Dib's Stealth Box designs
 

Hi all,

I have been searching for a while now, but couldn't really find anything in terms of a design and dims for a stealthbox, so I decided to create one. This site has helped me tons over the past couple of months, so here is my contribution... :)

I had a bit of time on my hands yesterday, so I measured the rear compartment and came up with these 2 designs.

Both designs were made with the average guy (or gal - yes, i just used hick jargon - i grew up in calgary...) like me in mind. They should both be fairly simple to build and there are no fancy cuts involved.

The first is a box that has a deep base at the bottom to fill that cave inside the compartment. It also adds about .03 cu.ft internally for more air - I would suggest this if you are using a 10" shallow mount sub.

The second one is a simple little box that would need a little more securing (brackets, etc). It is quite small and I would only suggest an 8" - I have heard the infinity 8"reference sub in a box this size and it pounded well...

btw - the angled piece at the back shows 11" - this is approximate - it will probably be slightly smaller...

These designs are for reference only - adapt them however you want - there is still plenty of room left in that compartment - again, I designed these with the simplest contruction in mind. And remember - always double check the measurements!! Measure twice before cutting and all the best to those who want to try these out... :thumbup:

Ok - I don't have the tools to do these myself right now, so I'm hoping some of you will be willing to try these out and let me know. I plan to try and sort out making my own soon enough and I will post pics and results...

Thank you
 

DIB,

Thank you. I also plan on making a stealthbox and really appreciate the dimensions you provided. When finished, mine will be slightly different and protruding into the trunk space a bit becuase I plan on putting a JL 10w6 in it. This gives me a place to start.

-TC

dib, thanks for this contribution. Lots of folks have asked for dimensions for making a sub box for the X5 and this should get them going in the right direction. :thumbup:

TC -
Welcome to the forums. ;)

nice - i just checked in and realised there was some feedback. TC I'm glad this has helped you - make sure you post some pics and feedback when you're done!

please feel free to pm me with any questions - I'm just in the process of having the 'with base' version made for mine - i'll post pics and some follow ups soon enough...

btw - i'm adding a detailed drawing of my final box with cutout dims for the 8" sub (the hole at the top is for a 2" speaker wire terminal)...

Very nice!

tnx guys for sharing the dimensions and measurements. there was a thread about this before but they dont wanna share it. i really appreciate it...:thumbup:

thanks for the feedback... :thumbup:
franc x5 - feel free to pm me with questions and if you build anything, please post pics - i'd like to see some of the variations you guys(/gals) are using... :popcorn:

Is it possible to use a 10" sub for this design ? what size sub did you use with this ????? thanks for your input

The pioneer sub in the other thread requires a 23.8 cm (9 1/3") hole to be cut. So i think that will fit.

True the hole size is 9 1/3 but the screw hole to screw hole is actually 10" .....

Why don't you just make it wider like Essams box (11"). He did mention this design still has room to be larger if you want a tight fit.

i used a 10 with this design and had no problem... when we received the sub, we used the cutout which holds it in place as a guide to cut. Centered on mdf panel and it fit perfectly.

Sleepless, did you ever do this project?

I still havent made up my mind, me and my wife are expecting our 3rd born this summer and im torn between trading in my e53 and get an e70(w/ 3rd row seats) or e53 + Sienna(easy access)? if we keep the e53, i have a lot of mods on the line: custom sub, decorative skid plate, LED license plate lights, carbon fiber door trims...

Hi sleepless,

I designed it with slight allowances on the sides (outside of the box vs inside the X5 compartment), so, technically, if you want to put a 10" sub in, you might be able to increase the width slightly and it should work. The only concern would be to obviously use a shallow mount sub (I had originally looked at the Alpine 1043D - 4.3" depth), but moreso than that is to make sure it will be ok in a small volume box (about 0.35cu.ft.). I designed it with the Infinity Reference 8" sub (REF850W) which sounds great in a small enclosure that size.

