03 Xterra custom speaker enclosure idea's

[faster100]

Ok sounds funny, but polk has some pics of demo cars/trucks on showcase and they have a ford escape with custom fiberglass enclosures in the back windows in the cargo erea, i want some bass and i don't want to lose and cargo room, could these enclosure's be fabricated by someone and not cost a ton of cash?? and where would someone go for this type of custom job?? I don't want any changes to the truck as its my main family vehicle as well, i do however maybe one day want a dvd and lcd headrests, and some other stuff,

[PoweredByDodge]

a respectable set of kick panels will cost you 300 fabbed up // a good set -- near 750.

therefore, i'm GUESSING a glass box that's similar to those in the ford suv's on the polkie pic post would have to be something in the 400 - 1,000 dollar range "custom fabricated" by a local shop.

do it yourself and obviously it'll cost you virtualy nothing but materials.

[faster100]

Thanks, i have no talent to fab custom fiberglass enclosures much less to fit my Xterra's rear cargo windows, LOL
But is a interesting idea to get down, seems alittle more then a "just for kicks" project though, any idea's on a very small enclosure for the back of the X that i wouldn't lose much cargo space?? Does polk carry 8" subs now??

[Jstas]

Fabricating the boxes woul be the easy part. Mounting them would be the hard part. Where and how would you mount them? I know you want to put them in the window but you can't drill a hole and mount screws through glass. You would need an elaborate bracketry system to span the width of the window and still be able to support the sub box, without making it protrude too far into the cargo compartment to maintain the capacity level you currently have.

My suggestions would be that if you want to maintain cargo space, try mounting the subs in the hatch. There is usually a ton of room in the and if you seal all the seams, the would make a good enclosure. Another option is if there is a well in the rear of some sort. Building a box and mounting a sub in the well would work just as well as the rear hatch door. You might be able to get a couple of 8 inch DVC subs and mount the in small, fairly flat, sealed boxes, on the ceiling of the cargo area.

Another option is truck boxes. if you can build a box that will match the angle of teh back of the rear seats when they are up, you can have the subs facing rearward. Mount a panel to the rear of the seats and then mount the subs on hinges to the panels you built. This way, when you fold the seats down, you can fold the sub boxes forward and up out of the way. This way you lose a little bit of space but if you need to load up a pile of crap that needs the seats folded down, you will still retain flat floor space because the subs fold up to face forwards.

Last idea I would have is a Bazooka Tube. A 6, 8 or 10 inch sub would fit without a problem, right up against the rear sea or off to the side. They are light enough to be strapped down and effective. While they don't always reach as low in teh frequency range, they can and do play very loud with a small amount of power. They area cheap and economical solutions designed to be easily installed and removed for applications just like a small hatchback or station wagon or 4x4 station wagon or a van where space is limited and precious.

By all means, do not limit yourself to Polk if they do not have what you need to fit your bill. There are plenty of companies out there with speakers and such that will work for you just as well.

I've always followed the philosophy with car audio that form ALWAYS follows function. Who cares if it looks good. If it doesn't peform or reduces the utility of your vehicle, it isn't the correct solution, IMO. Think of it this way. If you needed a car for a hot date and your choice was a clapped Toyota Tercel or a Ferrari without an engine, which would you choose? I'd take the Tercel. It looks like hell but it works. A Ferrari looks nice but if it is immobile, it's no use to me at all. In the same sense, I can't dump a huge box in the back of a minivan or SUV. To me, that is not an option.

[Jstas]

Another idea you might want to look at is constructing a custom center console that houses a sub or two, depending on how much room you have.

[faster100]

The seats are real close, with a small console included and cup holders below, the wife also wouldn't approve i don't think, The rear hatch idea sounds good, alot of good idea's to think about..
maybe the window enclosures aren't really a viable solution cost wise and all.. I don't think i have much of a well in the cargo erea, under the carpet mat thier is a jack and stuff and then the spare is under the truck right in the same erea.. we don't know if we plan to keep this full term as we just got it new 2 months ago or if we will trade up in a few years.. I guess that would also decide how much modding we would want to do to the factory plastic.. Thanks for all the suggestions though,, gives me a lot to think on

[sntnsupermen131]

i think jl makes custom inclosures..so does q-logic...you might want to check them out...but beware...q-logic isnt worth a crap and jl is probably be overpriced
but if you could get the dimensions and make it yourself or something along those lines...
-Cody