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Building amplifer box in bed question.

redheadedrod

SM 2017
PM 2015
Full Member
Joined
May 15, 2011
Messages
3,187
Location
Muskegon, MI
Has anyone pulled either of the sides of their bed out? I am considering building a multiple purpose box on the side of my bed in my truck. Not sure if I want to replace the protective plastic in the bed or just go over the top of it with a box made of wood made to replace it. I will put all of my power distribution, amplifiers, processors and probably some computer equipment in there as well as an inverter and anything else that makes sense back there. The box should end up being less than 6" deep. I will likely use the current bed light as my passage way for wiring and possibly cooling into the box depending on the size of the actual hole or what other holes are available behind the protective wall.

Just considering for now. I currently will be mounting a temporary amp to the back seat back and a temporary speaker box is under the rear seats but I plan to build either a mid gate box or a bed box that will sit in place and fire through the bottom of the mid gate. makes more sense to make a bed box if I do the wall box. I won't put the amplifiers on the floor because the bed can still be exposed to weather and It is much easier to keep water out of a vertical surface than a horizontal. Otherwise I might just build a whole bed box that has the speakers in the front firing into the bottom of the midgate and have all of the electronics towards the back.

Rodney
 
about 15 posts under this 1 is ....My Dark Knight build.... in the 5years I've been on here it's the only 1 I've seen that's cut into the side walls in the bed. but I haven't seen every post so who knows. ok so if you make a midgate that folds down. here's where you're going to run into trouble. you say you want it in the bottom of the midgate. you'll run into a problem of your subs and the backseat brakets where they fold, if the subs are at the bottom they'll hit the hinges. I made this couple weeks ago. maybe you can get an idea of what I'm talkin about. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P2Q3yOdo5hk
 
Several years ago 2007,08 there was a member from Georgia named Boom I think. That had modified the back into a full sub and amp enclosure. Might be some pics in the STI threads around those years.
 
Ok, let me clarify the "bed box" the box won't move with the midgate but will fire through holes made in it. So it should not interfere with anything on the midgate... I just have to trim away portions of the midgate and make my box seal against it.

I am hoping not to cut the bed at all at this point but use factory retention and mounting locations. But I will probably have to pull off the protective plastic to look under it to see what is there. Just didn't know if anyone has already done this and knows what is back there. I could use the current cargo light as my pass through and the mounting points for the current plastic piece to mount my side box. If I just do a box in the bottom of the bed it will of course be a different design and likely require some cutting to pass wires through. Thinking of leaving the bed functional and making it so it will drain any water to the normal drains.

Rodney
 
ok I gotcha. you don't want to use under the seats? this guy on my other foums built a rack in his bed. probably not what you're looking todo tho. but if you're thinking what I think you're thinking then no I haven't seen anybody do it in the bed before. I'm guessing something like this but mounted to the side in the bed? there are a lot of guys who have wall installs like this who mount on the side of the wall.
DSC_0324_zps7ad305f3.jpg

http://www.soundsolutionsaudio.com/forum/topic/61887-lees-avalanche-build/page-10
 
Trying to keep the install as stealth as possible... Don't want anything under the seats and there wont be a big speaker showing in the midgate...  Just some holes with some black mesh over the top that looks pretty tame..

Basically in that picture your showing I am looking at possibly pulling the black plastic piece on the right. The box in the back I am going to try to make look like it was intended to be there too.. If you pull off the panels I don't want it to be real noticeable.

When done I will have most of the functionality of the bed and can still fold the seats down fully etc... That is the plan anyhow.. And no it won't even be started before nationals... I have too much to do with it otherwise.

Rodney
 
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