help on Porting cab to bed of the truck
 

I want to port the bed to my 95 standard cab ranger and I'm looking for tips on the best way to do it. If anybody has pics from the buildup or completion of this project post them up.I am gonna seal up the bed and put a hard tonneau on it(If you have one that will fit let me know), But what is the best way to form a port between the cab and bed? Any tips will help.Thanks.

I've done a couple. Cut a big hole through the cab and bed...then there is this boot material (like a large rubber gasket) that a couple car audio install material suppliers sell, which is the best way to seal it all up. Then just basically build a sub enclsoure and run the ports through the hole.

+1 thats the only way to do it - i have done dozens of them that way - protect the boot - they tear easy

should the ports of the box go directly into the hole or can it sit anywhere in the bed? Protect it how?

Build a sealed box in the bed, cut holes to let the bass in. really simple. sealing it is the hard part.

Integralsgreen was talking about welding a box into place and skipping the gasket alltogether a while ago. He disappeared before he put it into action.

Depends - I Have Done Both - If You Just Want To Port The Box Into The Cab I Have Dont That With Pvc And Silicone, But What I Have Done Mostly Is Cutout The Back Of The Cab And Front Of The Bed (becarefull To Leave A Lip For The Boot Material To Slip Over) That They Use For Topper Installs (you Can Buy It By The Foot) I Use Silicone In The Groove Of The Boot To Keep It From Pulling Out, Then I Build A Floor Over The Bottom Of The Boot - If You Dont You Will Rip It And Then Water Will Get It.
If You Buy A Snug Topper I Have Cut The Hole Back Of The Bed/cab Out To Make A Walk Thru, Then 12 - 15's Are Easy To Put Back There Or I Have Done BED Caps, And Cut Out A Port To Let A BanDpass Box With 8 15's Breather - Good Luck -

I'll be doing one on our new shop truck in the next week or so. We're doing a topper, so I'm going to basically cut everything out, making it suv-like, as Grade A mentions. I've found a couple of different gasket ideas. One is the standard accordian boot, that lots of people use, and can be bought at many truck stores, and online. It 'clamps' to both sides, and flexes in the middle. The other material is more like a big noodle...sticks to one side, and then smashes up against the other. I think this will work better in a moving vehicle, and be less prone to tearing.

I'm out in Vegas at the CES show, but I'll post some links to the gaskets when I get back.

Toby

both of those sound like something that I could work with so if you have a link to that or pictures of work you've done it would be greatly apreciated.Also with the pvc pipe into the cab would you still get the same amount of bass inside the cab? And what size should I use for two 12in in one box?

This is basically what I want to do but what should I use to fill in that gap?In-Bed Woofer Install - Tech - Truckin Magazine

And a box like this would be perfect but should I leave the back of the box completely open and just snug it up against the hole in the wall and seal up the cracks or specifically cut to fit the opening?In-Bed Woofer Install - Tech - Truckin Magazine

Mount The Box Tight Against The Rear Wall Of The Bed - I Would Coat The Out Side Of The Box With Resign To Prevent Any Water Damage, Then You Could Use 2 - 4" Pvc To Port Into The Cab - Size And Length Of Port Depends On Box Design , Just Design It So The Ports Extend Out Of The Box Instead Of Into The Box, - If You Were Going Thru All The Trouble To Do This I Would Do More Than 2 12's - Maybe 4 Or A Couple Of 15's

ttt

I just talked to someone about it and they said that cutting a hole messing up the supports in the truck it got in an accident it would just crumble because it messes up the entire way the truck is built. is this just some bullshit or will it significantly mess up the stucture and support of the truck?

The frame will provide the support for front or rear impact. The body really only protects you from rollover and side impact. I guess, technically, cutting the hole could make the cab a little weaker in a side impact, but I wouldn't worry about it. The piece of metal you are cutting, even if you cut a big hole, does little toward structural support.

Toby

BS. There shouldn't be any structural supports in that area of the truck. Should simply be sheet metal.

you use a boot it will allow the cab to move independly from the bed -