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Nissan 300ZX: Motorized Subwoofer Enclosure and Amp Rack

Andrew Totolos outfits a classic Z-car with a Batmobile-style compartment for a subwoofer and amp. A mechanical actuator drops the audio components out of sight when not in use.

From "Tricked Out"
episode DTRK-404

(Continued from page 4)

Andrew installs the amp and speakers.

Andrew wants the fascia board to blend in with the car, so he decides to cover it with black carpet. For the amp rack itself, he picks out an eye-catching paint finish to complement the look.

Materials and tools used in this phase of the project:

black carpet
amp
metallic shelf paper
aluminum flashing
color-changing paint
textured paint
standard shop tools
drill with drill bits
spray adhesive

Figure A

Figure B

Figure C

Figure D

Sub-Box Exterior: Paint and Carpet

For the amp rack, Andrew has selected an amp that matches the car with some silver paint and a red stripe. To create a complementary look, he combines fleck textured paint and color-changing paint to create fleck paint with metallic sheen. First, Andrew applies an even base coat of fleck texture paint. He then goes back and covers the entire piece with metallic red spray paint.

While waiting for the paint to dry, Andrew applies a coat of spray adhesive on the underside of the fascia board where the amp rack will mount.

He lets the carpet overhang the edge while he smoothes it into place.

When the amp rack paint is dry, Andrew attaches the amp to the fascia board. He holds the amp up to mark its position before screwing it into place (figure A).

Next, Andrew drills some standard holes in the amp rack for the power and speaker wires to run through. The RCA cables have fatter ends that won't fit through such a small opening, so Andrew pulls the amp off the rack and drills a larger connecting hole underneath.

Before he puts the amp back on, he cleans up the new wiring holes and sprays a touch-up of red paint into the cap for a clean appearance.

With the RCA cables poking through the large wiring hole, Andrew reinstalls the amp and plugs the cables in according to the wiring instructions (figure B). To complete the amp rack components installation, he runs speaker wires through the backside of the amp rack for the midrange speakers and installs them next to the amp (figure C).

The amp rack is getting a bit cumbersome to handle, so Andrew hangs it between two shop tables to make it easier to glue the top piece of carpet into place. He sprays the of the carpet where it will attach with spray adhesive (figure D) and secures it in place.

While the carpet glue dries, Andrew screws the actuator mount into the back of the amp rack, and he mounts the small end of the actuator to the rack with the supplied hardware.

To join the carpet edges, Andrew sprays some more adhesive where the edges meet and brings the edges together. He trims off the excess carpet. Now it's time to install it in the car.

Installing the completed amp rack

The completed speaker and amp rack, installed

Andrew left the carpet long on the fascia board because it's easier to tuck it around the edges than to wrap it around without creases. Before he makes the tuck, he attaches the bottom end of the actuator to the sub box, plugs the actuator into its control unit and closes the back of the cabinet.

He trims the excess carpet around the edges of the box, tucks it into place, and cuts the carpet around the subwoofer holes. He then mounts the subs into the box.

The final step is to hook up the amp. Since Andrew pre-wired most of the amp wiring at the bench, all he has to do in the car is plug in the RCA leads that come from the stereo and splice in the power wiring.

The Bottom Line

speaker components $600
linear actuator $200
MDF board $20
spray paint $45
carpet $10

Total: $875

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RESOURCES :

Special resources for DIY's Tricked Out 400 series

Racing Innovations
www.racinginnovations.com

Knoxville Dragway
www.knoxdragway.com

Wetherill Associates
www.waipowdercoating.com

SPC Performance
www.spcperformance.com

AEM
www.aempower.com

Kicker
www.kicker.com

Autoloc
www.thehoffmangroup.com

Killer Cans by Alsa Corp.
www.alsacorp.com

Rapido Group
www.rapidogroup.com

Stellar Security
www.thehoffmangroup.com

Dyno Dynamics
www.dynodynamics.com

Stillen
www.stillen.com

Skunk2 Racing
www.skunk2.com

Injen Technologies
www.injen.com

Nitrous Express
www.nitrousexpress.com

Synapse Engineering
www.synapseengineering.com

Air Ride Technologies
www.ridetech.com

Airgasm Kustomz
www.airgasmkustomz.com

Lincoln Electric
www.lincolnelectric.com

Mickey Thompson Performance Tires And Wheels
www.mickeythompsontires.com

Buggies Unlimited
www.buggiesunlimited.com

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