Prices to get a box custom built

ChevyMan4x4 · June 2003

I am looking on what the price would be for a square box for 6 10'' s with each chamber at .70 cubes... Thanks

PoweredByDodge · July 2003

well a local place wanted 400 to build me a straight box for 4 12's

so a larger box for 6 10's -- prolly five or six hundred bucks, and that will be out of 3/4" mdf with brads and liquid nails (****).

3/4" cabinest grade plywood w/ brads and liquid nails is mucho better...

or MDF with drywall screws and insulation.

sntnsupermen131 · July 2003

or you could make one for $100...or less
lol
your best bet is to get out the phone book and start calling the local audio stores
-Cody

PoweredByDodge · July 2003

ya dude, just make one -- why give away your cash when you could just take two days on a weekend and do it yourself... even if u gotta do it one saturday and then the following saturday -- better to save u're cash --

at most u'd need two sheets of mdf -- thats like 32 bucks -- box of screws for 15 -- three tubes of caulk = 12 -- 3 rolls of insulation = 9 --- you'[re out the door for like 68 + tax.

two rolls of cheapo trunk carpet = 20 bucks...

box of staples for the staple gun = 4

damn cody!! you're a good estimator, are u sure you're in the right profession, you should work for car insurance companies... lmfao.

mekanism · August 2003

400 bucks just for a wood box. Sounds like you guys are getting ripped off. I got a quote a while back for a custom glass enclosure in my spare tire well including the wiring for $300 at Good Guys. You should build it yourself. Its easier than it sounds and its more fun to build it yourself anyways. Good Luck!

PoweredByDodge · August 2003

most of us in here dobuild our own boxes... the reason for high prices on custom fabbed boxes is due to labor though -- its not exactly gettin ripped off...

figure if a guy builds a box for a single sub, and it takes him 4 hours, and he uses about 30 dollars in materials...

he's gonna mark the materials up double so he profits there -- 60 - 70 bucks

then he's gonna charge 35 - 50 dollars an hour labor...

4 x 35 = 140 + 70 = 210

or

4 x 50 = 200 + 70 = 270

it sucks but its the way it goes -- ask for something like cabinet grade plywood construction and you can add 30 - 45 bucks to that.

the guys at circuit city ask 300 for a basic square box outa MDF -- the guys at the "big" local shop want like 200-250 for the same thing.

just nobody wants to work for cheap ya know?

Jstas · August 2003

Well, we all gotta make a living and we all have to remember that these guys are in business to make a living, not give everyone a break.

As far as getting ripped off, it depends on where you live and who you go to. It's funny though how you can preach that building your own box is so much better yet, you go and have one built for yourself and shill out 300 beans for it. Ah, hypocrisy at it's best!

However, this is teh reason why I have learned to do all this stuff myself. Not only do you have control over quality of the installation but also the time schedule and the materials used. But, if you don't know how to do this stuff then that is fine and yes, you will be at the mercy of the person doing the work for you. Does that make you a bad or lesser person? HELL NO! I also take issue with anyone who has anything to say about someone not having the knowledge to do such a thing. Not everyone can be expected to have such skills, especially not a novice. We were all novices at one point and just because we have gain experience does not make us better than anyone else. What makes us better than others is the fact that we help others with the knowledge instead of making comments about getting ripped off or making a seemingly bad decision.

Personally, I would not pay any more than 150 for a custom box made of fiberglass. Especially not one that fits in a tire well. There is maybe 20 dollars in material in that so sombeody is getting jacked pretty hard on labor. Also, I'd like to point out that PBD's estimate was for 4 subs of 12 inches in a box. That's at least .88 cubic inches per enclosure for each sub. That is a large box with alot of meterial. It can cost up to 150 bucks for teh material alone. Given that it probably had to fit into a certain space, some work had to be done to fit it. Given that, a box for 4 12's is a steal at 400 where as an enclosure for a single sub in a tirewell made of 'glas looks like a pretty poor deal now, doesn't it?

sntnsupermen131 · August 2003

who said anything about $400?
my box was like $130...custom made to fit under my back seat for 2 12s with .88" in each chamber...made of 3/4" MDF
i was just too lazy to make it...plus for what i got...130 was a steal
-Cody

Jstas · August 2003

Originally posted by PoweredByDodge
well a local place wanted 400 to build me a straight box for 4 12's

so a larger box for 6 10's -- prolly five or six hundred bucks, and that will be out of 3/4" mdf with brads and liquid nails (****).

3/4" cabinest grade plywood w/ brads and liquid nails is mucho better...

or MDF with drywall screws and insulation.

