kan3
May 27 2003, 04:08pm
VERSION 3 – UPDATED 8/12/04
STEP 1 - PREPERATION
This is obviously the most important step, the tools you will NEED goes as follows:
1.) Something to mark off the area to cut - masking tape works great
2.) Something to cut the holes - Plasma cutter, air grinder, jigsaw, rotozip, sawzall, etc
3.) Accordion Gasket/boot to seal the hole that you've just cut
4.) Silicone to help seal the boot to the metal
The following are highly recommended but OPTIONAL:
1.) A hole saw - perfect for both starting a cut and doing the four corners to round them out – this helps immensely when applying the boot
2.) Something to start the hole if you don't have a hole saw
3.) Tarp to place inside your vehicle to help clean up metal shavings
QUESTIONS FOR THIS SECTION 1
How do mark where I want to cut?
I found that taping off the area provided the best reference for cutting. You’ll want to take some GOOD measurements for each wall and then use the tape to mark the area. Measure twice cut once…I’m sure you’ve heard that before. Please note that in my truck(98 ranger STD)the floor of the cab was 1.5-2” LOWER then the floor of the bed. Also I recommend starting .5” up from the bottom of the bed floor since the boot needs material to grip onto.
What tool is the best one to use for cutting?
I’ve used a variety of tools during the cut which included a rotozip, air grinder, sawzal and hand drill with grinder attachment. If your asking fastest then definitely the rotozip. With a good bit that thing will sail through the metal like butter. I’d rank the sawzal 2nd followed by the air grinder and hand drill. For control definitely the air/hand grinders…since they’re slower its easier to control their movements. The rotozip was 2nd followed by the sawzal in last place, mainly because the blades bend a lot and its hard to cut through one wall at a time with it because of motion the blade takes and extreme forces.
What the hell is a Accordion boot?
An accordion boot is a thick rubber gasket mainly used for toppers or ventilation on trucks to join to separate compartments that would be exposed to the outside. The edges of the boot have metal clips in them that help grip onto the metal.
The BEST place to find this item is at those truck topper stores you see all the time…followed by an RV store and then a place that sells truck access etc (they can order it through their distributor), don’t be surprised if people have NO idea what your asking for when you call them.
The main reason they aren’t kept in stock is because the width needed for the boot is different for all applications. For a conventional cut-through in a ranger a boot that is 2.5-3” wide is more then enough. This will be compressed when applied and since the boot can easily stretch to 2x its compressed width you’ll have more then enough for bed travel.
How big do I cut the hole?
This is completely up to you. A bigger cut yields the advantages of having more air flow into the cab as well as being able to slid a box into the cabin if you so desire. A smaller cut is more stealth and easier to weld back up if you decided to sell your truck =]
Note – keep the metal patches you cut out of your truck as you or someone else can easily weld them back into place if you want to return it to “almost” original condition.
http://images.cardomain.com/member_images/10/web/322000-322999/322692_25_full.jpg
http://images.cardomain.com/member_images/10/322000-322999/322692_26_full.jpg
http://images.cardomain.com/member_images/10/322000-322999/322692_27_full.jpg
STEP 2 - CUTTING AND APPLYING THE BOOT
Ok now that you have masked off your area you want to cut and got all preparations out of the way...its time to go for it...I can't really help you here because I have no idea what tool your going to use but PLEASE take it slow and make nice straight cuts
This is also where I tell you that you need to ROUND YOUR CORNERS. The boot can’t fit into 90deg corners because of its thickness and metal grips. Rounding your corners allows it to seamlessly attach to the metal making for a better seal and less hassle. A hole saw works great here because you get perfect circles and it starts the cuts for you.
Time to apply the boot. First thing you need to do is make sure the metal edges around the hole are smooth, if they are make sure to clean them up a little as you don’t want to slice into your boot Also, if you haven’t noticed there are ribs on the back wall to increase structural stability. Getting the boot on these just takes some patience and shouldn't take you much longer then 30-40 minutes.
After you finish you need to apply silicone around the edges of the boot to help seal it up. Once the silicone dries(tube will say 24hrs before contact with water but it’s up to you) you can test the seal by pouring water on it from outside and see if any leaks in. If you made a mistake in cutting somewhere and went to far then fill it with silicone...its your friend so don't be afraid to be ample with it
STEP 3 - FINISHED?
Try to get the box as close to the bed wall as possible, making a good seal is vitale for output. You want to force all the pressure that your subs create into the cab and not allow any to escape into the bed. This will sound better by not allowing vibrations from the bed or other objects to color the sound because they can't reach your ear but also it will be louder because all of the pressure is in the cab instead of floating around the bed of your truck where it can escape through the many tiny cracks here and there.
http://images.cardomain.com/member_images/10//322000-322999/322692_31_full.jpg
http://images.cardomain.com/member_images/10/322000-322999/322692_30_full.jpg
http://images.cardomain.com/member_images/10/322000-322999/322692_41_full.jpg
http://images.cardomain.com/member_images/10/322000-322999/322692_38_full.jpg
http://images.cardomain.com/member_images/10/322000-322999/322692_40_full.jpg
http://images.cardomain.com/member_images/10/322000-322999/322692_44_full.jpg
http://images.cardomain.com/member_images/10/322000-322999/322692_37_full.jpg
STEP 1 - PREPERATION
This is obviously the most important step, the tools you will NEED goes as follows:
1.) Something to mark off the area to cut - masking tape works great
2.) Something to cut the holes - Plasma cutter, air grinder, jigsaw, rotozip, sawzall, etc
3.) Accordion Gasket/boot to seal the hole that you've just cut
4.) Silicone to help seal the boot to the metal
The following are highly recommended but OPTIONAL:
1.) A hole saw - perfect for both starting a cut and doing the four corners to round them out – this helps immensely when applying the boot
2.) Something to start the hole if you don't have a hole saw
3.) Tarp to place inside your vehicle to help clean up metal shavings
QUESTIONS FOR THIS SECTION 1
How do mark where I want to cut?
