Has it been done? does it hole up well? how would you bould one/seal it? could i make a ported one?
i know someone makes them
try searching on www.the12volt.com ( i think thats where i saw them)
or on yahoo
egay sells them all the time.
if you build it out of 3/4" be prepared to spend a grip. (a sheet goes for 500-600 at least)
would be better/cheaper to build a wood box with a plexiglass front.
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i agree with wsyiwyg, its MUCH cheaper to build a wood frame, mirror the inside (sticker, or actual glass, ive seen both) and just plexi one or two sides, thicker the better!
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500-600 a sheet??! jesus tapdancing christ. i think i'll go with the wood box/plexiglass front/top
its going in an rsx and the trunk is a hatch so i'm thinking of doing alot of custom work with glass and plaxiglass/neons. sadly, i cant seem to find any pictures of custom installs in an rsx to get some idea's.
found em on ebay. if i can get enough materials for 200 i'll make my own becaquse i want to go ported and it seems they only sell sealed on ebay. plus i probably wouldnt trust a ported box off ebay. still looks pretty damn cool.
im guessing you found these?
plexi
they look sweet but i also dunno
can you bond plaxiglass to fiberglass? sorry for all the questions, the ideas are running through my head.
why in the world would you want to make a box outa plexi?
Seems silly to me considering plexi flexes a hell of a lot more than standard MDF would.
If you really want a strong box, then go shake down a lumber yard for some HDF, its hard to find, but well worth the money when it comes to box stiffness. Probably a hell of a lot cheaper than plexiglass at the thicknesses you'd need to achieve the same rigidity.
Freakin morons.... When will they learn. Hold On Not Done Accelerating
3/4" mdf is THICK..it's not gonna be any different really from using wood...plenty rigid enough.
and why would it be harder to tune...tuning is dependant upon airspace,port length, and port area. not the building material.
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3/4" MDF is better than wood because it doesnt flex as much as say, plywood.
And if it were to be solid wood planks, there would be seams all over the place, which would create an air leak hell unless you use a router and do either tounge & groove, or v-groove edging between 2 planks.
MDF is a nice compromise because it comes in 4x8 sheets, and only costs a hair more than plywood.
Downside is, you get it wet.... and it comes apart like paper....
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Bad occurrance with an old sub box and fouled weatherstripping on my trunk
Freakin morons.... When will they learn.
Hold
On
Not
Done
Accelerating
i'm thinking of plexi because i'm thinking of doing a custom install with neons, mirrors, ect. i'd use 1 inch plexi, or at least 3/4ths. i dont see why it'd sound any different from MDF if built correctly, like wysi said ,tuning is dependant upon airspace, port length, and port area, not the building material.
i'm still wondering if i can bond plexi to fiberglass?
Box flex can affect SPL - at few shows I went to people actually gained SPL (up to 2db, which is a hell of alot) by having people sit on their enclosures (last-minute, before-the-show unbraced boxes) to reduce the flex while they burped. I can't comment on SQ but I'd guess that it doesn't help either.
Free your mind - shoot your TV.
Defekter Engel wrote:3/4" MDF is better than wood because it doesnt flex as much as say, plywood.
And if it were to be solid wood planks, there would be seams all over the place, which would create an air leak hell unless you use a router and do either tounge & groove, or v-groove edging between 2 planks.
MDF is a nice compromise because it comes in 4x8 sheets, and only costs a hair more than plywood.
Downside is, you get it wet.... and it comes apart like paper....
Bad occurrance with an old sub box and fouled weatherstripping on my trunk
uh...mdf is wood...it's just compressed sawdust and glue. still wood
there are a lot of woods that would be a lot better then mdf...mdf just happens to be cheap light and works fine, easily toolable/sandable/paintable and what not.
a nice treated apple birch would be ideal..but it weight is a little more and it's more expensive.
Take a look at home audio...they use some exotic woods in the cabinets and enclosures
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try this place
http://salesco.com
they got them they are band pass and go for like 300 for 12s
unholysavage wrote:Box flex can affect SPL - at few shows I went to people actually gained SPL (up to 2db, which is a hell of alot) by having people sit on their enclosures (last-minute, before-the-show unbraced boxes) to reduce the flex while they burped. I can't comment on SQ but I'd guess that it doesn't help either.
if it was really that power ful then they should of had someone on the hatch as well
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You lose more db's from violent rattles. + I would have beef with any serious competitor going in with a ill prepared box.
My Cav
I give up...
i'm buying a VW those people love trees, so they should love eachother too... "Andy"
wysiwyg wrote:uh...mdf is wood...it's just compressed sawdust and glue. still wood 
when i said "mdf is better than wood" i had originally meant mdf is a better medium than say, pine planks, i do know mdf is basically just sawdust and glue.
HDF would be an optimal choice though. Albeit rather difficult to find, and pricey
Freakin morons.... When will they learn.
Hold
On
Not
Done
Accelerating
Defekter Engel wrote:wysiwyg wrote:uh...mdf is wood...it's just compressed sawdust and glue. still wood 
when i said "mdf is better than wood" i had originally meant mdf is a better medium than say, pine planks, i do know mdf is basically just sawdust and glue.
HDF would be an optimal choice though. Albeit rather difficult to find, and pricey
apple birch > hdf
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CHM wrote:http://www.diynetwork.com/diy/shows_dtrk/episode/0,2046,DIY_17836_36934,00.html
saw this on DIY might help you out a little...
thats exactly what i was looking for. thanks!
You're welcome, I saw the episode a while back and thought someone else would have posted it, so I didnt, lol. I guess I am the only one that watches that show??
my cuzo had an all plexiglass box for 2 12s and boy did it hit hard. the box hardly flexed at all. very strong too i may add. it is possible to do, but yah it would be pretty expensive though
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happy happy joy joy
Ok. Feel I need to put in my two cents.
Penny 1:
It is entirely possible to build a subbox out of plexi. heck, you could build it out of contruction paper if you wanted (if you got the folds right and it could support the sub's weight). But why would you? the resonant frequency of plexi is much worse that mdf (ie. it flexes). HDF is better yes..but no one, not even the pros need it. Yes, i know all too well about the smarties that built theirs out of concret..and boy was it a show, but its not needed, and in the end it just cracked and vibrated to dust.3/4" mdf is all youll need, cause im assuming this isnt going to be a very powerful setup. I understand its for looks and show, but why do you need the bottom and sides to be clear? you want to see the carpet underneath? maybe the dirt? i jsut dont get it. a good front faced plexi install and maybe a side or two will give you the look you want and old compromise the sound slightly. but based on the car, you might not even notice with all the rattles youll get.
penny 2:
dont be so "gung-hoe" about getting a ported box. yes they do go louder, but the bass isnt as punchy. do a little reasearch and decide based on your style of music and what you want out of it. sealed is smallest and (imho) the punchiest bass, ported is greate for the middle, and bandpass is the loudest but very sloppy. i'm looking into a new kind of box (its going to be huge, kinda like a horn idea), but the principles behind it prove that it will be extremely loud if you can find the space. and i mean big! a 10" woofer will need about 20 cubic feet, but should hit unbelievebly hard. If only i didnt have to work so much, id be done it already.
hope this helps.
long story short...dont do the entire thing out of plexi..its a waste of $$$
My bird has new paint, the body looks good and now under the hood i go. Did i hear someone say bore to a 3.4?