carsNskis
New member
I needed BASS but i had lots of things to consider: I didn't want to give up cargo space or my spare tire, I have a dog so a flat floor when the seats are down was a must, i didn't want to do major custom fabrication, i needed to keep the factory head unit, and control the bass somehow, and keep it low profile to avoid theft issues... Oh, it needed to be removable too... (and I'm cheap, so not super expensive either) I think that's reasonable, right??
The impulse purchase from CarToys that kicked this all off! Got a great deal and good advice on picking the right stuff for what i was working on
JL Audio TW3 12" shallow mount subwoofer and Alpine 500w mono amp. I debated 10 vs 12, but ultimately the 12 fit so why not??
Created a test power supply from an old xbox psu (made sure the amp worked before i connect to any wiring)
I had checked the box fitment before i purchased it, but once i was home something wasn't quite right. After a dry fit i realized it needs to be down firing as I didn't have clearance from the speaker grille with the upper shelf in place. No ill effect on sound, but now i don't see the cool JL logo, oh well
I cut up some 1/2" mdf, which was just enough to allow the grille to clear the spare tire underneath. I used the original panel as the template and reduced it 1/2" all the way around so it could drop as low as possible.
I covered that with some rubber diamond plate look matt (same as what's on the floor) for looks and reduced vibrations. Attached sub with gate hinges, viola!
Test fitting to check sub clearance with the amp in temp position (ended up driving around for a week like this since i was pumped that it worked lol)
Moved the amp left (decided one day I'll add another to the opposite corner so took it out of center) added some handles to ease in removal and installation (shhh, those are for kitchen cabinets), used some split loom and grommets to clean up the wiring.
Tapped the rear speakers in the kick panel for the line converter (twisted pairs are the rear)
Added clean battery power for the amplifier and ran all the wiring to the back corner panel from the front inside the rocker plastics
I mentioned removable, right? I used trailer adapters to make a quick disconnect with a 7pin adapter (perfect for power, ground, remote amp, left and right rca)
This connector now allows for me to use it as a power port down the road (i have a power inverter that will make this super useful)
Used a telephone jack for the bass remote (Alpine uses a telephone line connection, just cut one end off and connected to the jack)
Bass remote, easy fingertip access and out of the direct line of sight
Not too shabby!
Nothing fancy but i accomplished everything i set out to do and i think it turned out clean. Everything was sourced from Car Toys, Home Depot or The Auto Parts Store. Plug and play bass!
The impulse purchase from CarToys that kicked this all off! Got a great deal and good advice on picking the right stuff for what i was working on
JL Audio TW3 12" shallow mount subwoofer and Alpine 500w mono amp. I debated 10 vs 12, but ultimately the 12 fit so why not??
Created a test power supply from an old xbox psu (made sure the amp worked before i connect to any wiring)
I had checked the box fitment before i purchased it, but once i was home something wasn't quite right. After a dry fit i realized it needs to be down firing as I didn't have clearance from the speaker grille with the upper shelf in place. No ill effect on sound, but now i don't see the cool JL logo, oh well
I cut up some 1/2" mdf, which was just enough to allow the grille to clear the spare tire underneath. I used the original panel as the template and reduced it 1/2" all the way around so it could drop as low as possible.
I covered that with some rubber diamond plate look matt (same as what's on the floor) for looks and reduced vibrations. Attached sub with gate hinges, viola!
Test fitting to check sub clearance with the amp in temp position (ended up driving around for a week like this since i was pumped that it worked lol)
Moved the amp left (decided one day I'll add another to the opposite corner so took it out of center) added some handles to ease in removal and installation (shhh, those are for kitchen cabinets), used some split loom and grommets to clean up the wiring.
Tapped the rear speakers in the kick panel for the line converter (twisted pairs are the rear)
Added clean battery power for the amplifier and ran all the wiring to the back corner panel from the front inside the rocker plastics
I mentioned removable, right? I used trailer adapters to make a quick disconnect with a 7pin adapter (perfect for power, ground, remote amp, left and right rca)
This connector now allows for me to use it as a power port down the road (i have a power inverter that will make this super useful)
Used a telephone jack for the bass remote (Alpine uses a telephone line connection, just cut one end off and connected to the jack)
Bass remote, easy fingertip access and out of the direct line of sight
Not too shabby!
Nothing fancy but i accomplished everything i set out to do and i think it turned out clean. Everything was sourced from Car Toys, Home Depot or The Auto Parts Store. Plug and play bass!
Last edited:
