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SSV Works Subwoofer and Amp Install With Pics

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23K views 10 replies 8 participants last post by  gogetter  
#1 ·
I recently bit the bullet and bought a newer center console and the SSV Works 10" subwoofer enclosure for my 1999 TJ Wrangler. Since I could never find detailed information on the install, I documented my install in hopes of helping future Jeepers.

First off, overall the product is well constructed, but the quality control is lacking. Some of the screw holes didn’t line up with the console and one of the brackets to secure to the Jeep body didn’t line up at all (details in pictures). I would recommend this product, but be prepared to do some modding and sweating to make it work.

I’m not a fabricator or anything like that and all of this work was done with a Dremel tool (HIGHLY recommended), a hack saw, and a DeWalt drill.

I'll post a few key pics, but the full Imgur album is Jeep - SSV - Imgur

I purchased a 10" Pioneer TS-SW2501S2 2ohm single voice coil shallow subwoofer and powered it with a Alpine MRV-M250 amplifier mounted under the dash. I tried mounting it to sheet of wood and then bolting it to the steering column using instructions on this forum, but it didn't work on my 1999 TJ. It sounds ghetto, but I ended up using heavy duty zip ties to secure the amp. It's all the way up to the metal "shield" by the driver's knees and is very well hidden. As a bonus, you can still adjust the settings without removing the metal shield.
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Onward to the enclosure:

Here it is fresh out of the box. There are more in the album with a measuring tape:
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The opening for the sub isn't wide enough to accommodate the Pioneer, so I had to scrape a hack saw around the edge for about an hour to widen it. Finally I used a Dremel tool to spot sand so the woofer would drop it. I don't know how much I had to take off because it was a 'scrape and test fit' kind of process.

Finished with widening:
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The woofer doesn't fit into the box with it's rubber trim ring, so I pulled it off (but save it for later).

Next is drilling pilot holes for the screws to mount the woofer to the enclosure and the hole for the speaker wire.

Here's a good spot for the speaker wire:

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Remember the trim ring we took off of the woofer? I cut out the back of it to make a gasket to seal up the enclosure.
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Polyfilled and ready for the woofer:
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Wired up, polyfilled, screwed in and ready to go:
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Now you have to remove the small CD/Tape case inside the center console. I drilled out the rivets on the front two and then worked on pulling the rivets apart from the underneath. This is a long arduous task. Once the front two are out, you can break off of the case and use the Dremel tool to cut off the final two rivets (much faster and easier). You'll also need to widen the holes to accommodate the bolts to hold the enclosure in.


It takes some "smushing" to get the enclosure up to the correct height in the console. I used a paint can to allow me to push only on the enclosure and not the console.
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Once it was as close as I could get it to the top of the console, I installed the bolts and tightened slowly to pull the enclosure up even more. Unfortunately, only two of the holes line up, so I could only install two of the four (hello quality control! :facepalm:).
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Hole alignment fail:
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For the actual install, the mounting bracket holes are really messed up.

Missed it by that much:
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So you'll have to use the Dremel tool to cut off a small part for a unobstructed screw hole:
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Finally I connected it up to the amp and wrestled the console back into place. It looks completely stock.

I'm not a bass head, but I do enjoy music and missed the low end that wasn't provided with the 6.5 Kicker. This setup sounds great, despite the enclosure's shortcomings.

If anyone has questions let me know.
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#2 ·
Thanks for the write up! One small word of caution is that the amp should be mounted with the correct side up. The outer housing of the amp is made to dissipate heat generated by the amp. Heat rises and if the amp is mounted up side down the heat is trapped against the circuit board and could cause thermal shutdown or premature failure of the amp. I have been in the automotive electronics field my whole life and have seen and been guilty of the same thing.
 
#3 ·
Nice write up. I too had many of the same issues with the SSV box. The flange on mine wasn't flat in addition to the subs they said fit, well didn't (I tried a few from the list they emailed me.) I was lucky and had a friend who does pro audio stuff help me make it fit and setup everything (I did the grunt work of the install end, lol...) In the end he said it would have been about the same cost to have a box made. Even after a bunch of emails with the company they don't seem worried about the quality control :(
It sounds fine now though thanks to the big help of my friend!
 
#6 ·
If I remember right that sub takes less than .5 cu feet to work.
 
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#7 ·
Not sure why I didn't see the notifications to this thread, so I apologize for the late response.

Yes, the sub sounds good. It's not going to rock your world, but I wanted it to get a fuller sound, not rock the block. I've read the PolyFill will make the sub "see" more airspace, so I stuffed in as much as possible before securing it to the box.

Pioneer says it's made for 0.35 ~ 0.7 cubic feet, and the SSV enclosure is 0.5 cubic feet. The Alpine amp is feeding it 250 watts RMS at 2 ohms, which is close to the sub's RMS rating of 300 watts. I wanted the amp and sub to play nice together so they'd both last (hopefully).

A few people have warned me about running the amp upside down. It's been through the typical Texas summer (and winter) without any issues. If I had it to do over, I'd mount it in the same place but right side up just because I'm superstitious.

All in all, I'm happy with it and would do it again.
 
#9 ·
TJ_John said:
A few people have warned me about running the amp upside down.
Click to expand...
Resurrecting this old but helpful thread to update/correct some information.

Alpine told me on the phone last week (August 27, 2015) that the MRV-M250 (and the rest of that series of amps) can be run in any orientation so long as they are not packed tightly so that there is no free flow of air. I described the situation in TJs and where we like to mount amps, emailed some photos while we spoke live. The guy said several times that there would be nothing to worry about when this amp is mounted in this space in this manner. "Just don't get it all wet!" (He suggested using a very thin, bendable sheet of lexan to make a sort of umbrella to protect it from water coming down from above, in case you leave it out with the top down and it gets wet. Pretty good idea, if you can manage it. He used to own a TJ and did this to his.)
 
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