This is the fiberglass Zbox sub enclosure that is designed to fit under the rear seats of a Porsche 911.  This cabinet is designed from reinforced fiberglass and has a net internal volume of approx. two cubic feet.  The seats from the Porsche fit into the recessed space on top of the cabinet. (NOTE:  Zbox is out of business, please do not email me asking "where can I purchase a Zbox" I don't know and I do not have any leads for you.)



This is a front view of the Zbox enclosure.  You can see that the enclosure is shipped ready for 8" subs.



Since I was going to use the JL Audio 10W6 subs, I had to increase the mounting depth in the cabinet to accommodate the double magnet structure of the JL Audio subs.  I used 3/4" medite to raise the subs up 1.5".  If you look closely in the empty cavity on the right side of the sub cabinet, you will notice that I added a material called Acousta-stuff to the interior cavities. This material, in effect increases the internal volume of the cabinet by 1/3.

 

This is the finished cabinet.  After the installation of the spacer rings for the JL Audio subs, it was necessary to construct a new front panel that would allow the subs as well as the steel grills to be mounted flush.  This top panel was constructed of 3/4" medite & was secured with drywall screws


 

This is a picture of the Porsche before the Zbox sub cabinet was installed.  The rear panels in this picture show Zbox panels as well, but because of problems with the convertible top and tonneau cover, I removed these panels and replaced them with the factory panels that you will see in later pictures.

Here is the rear seat area after the installation of the Zbox sub cabinet.  As you can tell, the rear seats and seat belts are still completely usable.  Most judges (as well as spectators) ask the question "Where are the subs?" The installation is so seamless that most people do not realize There is a sub cabinet under the seat. 

This is how Porsche shipped the car.  A factory Becker 4" dual purpose driver and plastic grill in the rear side panels.

This is the rear side panel after the installation of the Bose 4" driver and a rounded grill assembly that does not have protruding screws.  The metal grill was covered with black grill cloth that matches what is used throughout the rest of the vehicle.  The factory panels were kept after a problem arose with the Zbox side panels I had originally planned on using.

 

To get the appropriate amount of volume for the Dynaudio 15W75 5.25" mid bass drivers (front doors).  I arrived at a clever solution.  The flexible wet/dry vac tubing is very airtight and firm.  With the addition of a elbow and a PVC end cap, I was able to add additional volume to the tight fiberglass door pod (seen below)  A hole was drilled into the bottom of the pod, then the wet/dry vac tube was inserted into the door cavity.  The pod was then mounted in the door and using some long needle nose pliers, I was able to raise the PVC elbow into the opening of the pod and seal it into place.  The wet/dry vac tube runs the length of the door and does not interfere with the operation of the window.  I ended up with approx. .22 of a cubic foot which is sufficient for the Dynaudio 15W75's (in a second order cabinet).  Another benefit of this procedure is that there is no panel vibrations or coloring of the mid range.

 

This is the fiberglass door pod fabricated for the Porsche.

This is the end result.  Notice that I upgraded the factory grill to a newer flush style that does not show any screws.  The metal grill was covered with a grill cloth that matches what is used throughout the entire vehicle.

Here is a picture of the Dynaudio mid-bass driver without the grill in place. You can see that the driver is recessed behind the grill assembly. The grill frame itself is only attached to the door panel. This allows a little flexibility in angling the mid-bass inwards and upwards for better imaging.

You can see that the modified Alpine 7909 is flushed in the dash of the Porsche. Fortunately, this car was designed with a recessed opening for the factory Becker cassette. Flushing the 7909 was very simple in this case.

The Image Dynamic CD-2 horns were mounted equal distances from the corners of the Porsche and are secured by back strapping material to factory mounting points.  No permanent modifications or holes were drilled.  I did have to  make adjustments in the heating ducts to accommodate the TAD 2001 compression drivers (highly modified of course) . 




The one piece grill runs the length of the dash and curves inward to follow the curvature of the dash as well.  This grill was constructed before IASCA changed the rules concerning protective grilling over the mouth of horns.  Although I could now legally remove the metal grill material, there is no noticeable difference in the sound or the staging. 


