Teenage 'Runner Stealthbox Etc.

[mistercmason]

Reminds me of myself at the ripe age of 15.5. Just bought a 94 Isuzu Rodeo and I was eager to wheel it and mod it.

Nice work so far. Love the scion head unit.



P.S. I still ask for help from Dad.:reddance:

We've been a bit of a 4Runner family. Mom had a red '87 until about 2004 when we got this green one. When my brother and I got rear-ended in the Honda, he got this and mom got a Mazda. My brother got his own ('99 Highlander Edition, 5 speed), and I got this, a hand-me-down that I'm pretty happy about arty:

 

[THatfield]

I wish I had a cool 4Runner family story.


Whereabouts in NH are you located? I frequent the Lakes Region/ MWV. My mom lives up there.

 

[mistercmason]

Nice! I'm just south of Winnipesaukee

 

[THatfield]

Nice! I'm just south of Winnipesaukee

Awesome. I'm planning a trip up there in the 4R to do some snowmobiling this winter. Maybe we'll get a 4Runner meet up while i'm out.

 

[mistercmason]

Day Three​

The last shipment came. JBL GTO608C, Boom Mats that I cut and used as rain guards(more below), and the USB that I soldered together with the plug that came with the radio.

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Decided to make sure the amp cables were all done correctly and were working, so I test-bumped it. Excursion on that woofer is really impressive, as you can probably see. The dog helped, too.

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The port is 3 inch PVC pipe, 27 inches long. PVC is easy to work with. It cuts in seconds, and since it's meant for home plumbing, there are hole saws the exact size needed. I wrapped some peel & seal and memory foam around it to deaden whatever resonance it could have, and screwed into it from both sides of the enclosure. It has caulking all around the end for a tight seal.

<table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/lN0M2E668RrL0cuwcYcQ_wN-O9z6OnheDHMsKRU0L5g?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-ewHZsHvTeqg/UhD945zYBEI/AAAAAAAAAuE/Rh_oy1Wom50/s800/DSCF2452.JPG" height="600" width="800" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/106782702106245134766/4runner?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCNaw_rOGxe330QE&feat=embedwebsite">4runner</a></td></tr></table>

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The last wall of the enclosure was of course the last thing to go on. It was glued and clamped overnight. It still has wood where the wheel well will be. I left it like that so I can cut it off with a flush-trim bit on the router for a perfect fit. If you look closely, it actually says "cut" right on it, haha.

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All that's left to be done on the enclosure is a whole lot of sanding, and the bedliner.

Onto the components.​

I was so engrossed in this project that I didn't get many pictures of the progress. :lalala: I wanted so bad to get them done to hear them! I was hoping to flush-mount the tweeters and angle them towards the driver's position, but I doubt there is enough depth to the little window panel that looks like a sail. I put them in the pods and screwed them on. Turned out better than I thought. I put the woofer in the stock location, with the baffle. The baffle restricted all air movement, and made the woofer sound like garbage. I cut the bottom half of the baffle off to allow original air movement, yet still offer protection from any water that finds its way in there. The baffle does add nice vibration deadening between the woofer and the panel.

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No real good pictures of the peel & seal... But I covered the entire outer panel to the front doors, with a double layer right in the middle. There are also small chunks on the inner metal panel. I covered the entire trunk floor, just a single layer. It stays on very well, doesn't stink, it's easy to work with, and it's sooooooooo cheap compared to real sound deadening.

The USB was a challenge... I still don't fully understand how Dad knew which wire went to what, since they were different colors. but hey, it works, and now I have iPod control. I don't want to take the radio out again, so that's the best picture I can get of the cable. It's wired over the the clove box.

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[mistercmason]

Sorry for the delay, soccer started. Finished the enclosure! Hasn't been painted yet, but it's at least in it's final form. It's exactly what I was hoping for; solid low end reinforcement.

Once the last side (the side facing the outside of the car) was glued and nailed, I took the flush-trim bit to it for a perfect side.

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It came to be a PERFECT fit. Right behind the panel with the latch for the seat, right under the privacy cover link, and right in front of the hook in the back.

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All cleaned up, temporary use.

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I swear I didn't plan this, but the amp is the same width as the enclosure itself. Perfect

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Last things to do are to hide away the cables, and PAINT :bump:

 

[white_n_slow]

You need some 5% tint with that amp sitting right there.

 

[cdrewferd]

Looks good. Why not mount the amp in the stock storage compartment since you won't be able to access it anyway?

 

[shadow247]

Looks good. Why not mount the amp in the stock storage compartment since you won't be able to access it anyway?

Agreed. Once it's set you should never need to mess with it. Just make sure there is plenty of ventilation for the amp. Those MB Quart amps can get a little warm if you are driving them at 2ohms.

