Bracing cab wall, MDF or other hardwood?

[wew lad 5,000+ posts]

I'd like something stiff but not any thicker than 3/4 to 1 inch - im not flexing enough to need that much nor do i have the depth to spare

I'm considering buying a sheet of 1/2 inch MDF and getting two pieces cut out of it and just stacking them glued. cheaper than getting a bigger sheet and just wasting the rest imo because all i need is a 55 x 14.5 inch piece for my backwall.

I was looking at hardwood plywood but most of it looks like dirt. just worried that the MDF will eventually rot out or screws will start stripping out of holes (i have 3 amps and an EQ mounted on it). my current cheap 5/8 inch plywood isnt doing much to help besides keeping the amp screws from backing out.

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[mlstrass 5,000+ posts]

2x4 handy panel and use 3/4" birch or whatever ply that's decent. I'm assuming you'll be PL gluing it to the cab wall, so you can do it in 2-3 pieces...

 

[wew lad 5,000+ posts]

2x4 handy panel and use 3/4" birch or whatever ply that's decent. I'm assuming you'll be PL gluing it to the cab wall, so you can do it in 2-3 pieces...

ended up buying a sheet of 1/2 inch mdf and getting two good pieces out of it and glued them together with some of the pl3x. seems like the cheapest most efficient way to go about it, it's pretty stiff.

2x4s are too thick unfortunately my back seat still needs to hide the amps

 

[wew lad 5,000+ posts]

pretty sure everyone knows how this goes...it *****

that board was so **** stuck to the wall it bent the metal i used to pry it off, dont really care because its hidden but it still bothers me lol

 

[adulbrich 5,000+ posts]

pretty sure everyone knows how this goes...it *****

that board was so **** stuck to the wall it bent the metal i used to pry it off, dont really care because its hidden but it still bothers me lol

If it was so stuck, why did you need to pull it off? If the back wall was flexing, did you try tennis balls? I have like 20 tennis balls jammed in between my cab and bed, lol

 

[wew lad 5,000+ posts]

If it was so stuck, why did you need to pull it off? If the back wall was flexing, did you try tennis balls? I have like 20 tennis balls jammed in between my cab and bed, lol

id rather use a big piece of mdf, tennis balls look goofy. most people wont see them but i would know they're there lol and the wood was stuck really well in only a few spots, some of the bottom portion wasn't even stuck i had to drive a few screws in. this will be a lot more solid and last me hopefully forever

 

[adulbrich 5,000+ posts]

I did have a couple people ask me about the tennis balls, haha

 

[wew lad 5,000+ posts]

for anyone who cares..

Finally got around to finishing it up this weekend. pulled the MDF out and painted it, pretty **** nice color and it blends well with my truck. overall im pretty proud of myself it looks clean, but it was a pain in the ass.

I was a little too exact with my measurements, and due to focusing too much on that I completely disregarded the depth of the wood. Collided perfectly with the bolts on the bottom of the wall, so what did I do? well I realized it could be used to hold the board tight against the back so I cut out the holes for it, and after hours of little tweaks i got it to fit and the best part is its tight as hell due to the compression of the bottom so i have no doubt the glue stuck this time

problem is my entire backwall flexes now, quite a bit, but not as much at least. just more obvious overall because the entire wall flexes. its a good sign though, means everything is glued well. wires are still kinda sloppy, just need to run the RCA's by themselves so it looks clean.

oh and those sheet metal screws are coming out and the holes are getting filled with glue. its been about 14 hours since i glued it and they dont hurt anything so ill probably wait a few days

 

[adulbrich 5,000+ posts]

Spray foam behind and in teh holez

 

[wew lad 5,000+ posts]

Spray foam behind and in teh holez

probably if i pull out the rear vents and cover them over. not sure how much output im losing from that, but it sounds like they're being blown open and closed lol

 

[adulbrich 5,000+ posts]

Well, try it. Easy fix.