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Installer Institute

Tech TalkText and Photos by Jason Anderson of the Installer Institute

The DreaDeD MusTang enclosure

nstallers that have had to build a custom tuned enclosure for any style

Mustang between the years of 1994 and 2004 know that getting the box inside the trunk is the hardest part of the job. In this article, we will be showing that you can build a box that slides underneath the rear deck, leaving the customer with a small amount of space to fit probably a bag or two of groceries.

When designing any type of enclosure, you must always take into

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1sTep 1 First, we had to remove the old system to make room for the new one. The customer’s old system included two 12-inch Kenwood subs firing up and tak-ing up almost all of his trunk space. sTep 2 We had to find a speaker that will fit and still produce enough bass for the customer. The speaker we chose was the JBL GTI 10. This 10-inch woofer was built to slam so it was a logical choice for this install. We looked at putting 12s back into the vehicle but the external height of the box didn’t allow for enough clearance.sTep 3 With the box designed it was time to start cutting. At the school, we use two tools when cutting the ¾-inch MDF wood, the first is a panel saw that is used to get the first cut close, then the table saw is used to do the final and precise cut. The purpose of the panel saw is so we don’t have to manipulate a full sheet of ¾-inch MDF which weighs over 100lbs. A sheet of wood slides off our wood rack directly onto the rollers of the panel saw, making cutting wood a one-man job.

consideration the customers’ needs. In this vehicle, trunk space is very limited so the customer will need as much space as possible. Because the distance from the trunk floor to the metal trim piece behind the rear seat was only 12 inches, this dictated the maximum external height of our enclosure. Also, the width of the metal trim was 32 inches, meaning the box could be no wider than 32 inches. This box design meant that the enclosure would have to be slid in from behind the rear seats.

sTep 4 The design of this box required that it have an angled back. After taking a few measurements in the vehicle, we were able to determine what angle will be needed to have the box match the back of the trunk. Once we found the angle, a strip of half-inch MDF was stapled into place and routered using a flush trim.

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sTep 5 When building an enclosure, wood glue and crown staples should always be used. The staples will hold the enclosure together while the glue dries. Once the glue is dry, it bonds the two pieces of wood together almost permanently. If you’ve ever broken a well-glued box apart, it will look like material from one side was peeled off.

sTep 6 With the top, bottom and sides of the box built, it was time to do a test-fit. For the test fit, the back seats needed to be removed so the enclosure would have a straight shot into the trunk. With everything fitting like it should, it was time to install the port. The port opening for this box was 2 inches wide by 21 inches long. This meant that the port had to make a turn and run along the back wall of the box. Being that the back wall was angled we had to make sure that if fit perfectly.

6sTep 7 Now that the port was in place and the front of the box was cut, the front of this box was going to be set into the enclosure so we could recess the sub and make a false front for it. Before attaching the front piece to the rest of the box, the hole for the sub had to be cut in. The tool used to make that cut is called a perfect circle, and this tool works by measuring the diameter of the hole you need cut, then dividing it in half to find the radius then use that number and measure from the out-side of the straight cutting bit to the center of the pin. If this is done correctly, you should have a perfect hole with very little play.

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sTep 8 The next step involved taking the box over to the ¾-inch round-over bit and rounding all the edges of the en-closure. This will give the enclosure a smooth, rolled look. The inside of the port was also rounded over with a ½-inch round-over bit. When we rounded the inside of the port the bit was raised up a little high so that it would leave a groove to tuck our carpet into.

sTep 9 Time for carpeting. This enclosure was fairly easy to carpet. The benefit to unbacked carpet is that it stretches really easily. Because there was no reason to wrap the bottom of the box, the carpet was pulled and stretched around the corners and attached with contact adhesive.

sTep 10 We recessed the front panel of the box into the enclosure by 1¼ inches – ¾-inch was the basket thickness and ½-inch was the thickness of the front beauty panel. To space the beauty board the correct distance, ¾-inch blocks were used and super-glued into place. Then the carpet around the port was taped up and the port was spray-painted black. At the same time, the area around the speaker was painted, just in case you could see through the crack around the beauty panel.

sTep 11 After trimming the carpet with a sharp razor knife, a heat gun was used to melt all the stray strings of carpet. Be sure that you move the heat gun quickly because it is very easy to burn the carpet. Next, the enclosure was mounted to the vehicle. Enclosures should always be mounted in customer’s cars; the last thing a shop needs is a lawsuit from a flying enclosure when a customer gets in an accident.

sTep 12 The amps were installed next. Because of the angle of the box, a flat piece of wood was cut and mounted to the enclosure, then both the amps were wired, leaving a nice and clean-look-ing install.

sTep 13 With the box mounted, it was time to cut the front beauty board. Because the customer likes the colour blue and had a blue neon underbody kit installed, we chose to wrap the beauty board with blue suede. The same contact adhesive was used for the beauty panel but it had to be a very light coat so it would not soak through to the front of the material.

sTep 14 When mounting a subwoofer, you should always pre-drill your hole with a 1/8th inch drill bit. This will help stop putting unnecessary holes in the surround of your customer’s speakers.

sTep 15 With the sub mounted and the beauty panel completed, the only thing left was to install the suede panel. Everything was double checked and the vehicle was sent on its way. The customer was very happy with the install, especially because the one 10 was louder than both his 12s. You can achieve a lot if you take the time to design and tune your enclosure.

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rce InsTaller InsTITuTe

1524 Ridgewood Ave., Holly Hill, FL, 32117(800) 354-6782 www.installerinstitute.com