W124 sub - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

MUYAMAN · #1 07-16-2002, 12:57 PM

I too had some of the same problems as you guys, and I am looking for some suggestions.

I installed a Madisound 12" Dual Voice Coil sub, 100 watts RMS/channel in a sealed box in the trunk. The speaker was loud as all hell with the trunk open, but sitting in the car it was exactly like Ashman said, felt more than heard.
(although it was FELT pretty damn well)

How did you go about making that grill in the first aid kit, that looks killer. Additionally, I have heard some rumblings about the possibility of cutting some MDF into the shape of the spare wheel well cover and mounting a 12 directly into that space. I need my full trunk to get all my stuff to college and home, so if anyone has pics of this kind of install or ideas, I'd love to hear them. Either e-mail me or post in this forum....THANKS!

Jordan

Badinfo · #2 07-16-2002, 09:45 PM

Hey, first off, a word of warning about the speaker grille. On my 92 300E, there is a metal shelf directly underneath the first aid kit, making cutting holes for sound very difficult. The only option besides busting out some carbide tips and losing some structural rigidity (Thats what I assume the metal shelf bar is for) is to drill some holes where they are already made from the factory. You can go in the trunk and fine these, both are relatively small (about 3 inches across) but cutting the rear shelf at these locations really does help a lot.

Second, I had a 10 inch polk lieing around, and I decided to put it in the little utility box that secures the spare in place. I just used the plastic cover, cut an appropriatly sized whole, and employed an entire tube of silicone caulk to seal everything up. It works great. I was really impressed with how clean the bass was, and I feel that its output is superior to my dual 10 bandpass box (of course its not as loud... but at those volumes, im afraid my ears might cease to function). Hope this helps!

Ashman · #3 07-17-2002, 12:58 PM

my friend cut the hole in my rear deck with a pair of tin snips...

But then again, his arms are like popeye.

Alon

MUYAMAN · #4 07-17-2002, 01:26 PM

I'm definitely thinking that removing the rear deck speakers and mounting some tweeters underneath and to the side of the speaker (now port) holes might work well. Can anyone attest to how the car sounds with the rear speakers removed? I have a replacement Blaupunkt head unit, but the rest of the speakers are stock. Do I lose sound in the back seat if I take out those speakers?

Alternately, since I am so tall, people rarely sit behind me unless there are 4 people in the car. Would it seem like a reasonable solution to take out only one of the rear deck speakers, the one behind me?

Lastly, for anyone that has done the install into the spare tire's wheel well, how did you cut the MDF? Did you just use the plastic cover as a mold and cut that shape? And how did you go about keeping the MDF from bouncing up and down?

THANKS SO MUCH! This idea is fantastic, it would give me the bass I love and the trunk space I need.

Jordan

JCE · #5 07-17-2002, 01:54 PM

500E Stereo upgrade

MUYAMAN · #6 07-17-2002, 02:09 PM

Thanks John,
well, I think messing around with that is worth a try, I prolly won't do it for a month or so, but I will be sure to post my results along with some pictures.

Mike400E · #7 07-23-2002, 11:39 PM

Using a small electric jigsaw with a metal blade will make short work of the rear deck. They are really cheap, (I bought my one speed Black and Decker 20 years ago for $9.99!) and if you cut from the trunk, you will have plenty of elbow room. If you try and cut from inside the car, the back glass gets in the way. I can't imagine doing it with tin snips! Even if you had the strength, there isn't really very good access to move around.

MUYAMAN · #8 07-24-2002, 08:37 AM

In looking at the possible solutions, I think my best plan is going to be to build a box that is very tall and very wide, but also very narrow. I'm going to take the box (approx. 3.5 cubic feet), mount a 12 in the center, and place the box against the gas tank in the back of the trunk. I figure this will give me the volume I want while at the same time taking up a minimal amount of usable trunk space.

I am going to remove the rear deck speakers, and use the holes as ports. I have thought about this alot, and two things made this the optimal choice.
1) I don't want to cut the rear deck. You never know when you might want to change cars, and to do something as dramatic as cutting into the rear deck seems a little excessive for me.
2) My friends have often complained about the rear deck speakers when I drive places, because their placement puts them directly behind the heads of the backseat passengers. I realize that now they will be getting an ear-ful of bass, but at least its not the music pumped directly into their ears.

I will continue to update as the plans and installation go on.

On another note, I am looking at amps for the car, since I blew my last one (a 75 w/channel Profile California) that I had running at 2 ohms and FULL gain just to try to get sound through the trunk and into the cabin. I only have 8 guage wire running from the battery to the trunk, so I am looking for an affordable (i.e. <$175) 100 w/channel amp. Any suggestions?

Ashman · #9 07-24-2002, 12:09 PM

Sounds like you have a plan there muyaman. I opted to cut my deck. people don't rid eint he back of my car too often, and I like the rear fill of the rear speakers.

And yes mine was cut with tin snips!!!! hehehe My friend does it all day, and it was not even a problem for him. took about 5 minutes to cut it out.

As for if I ever sold the car, well then I would have to deal with repairing my mod to it, but I don't plan on selling it.... ever.

Alon

MUYAMAN · #10 07-24-2002, 01:06 PM

LOL Alon....now I know what love is

mushedroom · #11 07-25-2002, 07:50 PM

does cutting the metal portion sacrifice structual rigidity though?
i just shiver at the idea of that

MUYAMAN · #12 07-26-2002, 01:59 PM

Has anyone played around with facing the woofer up instead of back towards the back of the trunk? I wouldn't think that would make a huge difference since bass is non-directional, but given the fact that I had no idea that the trunk would EAT bass the way it does I figured it was worth asking. Anyone have any experience with this?

BTW, I thought I had seen a post where someone included a picture by picture explanation of how to remove the rear deck speakers on a W124, but now I can't find it. Does anyone remember that posting?