Hey guys. Just thought I'd share the progress of my stereo installation.

Up to this point, I have stripped the interior, run my cables, installed at least 2 layers of Damplifier Pro sound deadener and a layer of closed-cell foam matting, and put my interior back together. I have a Nakamichi CD-400 head unit installed from my previous system (which I love).

I also have spent considerable time sealing the trunk off from the cabin with caulk, expanding foam, metal sheeting, and self-tapping sheet metal screws. I'm doing this because the sub is installed via infinite baffle (or "free air" for you non-formal types). Here are some pics for you. Comments and questions are welcome. I still have a lot of work to do before it's done, this is just an update.

Here's one of the subwoofer mounted in part of the baffle that will attach to the rear deck:




Another:




Just a shot of the trunk. Those ugly boxes are my solution to sealing the headrest mechanisms. Unfortunately, now the headrests are stuck in the up position permenantly. Also, the really white thing (sorry, I'm a bad photographer) is the "permanent" part of the subwoofer baffle. It's screwed into the rear deck and sealed using expanding foam and caulk:



A pic of the enclosure that seals up the trunk hinges:



A pic of the baffle with non-hardening rope caulk on it (to seal it to the rear deck):



A pic of the baffle in the previous picture installed in the trunk. It's held in place using bolts that screw into T-nuts in the "permanent" baffle discussed above. That way I can remove it repeatedly without the risk of stripping the MDF.



A pic from the top/outside of the sub. Yeah, I know it's mounted sideways. I did that so that the terminals on the bottom are easily accessible. It will all be hidden later, so I figured I'd err on the side of convenience.



A pic of the test-fit of my future amp rack, which will be attached to the gas tank (method is discussed more below):



The amp rack with the amps on it and the holes for cabling:



A pic of my shop in disarray:

This part of the project was fun, but a bit of a b*tch. Although the amp rack was carefully cut to size such that it would wedge into place and would utilize gravity to bear the weight of the components, I needed to come up with a solution that would keep it from falling over. In other words, I just needed to stabilize it, not support its weight.

So the gas tank is right there, and unless I have a death wish, it's not smart to go drilling into it. The tank has grooves on it (which you can see in the 3rd pic of this post). So I made some 1/4" thick slats that will fit inside the recessed parts of this groove. I used some closed-cell foam on the parts of the grooves that stick out so that the amp rack wouldn't vibrate against the gas tank.

I took some more T-nuts and affixed them to the back of the slats. And I carefully measured and lined up the holes on the amp rack so that I could bolt into the slats.

Then I used 2-part epoxy and glued the slats onto the gas tank. In order to make sure they were precisely in the right place, I had to screw the slats onto the back of the amp rack, spread the epoxy on the slats (and only the slats so that the amp rack could be removed after the epoxy cured), and wedged it into place. I let it dry for a couple of hours, carefully unscrewed the amp rack, and prayed that it worked. I was very happy when it did! Here are some pics:

The slats screwed into the back of the amp rack, before epoxy:



Taped up the back of the amp rack and the backs of the t-nuts so that the epoxy didn't get on anything it shouldn't:



I then spread the epoxy, carefully pressed the amp rack into place, making sure everything lined up perfectly, and used some scrap to wedge the assembly into place for curing. I didn't feel like sitting in my trunk for 2 hours holding it in place. I crossed my fingers and hoped it would work (and it did, thank God):



Pic of the slats attached to the gas tank after the epoxy somewhat dried:



And that's all the pics I have for you. I still need to spend some time finishing up the amp rack so that I can mount the omnifi harddrive and the Audiocontrol 6ch EQ. there isn't enough space for the EQ to be on the rack next to the amps, so I will have to "stack" the small rear channel amp and the EQ on top of each other.

Then I need to make this look a little more presentable. But I will probably wait until I get the system up and running before I do anything like that. Chances are, I will conclude that it's just the trunk and I don't care how it looks.

Oh, and one last thing. When I shut the trunk, the sub jumps up and down considerably. I did a few fist pumps when I saw that, because it was a good sign that I had done at least a decent job of sealing the trunk from the cabin. The same goes for when I shut one of the car doors with the windows closed.

Things are finally taking shape!

Looking Fantastic! keep up the good work!!

I'm in the lengthy process of redoing the stereo system in my 300E. I'm not sure whether to be inspired by your progress, or kicking myself because mine won't end up nearly as nice.

That looks great. Can't wait to see the next batch of pix.

