: 355 SD TPI
Transmission: 5spd w/Hurst Short Throw
Axle/Gears: 4th Gen 3.42 LS1 Brakes
Re: Spare Tire Sub
Thanks! I've actually re-routed some of the wiring to clean it up even more. I like things organized even if its only ever going to be heard and never seen! There are sound deadening sheets every where in tire well, except for the big white triangle shape as seen in the picture.
Last edited by TG Goose; Apr 19, 2009 at 10:29 PM.
Member
iTrader: (1)
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 405
Likes: 0
From: Mountlake Terrace, Wa
Car: 86 Iroc + 83 Firebird
Engine: Iroc 305 TPI, Firebird 305 4bbl
Transmission: 700r4 in both.
Axle/Gears: Iroc 3.27 Firebird 3.23
Re: Spare Tire Sub
thats's GREAT idea! what dimensions are the boxes ea, how tall and wide/depth ect ect. i would love to do that to my car.
Supreme Member
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 2,852
Likes: 2
From: Scottsdale, AZ
Car: 89 GTA/93 S13/91 Si
Engine: 5.7 350 TPI
Transmission: 700R4
Axle/Gears: 3.23
Senior Member
iTrader: (8)
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 732
Likes: 0
From: Cincinnati, Ohio
Car: '89 GTA
Engine: 5.7L LS1
Transmission: 4L60E
Axle/Gears: 9 bolt 3.27
Re: Spare Tire Sub
This is an incredibly good idea...and a nice place to hide the goods if you don't want your car broken into
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Senior Member

Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 586
Likes: 1
From: Las Vegas, Nevada
Car: 1988 Trans Am GTA
Engine: 350TPI
Transmission: 700R4
Axle/Gears: 3:27
Re: Spare Tire Sub
No, the left side of the trunk is shaped differently and is smaller than the spare tire well. You could fit an amp on the left side, but not a sub. I was running my amp and sub in the spare tire well but I took the sub out for the summer because I didn't want it to get too hot in our 120 degree summer here.
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