Under $150 poor mans ;) sub install! In my 87 260E
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Joined: Nov 2009
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From: Los Angeles
1993 400E, 1994 E420, 2000 SL500, 2014 C250
Wow! Great ideas and pics! I have a 12" Rockford Fosgate sub that I've had forever that I am considering putting in, but I just don't know how I want to do it.
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Joined: Feb 2006
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From: Seattle
1990 300ce
It's a much much more difficult method of installation than just making an enclosure. Trust me on this one!
Thread Starter
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E
Just be warned that this method of subwoofer installation requires more work than just cutting a hole and plopping a sub into your back dash. The sub should be designed for an infinite baffle installation method and you have to seal the trunk from the cabin completely.
It's a much much more difficult method of installation than just making an enclosure. Trust me on this one!
It's a much much more difficult method of installation than just making an enclosure. Trust me on this one!
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300E a couple 1994 w124wagon E320 Wagon/,1971MGB Track/Rally, MG Midget Autocross ,2000 E320 wagon.
Have an amp
Just need a base box. Try building the champ of all boxes. 1 ten inch beats 2 12's
http://www.decware.com/dbk10.htm
You can unplug it when you need more room in the trunk.
Read his white papers on car audio. Steve is to car audio what www.danielsternlighting is to car lighting.
Nice set up for a non boxed trunk ported
well thought out build you put together.Congrats
http://www.decware.com/dbk10.htm
You can unplug it when you need more room in the trunk.
Read his white papers on car audio. Steve is to car audio what www.danielsternlighting is to car lighting.
Nice set up for a non boxed trunk ported
well thought out build you put together.Congrats
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Joined: Sep 2008
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From: Pheonix
1986 300E, 2004 Pontiac GTO
Just read this article, you said that the sub has to be specialy desinged for the open airspace. Well I originally was going to put two 10inch subs in my trunk and i went through a bunch of work and made this sick box, and now i come to find out after reading a couple of the forum articles that the gas tank detins most of the sound but yea, i have two of ten inch tsw-252r subs, Do you know where i could find out if it was compatible.
also i have seen some guys mount their subs in the same location but just build a box around the back of the sub, would this be and easier option
also i have seen some guys mount their subs in the same location but just build a box around the back of the sub, would this be and easier option
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 1,325
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From: Seattle
1990 300ce
Just read this article, you said that the sub has to be specialy desinged for the open airspace. Well I originally was going to put two 10inch subs in my trunk and i went through a bunch of work and made this sick box, and now i come to find out after reading a couple of the forum articles that the gas tank detins most of the sound but yea, i have two of ten inch tsw-252r subs, Do you know where i could find out if it was compatible.
also i have seen some guys mount their subs in the same location but just build a box around the back of the sub, would this be and easier option
also i have seen some guys mount their subs in the same location but just build a box around the back of the sub, would this be and easier option
There's tons of information online regarding infinite baffle sub installations. I'm warning you that you will have to get into some pretty technical stuff in order to look at the specs of your sub to determine whether it will work. But if you're patient and do the research, you'll get it.
Also understand that you will have to hack the hell out of your rear deck to put 2 10's in it. Furthermore, to do it right, you have to completely seal the trunk from the cabin of the car. All of the holes in the rear deck need to be sealed. The hardest spots to seal are the trunk hinges and the head rest mechanisms, which need to be able to continue to function. You'll have to seal the rear speakers off, which means building actual speaker enclosures for them. Etc Etc. It's a huge amount of work.
Chances are, your subs will not have the specs to handle IB. So... all that said, do you still want to do this? Knowing what I know, having gone through this, the sound quality is fantastic, but the work was not worth it in the end.
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From: Pheonix
1986 300E, 2004 Pontiac GTO
Right now I am still debating if it would be worth doing it, I mean when i first started to read this thread it looked like you guys just cut a hole through the back and wired it up, but i guess to get the right sound you will have to do a ton more than that. But with the subs i would only install one of mine and then try and sell the other one so that it would be a cleaner install, but I am still wondering if i really want to go through all the work to actually do this right. How did you guys seal off the headrest holes so that you could still raise and lower the headrests, because that seems like the hardest thing to do.
Also If i were to just cut the hole in the back and install the sub after mounting an amp and everything, would it sound bad or is it something that you could live with, while not having to worry about blowing up the sub?
Also If i were to just cut the hole in the back and install the sub after mounting an amp and everything, would it sound bad or is it something that you could live with, while not having to worry about blowing up the sub?
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From: Seattle
1990 300ce
For both the head rest holes and the trunk hinge holes, I built enclosures around them and caulked them off. It was really difficult, and I'm sure it's not perfect. The headrest mechanisms are right by the gas tank so it's nearly impossible to get perfect.
If you're set on the idea of cutting a hole to get the bass in, the next best thing would be to build a sealed enclosure for your sub and hang it from the back deck. You can build a fairly low profile enclosure so that you don't give up much trunk space... you'd just make it shallow and wide.
Somebody on here did that but I can't find the post.
OR... if you don't want to cut a hole but still want bass directly in the cabin, AND you're willing to do some fiberglass work, you could go this route:
https://mbworld.org/forums/e-class-w...ereo-pics.html
I still very highly recommend that you don't go the infinite baffle route. It's a huge job.
If you're set on the idea of cutting a hole to get the bass in, the next best thing would be to build a sealed enclosure for your sub and hang it from the back deck. You can build a fairly low profile enclosure so that you don't give up much trunk space... you'd just make it shallow and wide.
Somebody on here did that but I can't find the post.
OR... if you don't want to cut a hole but still want bass directly in the cabin, AND you're willing to do some fiberglass work, you could go this route:
https://mbworld.org/forums/e-class-w...ereo-pics.html
I still very highly recommend that you don't go the infinite baffle route. It's a huge job.
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Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 1,325
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From: Seattle
1990 300ce
I take that back. Joe (the guy from the other thread I linked) did a box like I described for his other 124:
https://mbworld.org/forums/e-class-w...eaker-box.html
You can see that a 10" sub doesn't fit in the flat part of the deck, so you're going to need to replace the first aid kit cover with a custom-built cover. But it can look really good. Here's what I did for mine. You can also see the speaker enclosures I had to build since I had to seal the speaker holes for the infinite baffle sub.
https://mbworld.org/forums/e-class-w...eaker-box.html
You can see that a 10" sub doesn't fit in the flat part of the deck, so you're going to need to replace the first aid kit cover with a custom-built cover. But it can look really good. Here's what I did for mine. You can also see the speaker enclosures I had to build since I had to seal the speaker holes for the infinite baffle sub.