Thanks guys. McLoffs, this is my second installation in this car. I have learned a ton of lessons from the first one, so it makes this one much easier. My first installation was not very clean, so despite the fact that I used good components, I was never quite happy with the way it sounded. No midbass whatsoever with those little 4" speakers in the dash. That's why I'm going with a 3-way setup in the fronts with a 6" speaker in each door in custom fiberglass enclosures. Should be good times, albeit TONS of work! I'll keep you guys in the loop.

dang, my 2nd install was nowhere near this good. actually on my 5th install and still nowhere near what u did. good job!

__________________
198? 300D ???K - Future DD
1989 300TE 285K - traded in '12
1984 300SD 186K - Sold in 08
1978 300SD 330K - Died in 05

thanks man! although it aint done yet! There's still a lot of fabrication left to do!

Mine isn't nearly as ambitious as yours. I put Rainbows in the dash and rear deck, and am in the process of putting MB Quart 6.5" mid-bass speakers in the doors in the stock locations. At some point I might install a subwoofer; if I do I'll definitely be referring to your install for ideas.

Very nice indeed. Before I decided to mount my sub where the spare tire sits - I planned on mounting it in the back deck. However, once I started down that path - I quickly realized the amount of work required... and opted for the easy way out

As for mounting the amp rack - I used some 90 degree angle brackets - mounted them to the amp board - and then screwed them up into the back deck. As you said - I didn't need them to support any weight - just stabilize it and keep it from moving. Your solution looks good - but if you need to do it again - consider that route. I can post a pic if needed.

Looks great!

__________________
1995 E300D - 225,000 miles - White Exterior, Grey Interior - original owner

yeah I hear you. I was bored so I drew you a quick diagram of my situation. The way it's set up, I don't need to secure the top of the amp rack, I'm more concerned with the bottom. I didn't want to drill into the floor since I don't want to accidentally puncture the exterior sheet metal and allow any moisture in.

Nice install, thanks for posting!

I just finished adding a sub to the trunk, I should get off my butt and post some pics. Nothing as elaborate as this - I used a vented box and placed it in the trunk and made a custom shelf that fits the box and the amps. Lost a bit of trunk space, but works for me.

Let us know how it finishes up!

__________________
Chris
2007 E550 4Matic - 61,000 Km - Iridium Silver, black leather, Sport package, Premium 2 package
2007 GL450 4Matic - 62,000 Km - Obsidian Black Metallic, black leather, all options
1998 E430 - sold
1989 300E - 333,000 Km - sold
1977 280E - sold
1971 250 - retired

"And a frign hat. They gave me a hat at the annual benefits meeting. I said. how does this benefit me. I dont have anything from the company.. So they gave me a hat." - TheDon

I will, thanks man. The annoying thing is that those slats that I glued to the tank aren't staying on now... They seemed solid, but as soon as I screwed the amp rack in, it pulled them away from the tank. Oh well, you live you learn, right?

I'm gonna have a lot of time to work on this thing this weekend, so I'm excited!

Thanks for journaling your work Pete

Hey Big Pete

Is the picture of the 300CE your car? That would be the first serious install I have seen in a CE.

First, I was wondering if you knew that you have waaaaay too much airspace for that single sub? It would sound a hundred times better if you put it in an enclosure of the proper dimensions as recommended by manufacturer. I have built Free-Air setups before and they only destroy the subs and sound like crap because they are not designed to be free-air. You could still build the proper enclosure beneath the rear shelf.

Second, Have you thought about the fact that your trunk contains your gas tank and has vents on each side of rear quarter panel under trunk trim? That means it can never be sealed, unless you seal them too. But the vents are there along with the vents under the rear deck shelf to vent dangerous gas fumes from trunk. (If you should develop a leak or something)
Which brings me to the fact that you glued about 100 pounds of MDF and amp equipment to your almost 20 year old gas tank which could in itself cause your gas tank to rip apart, or at least leak (In the event of an accident).

Now, you do not have the positive airflow that is supposed to flow from passenger compartment , by design, through trunk and out of the rear vents that exit under bumper on side of lower quarter panel. Add a bunch of electrical equipment back there and one spark could blow you sky-high.
I install amp racks in 124's by using liquid nail and screws to attatch short
2x2's to the underside or rear deck and the floor of trunk. Then you have something SOLID to Attatch your heavy amp rack to.

If you would like to buy a sub that can take the abuse of flapping back and forth freely, then do a search for Resonant Engineering and check out the XXX model. I have been pounding' the ground with sound for years and I accepted them as possibly the greatest subs on the market. Only subs comparable are Adire Brahma, Eclipse Ti, and Diamond Audio TDX.

I hope you take this in a good way as I mean it that way. I have done more than a few full custom installs in 124 chassis and keep a template for my amp rack design handy for the next one.

