AKennedy87

I am about to install 2 12" JL W0's in the back of my 87 4Runner along with either a Kenwood KAC-X201T or Alpine MRV-T502 amp. I will be taking my roof off all summer and wonder what is the best way people have installed them for security. I am not incredibly worried because i basically got the whole setup off my buddy for 20 bucks.

My Idea as of right now is to Install the amp inside the right quarterpannel right behind the door. This will secure and make the amp unseeable. Because my truck is black I will probably use the kenwood amp becuase it has the fan that opens when it gets hot.

To lock the subs I want to get strips of like 1/2" metal to go over the top and down to the sides. I would do one or two in each direction and when it gets to the base I want to have bolts going through the bed to wingnuts on the bottom side. I want wingnuts so it is easy to remove for me when i need the extra space.

That is my idea as of now and I was wondering if anyone else had any good ideas. I really wana see if i can get these not stolen in an open space like that.
Thanks for the help,
Alex

colsoncj

Here's my suggestions:

Mount the amp in the drivers side rear quarterpanel right behind the door like you mentioned... i was going to mount mine there, but instead i put it in the back pass pocket...

Mount the subs where the pockets in the rear are at... there they shouldnt take up a lot of room.... you'll just need to relocate the jack, washer fluid bottle, and jack bracket.

Another place to put them, which is what I plan on doing to mine, is (provided you don't use the underneath tire carrier), cut a hole in the floor of the bed, fab a metal box that sets below the bed, weld it up well, install the sub boxes into the new bed well, weld some angle iron around the inside, and bolt/screw down a piece of plexiglass over it, while porting wherever you see fit... you can also create a bandpass box like this.... whenever the top is off, put a piece of carpet or rubber mat in the back, and knowone will know there's subs down there.

sorry for beiing long winded.

WraunVT

When I had my 1stGen (got rest her soul), I had the split back seat. I took out the half-seat directly behind the driver. Which is real easy. I then built a custom box in the space left. I used the left over bolts from seat and cut out holes in the bottom of the box. Good luck stealing that mother. I don't know if the 87s have that though. How often do you have someone sitting behind ya? If you want me to discuss this more, send me a private message.

Ryan 25

I'm planning a similar installation, but with a few more components. My biggest concern is how to still retain the use of the trunk space.

Here's my plan:
Build a false floor about 1 1/2' deep with slide-out storage in the back that covers the footprint of the entire rear cargo area. At the front end of it I will have a recessed "shelf" for my amps, cap, and crossovers with a plexiglass cover and some fans. Behind that, I want to mount the subs at an angle facing the rear of the compartment. The interior space will be fashioned as an appropriate box, unseen to the eye. Somewhere down the line I would like to add a sound-permeable, waterproof liner that rolls out from the rear tailgate forward to the back of the rear seats or the back of the front seats, dependent upon if the seats are up or down, for when the top's off.

It will be time-consuming, but I feel this is the best way to maintain the functionality of the cargo space while still protecting my components from damage and theft. Its gonna' be a fun summer.

colsoncj

Ryan, sounds similar to mine... let me know how it works out for ya!

Ryan 25

Hey, you don't have any design specs left do you?

colsoncj

I haven't even done it yet... thats why i was hoping you'd share your design :-)

Ryan 25

Haha, haven't started yet. I work in education, so I'm done for the summer after this week. Have to plan it and then get up to my Dad's to build it. God I miss having all that equipment at my disposal.

colsoncj

Ya I hear ya there.... a great shop at your disposal is a beautiful thing....

AKennedy... have you figured out what you're doin yet?

AKennedy87

sorta...

One of the JL's is cracked and i have no $ so I think i will do what you said about the pockets in the rear, but only on the passanger side, just one. My drivers side quarter panel has some rust and lets a lil water in, which is bad for an amp... So the kenwood would just be going to 1 sub which will be real loud.

At first i was trying to figure out how to do it with the box that is already there, but now i'll have to resort to this. Any tips on building your own box, just one in the pocket back there?

Thanks guys,
Alex

fnrunner

That sub needs 1-1.75 cu ft of air space to operate properly & sound good. Without measuring, I'm guessing that's slightly bigger than what that pocket has to offer - so the box you make is going to be in the cargo area some. Might consider making a box of MDF & fiberglass. Resin over any bare MDF to keep it waterproof.

Here's a .pdf that will help on the box...
http://www.jlaudio.com/subwoofers/pd...2_15W0_MAN.pdf

If that sounds to complicated then do what a friend of mine did & mount a bazooka tube to the roll bar using wakeboard boat tower speaker clamps. He used one that looks like a SCUBA tank- painted it blue to look like the Powertank OBA bottles - complete with Powertank stickers!! It's trick!! & doesn't take up much room. Use allen head screws or find some of the anti-theft screws that are in every public restroom to clamp the sucker to the roll bar & I doubt it will ever "grow legs"!

Good luck & keep us posted!

fnrunner

I've used some of the tamper proof allens before - they have the post in the middle of the allen....not 100% tamperproof - but not every body has allen wrenches, let alone this type!

http://www.tamperproof.com/

pinemind

It's funny that I happened upon this thread right now. My entire stereo just got violently removed from my '85 4Runner. It was in front of my friends house (we live in super crime free area) while we were playing poker in the basement.

Definitely think about security when designing this. I had a 10" box with a Master Lock cable lock that went through the body and a latch on the box. This was apparently cut by a bolt cutter or razor blades (found broken ones in the back where the sub was). Amp was torn out from under the seat. My stereo was pryed the wrong way, making it useless as a music output device.

Well, they made off with a nice 7 year old Sony 2 channel amp and a 7 year old MTX 10" sub. The headunit they dismantled but left was worth more than the two items they successfully stole. They also left a brand new 33x10.5" BFG M/T spare on a brand new Rockcrawler steel wheel. At least I know they're morons and they weren't contributing anything to society in the first place . . .

It's the first time I've ever driven in my 4Runner in silence . . . those M/T's do hum quite a bit around 65 mph.

Sorry to "jack" this thread (no pun intended) but I needed to get my frustration out.

Peace,

Justin

1987t4r

Here is My 1st Gen W/ Wake Board Speakers Attached to the Roll Bar They Aren't in The Way at All.