Return of the custom audio build diary!

BaXTeR3221 · Apr 13, 2005

alanw6 said:
Using fiberglass to attach the MDF baffle to the tub. For my box, I used Evercoat Kitty Hair, which is a chopped mat/resin blend. Really messy to use, but fills in seams with ease and dries rock solid.

You could easily just use chop mat and resin to build up the edges. The only real challenge is working through the sub hole(s). The larger cutout I made for the top chamber of the box made this a little easier on me.

guess i'm just having hard time picturing this. Your using fiberglass up and over the top to seal it to the rest of the enclousure?

alanw6 · Apr 13, 2005

BaXTeR3221 said:
guess i'm just having hard time picturing this. Your using fiberglass up and over the top to seal it to the rest of the enclousure?

You're on the right track, but the attaching is done on the inside of the box. When doing strips of mat, I use about 4-6 inch by 3 inch strips, overlapping them as I go. Half of the strip is on the tub, then it turns and the other half is on the MDF. It's done inside the box to keep it neater looking on the outside.

The "kitty hair" I used was applied with gloved hands, and pressed into a bead along the seam similar to applying bathroom caulk.

89white50 · Apr 13, 2005

where do i get the "kitty hair" stuff? lol...run a cat over? no seriously though

alanw6 · Apr 13, 2005

89white50 said:
where do i get the "kitty hair" stuff? lol...run a cat over? no seriously though

I've got two cats, I can send you some!

No, seriously though, you can get it at many auto body supply stores (Sherwin Williams Automotive, for example). It is made by Evercoat, and Kitty Hair is the real name. There are two types, long strand and short strand. I used the long on bigger parts and the short on smaller ones. Autozone may even have a similar product, maybe under the Duraglass name brand.

It's good for building up parts quickly, and is strong as can be. It is a real mess to work with, and not a good one for someone with little glass experience. If you've worked with glass before that's cool, but I wouldn't recommend the stuff to a beginner. Mixing it accurately is tough, and did I mention it is a mess? But I like it for certain tasks...

Hope this helps.

BaXTeR3221 · Apr 14, 2005

Isnt it hard to work on the inside of the box with the top on? You put your hands through the hole for the sub?

alanw6 · Apr 14, 2005

BaXTeR3221 said:
Isnt it hard to work on the inside of the box with the top on? You put your hands through the hole for the sub?

Yes, you work through the hole(s) for the sub. And, yes, it can be hard depending on the box design and type of car. Be prepared to get a little glass on you, and it's no fun in the arm hair!

alanw6 · Apr 16, 2005

I got up early today (due to reasons from my cat thread, if you saw it) and since I was going to be home all day keeping an eye on my sick cat, I got out and pressed to finish the door panels.

Here's the pics of the door panels continued from those in my last picture post in this thread. The last picture is where I started today.

Here are the door panels after one layer of Rage Extreme filler, some great stuff you should try if you can get it.

Here they are sanded down to the point where I declared they are both ready for vinyl. The finish is quite smooth to the touch all over, and I checked my work by wrapping all of the panel areas with a test swatch of vinyl.

And a little closer view of the speaker flushed into the panel.

I'm going to wrap them tomorow, but don't have the correct dye yet. I'll get that this week. So they will be dark tan vinyl in the pics tomorrow.

Next is the radio/processors double din custom dash kit. I may or may not relocate the HVAC, something I'm going to look at when the area is torn apart.

I'm going to break out my new CNC mill for the radio area and a few more custom parts for the stereo. Pics of these should come up this week.

Philstang · Apr 17, 2005

looks good, maybe a future project idea for me...
How will you attach the panels to the door?

04sleeper · Apr 17, 2005

Lookig good Alan!

Keep it up.

I have been working on painting my new gagage in my new house. I am getting ready to go over there now and epoxy the floor.

alanw6 · Apr 17, 2005

Philstang said:
looks good, maybe a future project idea for me...
How will you attach the panels to the door?

After the panels are wrapped in vinyl (today!), I'm going to permanently attach them to the door panel. My plan is to remove the vinyl and padding from the lower portion of the door, up to about an inch and half from the top of my new panel. From there, I am going to use an incredibly strong adhesive (Duramix 4040) to bond the new panel to the OEM door panel. Once they are on, they won't be be coming off again.

I'll be taking pics of this process and will add them to thread.

Kevin, I'm jealous of your floor project. You're lucky since you can do an empty garage and stay off of the surface for a good while. This seems to be the best way to ensure the finish doesn't come up from the weight/heat of car tires.

Get pics!

