Subwoofers in deck above rear seat???

[crwa]

I'm thinking of going custom with my subs and wanted to see if anyone has done this before- I want to mount them in the rear deck (piece above back seat). They would go between the stock speakers and then I'd more then likely have to cut out some of the metal under the deck so they clear and sit flat. Then I would finish them up with sub covers, the kicker ones that look like teeth and I'd swap the rear speakers to kickers and put matching covers on those as well...

I was looking at it today and I think it would all fit and look good in the end, and yes the third brake light would still be there... My plan is to go and get another rear deck cover and use that one, and then if anything goes wrong I still have the original cover to put back in...


So let me know what you guys think and if anyone has done this or has seen a car with this done and can get pictures post them up so I can get this figured out...

And I would be using 10'' subs and the speakers would stay 6x9's...

[Vanilla Sky]

IMO, the deck isn't strong enough for it... a conventional box is better

[Hash_man_Se_i]

Well, my dads 3.2TL has a sub in the rear deck, and its not bad.

But the majority of free air subs suck, and if you are planning to take the existing subs you have now, which are intended for a box, and mount them in the rear shelf, then they will sound even worse. They are intended to play in an enclosure, they are not free air subs.

So, if you want them to sound good, then I would say no. But it is a cool idea, and would look quite nice.

[zero.counter]

It's an idea, but you could mount the subs on the rear deck but create some custom single enclosures with fiberglass for them.

Personally, I would not do that for many reasons, one being the omnidirectional properties of a normal enclosure as opposed to the mounted ones you are planning. It would prolly interfere with the soundstage a bit.

[Hash_man_Se_i]

Making enclosures like that would be soo much trouble too, and unless he can do the fiberglass work himself... waaay too expensive.

[SharkyX]

you could always do what i did with my 89 Escort, take out the rear seat and build a wall with 4 free air 12's =) you would have killer bumpity bump then.

[shepherd79]

can i just say broken rear window. if you push them too hard you can actually crack the rear window.
don't do it man. you get better sound if you have them in the trunk in nice made box.

[zero.counter]

Making enclosures like that would be soo much trouble too, and unless he can do the fiberglass work himself... waaay too expensive.

Don't intimidate the boy. It is easier than you think, to use and/or make a fiberglass enclsure.

[POS carb]

I've thought about it a lot, the only time I saw it done was on a 3gee in the junkyard, they had cut out the metal abd put a 1/2" plywood which was ofcourse warping but if you want to go this route I would suggest getting with someone who can do fiberglass and basically redo the back deck, add some wood or metal bracing to it while you are at it.

If you want maximum boom though, get a real box. The rear deck will sound good but it will be limited power-wise, plus w/ the subs playing into the cabin you will hear the distortion more clearly when you turn them up.

If anyone has any suggestions, I'm trying to nmmount some 8's in the rear holes hit me up with a PM to swap ideas.

[pmip]

First of all, will you be mounting it IB (infinite baffle) or in a box (vented or sealed)? I must disagree with Hash_man_Se_i in that IB (free-air) drivers can have some of the best SQ possible if done right, as they don't have the low frequency roll off like vented do, and have a much flatter curve then most sealed boxes. The only problems with IB is that they don't get extremely loud and you can't run much power to them. In any case the rear deck will need to be reinforced if you plan on running any kind of power to them, or like shepherd79 said the rear window may eventually crack due to vibrations. If reinforced, the rear window should be fine as any kind of driver you can fit in the back deck will not be able to push the kind of air needed to crack the window. If you plan on building a box for them hopefully you are good with fiberglass, as it would be a pain in the ass with all the contours in the back deck. If you want to go IB, then all you would have to do is reinforce the deck and seal the trunk off from the cabin, essentially using the trunk as a giant box. If you want to go IB though, you will need to find some drivers that will work for that, for example the elemental designs e10o is made specifically for IB and if sealed and reinforced will easily be able to compete in SQ competitions (of course assuming you have the proper front stage set up already). And to zero.counter:

"one being the omnidirectional properties of a normal enclosure as opposed to the mounted ones you are planning. It would prolly interfere with the soundstage a bit."

If he has it crossed over low enough with a front stage that drops to about 60-75 hz, then the human ear won't be able to tell where the subwoofer bass is coming from, thereby creating an effective front stage. Although with it firing directly into the cabin, he will need a better quality, more sq-oriented driver as missed beats, clipping, muddy sound, etc will be much more easily heard. He also won't get the wave to mature as much as it should (or would with a rearward facing box in the trunk) but that's more for spl then sq.

Edit: So in short it will be more work then a traditional box in the trunk, but definately doable if you are willing to put the work in or pay to have someone else do it.

[DanLXI88]

I have seen 8" mounted into the rear deck before for mid bass. Worked pretty well. Not great for the main bass driver though.

[pmip]

Click the link below to get an idea of the kind of work that is involved in doing something like this:

Clik Me to see rear deck drivers!