replacing the stock sub on a 1st gen GS3
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replacing the stock sub on a 1st gen GS3
well i have had enough with the worn out sub in the back, plus with the new HU (still waiting on the dash kit)
i lost the use of the sub. So i decided to get in the back and see what i needed to do. this is what i found. here is the rear tray with the seats removed. it was easy to get the seats outs. pull the front of the rear seat straight up and then slide forward. the upper half of the seat was held in by 4 10MM (?) bolts, undo them and pick the seat straight up and it is out.
ok so now you just slide the seat belts out of the guides (very easy), pop the 4 clips out of the front and pull the tray cover off the deck. you will be looking at this.
the holes on both sides are from the in cab air filter. As you can see the sub is plain wasted. it has a frame that is custom to the car, no adapter plate or anything. very cool looking and a pretty good design.
so i took out the stock sub and placed my kicker C12 in the hole, great fit no cutting needed.
i did have to remove the air filter assembly (the depth was not enough for the kicker) by removing these four bolts (my finger is pointing one out) and unpluging it
i would need to drill holes for the mounting hardware but that is not the direction i have decided to take. if i were to just put 1 12 in the factory location i would seal the holes left from the air filter and also seal up the other misc holes that are all over the deck. that is really the only way to get the best sound from a free-air set up. untill next time i can update ( i have a bumm knee in a brace for the next 4 weeks) i will leave you with this hint of what i am planning...
i lost the use of the sub. So i decided to get in the back and see what i needed to do. this is what i found. here is the rear tray with the seats removed. it was easy to get the seats outs. pull the front of the rear seat straight up and then slide forward. the upper half of the seat was held in by 4 10MM (?) bolts, undo them and pick the seat straight up and it is out.
ok so now you just slide the seat belts out of the guides (very easy), pop the 4 clips out of the front and pull the tray cover off the deck. you will be looking at this.
the holes on both sides are from the in cab air filter. As you can see the sub is plain wasted. it has a frame that is custom to the car, no adapter plate or anything. very cool looking and a pretty good design.
so i took out the stock sub and placed my kicker C12 in the hole, great fit no cutting needed.
i did have to remove the air filter assembly (the depth was not enough for the kicker) by removing these four bolts (my finger is pointing one out) and unpluging it
i would need to drill holes for the mounting hardware but that is not the direction i have decided to take. if i were to just put 1 12 in the factory location i would seal the holes left from the air filter and also seal up the other misc holes that are all over the deck. that is really the only way to get the best sound from a free-air set up. untill next time i can update ( i have a bumm knee in a brace for the next 4 weeks) i will leave you with this hint of what i am planning...
Last edited by okiaristo; 10-12-06 at 07:21 AM.
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after a little more work i have finished the rear deck. there is about 6 sq meters of fiberglass mat and 1.5 gallons of resin to complete. it wasnt that hard but it did take a little nerve cutting up the rear deck. i left the 2 main supports in the deck alone because i know they will help the rigidity of the body slightly. i have someone making a strut brace to help also. he says he will be able to make one but it wont be like any on the market, i dont know but i will try it. so here is the pic of the rear deck cut out
it was pretty hard getting in there to cut. here is the rear deck coverpanel before carpet.
after carpet.
i dont have any pics of the fiberglass on the rear deck or the wood frame i built into it. it was pretty straight forward, i just laid about 4 layers of glass down ove the wood and cut the holes out for the basket of the subs. this the end result top side.
and another view.
and here is the underside, painted so it isnt so nasty looking. there will be a trim panel over it so i am not to worried about it.
as you can see i ended using some expanding foam so it would keep any metal to metal contact to a minimum. that stuff has got to be the worst stuff to deal with...
Sorry that the pics are so bad but it was at night. coming up next is the trim panel and amp install... nothing fancy there though. i do need the trunk so it will be mounted on a baffle in front of the gas tank.
it was pretty hard getting in there to cut. here is the rear deck coverpanel before carpet.
after carpet.
i dont have any pics of the fiberglass on the rear deck or the wood frame i built into it. it was pretty straight forward, i just laid about 4 layers of glass down ove the wood and cut the holes out for the basket of the subs. this the end result top side.
and another view.
and here is the underside, painted so it isnt so nasty looking. there will be a trim panel over it so i am not to worried about it.
as you can see i ended using some expanding foam so it would keep any metal to metal contact to a minimum. that stuff has got to be the worst stuff to deal with...
Sorry that the pics are so bad but it was at night. coming up next is the trim panel and amp install... nothing fancy there though. i do need the trunk so it will be mounted on a baffle in front of the gas tank.
Last edited by okiaristo; 10-07-06 at 07:36 AM.
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amp and cap mounted.
this is the final installment for this thread. as i said i was doing a basic mount for the equipment in the trunk. straight forward mounting. there is a piece of 7 ply hardwood behind the factory trim panel and it is bracketed at the top and bottom and yes i drilled holes thru the panel for the wires. not the best way but my knee was killing me and the brace on it keeps me from being very mobile.
here is a photo from the trunk lip. i am so glad this is done......
now i just need to detail it.
here is a photo from the trunk lip. i am so glad this is done......
now i just need to detail it.
Last edited by okiaristo; 10-07-06 at 07:35 AM.
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i really like that set bc u did a good job epecially with the brake light that fit perfect...this gives me inspiration......but.....i might not to be doing it myself...
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the brake light was not too bad, just laid layer after layer of glass to get the hump to match the light fixture. most of thr headache came from plotting out the metal cuts. the choice of 3 12's was not mine.. the design of the rear deck made it easier to make solid mounting spots for 3. if i went to 2 i would have had to cut the main supports out and that was not cool in my book. so i made the baffle first then layed out the deck cuts. thanks for the kind words
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NICE work man , so im guessing the sub wont hit the fuel tank cause i try to have a guy install a rockford sub and then the radio guy was like he cant do it cause the sub is heavy n itll drop right onto my fuel tank.
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good ideas im liking these diy articles looks clean i wondered if i wrap it in leather if that woudl be clean too. have yall seen the pearl white vinyl? very nice
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