You might think about this - though Wayne hates it. Turn the speaker around - make the back the front. cut the hole to the inside diameter of the basket rim, maybe a bit smaller (a bit, like a 1/16" on the radius).

Put some scabs around the opening of the box that would have received the front, and plan to screw the back onto the scabs to make it removable. Now you can access the driver after installation.

You can still mount your port to the now-removable back - it really doesn't matter much where the port opening is unless you plan to flush them back against a wall.

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Yeah, from a purely technical POV it's not a 'good plan', but most Altec designs were done this way and I can't recall anybody complaining about how bad it makes them sound. ;^)

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>any advice on what size to cut the hole relative to the speaks? (i.e. just enough for cone and surround to show through?)

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13.25" diameter for the -8A. Bolt holes on 14.56" diameter.

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>This definitely means router, doesn't it?

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Naw, just a steady hand. Mine were freehand cut with a cheap Black & Decker jigsaw. I wore it out cutting driver holes. ;^)

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> also, should I use the router to flare out the opening a little bit?

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Can if you want, but be careful, otherwise you won't leave enough wood to install the driver mounting hardware.

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>jeez, this is making me nervous. I have the boxes all glued up except for the front panel where i need to mount the driver and attach the port. Kevin/EZ

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Not to worry. Look carefully at my cab and you'll notice that each woofer is attached to its own removable mini-baffle. This makes for a very rigid mounting, though of course it requires more wood/gasketing.

Another benefit of this type of construction is that if your vent is fairly large and only baffle thickness, as most Altec designs were, then you can space the mini-baffle up off the cab to create a highly resistive slot vent, fine tuning it by stuffing acoustic foam in the slot, so use your imagination to make it work with your cab's dims.

The pic isn't very clear, but there's a removable vent baffle at the bottom also, but the screws are painted over, while the driver baffles had been removed and I haven't bothered to paint the new screws since this is just a temporary set-up.

GM

• cab

Your diy VOTTS are cool. are you happy with them? what amplification / x-over are you using?

I hate stuffing so I'm planning to deflex panel the back wall and leave the rest nekkid, any thoughts on that plan?

thanks again man, I'm off to HD for more wood!

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You're welcome! No more so than mounting the driver on the rear.

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>Your diy VOTTS are cool. are you happy with them? what amplification / x-over are you using?

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No, not really, but then they're just a temporary solution with a mildly damped horn perched on top of a pair of cabs originally designed to 'pump up' the I hate stuffing so I'm planning to deflex panel the back wall and leave the rest nekkid, any thoughts on that plan?

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I would do the top (or whicher end is opposite the vent) and at least one side also.

GM