Finally, the Jeep JL build

I tried my best to make it easy. It was so difficult to figure out how to port that box properly LOL
Lol the first box ******. By the second box I had my band saw setup and it was a whole lot easier.
 
Last edited:
Small change in plans. The pioneers coming out and the new kicker is going in instead.

26059
 
Big update today.

Started by making the wood braces that go under the steel to support it.

26081


I then glued them in and sealed the box with caulk, and waited for it to dry. While waiting I figured I'd tackle swapping out the sub amp. Pulled everything out, and as the kicker is much much smaller than the Pioneer, I decided to cut my amo rack down.
26082


I also decided to cut the bottom of the rack out below the amp to allow heat to dissipate more easily.

26083


I also felt the legs were a bit weak, so I installed a couple of braces for it and then painted it.

26084


I then mounted the amp and LOC, and wired in my quick disconnect with the new 4 gauge. I had to drill the plug out to accept the 4 gauge, but after it went in fine.

26085


26086

26087


I then water sealed and painted the inside of the sub box.
26088

26089


26090


Second sub installed. Unfortunately, I did not grab enough 4 gauge wire, so the install is crazy ugly right now. Tomorrow I'll try to grab some more 4 and run it properly, and grab some installed pics. Even without the facia, it looks awesome. And these little subs hit way harder than I need on this new amp.

Build isn't complete yet though, more details yet to add.
 
I like the stitching on those subs.

I also like how you cut a hole under the amp there.

Thanks man.

So I got to listen to it for about an hour on the way to work today, I haven't set my gains yet (amp and LOC gain both set to around or just above 1/4, just as a starting point. The bass knob is set on around 1 out of 10. Anything higher overpowers my front stage, which isn't exactly quiet. I'm pretty blown away by what these tiny subs can do.
 
Thanks man.

So I got to listen to it for about an hour on the way to work today, I haven't set my gains yet (amp and LOC gain both set to around or just above 1/4, just as a starting point. The bass knob is set on around 1 out of 10. Anything higher overpowers my front stage, which isn't exactly quiet. I'm pretty blown away by what these tiny subs can do.

So that new kicker amp made them a bit louder?
 
So that new kicker amp made them a bit louder?
Well, there's 2 subs now instead of 1. But, way more than a bit louder. It went from not being able to hear the sub at all, to turning it down to hear the rest of the music. I guarantee that volume did not come from adding the second sub, had to be the amp. Even if adding the second sub doubled the volume of the first, it wouldn't have been even half this loud. Went from rated (not sure if accurate), 240w x2, to rated 800w mono, which the birth certificate is actually like 870 ish. So now like 430 ish per sub vs 240.
 
I'll also add that after playing them for an hour, the amp was cold to the touch. Like literally felt like I have never turned it on. So I'm sure it has plenty more to spare under the hood.
 
Class D for subs is where it's at. I'm so glad the boxes worked out man, can you email me some pics of them? Of just the boxes? We went through so much to get those done.
Lmao yeah we did. The only pics I have are in this thread, but I could email them later if you want.
 
Couple weeks since my last update, since I haven't had any time off of work to get more done. I have been listening to it and tuning.

Front stage tuning is nearly there. Overall it sounds excellent, but still a bit of minor tweaking to do. For instance, there's a certain frequency in Mariah Brinks voice that either my mids or tweets to not like. I have to dial back the volume a couple of notches for her music or I hear a little bit of distorted/static like sound from the dash. Still searching for that to dial it back a bit.

Subs. The subs have plenty of out put. On some music they sound excellent, and on some they just muddy things up. For instance, anything hip hop or electronic they are great. Some rock they are even awesome, for instance Scream by A7X sounds incredible, however I do believe the bass in that song is electronically enhanced. On the flip side, anything by Slipknot for example is basically unplayable. I end up almost muting the subs for most non enhanced bass metal. Tuning has helped, but I still can't get it exactly where I want. Some bass notes for instance drone loud, and sometimes when I expect there to be some bass in a song it's absent.

I think that I'm going to mess around with running 4 of these drivers sealed instead of the 2 ported to see if I can find what I like there. This looks like it's going to be a bit of trial and error to get the lows dialed in exactly where I want them. I am very picky about how my music sounds unfortunately. Luckily the drivers and amps are cheap for my setup, I can grab a second kicker and 2 more subs for ~$360 plus tax, that'll give me more room to experiment. I do hope my electrical is up to the task, as that will push me to 2400-2500 total system RMS. There has been some discussion as of late to what you can really push on stock electrical in these new jeeps, so I'll report back and let you guys know whether or not it likes running that much power stock. I have considered the big 3, but I'll have to do some inquiry on how to go about that since this vehicle comes factory with 2 batteries an alternator and a generator.
 
Small update tonight. I planned to build one of the sealed boxes today since I had the day off work finally. I did not anticipate how much of a pain in the ass this box would be though. Measuring and cutting panels one at a time, then recutting said pain after I make the next one and suddenly this one needs modified. But, I got the enclosure basically finished.

26557


Still a bit ugly yet though. The rear of the enclosure tilts backwards, the top drops heigh front to back. This made doing that radius to match the seat curve very difficult. The mdf corner looked like some twisted pyramid when finished, and still didn't sit exactly perfect. So, I ended up glassing the radius. I also glassed the hinge cutouts you see on the rear there, as building them required many pieces and I was concerned with strength and sealing issues. Overall, it's coming along well. Just need to finish sand and primer, then I can check volume and determine if it is achievable to run 2 subs in one box here. Physically they'll fit great, but I really need to net about .7 cubes here ideally.
 
Still messing around with the dual 6.5 sealed setup. I'm also toying around with the idea of grabbing a JL 10tw3 and running it sealed down firing. Really just more experimenting and having a little fun testing different setups. Also discovered what bass qualities I personally like, as my audio tastes are changing as I age. I no longer enjoy my car rattling louder than the subs.
 
Activity
No one is currently typing a reply...

Similar threads

Yup I replaced door speakers and just replaced rear speakers yesterday. What it was I had to adjust the crossovers
12
1K
I purchased a set of 1" stand off rings, should still be good from door to cone as well. They won't fit without the spacers, the recoils I...
30
8K
It is the same one that Rockford Fosgate sells as well. They are identical and the NVX is cheaper as well. Even Amazon has them iirc for 199.99...
12
1K
Is anyone familiar with, or can help with the Infinity system (with amp) fitted in 2001 Jeep Grand Cherokee? I've installed a Atoto A6 head unit...
0
773
Riddle me this... if those are 80 watt rms speakers, how is the 200 watts that amp is pushing not destroying them?
35
4K

About this thread

LsGuy

Manila Gorilla
Thread starter
LsGuy
Joined
Location
Ohio
Start date
Participants
Who Replied
Replies
95
Views
21,743
Last reply date
Last reply from
sizmtrz
1000006564.jpg

Mr FaceCaser

    Mar 28, 2024
  • 0
  • 0
1000006569.jpg

Mr FaceCaser

    Mar 28, 2024
  • 0
  • 0

Latest topics

Top