New Parcel Shelf - Advice Please!!

Roge1 · Post by **Roge1** » Mon Sep 15, 2008 1:37 pm

Hey all,

Noticed elsewhere within the forum that a number of folk have replaced the standard 480 load cover with something more substantial, though this has usually been done to house speakers etc.

Though not bothered about improving the ICE system, I am keen to put a hard parcel shelf in place.

Can anyone give me a few pointers? I presume getting a shelf from any other car to fit is out of the question, so what am I best to do??

Many thanks in advance

Roge1

esta · Post by **esta** » Mon Sep 15, 2008 4:44 pm

Well I studied this for my college and have seen a couple including:
1. A full hard surface with an opening in the middle to get at things
2. a Full hard surface

I made mine using 18mm MDF (and yes, I do mean 18mm, I tried to cheat with 12mm and it sagged so much that only the bass box was holiding it up!

) BUT on the other hand, I was holding 6x9s, so if you plan otherwise 12mm might be fine!

Check out my thread, I used half a sheet and then had the other half as a sheet of material to allow easy access and to prevent too much weight:

http://volvo480.dragons.org.uk/forum/vi ... hp?t=16261

Good luck with whatever you do! Remember measure twice cut once

piper1st · Post by **piper1st** » Mon Sep 15, 2008 4:59 pm

esta wrote:I made mine using 18mm MDF (and yes, I do mean 18mm, I tried to cheat with 12mm and it sagged

Yup, same here, my first try was with 12mm and it sagged also, but again, that was with 6x9's!

I suppose whats different about the boot of the 480 compared to other cars is there is only acess from the top. So whatever material you make it out of, it has to be light enough to lift with the boot lid, otherwise, your into the cat flap idea. See my 'how to' for more pic's!

esta · Post by **esta** » Mon Sep 15, 2008 5:05 pm

O and the reason I didnt go for the cat-flap idea is that I never know whe I may need to pick up a shed load of car parts or somthing, so I needed something that wouldnt be too hard to get in and out of the car!

Cerberus · Post by **Cerberus** » Mon Sep 15, 2008 10:45 pm

Esta's parcel shelf is, in fact, still going strong. Now fitted in the back
of 'The Wolf'. Although it has been fitted with two 1be1 braces underneath
to take out the sag.

Unfortunately 'Bass of Borg' is too big to fit beneath it so it will only be
in there till I get off my lazy ass and build a replacement! It's a good
shelf tho and will be in there a while yet.

Has anyone boxed the 6 x 9's on their shelf? By that I mean a box
built on the underside of the shelf to protect the speaker and give
it a bit more bass?

C

esta · Post by **esta** » Tue Sep 16, 2008 4:08 pm

Cerberus wrote: Has anyone boxed the 6 x 9's on their shelf? By that I mean a box
built on the underside of the shelf to protect the speaker and give
it a bit more bass?

C

Do you mean like a stealth shelf so they arent visible? If so, I was going to do that originally, but even with the bass box as shallow as it could go, there was still no room for that idea

Cerberus · Post by **Cerberus** » Tue Sep 16, 2008 8:19 pm

Nope.. I mean like your shelf... but with a box underneath...

imagine taking the lid off a shoe box and puting it on the underside of
your shelf over the speaker cage. Only in wood....

C