i plan on doing a false floor style installation (spare tire removed) for 2 12" subs in my Integra. i want to use fiberglass for the base then as the top, MDF. i have a basic idea on what to do w/the fiberglass but doesn anyone have any instructions on how to do that kind of set up? pics would be great too. for the set up i want, Tweeter quoted me at $600+ so i figured i'd do it my self. thanx.
-Jan

 

Ahh...the smell of resin in the morning.. Okay so you want to build an enclosure.
But first a PSA:

WARNING: Fiberglass resins are EXTREMELY TOXIC AND FLAMMABLE !!!!!
( you must use a respirator,plenty of ventilation and yes in this case FIRE IS BAD !!
no smoking or flames in the area...we would'nt want a loved one to find you passed out in your trunk or have see you on a "when things go really wrong " video show doing a Richard Pryor.

Thses are the basic steps.
a. Lay out the front,back and sides of the enclsoure in the trunk/hatch
( this would be the frame of the box..gives you a pont of refence)
b. tapre off area you dont want to get glass on,also tape spare floor very well.
c. staple intial forming material ( fleece/sweatshirt,speaker box carpet,t-shirt)
to frame.
d. put on safety gear.
e. mix resin per instructions.
f. coat forming material thoroghly.
g. while it sets,cut out strips of glass to be layered over intail form.
h. mix resin,lay strips into form,soak with resin...paying close attention to press
out bubbles that may appear.
i. take a break while it dries.
j. repeat steps g to i until you reach your desired thickness.
k. marvel at your work while your s/o reminds you that you spent $300 dollars more than the shop quoted ( materials tools etc)
l. "think to your self i can make this back by doing this for friends",so you show your pals and you do their cars as well.
m. Become the target of an INTERVENTION ( Yes you have become addicted to glass......"yeah i can make that planter outa glass..with cool curves and averything)

have Fun

 

this isn't the best looking setup, but it sounds like something you want.
i got it done at Tweeter for like 250 including the speaker covers which are like 25 each

 

the real q's is do you have to have a ventalator if you do i out side and dont breath in the stuff and only work for like 20 min.

 

One question how do you staple anything to the frame?

I lay aluminum foil down. Three to four layers thick. Then lay the glass, build up as needed. The box comes out nicely, the foil also peels of the box.

 

i have a question... i am building a fiberglass box where my rear seats used to be, should i build a box out of mdf and then cover it in fiberglass or just build a box out of fiberglass?

 

The idea here is that you have built or framed the area of the enclosure with MDF...there is many ways to build up the layers ( trunk liner or speaker box carpet when resin is applied become QUITE hard ). You want a great surface to build up/layer upon..so why not tack or staple forming material to the frame.

 

You could build the base frame...bottom .. sides out of MDF,them take a few trim rings ( available from Select Products...say hi to Robert or have a shop cut them out for you ) and some hot glue ( i should provide a list of whats needed) and some stilts and kinda place them inside of the frame...go crazy or simple ( just remember this... 'glass is stronger on CURVED SURFACES than staight surfaces) as you like its your design. once you have the rings secure,cover the enclosure with the forming material playing close attention to stretch it tight and secure it to the frame and rings ( staples are great for this) mix resin and have fun...JUST don't coat the inside of the trim rings...you will cut this out later.

have fun

TRIM RING....a ring made out of MDF that is the circumference of the speaker..the speaker can fit inside snuggly and it has room to secure it.

 

I did it this way too with aluminum foil, also when the mold was done I coated the inside with undercoating (the tar stuff they use under your car, worked great).

 

ok, thanks for the ansers.. does anybody have any pics of stuff they have done, i wanna kinda get a better idea of what is possible..

 

Read this site for detailed instructions and pics too!
http://homepages.ihug.co.nz/~wradford/welbuild.htm









[Modified by C1V1C, 12:05 AM 7/25/2002]

 

thats cool.... how would i go about building something where my rear seats used to be, do i need to do a fiberglass bottom so it fits and also do a fiberglass top for looks, so i would only have wood sides??? how well would this work out... and how would i secure it to my body.. screws through the sheet metal?

 

yeah i know it's an old post.....but it's better than gettin bished out for not usin the search.

just readin around, and to answer the above question, you could always put some holes where the rear seatbelts normally bolt up (provided you did a really good job molding it all to the floorpan), and use those bolts. Just put a tidge of hot glue over the bolt to make sure it's sealed after you bolt it down, and presto--a box that doesn't move.

 

ALRIGHTY HERE... I think I got the best help for you. This website is a how to install almost! It has abuot 100 pics and shows how to do all of that. it shows the best ways and easiest! I used it to design mine. He even used a flat MDF top for his Temporary install. Which you can see. If you wanna do better, just follow his links beyond that and see what he did! http://members.iinet.net.au/~nismo/subs.html

 

heh, thanks for the replys guys. i finished doin the fiberglass work a long time ago lol. It wasn't nearly as hard as i thought it would be to do it all.

 

where did u end up getting the fiber glass from "all motor LS"?
i want to make one for my car, but can't locate a store that carries large enough kits of fiberglass.

 

Your in luck you live in MD. Find a boating supply store, their fiberglass products will be cheaper than Home Depot/Sears/etc...

 

you can also get the fiberglass resin at walmart. and i dont recomend using their fiberglass matting its really thin and once you apply the resin it basically falls apart. if i were to do this again, i'd use a thicker material like a t-shirt, or a thinner sweatshirt type material.

 

http://www.uscomposites.com

another HT member told me about this place, he gets Carbon Fiber from here...

 

Ive heard a lot of good things about using felt instead of fiberglass matting. Its pretty cheap too just go to any craft or fabric store.

 

Material like t-*****, fleece, etc should only be used as a base to help shape the enclosure. This type of material is very good for stretching between forms so that you can get some cool shapes...past that they are garbage for enclosures.

Fiberglass works by bonding many fibers together...the material will only be strong in the direction that the fibers are oriented. The longer the fibers the stronger the piece. This is just one reason that 'glass cloth is stronger then the same thickness of glass mat. The cloth has long fibers, and are all oriented in the same two directions. Chop mat has short fibers that are all in random directions. The cloths that you mentioned have no real redeeming qualities as far as structural integrity is concerned....while they get very hard with the application of resin, they are also very brittle!!

If you really want the best of both worlds, get some knytex. This is the best material that I have ever used. It's almost a combo of matt and cloth. IT builds up very thick, and is extrememly strong. Just a few layers and you have a very strong enclosure. Go to tapplastics.com or shopmaninc.com for more info on it.

Sorry if this post makes no sense, I typed it in a hurry...

 

found this on a site, should give a visual on why you need sides and a bottom. without sides or bottom your box has no form

 

thats some serious work...i wonder what i looks like finished...