That's who said something about 400 bucks.

PoweredByDodge · August 2003

yup - that was me

... u're right, its not "bad" to have a box built for you. i think most of us only got into building out own due to what you said - control of materials, and money.

if it were cheaper, i'd probably have all my boxes built... but its not, so i bust out the jig saw.

i'll tell ya tho john, u were right about the high grade plywood and ****... the one i did for the two 8's outa 3/4" birch ply with elmers "construction" wood glue and screws (i dont have a brad nailer) is durable as hell. and i built another one for this kid in the boards named Phong for his IDmax and its like SO MUCH better than the mdf ones for my 'maxes. the ply is actually easier to work with, stronger, does NOT split as long as u predrill it, and seems quite sturdy... which is almost a total contrast to MDF. i gotta say, u were right, mdf is **** compared to good quality ply.

cody -- 130 for a box for two 12's -- did the guy give you his virgin daughter too? that's a really good price for a box, and its an absolutely fantastic price for a custom box to fit under a rear seat. did u get it from that "woodshop" place that the polkies's keep reccomending??

sntnsupermen131 · August 2003

ooo i see where it says it now
actually i got the box from a local place about 30 miles from here...they were a rockford fosgate store and sold k40 radar detectors and radar/laser blockers
i need to get one of those...
i have the escort 8500...VERY nice...but it doesnt block radar...lol
but anyways they did all types of custom boxes...they even had choices for me...i could fire them up or down(one of the other) and forward
-Cody

PoweredByDodge · August 2003

i have heard difft things about this, and i've yet to do any looking up on it -- what is the legality of radar/laser detectors?

... and what's the legality about blockers??

might save me a few tickets...

phongnguyent · August 2003

Haha... now about the k40 i can refer to that..

about the k40... my uncle had one in his legend 92 when he brought it... from 4 years of driving the car...he never got a ticket :P

so when my parents went to get their car... my uncle made them get the k40.. now at the dealer... they offer 2 kinds.. one of the k40 only have radar blocker or whatever its called in the front.. the second one have in the front and back..

All i gotta say was the k40 was expensive.. it was around 1500 for the fronts and back... however the install was clean and beautiful.. it was nicely cut in the gauges... and a switch to turn off and change mode in the bottom.. it looks like a stock option lol

well about the k40 performance.. my dad said he was driving one day around 85 and there was a cop behind him... but didnt pull him over... the radar was beeping like crazy though

so far my rent have the car about 2 years.... i drive it once and a while.. so far no ticket... k40 gaurantee no ticket for the 1st year... if u get a ticket they will PAY it...

ok... now the k40 does sometime gets annoying even though there is a volume knob.. it is really sensitive though... once in a while it does give a false warning.. but i guess so far it works!

i live in nj and its not illegal here.. not that i know of since i did got it at the dealer when the car was ordered..

however... now i heard that the passport is better than the k40.. i havent done much research but my friend was looking up a passport blocker (Escort Passport SR7).. and it cost around 750 on ebay.. give or take..

so install it yourself save some money :P but of course ya already know that...

now.. i also need a radar detector for my car.. any suggestions?

my friend recommend radartest.com
i heard the Escort Passport 8500 is the best... so any word on that :P

ps. powered did a good job on the box... at least the looks :P. When i took it out it smelled like fresh wood.. gotta love that small... nicely done... well anyways... i didnt install it in yet.. so no critics yet.. lol power. thanks again

sntnsupermen131 · August 2003

radar detectors are legal in most states unless youre a trucker
radar blockers are also legal in most states...if you go to k40.com im sure they can tell you what what states are legal and what states are not
$1500?
man i think your parents got screwed!
unless im completely off
but thats a **** load of money...i think the blocker itself cost around $400
i have the escort passport 8500...and from what i understand is that there are 2 great radar detectors
the 8500 and the valentine 1
8500 looks a lot better, less false signals, and can be upgraded
the valentine 1 has arrows to tell you where the radar is coming from
both have the same performance detecting wise
if the escort has arrows, it would blow the valentine out of the water i think
but ive had mine for a while...and we have this straight road with no hills or anything...but ive picked up police more than once about 20 seconds before i could even see the car
its saved my **** more than once
the only thing bad is is that police sometimes turn the radar on and off...so you wont detect them until they have you in their sights...turn it on...and youre screwed...thats where the k40 would come in nice...but if im not mistaken...you can get the k40 blocker...and use another radar detector
and the radar test site i believe sells escort...so theyre going to be a little biased...but the 8500 is a damn good detector
my friend had a cobra...great for cb's...not great radar detectors...i would pick up stuff 5 or 10 seconds before his would even beep
-Cody

mekanism · August 2003

Im by no means putting anyone down for getting stuff built for them but there comes a point when theres money being thrown out of the window when it doesnt have to be. It doesnt take a rocket scientist to build a custom box and there are plenty of books on the subject. And the 300 bucks for a custom tire well enclosure for 2 12's and an amp rack including the wiring is an excellent deal. Fiberglass is a hell of alot harder to work with than mdf and theres the volume that you must get right becuase you cant just unscrew the thing and start over. The labor time for doing glass work is at least double that of wood or mdf. I know this because ive been working with glass for over 6 years.