 

[jmildoc]

GOOD JOB MAN, like someone said before I wish I knew about forums when I was 15 and doing these same mods to my 89 prelude.

 

[mistercmason]

Agreed. Once it's set you should never need to mess with it. Just make sure there is plenty of ventilation for the amp. Those MB Quart amps can get a little warm if you are driving them at 2ohms.

Because I still want to use the compartment. It's got nothing holding it down right now, and I rarely hear it move at all. I think I'll be able to velcro it in a little, so when I need the jumper cables, I can tip the sub over and still use the space in the compartment. Really, it's surprising how stable it is already.

 

[goro]

Because I still want to use the compartment. It's got nothing holding it down right now, and I rarely hear it move at all. I think I'll be able to velcro it in a little, so when I need the jumper cables, I can tip the sub over and still use the space in the compartment. Really, it's surprising how stable it is already.

Any particular reason why you didn't throw it on the left side? Nothing really over there, and you get easy access to the little hidey hole.

 

[mistercmason]

Any particular reason why you didn't throw it on the left side? Nothing really over there, and you get easy access to the little hidey hole.

I probably would have if I had a shallower sub, but this RE is 6 inches deep. The left wheel well is longer because of the fuel tank, so putting the sub on the left meant taking up more trunk space. With it on the right, I could put the sub behind the well.

 

[Singtoe]

Day Three​

The port is 3 inch PVC pipe, 27 inches long. PVC is easy to work with. It cuts in seconds, and since it's meant for home plumbing, there are hole saws the exact size needed. I wrapped some peel & seal and memory foam around it to deaden whatever resonance it could have, and screwed into it from both sides of the enclosure. It has caulking all around the end for a tight seal.

<table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/lN0M2E668RrL0cuwcYcQ_wN-O9z6OnheDHMsKRU0L5g?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-ewHZsHvTeqg/UhD945zYBEI/AAAAAAAAAuE/Rh_oy1Wom50/s800/DSCF2452.JPG" height="600" width="800" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/106782702106245134766/4runner?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCNaw_rOGxe330QE&feat=embedwebsite">4runner</a></td></tr></table>

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Memory Foam is a bad idea. Even though it is open cell in design, there is a lot of mass taking up valuable space. Especially if you designed to cabinet to have a certain CF.

With the MDF you have and the schedule 40 pipe you should not have to worry about resonance. Just a handful of polyester fill should work fine.

 

[BrianSD_42]

I wanted so bad to get them done to hear them! I was hoping to flush-mount the tweeters and angle them towards the driver's position, but I doubt there is enough depth to the little window panel that looks like a sail. I put them in the

There should be enough room to inside flush mount pretty large tweeters.

I have Infinity Kappa tweeters and they fit inside just fine. Pictures are on the first page off build if you want to see. I have Limited 97 stock tweeter holders.

 

[mistercmason]

Mine did not come stock with tweeters. We have different panels

 

[BrianSD_42]

Mine did not come stock with tweeters. We have different panels

Ahh I See. Well you could probably buy the part cheap. Its something to consider anyways. I've seen them cut and attempted to be flush before but it can look cheesy.

I looked at the picture of your tweeter. Its big for sure but most of that outer plastic case can probably be cut away. You don't need a speaker shell around the tweeter since it is just highs.

When I had my first Infinity reference set the guy who helped me install them showed me that the outer plastic housings can be cut away until you have just the bare tweeter (like in my pictures I meantioned) then you can fit the tweeter behind the stock speaker cover. The limited cover should be compatible. I don't think you would have any issues. Good luck with whatever you choose.

 

[mistercmason]

Ahh I See. Well you could probably buy the part cheap. Its something to consider anyways. I've seen them cut and attempted to be flush before but it can look cheesy.

I looked at the picture of your tweeter. Its big for sure but most of that outer plastic case can probably be cut away. You don't need a speaker shell around the tweeter since it is just highs.

When I had my first Infinity reference set the guy who helped me install them showed me that the outer plastic housings can be cut away until you have just the bare tweeter (like in my pictures I meantioned) then you can fit the tweeter behind the stock speaker cover. The limited cover should be compatible. I don't think you would have any issues. Good luck with whatever you choose.

Yeah, I looked at your thread. I liked the install, can't tell it's there except for the sound. I looked for the panel on Ebay and the cheapest set I could find without tweeters were ~$50 which isn't quite worth it. Maybe if I can find some cheap, but not at that price.

 

[mistercmason]

FINALLY got the time to post this. Got it painted with just one can of spray on bedliner. I could have used much more, but it's evenly coated and looks great. More pictures to come
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[mistercmason]

Finally got this, too! Two more months, and I'll be cruisin' :driving: :rockon:
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