22 VLX Stereo install (newbie)

[IXFE]

Okay, I know this is going to sound lame... but DANG those amps look good on the black carpet!

Congrats on making it this far! I can't believe the amount of work you've ripped through over the past week.

[Fman]

Maybe someone can help me out on this. I want to fire sub towards drivers feet on kick panel. How do I get that sub to align with kick panel to cut a perfect hole to match up? I would like to cut the kick panel around the sub and box so I only have the grille to remove to pull off the kick panel. I don't want to have to pull the subwoofer everytime I pull off the kick panel.

Any ideas please post up... Thanks

[Cory]

I haven't done it the way you guys are going about it (separating the kick panel from the front panel of the enclosure), but just thinking it through in my mind... If I were to do it the way you are proposing, I would hold off gluing/nailing the top panel of the sub enclosure until the very end so I could reach my arm over and in and use a sharpie to trace the speaker hole in the enclosure onto the backside of the kick panel. You will need to make adjustments from there cause the hole in the kick panel will be a little larger than the hole in the sub enclosure, but at least this will help get your alignment.

Just a thought anyway...

Edited February 20, 2015 by Cory

[shawndoggy]

Or before cutting sub hole in the box, put the box in the boat then put the kick panel over the box where you want it. Drill a hole through the kick panel into the box where you want the center of the driver to be. The hole wouldn't have to be big, but it would serve as the center point for you to draw your circle on each face, and the centers should then line up.

[Cory]

^^^Ya, follow Shawn's advice. That sounds like a much better way.

Edited February 20, 2015 by Cory

[IXFE]

Or before cutting sub hole in the box, put the box in the boat then put the kick panel over the box where you want it. Drill a hole through the kick panel into the box where you want the center of the driver to be. The hole wouldn't have to be big, but it would serve as the center point for you to draw your circle on each face, and the centers should then line up.

12v superhero saves the day again. Travis and I have debated this one for a week now. Never once did we think of your simple, yet elegant solution.

Now look at your phone and answer my text [emoji6]

Edited February 21, 2015 by IXFE

[teamerickson]

I hear Shawn is going to be in the next Avengers movie.

[Fman]

Shawn, what is your solution if you already cut the circle in the box? aka Plan B.

[Murphy8166]

Maybe you could get the existing rim of the hole wet and press the other piece of wood up against it and get a faint impression of where the hole is...

[Fman]

^^^ I was thinking maybe some light grease around the rim of the sub pressed up against the kick panel might leave a imprint of where I would need to cut? Also considering making a cardboard mock up so I can trim little by little until I get the hole perfect then use that template for the original kickplate.

[shawndoggy]

Shawn, what is your solution if you already cut the circle in the box? aka Plan B.

Ha, that sounds like a question I would ask!

I don't know. Seems like you could put your box in then put the plate on then reach around like Cory suggested and try to trace the sides of your box onto the back of the kick plate, then measure from the sides of your box to where the circle begins?

I don't know. It's harder that way.

[isellacuras]

How bout a couple short screws through the kick plate, just barely into the box. Remove box and reattach when out of the boat. Start with a small hole where you know you're somewhere in the middle and use a jigsaw to cut out to the edge of the box hole? Carpet on the kick plate may be a bit of an issue. Will you be removing carpet to cut anyways?

[shawndoggy]

How bout a couple short screws through the kick plate, just barely into the box. Remove box and reattach when out of the boat. Start with a small hole where you know you're somewhere in the middle and use a jigsaw to cut out to the edge of the box hole? Carpet on the kick plate may be a bit of an issue. Will you be removing carpet to cut anyways?

I was thinking of that.... double stick tape the kick panel to the box then just rip it with a finishing bit with a router... but the hole would only be as big as the hole in the box. You'd want the hole to be as big as the outside dimensions of the sub. So you'd still need to take another 3/4" off of the hole.