Jstas · August 2003

Originally posted by mekanism
Im by no means putting anyone down for getting stuff built for them but there comes a point when theres money being thrown out of the window when it doesnt have to be. It doesnt take a rocket scientist to build a custom box and there are plenty of books on the subject. And the 300 bucks for a custom tire well enclosure for 2 12's and an amp rack including the wiring is an excellent deal. Fiberglass is a hell of alot harder to work with than mdf and theres the volume that you must get right becuase you cant just unscrew the thing and start over. The labor time for doing glass work is at least double that of wood or mdf. I know this because ive been working with glass for over 6 years.

That's nice but, you totally ignored more than half of what I said. As far as box building being rocket science, no, any guy with a hammer and saw can build a box but, will he build it correctly? Chances are, no. Because there is some calculation involved and there is a certain level of skill needed. A book will tell you alot but it doesn't solve other problems like time, space to do the work or even the confidence level of the person attempting the construction.

As far as fiberglas being a hell of alot harder to work with, I disagree. I've worked with fiberglas before and yes, it can be messy but, it's not difficult at all. You lay down resin, soak some fabric, lay that down, lay another coat of resin and repeat until you achieve the desired thickness. It's really not that hard. And no, alot of my experience doesn't come from building speaker boxes. It comes from building race car bodies.

As far as 300 for your contraption, as you descibe it now isn't so bad. But according to this description

I got a quote a while back for a custom glass enclosure in my spare tire well including the wiring for $300 at Good Guys

300 bucks is a rip off. But I still don't think you got a deal. And if you have so much experience working with fiberglas, why are you not doing this yourself? Is that still what you said that others should do?

The thing that gets me about your whole attitude is that you are so non-chalant about everyone else's situation and you have an answer for all of it. Yet everything you do is the exact opposite of what you preach and you get down on others for doing exactly what you did. Whether you intended it or not, that's how you came across. Yet you haven't offered anything really constructive except to chastise a guy for getting a quote on a sub box for something that is beyond what you are having done. Check the original post. The question is for a quote for a 6 sub enclosure having 6 seperate chambers of .70 cubic feet a piece. That is a fairly complex box design and will probably cost much more than 300 bucks to have built and finished for installation. Also, again, considering the size of the enclosure, there will be custom and probably complex shapes, more so than your tire well deal there. He will have to be creative about placement because I imagine that the room for 6 subs in sufficient enclosures is at a premium in any vehicle.

mekanism · August 2003

The point im trying to get across is that sometimes (not all of the time) it is better to do things on your own. And I never said that I actually got the work done to my car hence the word quote. Even at 300 it was still too expensive for me not to do it myself. Maybe im too much of a do it yourselfer but thats not a bad thing. In trying things on my own I have learned how to do many things. So what if you screw it up, more than likely you will get it right the second time and have that knowledge and experience. Thats just my thinking. If you pay to have everything done for you what are you going to learn. Im not on this forum to get into a pissing contest over a sub box. I suppose I came on too strong when I said "ripped off". I have had shops rip me off before so thats why im suggesting that maybe this person should try to do it themself. Remember this is just my opinion and you dont have to take it seriously if you dont want to. Im just putting in my 2 cents like everyone else.:D And one other thing, you dont even know me so when you say

"Yet everything you do is the exact opposite of what you preach and you get down on others for doing exactly what you did".

Yet everything I do..... You dont even know what I do. Other than my first post I thought I was being fairly nice. I didnt mean to come off in nearly the way you describe. If I did come off that way im sorry! If I didnt help anyone in anyway here than so be it. Like I said earlier just my 2 cents.

PoweredByDodge · August 2003

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i find that odd too... work with glass yet not make your own "simple" (by one's own remark, not my own -- i think glass is hard b/c i've yet to do antyhing with it -- if i work with it enough i'm sure it'll call it 'simple' then too) well enclosure / rack. hmm... that's kinda like a mechanic going into the dealer to have his oil changed.

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Prices to get a box custom built

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