I believe you wanted to know about the 1" lip at the back - honestly it was there because in my X5, theres a bit of a metal lip seperating the two compartments, so this was there to stabilize the whole box. So, interpret it however you want (you can place it anywhere under there) - make sure you cross reference my measurements with your X5 (every one is going to have variations on their interior dims) to confirm that it all works...

And please post pics of your finished box!!

thanks for the interest...

:)
dib.

mikerx5 - please post pics of your box- it'll be great to see how it worked out for you..! And that goes for anyone else who used my guideline...
i'm excited to see the end products!! :thumbup:

i'll take pictures over the weekend - may be too loazy to remove it though because it has been secured in there as well. thanks so much.... did you do anything about removing part of the hatch cover to allow the sound to travel more freely. Seems to sound a bit better with the cover off.

Hey Dib - i just ordered from my favorite Sub company (Elemental Designs) and asked them to make your box.. hope that's OK.. LOL. They are sending me a draft soon if anyone is interested.

I'm getting the amp and a 10" sub from them too. :-D

If anyone is interested let me know.

Mr EVP :D, how much for just the box from ED?

i already have the sub, like Essam's (i believe its Alpine), but just cant find the time to even try doing my own box...

It will take a few weeks for them to build the first one they said. PM Sent.

that's great - hope it works out for you..!

Sadly, I haven't even had a chance to make my own design for my x. Just finished with the deck (Alpine w505) and speakers (Alpine components all around). Also put 4.8is aftermarket wheels on (staggered 20's) and ran out of money (and time!!). Just using a simple 8" box with my infinity reference and an mtx mono amp - with the deck and new speakers, it sounds incredible. Can't wait to finish off the look with the custom box...

soon I'm sure - I'm getting anxious... :)

I have to live through the rest of you for now, so please make sure you post pics of your finished products!

cheers...

You have the 505 installed, let us see some pics of the bezel, I wanted to put the 505 in mine but it would not work with my surround sound processor so I went with the 205 instead. I am still working on my bezel, have a lot of sanding to do to get it that prfect shape and then paint.

X5 Box
 

I am a carpenter/just got an 04-X5. I am so glad you drop this in the forum. I will work on getting this project in progress/finished before I go to the beach on memorial weekend. Thanks a million for the spec's!

Elemental Designs custom box project..
 

So got the whole shooting match from Elemental.. the amp is kind of big so i'll have to figure something out. Big as in 12" i think.. The speaker looks sweet though. Box being built..

Pics..

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3317/...362d448187.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3623/...3d440aeda3.jpg

pics are before it goes to paint shop.. hopefully i'll be at a stereo shop next weekend installing :-D

Rasta lookin' great except one thing I noticed... the sub enclosure appears to be 3" too deep on the one side. I'm not sure you can fit it in there. Did you dry fit it? I noticed the OP never constructed this design, only measured the compartment. When I built my box, the area allowed about 5 1/2" of depth on one side and about 7 1/4" on the other. Also it appears you picked up the Elemental Designs Subwoofer 110v.2 that calls for .4 cu ft min air space, which you'll probably be ok with. However I noticed it specifies a mounting depth of 6.125" which may not fit in the upper portion of the OPs design. Couldn't help but notice this... hope I'm wrong! :confused:

you're right about the depth for the sub - they accounted for that and made sure it would fit. To be honest - i may not even put back on the door. I'm either going to get a grill and modify the cover - or make a custom cover. Is that what you mean by not fitting? If so I don't mind.

When you say 3" too deep do you mean the height should be 1'6" instead of the 1'9"?

No that length is ok, it just that the compartment is angled because of the awesome shape of our X5's. If you measure the depth of that area, the left side allows about 8" like the OP designed, however the right side allows about 5~6" of depth. I can't see how this enclosure will fit, door on or off.

Would love to know how this worked out

I ordered the x5 box from elemental designs based on dibs design and it work out nice. The box fits nicely and the sub sounds good. I will post a thread here once the installation is complete with photos.

How much did the ED custom box cost? What was the turn-around?

did this thread die?

I need to make a sub box and was wondering if the plans on first page work or not, it seems that one person said it did not fit?

Pm sent


Sent from my iPhone