False floor & amp mounting
05 January 2001, 08:57 PM
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I've had an idea (it happens every now and again!!) and that's to build a false floor in the boot of my 4 door car.
Why? Well I've got a full size alloy in my boot, and raising the floor would give me a level boot again!!
Also when I bought the car, an amp was mounted on the back of the seat, but I'd like to move that out of the way under the false floor.
Basic design, a big piece of MDF cut to the boot floor shape. I've seen strips of 2" by 2" wood to create the height, then the MDF attached to the strips of wood.
So now the questions:
1) How do I attach the strips of wood to the car/boot?? Mastic/Silicon sealent???
2) Is it OK to mount the amp straight on to the boot floor (to the left of the spare wheel well) ?? Or will drill through fuel pipe/wires/etc?? Can I just use heavy duty velco to hold down the amp??
Hope the answers are straight forward!!!
Thanks
Andy
Why? Well I've got a full size alloy in my boot, and raising the floor would give me a level boot again!!
Also when I bought the car, an amp was mounted on the back of the seat, but I'd like to move that out of the way under the false floor.
Basic design, a big piece of MDF cut to the boot floor shape. I've seen strips of 2" by 2" wood to create the height, then the MDF attached to the strips of wood.
So now the questions:
1) How do I attach the strips of wood to the car/boot?? Mastic/Silicon sealent???
2) Is it OK to mount the amp straight on to the boot floor (to the left of the spare wheel well) ?? Or will drill through fuel pipe/wires/etc?? Can I just use heavy duty velco to hold down the amp??
Hope the answers are straight forward!!!
Thanks
Andy
06 January 2001, 12:10 AM
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I've just done this very same thing, only with a sub as well. (see False floor Sub install topic)
I've found that there are two bolt-fixing points just below the boot lock - level with the bumper (MY95), I presume they're present on later models.
To address fixing the MDF at the front, I've done the same type of thing - 2x2 fixed to the MDF, but rather than use a permanent adhesive, I've used Velcro.... seems to work really well.
My amp is screwed onto the MDF (also adds weight to the MDF with the Sub)
Feel free to have a look at my site (i'll put the address in my profile to save reposting)
Hope this helps.
Dan
I've found that there are two bolt-fixing points just below the boot lock - level with the bumper (MY95), I presume they're present on later models.
To address fixing the MDF at the front, I've done the same type of thing - 2x2 fixed to the MDF, but rather than use a permanent adhesive, I've used Velcro.... seems to work really well.
My amp is screwed onto the MDF (also adds weight to the MDF with the Sub)
Feel free to have a look at my site (i'll put the address in my profile to save reposting)
Hope this helps.
Dan
06 January 2001, 10:31 AM
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Sounds interesting. A few quick thoughts:
Ventilation for amp may be required, but you should be OK if you leave the top to breathe into the boot - but it sounds like you want to cover it. If so you could consider a fan - can't advise further on this - not done it.
I would not mount the amp directly to the boot floor because it would vibrate metal-metal and you may create odd ground effects with the metal base of the amp being in contact with a painted metal floor. Usually it is recommended to mount them on MDF. In drilling the boot floor if you missed the fuel tank, you would have to be careful not to cause water ingress into the boot from the road surface - presumably some sealant around the holes would do the trick??
Chiark recently cautioned about securing subwoofers tenuously because of the consequences in a crash. Certainly a significant impact - e.g. 40mph that would probably leave you uninjured can create forces of 60g easily. Imagine whatever you have secured suddenly having a force 60 times its weight in normal gravity - making it like 300kg for a typical amp. By the time that reaches the front of the car it could be travelling at 20metres/second - that could literally take someone's head off. Perhaps a little unlikely given its position, but imagine a rollover and the whole lot flying towards you. At the least it should be immovable to a big brute yanking it around and that is probably an underestimate of the forces involved. I suggest bolts and probably four of them. Same goes for holding the MDF down - velcro and sealant will not resist 60g!
Having said all of that my setup probably wouldn't either - I have an MDF floor in the left half of the boot which is cut to fit up to the original hardboard spare wheel cover - I'm sure yours will be different now. However, I have secured it by cutting it to the shape of the rear left of the boot floor edge. I then have a 2x2cm piece of MDF underneath the rear left edge which sits in the gulley at the edge of the boot floor under the jack holder. It is screwed to the MDF floor. Consequently the floor is wedged from moving fwd/bwd and it is screwed to keep it from moving from its wedge and from moving left/right. The free edge towards the middle of the car could move, and if the car turned over it would - I don't think any amount of duct tape would stop it. But that's all I could do without drilling the floor, and I cannot move it - but I'm not a hefty brute - give me a few years though
Sorry to sound like I'm p**sing on your fireworks - sounds like a really good idea and I'm sure it will be brill. I maybe sound a bit paranoid about car crashes also - but when it has happened it suddenly becomes relevant.
Have fun
Ventilation for amp may be required, but you should be OK if you leave the top to breathe into the boot - but it sounds like you want to cover it. If so you could consider a fan - can't advise further on this - not done it.
I would not mount the amp directly to the boot floor because it would vibrate metal-metal and you may create odd ground effects with the metal base of the amp being in contact with a painted metal floor. Usually it is recommended to mount them on MDF. In drilling the boot floor if you missed the fuel tank, you would have to be careful not to cause water ingress into the boot from the road surface - presumably some sealant around the holes would do the trick??
Chiark recently cautioned about securing subwoofers tenuously because of the consequences in a crash. Certainly a significant impact - e.g. 40mph that would probably leave you uninjured can create forces of 60g easily. Imagine whatever you have secured suddenly having a force 60 times its weight in normal gravity - making it like 300kg for a typical amp. By the time that reaches the front of the car it could be travelling at 20metres/second - that could literally take someone's head off. Perhaps a little unlikely given its position, but imagine a rollover and the whole lot flying towards you. At the least it should be immovable to a big brute yanking it around and that is probably an underestimate of the forces involved. I suggest bolts and probably four of them. Same goes for holding the MDF down - velcro and sealant will not resist 60g!
Having said all of that my setup probably wouldn't either - I have an MDF floor in the left half of the boot which is cut to fit up to the original hardboard spare wheel cover - I'm sure yours will be different now. However, I have secured it by cutting it to the shape of the rear left of the boot floor edge. I then have a 2x2cm piece of MDF underneath the rear left edge which sits in the gulley at the edge of the boot floor under the jack holder. It is screwed to the MDF floor. Consequently the floor is wedged from moving fwd/bwd and it is screwed to keep it from moving from its wedge and from moving left/right. The free edge towards the middle of the car could move, and if the car turned over it would - I don't think any amount of duct tape would stop it. But that's all I could do without drilling the floor, and I cannot move it - but I'm not a hefty brute - give me a few years though
Sorry to sound like I'm p**sing on your fireworks - sounds like a really good idea and I'm sure it will be brill. I maybe sound a bit paranoid about car crashes also - but when it has happened it suddenly becomes relevant.
Have fun
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