 

This is the grill after the installation of the grill cloth.    You can  also see  the Personal  steering  wheel and the red shift boot that conceals a factory short  shift  kit from a 1985 911  Carrera.   While  not  completely  visible, the seats are Recaro LXA.   I used the factory rails to bolt the seats right in.  The Recaro's are much superior than the factory sport seats.


 

This is a picture of the upgrade battery (Optima 800). You will notice a tape measure attached to the main power cable. This is to indicate to IASCA judging officials that the power run from the main fuse assembly is less than 17".




Here is another view of the Optima battery and you can see the Phoenix Gold 1.2 farad capacitor that is color matched to the Porsche. You can see that the cap is within a few inches of the battery as well as the amplifiers. The power terminals for both the capacitor and battery are protected with rubber covers. (not visible in this shot)


 

This is the amp rack floor before painting. You can see the aluminum rails that are used to secure the amp rack to the uneven floor of the Porsche. This rack was bolted to four existing mounting points in the trunk. No holes were drilled in the trunk to mount any of the sound system equipment.





This is a side view of the processor cover. To achieve the curvature, sections of ABS tubing and body filler were used to arrive at the appropriate angle. The rear of this panel was reinforced with fiberglass mat.






This is the right side trunk panel that covers the battery and factory fuse block assembly. This piece is pressure fit into place and the aluminum rail secures to the amp rack floor. The hinged opening allows access to the factory fuse assembly.





This is the inside view of the right side trunk panel. You can see additional brackets and the hinges that allow the fuse assembly cover to open.






This is the master cylinder cover that resides in the upper right corner of the trunk. This was the most complex cover to construct. We needed to clear the master cylinder and still have access to add fluid (hence the hinged cover on top). The recessed red tray has a sliding plexi top that allows access to three temperature gauges as well as the volume controls for the rear satellites. The curved front plane was achieved using a section of ABS tubing, body filler and fiberglass.



Here is a view of the under side of the master cylinder cover. You can see the aluminum rails that hold the plexi glass and allow it to slide. Also visible is the aluminum mounting rails that attach to the amp rack and other trim panels.





This is the finished master cylinder cover with the plexi glass installed as well as the temperature gauges and volume controls. It took numerous attempts using a custom made "hot box" to vinyl this piece. All that hard work did pay off, it turned out perfect!





These are all of the panels that go into the trunk of the Porsche.

This is a view of the trunk with several trim panels and the amp rack installed. You again will see the tape measure connected to the main power cable. Also visible is some of the Canare 3 pin XLR cables as well as other neatly loomed power cable runs.





Another view of the unfinished trunk compartment. This close up shows a compartment that houses the Phoenix Gold fuse assemblies and the main Phoenix Gold fuse. Notice the close proximity of the battery to the main fuse. The inside of the compartment was color matched to the amplifiers.






This is a close up picture of the Phoenix Gold MPS-2240 and its associated wiring. Notice that all cable is routed through plastic grommets. The signal cable is Belden and the RCA ends are from Phoenix Gold. The speaker cable is Phoenix Gold Zero Point Reference. All other power/ground is Phoenix Gold 8 gauge.




The Rane processing equipment consists of a pair of MQ-30 one third octave equalizers and a AC-23B 24db electronic crossover. All processors have been color matched to the vehicle and silk screened in white and gray. These units were originally 120 volt and were converted to 12vdc using 18v internal power supplies. The op amps in the processors have been upgraded and the sub-sonic/ultra-sonic filters have been removed, thus cleaning up the signal path.





This view shows the equipment layout in the trunk. The right side panel and top trim panels have been removed. This picture was taken right after I powered up the system for the first time. (for testing purposes)





This view has all of the unfinished trim panels installed. The equipment at this point was not connected, but set in place to confirm the fit. All these panels are pressure fit and the tolerances were very tight. The light gray/white areas of these panels are where we used ABS tubing and body filler to construct the curvature of the panels.






Ah...the finished product! This angle shows the amp cover (protected by plexi glass) and the compartment that holds the Phoenix Gold fuse assemblies. You can also see the small fans that circulate air into the amp compartment.





Here again is the finished product with emphasis on the compartment that opens for access to the factory fuse block.