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91 K5 interior subwoofer enclosure - can I cut through the interior side sheetmetal?

That is exactly what I want to do. The side panels on my truck are completely enclosed, so there is no dirt or water exposure, and it's just a daily driver so it won't be going through a river any time soon ... :)

I guess I will be the first person to do this, huh? Well, I have to think about this, I really don't want to ruin my truck!
 
Yours are enclosed? On my 85 i can put my arm up in between both of them from right behind the b piller underneath the truck..... Hmmm
 
I would try to put something in between the speaker and the panel so it doesnt rattle like a sumbiatch. Maybe cut some of that dynomat stuff or make a rubber gasket out of something that you could cut to the shape of the speaker so you dont see it.
 
Yeah, mine are completely enclosed. For example, I have the outer quarter panel that goes from the rear of the drivers side door to the rear of the bed where the brake lights are. The outer quarter panel is just that - nice, formed, wheel well arch, painted, etc. Then, if you take off the interior side panels, you will see there is another piece of plain old flat sheet metal that goes down the middle of the truck. It is dead center (more or less) and goes below the "bed rail" where the topper sits. Then, of course, the interior panels are 3.5" away from that, mounted on little "A" arms that are bolted to the sheet metal piece.

So it looks like this. Left is the outer quarter panel, center line is the sheetmetal I want to cut, right is the interior panel:

Code: 
  _______
 /   |    |
|    |    |
|    |    |
|    |    |
|    |    |
----------

With sub enclosure:

 _______
/   |   |
|------||
|      ||
|     / |
|    || |
|     \ |
|      ||
|------||
|   |  ||
--------
So, what it looks like it, roughly, the quarter panel is about 6" to 8" from the interior panel. However, the interior sheet metal is in the middle. I want to cut a hole out of the interior sheet metal, build a MDF enclosure for the subwoofer, stick the enclosure in the hole I cut, attach it, and then put the sub in the enclosure. So I will have a MDF box that has the back side touching the quarter panel from inside. The front side will face the cabin and I will cut a hole through the side panels where the ash tray is and mount the speaker grill to the panel, just above the speaker in the enclosure.

Clear as mud?

Imagine one of those 6x9 speaker pods someone posted earlier, but MUCH bigger, and now cut a hole that the pod fits into and mount it flush into the side of the sheetmetal so it is behind the interior panel and IN the center sheetmetal panel, touching the exterion quarter panel on the inside.

I just don't want to cut through that center piece of sheet metal and then have the truck flex or sag or something stupid like that, and the quarter panel gets a kink or something like that...
 
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I understand what you are going for. I was just saying if you literally get under the truck in front of my rear tire there is a gap in between the 2 panels prolly 3" wide and 12" or so long that i can see all the way up between the 2 panels. Must be different on the newer models i guess.
 
Ah maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaannnn! I just went and doubled checked and you're right - which means I am wrong as usual. #@!!#$%@^#&*

It IS in fact open to the back side. That means I cannot cut through and into a dry environment. Putting MDF in there would be a disaster as soon as any water got in there.

$#%@ me! How am I going to do this? Grrr...
 
Told ya so :D you could cut it a little bigger and make a box that would fit back in there, caulk it, water proof it, screw it on. :waytogo:
 
You could weld in some sheet metal that would angle back, then maybe some ribs for rigidity. Bolt speaker to box. Then its all steel and no loss of support in the panel.
 
i was thinking about this the other day. what about a sheet metal box open on one side. cut a square hole in the bed floor somewhere with clearance under it and weld or fasten the box to the floor (with some type of gasket). of course you would have to seal and cover the bottom to prevent rust and leaks but it would give a nice upward firing position right under the rear bench. maybe.
 
That crossed my mind, but I don't have the tools or experience to do that. I can cut sheetmetal and build wood enclosures but have no welding experience. It would probably be a disaster if I tried!
 
I think you could make a wood enclosure if you cut the panel out. Long as you seal it tight and waterproof the wood. Im still waiting on martys reasoning why he said "dont do it". We need reasoning marty!:popcorn:
 
I am guessing it would be a bad idea because that portion of the sheetmetal is structural. If I go cut a 12" x 19" hole on each side of the truck I bet it causes major problems later.

I'm still thinking of other options. I know I could put the subs in the way back, but I want them closer to the front of the cab. So frustrating.
 
Make wood panels that stick out enough to put the speakers in. Then in the back make doors so you have tool storage. Use the old panels as a template and you could even put them back on the box portion if you want. Cut holes in them. Done.
 
He talked about how clean and rust free this truck was, and how long he searched for it. Cutting the inner tin out would be hack. Just build the box as big as you can. It doesn't need to be perfect.

Martin
 
My sub box is huge. I took out the ****ty factory console, and replaced it with a sub box. The top of the box is covered with a leftover piece of 40 series John Deere interior sound deadener. That way it is tall enough to rest my arm on, unlike the OEM console.

Martin
 
Jessie James said:
Ah maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaannnn! I just went and doubled checked and you're right - which means I am wrong as usual. #@!!#$%@^#&*

It IS in fact open to the back side. That means I cannot cut through and into a dry environment. Putting MDF in there would be a disaster as soon as any water got in there.

$#%@ me! How am I going to do this? Grrr...
Click to expand...
You cant paint the MDF in rubberized roofing material. That is what I do with the subwoofer boxes in my boat. I've had plenty of water in my boat (its a wakeboard boat). So tons of water hits the boxes as people climb in and out. Has lasted this way for 5 years.

I recently replaced the woofers (kicker) because they are plastic and water doesn't harm them. The inside of the boxes showed no signs of water damage. The speakers had to be replaced because my 110lbs rottweiler jumped of the speaker. Water proof but not rotty proof :(
 
Deuling said:
Make wood panels that stick out enough to put the speakers in. Then in the back make doors so you have tool storage. Use the old panels as a template and you could even put them back on the box portion if you want. Cut holes in them. Done.
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I like this idea.

82355 said:
He talked about how clean and rust free this truck was, and how long he searched for it. Cutting the inner tin out would be hack. Just build the box as big as you can. It doesn't need to be perfect.

Martin
Click to expand...
Exactly. I am trying to avoid hacking it it. However, with this subwoofer, it has to be 0.5 cu ft for it to work properly. Anything significantly smaller (it would be 1/2 with the space I have now) basically makes it non-functional, so it would be a waste of time.

nsxxtreme said:
The speakers had to be replaced because my 110lbs rottweiler jumped of the speaker. Water proof but not rotty proof :(
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Aw puppah aw! I love my dogs even though they do stuff like that too. :D :haha:
 
I know theres pics of guys making panels that stuck out the distance of the wheel wells. Then they mounted speakers and made them open. I wouldnt want a sub as close to the driver seat in all honesty. I had some behind the back seat. But then realized that country music really has no need for a sub woofer lol. So i took the box out, and filled the back of the blazer with all my tools. Welder fits back there with small argon bottle, power tools, tool box, jack, misc fluids and spare parts. Ive got just the 2 wally world special 6x9s behind my front seats in boxes on the floor and it works just fine and only took a little while to make and no hacking. Sorry bout no paragraphs. My phone doesnt let me lol.
 
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