waterproofing stereo ideas??

[85mudblazin]

What is a good way to water proof my amp and 10" sub??
for the amp I was thinking about making some type of box with maybe some type of vent tube or something, is the out side of a sub waterproof??? if so then cant I just waterproof the box and seal the sub to the box?
Thanks
-Chris

 

[rjfguitar]

A vent tube???? Are we talking completely submerged? Stereo equipment and water don't mix at all. IMHO you should just plain keep it away from water completely. But....to answer your question I guess you could wrap the amp in plastic or something but that might want to hold in the heat which will slowly destroy the amp. It would be very hard to water proof a sub.

 

[Greg72]

If you are talking about something completely "submergable" you're probably out of luck.

If you want something that can co-exist in a Rhinoliner-type interior so you can rinse it out with a hose, there's probably a way to do it. I'd focus on getting everything OFF the floor and maybe into the rear cargo panel areas. For the sub, try building an enclousure where the speaker fires DOWN into the floor and put the box on some spacers....maybe 2-3" off the floor. It will be almost completely protected from the elements and if a little standing water gets inside the truck it won't affect the speakers. Also, any water that DOES manage to hit it would drip off quickly.....

Of course if you're talking about a vehicle where water is ALWAYS an issue, I'd reconsider building the box out of wood. It would probably be better to build it out of steel or aluminum. Eventually, wood will absorb moisture even with a sealer applied.

 

[rubbinz raczn]

maybe get a fiberglass box built. nothing to absorb moisture. also your choice of sub would have an affect. a sub with a poly cone and rubber surround would be best choice imo. companies make speakers and subs for boats maybe you could see what they use. as far as waterproofing an amp that would be tough as rjfguitar stated amps don't like being sealed with no airflow, they burn up! maybe you could mount amp up under dash as high as you can get. as far as submersing any of it though good luck!

 

[rjfguitar]

YOu could have the first water cooled amplifier.

 

[85mudblazin]

yea the whole reason for the water proofing is I just put herculiner on my floor and plan to leave my top and doors off most of the year, I was also thinking about building a small steel box as big as the amp and leave the top off and then put it under the seat so it can get air from the top but there would have to be like 6" of standing water to get in there. I like the idea for the sub, doesnt jekbrown run his like that?? I take a look at it all and see what i can come up with.
Thanks
-Chris

 

[Resurrection_Joe]

If you're not too tall,a nd have a roof of some sort, maybe you coudl mount everything to the roof and make some sort of plexi badnbass box

 

[js4x4]

Sounds like your more concerned about rain etc, vs makeing you K5 a submarine...

Fab up a box to mount the amp in....you could use some sort of spacer to keep it off the bottom of the box, so if H2O does get it, it won't sit in it. Drill some drain holes in the bottom (and all over for that matter, for ventilation-if it gets hot it WILL shut off, and decrease its life). For the Sub, get band pass boxes (and subs) the speaker is pretty sealed-u could take the fabric off and paint it to keep water off the wood....fab up a cover to keep water from leaking inside the port holes.

I have my amp under the drivers seat....stays dry....can elevate it under there too....

 

[rjfguitar]

yea the whole reason for the water proofing is I just put herculiner on my floor and plan to leave my top and doors off most of the year,

I hope you keep your K5 inside at night time and don't go places with it like the movies or basically any public parking lot where you can't see it. Stealing stereo equipment out of a blazer with no top is unfortunately extremely easy....and popular.

 

[85mudblazin]

well the amp is pretty much steal proof unless you have a assortment of tools (allen wrenches, screw drivers, etc..) I once had someone try to steal it and they could pry it up off the floor since they couldnt get to the mounting bolts, plus you wouldnt be able to tell it was there if it was in a box under the seat. and as for the sub well I got it from my friend who works at custom sounds (local audio shop) for $20, so I am not really worried about it.
on a second thought I may as well just take the sub out when the top and doors off since I wouldnt be able to hear it anyways

 

[rjfguitar]

One thing I have learned is theives aren't nice. You can bolt stuff down but if it's left out in the open they WILL try and take it. The great thing about thieves is that they don't bother to look at something and say " I can't get that out, forget it." Instead they are nice enough to try anyway, break the object trying to be removed, and break every freakin' thing around it before they decide...."I can't get that out, forget it."
My point is don't invite trouble.

 

[85mudblazin]

true, ill prolly just take the sub out when everythign is off, and make a heavy duty box to hold the amp in.

 

[rjfguitar]

Why not just bolt the amp to the sub box and remove both when you take the doors and top off? the amp powers the sub anyway right? That is what I did back when I had my little system....the deck powered my four speakers and I just remove my little JL amp and power wedge box when I used to take my top off. My new box weighs 200 pounds with a TON more wiring....forget taking the top off anymore.

 

[85mudblazin]

yea that would work, I would just have to run some more wire for the amp to the sub box.
I like that idea