seal/protect lukebox

[e30moneypit]

ever so often i see some water gets into trunk either heavy rain or carwash. so how can i seal the lukebox to protect the wood?

[StereoInstaller1]

Hey cool...great question! In fact, we have sold over 600 boxes now and you are the first to ask this question.

Obviously, before you put electronics and MDF in your trunk, you should make sure you have no leaks....but....these aren't the most waterproof car ever made, are they?

So, my thoughts have been along the lines of some roll on coating, like garage floor paint or something. I have never found an economical solution (r3v being the cheapasses we are) but have been looking for a couple of years now.

Post up what you find out!

Luke

[WhyNot]

you can 'seal' mdf by taking wood glue, diluting it with water, and simply brushing it on.
you can also use special glues like ROO glue which is a glue thats made for mdf but a coat of regular wood glue, even elmers crap, works well and goes far.
if the boxes were made of medex, which is an exterior type mdf used for outside signage, you could almost submerge them without any issues, well for the box anyway.
also, there are speciality screws for attaching mdf and particle board.
they have a special tip, thread pitch and the head has cutters so they make the screw fit flush easier. they are much better than drywall screws.
there are specialty drywall scres that are used to fasten one sheet of dw to another like when they are doubled up for fire rating that are much heavier than the standard screws.
they also have lightweight mdf which is exactly what it says.

[dubdub]

Isn't the easiest thing to solve where the water is coming from? Water in your trunk can cause lots of other problems beyond damage to your sub... like rust.

There are a finite list of places where the water can get in, no? Sunroof drains, antenna gasket, rear lights gasket, rubber around edge of trunk (also, is your lid fit correctly, so a nice seal is made?), and maybe the seal around the rear windows, but I am guessing if that could actually cause your problem.

Where do you see the water? In the wells on the side or in the middle? That should guide you some. You can always just crawl in with a flashlight while someone hits the outside with a hose.