Building Your Car A Subwoofer Box

Mark Clarkson
May 8, 2006

You can further the interior of your car’s capacity to produce much better music by getting it some subwoofers. Along with that, you do have to have some subwoofer boxes to go with that. You see, subwoofer boxes could be sealed, ported, or bandpass. And these three are just a few of the styles that these boxes could have.

Consult first with the manufacturer or the retailer of your subwoofer speakers. Ask them about the dimensions of the box. Then, ask them also if the given dimensions are interior or exterior. Interior dimensions would have to include the ¾ inch thickness of the wood. On the other hand, for exterior dimensions, the manufacturer has already took that into consideration.

To start off, you should have these tools and materials for you would be using them as you proceed with this task: a ¾ inch medium-density fiberboard, a jigsaw, a router, a power drill, a down spiral or a spiral bit, a ¾ inch bit, a file, some sandpaper, a razor blade or a scalpel, some spray glue, a tape measure, a pencil, some screws, silicone, a solder, a solder gun, a calculator, some scratch paper, and your car’s carpet.

Start the constructing process by using your pencil and tape measure to trace out the patterns of the enclosure on the fiberboard. Trace out the patterns for the six sides of the box. Also add in a center divider for inside the box which would serve as the separation between the two speakers. Cut these patterns out with the jigsaw.

Take the pattern for the top portion of the subwoofer enclosure. Use the frame of the grille of the subwoofer speaker and a pencil to trace the outer and inner portions of this. Do this on the location of the board where you would like to put in your speakers. Use the router with a ¾ inch bit and cut a depth of 3/8 inch. Do this between the inner and the outer circle, and this area would be the place where the frame of the speaker will be flush mounted.

Cut the holes for the speakers using the jigsaw. Later on, use a file to smooth the edges. You can also use the sandpaper to smooth out the area. Then, cut out round holes measuring two inches. Do this on each of the side panels. These holes will be filled with the connectors for the speaker wires.

Using screws, assemble the box. Seal the joints with silicone. This is to ensure that air will not leak out. Leave the front panel off first. Then, spray glue on the outer portion of the box as well as on the back of the carpet. Wrap the carpet tightly into the box. Put in some carpet at the top panel. With the use of a razor blade or a scalpel, cut vertical, horizontal, and angled lines in a star pattern into the carpet. Then, cut out the carpet that covers the connector holes.

Place in the connectors and make them run through the holes. Make sure that the two prong terminals are inside the box. Then, screw down the connectors. Seal around them with silicone. Solder the speaker wires to the speaker and connector. Also solder the positive wire to the positive lead of the speaker. Do the same with the negative ends. After everything has been done, put in the front panel on the box and screw them in. Push the speakers into the star pattern cut out on the carpet that covers the speaker holes on the front panel. You can now install the box inside your car and enjoy the music.

Carpets that you would be needing for this project could be purchased at Toyota Parts Online along with other auto products. This store specializes in Toyota parts like specifically made Toyota Corona parts.