[jstenger]

What if you followed Shawndoggy's suggestion, but instead of making the kick panel hole larger, leave it the same size as the sub hole and mount the grille directly to the kick panel and not the sub box. This would give you a little room for error. Paint the inside edge of the kick panel hole black so that it blends in. The grille would cover the cut edge of the carpet.

Edited February 21, 2015 by jstenger

[Fman]

All good idea fellas, appreciate the ideas... I will have to see what I can come up with on Monday.

[IXFE]

All good idea fellas, appreciate the ideas... I will have to see what I can come up with on Monday.

Monday???

Don't tell me you're taking the weekend off. [emoji33]

[Fman]

Monday???

Don't tell me you're taking the weekend off. [emoji33]

I actually do have a full time job too!

[shawndoggy]

what grille are you guys using?

[Fman]

Shawn, I got this one with my Exile order, seems to match up well with the Exile cabin speakers.

[Lance B. Johnson]

To match the kickpanel to the enclosure cut the hole for the sub in the enclosure and mount the enclosure.

Cut around a 3-4 inch hole in the kickpanel near the center of the hole in the enclosure. install the kick panel, reach through the hole with a pencil and trace your outline.

Now remove the kickpanel, trace around the speaker grill. Cut the hole and carpet the kick panel.

Mount the sub and the grill to the enclosure. Slide the kickpanel into place and screw it up.

This is the process I plan to use. The sub will be mounted to the enclosure and the kickpanel will have some thickness to it which will give sub a somewhat flush mounted look.

[shawndoggy]

To match the kickpanel to the enclosure cut the hole for the sub in the enclosure and mount the enclosure.

Cut around a 3-4 inch hole in the kickpanel near the center of the hole in the enclosure. install the kick panel, reach through the hole with a pencil and trace your outline.

Now remove the kickpanel, trace around the speaker grill. Cut the hole and carpet the kick panel.

Mount the sub and the grill to the enclosure. Slide the kickpanel into place and screw it up.

This is the process I plan to use. The sub will be mounted to the enclosure and the kickpanel will have some thickness to it which will give sub a somewhat flush mounted look.

I like that idea! So you are saying you are mounting the sub AND the grille to the box, and just slipping the kick panel over the grille, right? That makes sense for a lot of reasons. I'm stealing that idea for sure.

I guess the tough part for that concept is making sure that your hole in the kick panel is perfectly round, because if it's ovalish it's totally going to show. How do you plan on getting the hole perfectly round?

[Lance B. Johnson]

I like that idea! So you are saying you are mounting the sub AND the grille to the box, and just slipping the kick panel over the grille, right? That makes sense for a lot of reasons. I'm stealing that idea for sure.

I guess the tough part for that concept is making sure that your hole in the kick panel is perfectly round, because if it's ovalish it's totally going to show. How do you plan on getting the hole perfectly round?

carful sawing I guess. I will use the speaker grill to trace the hole.

It will have to be a tight fit and hope to have the carpet hide some stuff.

An idea I just had is if you cut the hole with the saw at an angle. So the inside dia. of the kick panel is bigger then the outside. This will hide the edge of the wood.

Edited February 21, 2015 by Lance B. Johnson

[ahopkins22LSV]

carful sawing I guess. I will use the speaker grill to trace the hole.

It will have to be a tight fit and hope to have the carpet hide some stuff.

"Hope is not a strategy" Sorry, at work those signs are everywhere...

Could a compass type jig be made to hold a dremel cutting tool? Probably would take some trial and error but could work, maybe?

[Lance B. Johnson]

"Hope is not a strategy" Sorry, at work those signs are everywhere...

Could a compass type jig be made to hold a dremel cutting tool? Probably would take some trial and error but could work, maybe?

I am good with a saw

[shawndoggy]

yeah zactly. It's not an inexpensive piece of starboard I'll be hacking up.

I think I can conceive of a way to do it with a router and circle jig. I'll just have to take pics when I get there because I cannot explain it well.