I found that taping off the area provided the best reference for cutting. You’ll want to take some GOOD measurements for each wall and then use the tape to mark the area. Measure twice cut once…I’m sure you’ve heard that before. Please note that in my truck(98 ranger STD)the floor of the cab was 1.5-2” LOWER then the floor of the bed. Also I recommend starting .5” up from the bottom of the bed floor since the boot needs material to grip onto.
What tool is the best one to use for cutting?
I’ve used a variety of tools during the cut which included a rotozip, air grinder, sawzal and hand drill with grinder attachment. If your asking fastest then definitely the rotozip. With a good bit that thing will sail through the metal like butter. I’d rank the sawzal 2nd followed by the air grinder and hand drill. For control definitely the air/hand grinders…since they’re slower its easier to control their movements. The rotozip was 2nd followed by the sawzal in last place, mainly because the blades bend a lot and its hard to cut through one wall at a time with it because of motion the blade takes and extreme forces.
What the hell is a Accordion boot?
An accordion boot is a thick rubber gasket mainly used for toppers or ventilation on trucks to join to separate compartments that would be exposed to the outside. The edges of the boot have metal clips in them that help grip onto the metal.
The BEST place to find this item is at those truck topper stores you see all the time…followed by an RV store and then a place that sells truck access etc (they can order it through their distributor), don’t be surprised if people have NO idea what your asking for when you call them.
The main reason they aren’t kept in stock is because the width needed for the boot is different for all applications. For a conventional cut-through in a ranger a boot that is 2.5-3” wide is more then enough. This will be compressed when applied and since the boot can easily stretch to 2x its compressed width you’ll have more then enough for bed travel.
How big do I cut the hole?
This is completely up to you. A bigger cut yields the advantages of having more air flow into the cab as well as being able to slid a box into the cabin if you so desire. A smaller cut is more stealth and easier to weld back up if you decided to sell your truck =]
Note – keep the metal patches you cut out of your truck as you or someone else can easily weld them back into place if you want to return it to “almost” original condition.
http://images.cardomain.com/member_images/10/web/322000-322999/322692_25_full.jpg
http://images.cardomain.com/member_images/10/322000-322999/322692_26_full.jpg
http://images.cardomain.com/member_images/10/322000-322999/322692_27_full.jpg
STEP 2 - CUTTING AND APPLYING THE BOOT
Ok now that you have masked off your area you want to cut and got all preparations out of the way...its time to go for it...I can't really help you here because I have no idea what tool your going to use but PLEASE take it slow and make nice straight cuts
This is also where I tell you that you need to ROUND YOUR CORNERS. The boot can’t fit into 90deg corners because of its thickness and metal grips. Rounding your corners allows it to seamlessly attach to the metal making for a better seal and less hassle. A hole saw works great here because you get perfect circles and it starts the cuts for you.
Time to apply the boot. First thing you need to do is make sure the metal edges around the hole are smooth, if they are make sure to clean them up a little as you don’t want to slice into your boot Also, if you haven’t noticed there are ribs on the back wall to increase structural stability. Getting the boot on these just takes some patience and shouldn't take you much longer then 30-40 minutes.
After you finish you need to apply silicone around the edges of the boot to help seal it up. Once the silicone dries(tube will say 24hrs before contact with water but it’s up to you) you can test the seal by pouring water on it from outside and see if any leaks in. If you made a mistake in cutting somewhere and went to far then fill it with silicone...its your friend so don't be afraid to be ample with it
STEP 3 - FINISHED?
Try to get the box as close to the bed wall as possible, making a good seal is vitale for output. You want to force all the pressure that your subs create into the cab and not allow any to escape into the bed. This will sound better by not allowing vibrations from the bed or other objects to color the sound because they can't reach your ear but also it will be louder because all of the pressure is in the cab instead of floating around the bed of your truck where it can escape through the many tiny cracks here and there.
http://images.cardomain.com/member_images/10//322000-322999/322692_31_full.jpg
http://images.cardomain.com/member_images/10/322000-322999/322692_30_full.jpg
http://images.cardomain.com/member_images/10/322000-322999/322692_41_full.jpg
http://images.cardomain.com/member_images/10/322000-322999/322692_38_full.jpg
http://images.cardomain.com/member_images/10/322000-322999/322692_40_full.jpg
http://images.cardomain.com/member_images/10/322000-322999/322692_44_full.jpg
http://images.cardomain.com/member_images/10/322000-322999/322692_37_full.jpg