My Sunday project Sub replacement in my 08 Limited

[caj4au]

Spent about 6 hours yesterday replacing the factory JBL sub in the enclosure with a Memphis Audio MCP8S4 powered by an Alpine V12 M605 turned way down. I also dynamat'd the entire area, the plastic panel, as well as the enclosure itself which I have read is good for 2-3 more db. The sub is still breaking in, and it took some tuning with the amp, but overall, it sounds very well. My patience ran out on the local shop getting my JL 8W3 that could stand the power from the Alpine amp, so I went with the Memphis Audio sub for the time being just to try it out as this is their best sound sub and it sounded great in the store. Very well built stuff!

Also, I saw in several posts on here about the cargo net anchors being the most difficult thing to get out in removing the plastic panel. This is not the case. There's no screwdriver required to remove it. Just take your finger tips and pull the end of it and it releases it locking mechanism and just comes out.

MClass Subwoofers from Memphis Car Audio

here are some pics of my project yesterday... enjoy

 

[ARK_SWAMP_RIDER]

Looks great! I needed to dynamat mine, just haven't felt like tearing it all apart again.

 

[caj4au]

Looks great! I needed to dynamat mine, just haven't felt like tearing it all apart again.

Thanks, I am sore from crawling around the back on my knees and my hands are all cut up, but in the end, it was worth it... I still may go back in and change out to the JL 8W3 with a trim ring spacer before it is all said and done. thanks to all the previous write-ups, I had the panel off in ~30 mins and that was being very careful. The tedious, most time consuming parts were the dynamating and breaking out all the support fins on the inside of the enclosure so the sub would fit.

 

[gaterose]

Nice job, are you certain a w3 will fit? I had an 8W1 with a trim ring spacer and it seemed like the panel didn't want to snap all the way back on like it should. It held but looked a little pushed out. I think the W3 needs more space in front than W1 too (because of bigger cone and surround).

Oh yeah and ROLL TIDE

 

[MATTALLICA]

looks good, I am thinking about doing the same to mine. What deck do you have?

 

[caj4au]

Nice job, are you certain a w3 will fit? I had an 8W1 with a trim ring spacer and it seemed like the panel didn't want to snap all the way back on like it should. It held but looked a little pushed out. I think the W3 needs more space in front than W1 too (because of bigger cone and surround).

Oh yeah and ROLL TIDE

An 8W3 is .45 inches deeper than the Memphis sub I put in. I snapped out all the support fins and it has plenty of room at 4.1 depth. Someone else on here did the same thing with a w3 as well with a spacer ring. As far as snapping back, I learned that the art is to be gentle removing and more forceful putting the panel back to get all the clips to catch properly. Not hulk mad forceful, but not barely pushing either.

As far as your last words, it's a good year to pull for your team and that is all I can say about that

 

[caj4au]

looks good, I am thinking about doing the same to mine. What deck do you have?

Thanks!

All factory JBL Synthesis other than the sub

don't fix it til it's broken, as I think it sounds pretty decent for a factory system it just needed a woofer that could keep up with the rest of it.

 

[jheight84]

jl 8w3v3

I just did a 8w3v3 this last weekend and I needed a 1" spacer plus ripping out all the ribs. It is hard to measure properly because the box does not actually have straight dimensions. I used a 3/4 inch spacer and a 1/2 piece of closed cell insulation. Gave me the extra 1/4" and sealed up the wood to plastic nicely. The only pain is going to be modifying the cover. I have not finished that part up yet....

 

[caj4au]

I just did a 8w3v3 this last weekend and I needed a 1" spacer plus ripping out all the ribs. It is hard to measure properly because the box does not actually have straight dimensions. I used a 3/4 inch spacer and a 1/2 piece of closed cell insulation. Gave me the extra 1/4" and sealed up the wood to plastic nicely. The only pain is going to be modifying the cover. I have not finished that part up yet....

You're saying you have to modify the entire panel itself due to excursion clearance? If that's the case, I don't want to do that. As far as the box, it is definitely more shallow at the top and deeper at middle and towards the bottom even after fins are removed. I would like to see pics of your finished product with the 8w3 if you don't mind posting? Did you put any filler inside the box? I have read it is .6 cu ft and most sealed high end 8'S only require .3 cu ft.

Anxious to hear back on this one so I don't waste any more money! :cheers:

 

[caj4au]

went back in to do some more mods on my factory sub enclosure

this gets easier and easier and I almost have it down to to a science. with the right tools, I can get the panel off in about 30 mins and back on in almost the same amount of time. The Memphis 8 I chose sounds great but only requires .35 ft so I decided to go back in and added a trim ring I cut out with some silicone to seal it up nicely along with some polyfil to take up some space inside the enclosure. WOW, is all I can say. with the M605 Alpine pushing it set with the low pass at 72hz it sounds amazing! You would think it was at least a 10 and maybe even a lower end 12. it hits hard, but is quality bass good for rock music. I also took a razor blade and trimmed off the plastic protruding behind the grill just to make sure I had enough clearance. Here are some updated pics

 

[ARK_SWAMP_RIDER]

Interesting approach. I've always heard polyfill was to be used if the box was smaller than the space needed, it makes the sub perform like it's in a larger box. Either way, good to see it was worth the effort. I need to take mine apart, dynamat, and maybe swap subs (have a JL 8w1 maxxed out at 150 watts).

 

[Sungod]

this gets easier and easier and I almost have it down to to a science. with the right tools, I can get the panel off in about 30 mins and back on in almost the same amount of time.

How long did it take you to figure out to get the hook that holds the cargo net off that you pull the cap out? I messed around with that for about a half hour. That was followed by the screws under the carpet. The biggest surprsie for me in removing the panel was that the panel that covers the sub and amp are not removable. Luckily I didn't scar it up before deciding to remove the whole panel.

 

[caj4au]

How long did it take you to figure out to get the hook that holds the cargo net off that you pull the cap out? I messed around with that for about a half hour. That was followed by the screws under the carpet. The biggest surprsie for me in removing the panel was that the panel that covers the sub and amp are not removable. Luckily I didn't scar it up before deciding to remove the whole panel.

I had read somewhere else that people were making mountains out of those cargo net hangs. if you just take your finger tips and place them on the very edge and pull, they release really easy with no prying or screwdriver required. I have yet to use a screwdriver for anything other than removing screws. the tricky part is making sure all the push clips stay in place when put it back together!

 

[caj4au]

I had also read ARK's posts and everyone's feedback and knew where all the screws and bolts were. which was the biggest help. I have been in there twice now and lthe worst part about both times is losing the tops of my knuckles on my right index finger and left thumb when pulling out the enclosure and banging against the metal... I lost some blood last night, ha