04sleeper · Apr 17, 2005

alanw6 said:
Kevin, I'm jealous of your floor project. You're lucky since you can do an empty garage and stay off of the surface for a good while. This seems to be the best way to ensure the finish doesn't come up from the weight/heat of car tires.

Get pics!

lol. Yeah, now is the perfect time for me to do it. I have some pictures of before and the floor is finished. I will try to get some more pictures of it and I will make a thread about it.

Get some pictures of yours as well.

alanw6 · Apr 21, 2005

Got a little work done before I leave for vaction tomorrow ( A week in Jamaica! )

The door panels are now finished and wrapped in vinyl. All that is left to do is dye them to the matching grey color of my stock door panel and attach them.

My friend Mike is going to work on the car a little while I'm gone. The hatch area trim panel is next, and then the radio area custom plate. Once I'm back home, it's going to be an all-out push to finish it. The finished car is going to be in my company's booth at WFC8 in May, so I have a timeline to beat.

Here are the finished door panels, minus the speakers:

Eight hours or so total time and about $100 in materials I think.

04sleeper · Apr 21, 2005

Looking good Alan. Looks like you did a good job smoothing out things before wrapping them.

Oh BTW here is a link to my garage project.
http://forums.stangnet.com/showthread.php?t=537484

alanw6 · Apr 21, 2005

89sleeper said:
Looking good Alan. Looks like you did a good job smoothing out things before wrapping them.

Oh BTW here is a link to my garage project.
http://forums.stangnet.com/showthread.php?t=537484

Thanks. The finish has no flaws, even under close observation. I used the HF series vinyl from Select Products. I'd bet a hundred bucks that's what is in the pics of Dwayne's install (especially given the peope directly/indirectly involved and their FL ties), but school me if I'm wrong.

The garage is bad azz! I replied in your thread also.

04sleeper · Apr 22, 2005

alanw6 said:
Thanks. The finish has no flaws, even under close observation. I used the HF series vinyl from Select Products. I'd bet a hundred bucks that's what is in the pics of Dwayne's install (especially given the peope directly/indirectly involved and their FL ties), but school me if I'm wrong.

The garage is bad azz! I replied in your thread also.

I can't remember what we used in his car now it's been a while. I do remember it wasn't cheap and he bought an extra roll of it so the lot colors would match the same when he needed more of it down the road.
It was very easy to manipulate and stretch. Only had to break out the heat gun in the tight spots.
Thanks for the comments about the garage. I will try to keep it updated as I go along as well.

Woodrow · Apr 22, 2005

were did u get the hoops for the doors?

Dtowncats · May 1, 2005

Hey guys I have a question about imaging. I will be making door pods for some DLS comps this spring and I was wondering where to aim them? Some say to aim the speakers at the side the of the car that the speakers are on and some say to aim them across the car. Either way, where should I aim them? Headrest, window, etc.?

shootme5150 · May 1, 2005

There's no rule of where to 'aim them'... cut the ring first and mount it with some back strap material. This will give you the ability to move the speaker. Stuff some rags behind it to prevent the back wave from interfering with the front wave and just listen. Leave it like that for a day or two, then move the speaker. Aim it somewhere else. Try to get the image proper, then glass it in. I probably didn't explan that well. I rock.

alanw6 · May 1, 2005

Woodrow, the hoops for the doors were made by hand. I didn't have my router table set up, so I did it the hard way and cut the circles with a jig saw and then used my benchtop sander to make them nice and smooth. Then I used a rabbit bit to make room for the fabric to staple flush.

You can get MDF rings pre-made if you wish to save some time. www.selectproducts.com sells them (one of my favorite materials sources) as well as other places.

I think shootme5150's answer on speaker placement was pretty solid. You do need to do some testing if you really want the image to click.

I'm comfortable with mounting the mid-bass flat on the door, as it is designed for excellent off-axis response. The tweeter bracket will receive the most testing time, as the high frequencies are the most directional and noticeable to our ears. Trial and error(s) will be the rule here!

04sleeper · May 3, 2005

alanw6 said:
I think shootme5150's answer on speaker placement was pretty solid. You do need to do some testing if you really want the image to click.

The tweeter bracket will receive the most testing time, as the high frequencies are the most directional and noticeable to our ears. Trial and error(s) will be the rule here!

Just an "Old School" tip for people interested in testing different positions. Back in the early 90's we used to go to junkyards and find power mirriors off older Fords and Mustangs. Then take the motor out of the mirror and mount the tweeter to it. Then just put in another power mirror switch into the center console to control the movement of each tweeter.

It worked great!

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