The Alpine amp and thin mount sub is exactly what we are going to do. Looks great :cornut: Did you use the 5 channel amp?
Nope, but that would have been the right choice if I hadn't decided to try a more complicated system. There are actually two Alpine PDX amps in there. There's a 4-channel amp under the seat delete panel driving pairs of 2-ways in the doors and on the sides in the back plus a separate 4-channel amp in the enclosure driving a pair of mini-subs on the sides in the back and the big sub in the enclosure. Like I said above, it's more bass than I need (or want) so I'm about to lose the enclosure and sub from the boot.
Steve, So I get this straight, the kit from Helix comes in two pieces and you added a hinge. Correct? How did you attach the hinge? If you don't attach the hinge how easy is it to open that space underneath? I'm assuming you could glue/attach some carpeting over this? Also is this a one-way street? I can't imagine trading mine in but it could happen. Is it a PITA to put back the rear seats?
The kit Helix sells is the Shrader kit. It is not two pieces but is a single part that fits where the seats would be (see the pic with the weights on it or see gregd's post for another good pic). The second part in my MINI (the part in the boot) is a sub enclosure I bought from RoadsterSound. This delete kit does not come with a hinge but is bolted to the rail where the seat back would sit. I added the hinge to mine because I wanted easy access to the space underneath, and I added PVC material to the front and back (below the hinge I added) to raise it a bit and add some add'l space beneath it. The PVC mat'l is bolted where the panel is supposed to bolt and my hinge is attached to that by screws. You can sort of get under it from the front but you have to flex the panel up to do it and you can't get much through that opening. Yes. Keep in mind though that they look pretty clean (again, see the pic in gregd's post) and the surface is textured. Mine has a bunch of screw and bolt heads showing because of all the stuff I attached to the underside and I will cover it as soon as I find something I like other than carpet.....probably something rubbery so things won't slide around on it. If you do the Shrader kit as it's intended, taking it back out and putting the rear seats back in is a piece of cake.
Thanks Steve, Seems a good route. Aside from the added cargo space, ability to easily add amps and subs it would be pretty slick to let my dog back in the car! Like everyone except my 5'-0" 110lb co-worker they do not like the back seats.
side note, I always chuckle when I think about the section in the MINI manual that talks about passenger load spec's referring to 3 and 4 passengers. Yeah, from the merry old land of oz'
Thanks for the input guys, I think I will reinforce mine before installation. I may even add a hinge so I can get under it easier.
You're right, it does flex, but I think your picture is actually more misleading than the one from Helix. I think I thought the same sort of thing when mine arrived. It's been a while but that day I was probably swearing about how much I paid for something that wasn't more rigid. However, it really does make a very large difference that it's out of the car in your picture. Why? [note: the following isn't for you nitro, it's for those who've never seen one of these things in the "flesh"] Because the long side pictured never has to support any weight at all like that on its own...never. It's only flat and structurally weak along that side because when installed that edge sits perfectly flat on top of a 2" wide (approx) beam that runs along the full length of that side. Do the same thing and take a picture from the other long side (the front). Better yet, support the back edge properly and look at it from from any angle or side while exerting the same amount of force. I now refer you back to the pic from Helix..... You are right to say it flexes though and a few of us have already mentioned it. The key is it can carry a fairly decent load without deforming or breaking. If you place a heavy load on it, it will flex, but unless you really load it up it will not flex to the point of deformation and it'll bounce right back to perfectly flat when you remove the load. It's not perfect and I'm not defending it because I have a personal or vested interest -- buy one or don't, I don't care. I just know I used mine without extra support bracing for a few years -- regularly piling lots of stuff on top of it -- without seeing any of the issues I worried about when I first took it out of the box (when I flexed it pretty much the same way you are in your picture). It's MUCH more expensive than it should be, but aside from that it's easier to buy one and pop it in there than it is for many of us to design and build one that will hold up as well.....plus it happens to work.
I got a rear seat delete kit off eBay- covered it with black carpet - removed the rear seat - yhe unit was easy to install and looks great-
Yes, that flex is misleading. I had it loaded with 6 sets of brake rotors for 3 days before delivering them to Way at MOTD in 08. This year I had the pleasure of many sets of springs sitting back there for 900 or so miles and 3 days to deliver to Way to MOTD 09. Many cases of beer and Dr Pepper, the real stuff made with sugar and in glass bottles have made the trek from Dallas to points outside of TX riding on the that shelf.
FWIW, I've had my Schrader RSD in now for about 2 years. I've loaded 4 ea. 7x15 Kosei Racing wheels w/225/50x15 Toyo RA1's on it many times w/o any problems. I use Tire Totes to keep things neat and clean and to "horse" them in & out. The RSD really saves weight and really increases carrying capacity.
i would also recommend taking out the rear seat belts and seat mounts while you are at it i did mine at the same time and it all adds up, seat belts have some heft ~5lbs if i remember correctly each and high up! ^i figure if you are taking the seats out the seat belts are pretty pointless no?
I chose to leave the seat belt assembly in for the rare occasions that I might need to use the rear seats!
yeah if you want it to be un-do-able then by all means leave them in i have just gotten used to having a two seater with a "big" trunk :lol:
Same here -- I think of mine as a 2-seater -- but I wanted it to be easily reversible. On the other hand, I haven't put the seats back in once since I took them out something like four years ago, plus now I'd have to rip the guts out of my sound system to do it. Hmmm, guess it's time to give up on the reversible idea and pull the seat belt assembly. It's not like this MC is ever going back to stock anyway. Thanks for the reminder.