I just thought I'd post some pics of what I've been working on, lately. Since no audio companies find it appropriate to sell "custom fit" speaker boxes for '94+ Integras, I decided to build myself one. My goal was to have something that blended-in well, didn't take up much space (the Perfect 10 sub only needs 0.6 cu.ft. of air!!), and could be removed in moments for trips to the track.

Comments and questions are welcomed.

setup:
10" Infinity Kappa Perfect 10 sub
Precision Power 320w amp


I built it to perfectly fit into the recess in the corner of the hatch, gaining maximum air space and providing a secure fit. The box is constructed of hand-laid fiberglass and MDF, covered in black vinyl to match the interior.








Modified by ndustryalGSR at 7:05 PM 1/21/2004

 

So where are the pics?

 

sorry..... hit the "post" button by mistake, before I'd finished typing.... try again, should work now

love your avatar, by the way

 

Looks very good. What is it finished with?

Thanks for the compliment.

 

I finished it out with black vinyl, to match the black interior panels/dash. Once I get everything Armorall'd up, I think it'll blend together nicely.

It's not quite finished, yet, though. I'm planning to fabricate some brushed aluminum end pieces to cover the wiring. They will be hinged at the top of the box and will flip down to make everything even more seamless.

The only thing I'm really not happy with is the adhesive I used on the upholstery. It's a spray adhesive, but it doesn't have enough stick to really hold some of the areas where I stretched the vinyl a little tight. I'm not sure what I'll do to cure this, but I'll think of something.

Thanks for the compliments on the project -- lots of hours spent.

 

how much money did that cost, for materials how much time. have you done this before, on a scale from 1-10 how was the difficulty. can you give me some things that you ran into along the way that stopped you, how many layers of glass etc.

 

looks reallly good, and you still get to use your trunk, won't you do a diy for it

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Hehehe I just &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">how much money did that cost, for materials how much time. have you done this before, on a scale from 1-10 how was the difficulty. can you give me some things that you ran into along the way that stopped you, how many layers of glass etc.</TD></TR></TABLE>

The total list of supplies used on the project goes something like this:
-(3) gallons of resin (used 2 gallons fully, but only a little of the 3rd gallon) (~$20 each)
-MDF for the mounting rings for the sub and mounting surface for the amp ($4)
- approx. 6 square yards of fiberglass mat material (x2 $20 packs)
-(3) 1 quart plasitc mixing containers ($0.70 each)
-plastic drop cloth ($2)
-box of 100 count latex gloves ($7)
-tons of those 1" cheap little "chip" paint bruses ($0.70 each)
-(1) 1 quart-size can of Bondo body filler ($5)
-assorted sand paper
-1 yard black, marine-grade vinyl ($7)
-spray adhesive that didn't work that well ($5)
-pure silicone sealant to seal the speaker wire hole ($3)

That totals to maybe $150, but supplies were acquired as I needed, so I didn't buy it all at once. I also bought a quality mask with dual filtration cartridges for ~$30 -- that resin can seriously screw up your central nervous system, down the road, and the fiberglass fibers are no picnic for your lungs, either.

I intended to take pics as I went, to chronicle the process and post up an illustrated DIY, but once I got started, I just wanted to work quickly to get it finished. I'll post up a written DIY, though, so hopefully it can help others.

To answer the other questions above, no, I'd never done a fiberglass project before. I'd only briefly played around with the stuff a little.

I worked on it for 2 weeks, but some days I wouldn't do anything (or barely anything), and there were only a few days when I worked on it solidly through the day.

On a scale of 1-10, I'd say if you've never even touched fiberglass before, it rates about 6 for difficulty. It wasn't really as difficult as it was a learning process. It's all about figuring out how the fiberglass and resin behaves. You'd definitely want to read up a little before diving in, though, to make sure you know what you're getting into and what to expect as you go along.

The toughest part I ran into was laying the initial layer of fiberglass, and trying to keep it perfectly form-fitted to the panels. Since the resin is sticky, the fiberglass and your gloves try to stick to the drop cloth, pulling it away from the interior panel you're trying to keep it formed against. Also, when you try to lay glass vertical (or worse, up-side-down) and all it has to stick to is the plastic drop cloth, it has a tendency to fall. This takes some time to negotiate, but it can be done.

I'll type up a DIY in a little while, to answer any other questions. If anyone has questions I didn't answer, post up, and I'd be glad to tell you all I know.

 

A few suggestions:

1. Don't mask off the part you want to glass on with drop cloths - instead, use either packing tape, or blue painters tape. Then grab some PVA and brush or spay it on.

2. When you go to lay glass on vertical sections, paint a layer of resin on there first. If you get laminating resin, the resin will be sticky, and will help the pieces of cloth to stick

3. You should use knytex - it builds up quicker and is stronger then chop mat

4. I think 2 gallons of resin and 6 sq yards (that's 54 sq feet!!!) of matt is WAY too much, I think you are over using the resin, or you built that enclosure WAY too thick, or a bit of both!!


I think you did a great job, epecially with this being your first time with glass...

Two big thumbs up!

 

Did you use anything as an underlying material?

When I build custom boxes for customers I use fleece from a fabric store to stretch and get the shape I need. Then resin the fleece until it is somewhat hard, and then lay fiberglass and resin the inside of the enclosure to stiffen it up.

 

nicely done!!!!

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by NUBREED &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">nicely done!!!! </TD></TR></TABLE>

And saves ton of space

 

I WANT ONE!

Will you sell it?

 

Very nice. I'll bet it sounds nice to. I'm too chicken to try any glass, I wish I could find someone to show me.

 

You can just go and buy a quart of resin and some cloth or matt for under $15. Then just build a little frame out of wood, staple an old tshirt to it, and give it a try. Or, find an interesting shape, and try to pull a mold of it. Just do something small and something that you can afford to ruin...

 

Thanks to everyone for all the positive feedback

I'd definitely recommend experimenting with fiberglass. For just a few bucks, you can see whether it's something you think you'll be able to pull off on a larger scale. Be sure to get a proper mask, though, and plenty of latex gloves.

I'm still planning to write up a DIY of the project, when time permits.

 

Streaching speaker grill cloth works really well instead of fleece and it gives you a better shape!!!!!!!

 

hows it sound?

 

That looks really good. A DIY write up is definitely in order. You could probably make some money selling those things.

 

so where is the DIY?

 

Thats cool. Got to give you props for trying something different. I cant wait for the summer because i got a great idea in mind for my sup/amp setup in the back of my 00 civic si.