I've seen a lot of cool stereos on this board, and in working on mine, I've arrived at a somewhat unique end as the result of my unique requirements. I've learned a lot from what I've seen here, so I post this on the off chance it'll help someone else someday.

My stereo requirements - it must:
1, sound good
2, be capable of enough volume to not hear myself while singing along at full scream (if you heard me you'd understand )
3, possess bass that can make my scalp tingle.
In enclosed cars this isn't too hard, but it took some doing in the S2000 - 1000 watts RMS and about 100 pounds of gear. Oh, and I don't care how the trunk looks as long as I can still carry stuff. Got better things to do than show off the inside of my trunk...
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But I also am prepping the car to be competitive in stock-class autocross - lightweight BBS wheels, titanium exhaust system, etc. Those 100 pounds have no place in the car at the races. For those times (at least once a month) the stereo's gotta go! But can you imagine the time it would take to remove and reinstall the sub, amps, and other heavy stuff in a complete system? Too long - after doing it a few times, I should know!

I recently did a redesign of the system for a cleaner look through the back window and to minimize work in removal/install. First, the bracket & bars added to the sub box serve three functions:
1, Protect the sub from stuff in the trunk without impeding airflow
2, A resting place for the amp rack as stuff is disconnected
3, Handles for removing the very heavy (~60 lbs) and very tightly fit sub and box

The rack is held in via metal strapping by two 10mm nuts in the upper corners of the amp rack - part of the trunk lid mechanism. Once undone, the rack is pulled out and we're here:
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Flip up the carpet, and voila, the brains:
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All the tools and everything needed to remove/install the rack is there - allen wrenches, ratchet, socket, electrical tape. Every connection that needs to be unplugged is some sort of quick disconnect and is marked with purple tape. Where there are duplicate connector types, things are numbered. The end result is 100 pounds of stereo that can be entirely removed or reinstalled in about 5 minutes with a minimum of guesswork.

Now besides being a racing and stereo nut, I also drive my car every day. For this, a good stereo is better than any performance mod, because it can be used any time - rain or shine, traffic or not, even just parked! As you can tell I'm extremely happy with how things turned out. Guess my final thought is that for those that like to race and to thump, try to design your system with ease of removal/install in mind, and you can have the best of both worlds.

 

nice going man

 

Great job!

Thanks Jason, I've been looking for inspiration on how/where to mount an amp rack in the boot. Could you expand on this bit for me:

"The rack is held in via metal strapping by two 10mm nuts in the upper corners of the amp rack - part of the trunk lid mechanism."

Thanks a lot!

 

Jason,

May I suggest some new handles for your bass box? Get the rounded kind found on rack equipment...they can be had at surplus shops for a dollar or less, and look really sharp being black. Just get ones that are high enough to rest your stuff on. I would also consider a wide-mesh grill for the sub, to prevent those large items from accidentally falling out of your arms and smashing through the cone...no air impedance, and some peace of mind.

 

I don't think he will be able to find on that fits!I was thinking the same thing...check out the sub again, I think the XMAX on this is about a mile !

JZR

Do you have a URL for the sub manufacturer?

Thanks

 

The sub is an Eclipse 88120Ti - their web site is http://www.eclipse-web.com. Recently I found out the subs are actually made for Eclipse by a company called TC Sounds, right here in San Diego. The mechanical Xmax is about 1.5" either direction, so a conventional grille cover doesn't really work. I may end up making one for occasional use by poking a bunch of holes in an inverted plastic tub.

Tifosi, if you peek inside your trunk up near where the arms for the trunklid swing, you'll notice on each side a small protruding bolt with an easily accessible 10mm nut, probably painted body color. In the last picture of the post, you can see a U-shaped piece of metal protruding from the amp rack. I slide each piece onto the bolts on each side, then tighten the nuts. The rack has to sit out a couple inches to clear the trunk's torsion rod mechanism. The setup has survived a few thousand street miles and a couple of autocrosses with no problem, so it's pretty sturdy.

MacGyver, yeah, I should get some nicer handles; I'll keep my eyes open for some. But for basic functionality the cheapo Home Depot stuff is hard to beat!

 

Thanks Jason, I see how you done it now!