Stereo Install Diary

[02bluesuperroo]

As I posted it on diymobileaudio.com
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Well, I guess I'll post part 2 of my install which is the sub-floor. I have to forewarn. I'm always a little ashamed to post my installs on this site because the work that many of the members do here makes my capabilities look like I belong on the short bus. With that being said, I think that it's nice for people to also see every day installs for those that may be reluctant to tap into their ride because they know they don't have the skills to match some of what they see on this site. So here it is folks, the common man's install!

My goals for the entire install are:

-Stealth
-Able to withstand off-roading, dogs, kids, camping, winter ect for the next 100,000 miles if I so choose.
-Taking up minimal storage space
- Able to house 3 amps, processor, power/ground distribution and fans


I decided the only way to meet these goals, considering the size of my amps in particular, was to build a sub floor. It's not finished yet. It needs the roll on bed-liner applied and a few more final details. Right now it's just primer.

Here is what the stock FJ looks like in the back. This is not mine, it's a stock photo because I forgot to snap a pic before I anxiously ripped it apart.




Stripped


You can see the three pedestals in the back. I need to have the sub-floor extend over these because otherwise there is a large gap between the seat and the sub-floor.


1/2" Birch ply for the top


Lucky for me Toyota made them 3/4" tall and I have a lot of 3/4" MDF laying around


Looks pretty level to me


The sub-floor uses 4 factory mounting holes. You can see bolts in the back for two of them. You can also see my mock up of the sides.


My ventilation will come from this gap at the back where it can draw air from under the rear seats.




I had to use two pieces of wood because I was using this 1/4" hardboard I had on hand but it wasn't big enough. I'm using the 3/4" underneath for support which sits directly on the bottom of the FJ so there is plenty of support.



I used 3" wide 3/4" thick Poplar slats for the sides. Here is the first side being glued 'n screwed and clamped and sitting upside down.


Since the front corner of the plastic in the FJ is curved, I couldn't make square corners on the floor and still have the box cover all the floor area so I made the corners like you see below. My craftsmanship here (or lack-there-of) really comes through. Anyways, a picture is worth 1000 words right?









I used a file and a razor-knife to hand make the pices and put them in place with copious amounts of wood glue. All in all, although I don't think they turned out perfect by any stretch, I am happy with how it turned out. It obviously need sanding at this point.

[02bluesuperroo]

Next I cut the birch ply for the top







Equipment mock up time! The depth of the floor leaves about 1/2" of space above everything, some things more. The two big amps will not be pushed super hard and both have internal fans. I have the option to put 4 small dc fans by the ventilation area.


Here is the bracing completed. I could have just used a large flat sheet but I didn't for a couple reasons. The first reason was weight. The bracing it has now is more than adequate as is so anything more would just be adding bulk.
The other reason is I want to run the power wires on the top side and the signal wires on the bottom side to keep them somewhat separated and keep everything neater.


The two back corners that look like they have no support is where it sits on the three pedestals. You will see my one error in this pic too. Remember the three pedestals? I put a board over where the middle one goes. :blush: Luckily I caught it before the glue was completely dry.


Next I clamped it together and sanded everything








At this point I primed it


Time for a test fit. The color of the grizzly grip bed liner I have is darker than the primer and will look more "finished". I still don't think what I got is dark enough to match though and I'm contemplating painting it. Pics will follow. What you see here is just a mock up. The mounting bolts will go through the stock tie downs you see, through the lid, through the floor, and into the factory mounts. You can see a little of the metal floor because I need to get the box sitting down further. The whole back will be matted and ensolited as well so what you can see will be black foam.

[RAAK_FJ]

nicely done... I bet this helps in sound proofing some of the rear noise also.

[BLUE TONKA]

Looks great! wait...so where is the sub?

[02bluesuperroo]

It will eventually be glassed into the passenger side under the window.

[BLUE TONKA]

02bluesuperroo previously said:

It will eventually be glassed into the passenger side under the window.

Very nice! Are you doing the glassing yourself? I believe you will be the first on here...Unless I overlooked someone doing it themselves...that is..if you get to it before I do mine

Looks great!

[chrismmm]

looks great so far man really. Dont be so down on your skill set man! It takes alot of cahones to rip out that stuff and start from scratch and build your own custom box. Good luck and keep the pix coming..

[chrismmm]

you have inspired me..hmmm. might need to do something like that too...

my biggest issue/concern is where to put that damn sub woofer..

[02bluesuperroo]

Well I finally was able to finish my sub-floor in the FJ and all in all I am happy with how it has turned out. I think it will sever its purpose very well and looks very well integrated. Here are the pics. There are some large gaps because my batteries were dead for a couple days.


Here is the mounting setup. That is 6mm x 1.00 threaded rod that threads into the factors tie down mounting holes. The whole sub-floor assembly slides onto the top of them. You can also see my mat and ensolite.







On the passenger side near the hatch there is a 115v AC electrical outlet. I wanted to preserve this so this is what I did. This plugs into the stock outlet and the dual outlet plate gets mounted into the lid of the subfloor. I didn't take a pic of that yet.






I deadened both sides of the FJ as well as the rear door. I didn't go all out on these areas. I used the mat and foam strategically because I have a limited supply. (2 rolls, 7 yards, 3 cans). No ensolite pics, I must have forgot.















In the mean time, I put on the roll-on bed-liner I got. (Grizzly Grip). Too bad the color is not what I wanted.




Nothing a little spray paint won't fix


It wasn't tightened all the way down at this point so you can see a little bit of the seam but the flash is also accentuating it. The thing is solid as a rock and I put 2 front to back braces on the inside that I'm sure will show up in later pics. This thing should easily support a couple hundred pounds at least.

[PlainRed RR]

looks good, nicely done.