Looks like you want to go all the way, so good luck!!!!!!!

Well, thanks for your input man. But to be honest, you insult my intelligence by assuming that I didn't do any research.

I am going to defend my thought process, because I planned this installation very carefully and consulted a lot of people in the process... I have spent HOURS ON END researching this installation, and I have very specific arguments to address everything you are falsely implying are mistakes.

First off, the subwoofer I bought is designed for infinite baffle (free air is not the correct term, by the way- free air implies that the sub is not attached to a sealed baffle). You immediately assumed that it was not designed for this application. So you can go ahead and do yourresearch before saying I should do mine, because I clearly have. It's cute that you think only one speaker brand is adequate for IB, but that is simply not the case.

This subwoofer model is the Infinity Kappa Perfect 10VQ. The sub is designed with a variable qts, which allows you to install it in multiple applications. It comes with two inserts that are placed in the magnet, each of which changes the Q. If you don't install an insert, it configures it to have the highest Q, which, as you probably know since you are apparently so "learned" in this area, is one of the most important factors when selecting a sub for an infinite baffle installation. The other reason it is suitable for IB is that it has an exceptionally stiff suspension. This is the second-most important factor. Needless to say, the manufacturer has designed this sub to work in infinite baffle, ported, and sealed enclosures. It specifically advertises it as such. Give google a try.

Second, in response to what you have said about sealing the trunk... I have not blocked off the vents that allow fumes to escape from the trunk. I am completely aware that they are there for that purpose. And OF COURSE you know that infinite baffle installations only require you to seal the front of the cone off from the back. Otherwise, the sound waves that are created when the sub jumps forward and backward would cancel eachother out and the sub would sound terrible. You do not need to create a sealed enclosure in the trunk to somehow mimic a huge traditionally sealed sub enclosure. Again, do some research about the physics behind infinite baffle. I can only assume that the IB subs you have heard were not installed properly- the cabin was not sealed from the trunk. Audiophiles will agree that a properly installed IB sub is the highest sound quality installation, period. The transient response is exceptional because the sub is not restricted by the back-pressure of an enclosure. It will respond to all of the frequencies it receives (within is designed frequency range).

I am not concerned about the fumes because (and I'm sure you would've realized this if you actually thought about it before you posted), the trunk is perfectly sealed off from the cabin. The fumes simply cannot get in. Think about what you're saying before you say it! Either they will linger in the trunk, or they will find their way out of the trunk through the vents that were designed for that very purpose. I'm not sure what you are talking about in terms of airflow from the cabin into the trunk- this would simply allow the fumes into the cabin, so I cannot imagine that Mercedes would've designed the car with that in mind. It's completely illogical, unless Mercedes designed the car so that the windows had to be open at all times to create the airflow you are talking about. If the windows were closed and the A/C were off, the fumes would come into the cabin and poison the occupants.

Lastly, in response to what you have said about securing the amp rack. Please read my post before criticizing me, as you wouldn't have said such a ridiculous thing if you had. I very clearly said that the amp rack was carefully cut to size so that it is wedged into place. I even drew a picture, buddy. The amp rack sits vertically with the amps installed, without moving at all, even if I don't secure it to the car. Weight is not the issue. Like I said in my post, all I need to do is secure it to ensure lateral movement is not possible. Your idea of gluing 2x2s in place and screwing the amp rack into them is valid, but since my subwoofer is in the way, I had to keep the amp rack as close to the gas tank as possible. Otherwise, my amps would not fit between the magnet and the gas tank.

Furthermore, to install the amp rack, I have to slide the top in first, then wedge the bottom in. If 2x2's were permanently affixed to the floor, this would not be possible.

So, since the amp rack's weight is supported independently of the slats on the gas tank, they are hardly going to bear enough of a load to cause any kind of a leak. Think about what you are saying. Do you really think that 1/4 inch MDF would hold up enough to rip a hole in a thick metal gas tank? That's just retarded. The MDF would tear apart and the epoxy would fail LONG before it would ever tear a hole in the sheet metal. You have me boggled.

Save your negativity and arrogance, man. Your post was useless, unless your intention was to rain on my parade and establish your "intelligence". Please do not ruin my thread with your nonsense.

Please don't hesitate to post your constructive criticism or questions. But if you're going to flat out tell me that I did something wrong and insinuate that I didn't think about what I was doing, save it for someone else. That kind of garbage is simply inconsiderate and rude. I have learned most of what I have from other people (who know what they're talking about), or are open to talk me through my challenges. I don't learn anything from people who cast a negative shadow on other peoples' work.