"Performance Sound" sub box in 84 models

[dguy]

Just in case anyone else ever thinks of doing this... don't, unless you have some patience & don't mind something which will turn out not to be the plug-and-play job you thought it was.   

What follows intentionally does not cover anything about the electronics involved.  The speaker, amp, and remaining electronics I used in this case are another ball of wax entirely, which I may or may not get in to at some point.  Anywho...


So...  you have removed the dash & everything that's in the way, only to find out that there's no way in hell the sub box will fit without modification thanks to the floor vents which only the 84s possess.   

Disconnect the cable which operates the vent louver, and remove the shroud over the vent.  You'll need them later, but for the moment they're just going to get in the way.

The sub box comes with two brackets.  Drill out the rivets holding the the bracket which attaches to the lower dash mount, move it up by approximately 4.4cm, and attach with new rivets.  One corner of the bracket will need to be bent slightly to clear a bump in the box's shape.

[dguy]

The left-hand side of the sub enclosure needs to be supported, so we're going to make a bracket which attaches to the point where the vent cable used to be.

A small amount of sheet metal, two or three rivets, and...

[dguy]

Now you need to modify the linkage for the vent louver, as there's a box where the cable used to be. 

I modified a small piece of threaded rod & had lying about, and JB Welded it to the original arm.

[dguy]

The shroud over the vent will need to be cut to clear the sub enclosure.  Apparently I neglected to take a photo of it, but the required modifications will be obvious when you try to put it back in place.

A crimp-on 10-12 gauge ring terminal becomes a clamp for the vent cable, and is fastened to the bracket on the sub box which you didn't move.

[dguy]

The resonance tube falls victim to some plastic surgery in order to clear the vent... done!   

[aaron88]

Dude that must be heavy!   How much weight did you just add to your car?

Aaron

.

[dguy]

   I was waiting for someone to catch that.


One thing I just realized that I forgot to mention...  it doesn't hurt to put a dab of silicone or similar sealant over the rivets on the relocated brackets.  Small air leaks in the enclosure will result in a buzzy sound.