Hey there, everyone! I have finally decided to add subs to my car. WOOHOO! Haven't decided on brand or size yet but, that'* mostly why I'm posting about DIY Fibreglass.


I am hoping that someone in here has experience in Fibreglass work and is willing to give me a crash course on techniques and other essential things I'll need to know to build a custom speaker box out of Fibreglass.

Any info or links to resources (instructional) would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks a lot guys! Talk to you all soon.

Start with getting some materials.

www.uscomposites.com is where I get alot of stuff. I use epoxy resin (smells better) but the polyester stuff is half the price.

Then practice, practice, then practice some more.

I use tools such as a jig saw, a router, table saw, cheap brushes, mixing cups, gloves, and popicle sticks for stiring.

You'll need some CA glue (hobby shop) and accelerator.

Strechy speaker fabric and speaker carpet ( www.partsexpress.com )

The best way to learn is by doing. Start off with smaller projects to learn how to layer and fiberglassing techniques. Then work your way to bigger and better things.

What you will wind up doing is building a frame using MDF wood (Home Depot) then wrap the strech fabric around it, put resin on it, then layer it with fiberglass mat or the speaker carpet for big thick projects. After build up you'll need to fill it with rage gold, fill - sand, fill - sand, etc until smooth.

You can paint it after that - I usually just take over to a body shop and have them paint at thier convience which usually lowers the price. You can try vinyl or carpet as well.

Honestly It'* not hard, but it takes a lot of time, money, tools, and drive to learn how to do this with any kind of skill. If you are trying to save money by DIY - you wont. But as a hobby I love it.

Mine ended up sucking. idn't sound nearly as good as my slot port box. Never finished it and put the old one back in.
http://www.carstereo.com/installs/ph...&galleryid=683

I got links to tutorials but not now.

One thing a lot of people do is use polar fleece for the fabric you glass onto. It stretches enough, and is a good sound absorber.

I would look into some more hardcore car audio forums, i'll post some on here later when i'm not on campus anymore . Not many people have attempted much for custom enclosures here. I've built a box for mine into the corner by the brake light, but didn't "integrate" it much into the trunk, i just carpeted it and called it a day.

hey,

I gotta reiterate this point... PRACTICE LIKE YOUR LIFE DEPENDS ON IT!!!! I dont know one person whose first project came out like they wanted. In fact, I threw out my first few tries untill I got the right technique. If you want some fiberglass help, go to Sounddomain.com , there are a ton of people on there who would be willing to give you some pointers.

other than that, for your box, it really has all been explained fairly well. You are gonna need a gallon of resin or more, a ton of cheap plastic throw-away brushes, a bunch of glass matt and cloth.... its an expensive project !!

as an example, 2 months ago, before my system was stolen from my 92 Caprice, I finished a 2 week project of building a COMPLETELY fiberglass box housing 2 15" Adire Tempests. Total project time 12 days (on and off between work and whatever else), total cost - $230 for supplies, when finished I used 4.5 gallons of resin, 26 paint brushes, 10 packs each fiberglass mat and cloth, one can of bondo lightweight filler, 1.5 sq. yards of heavy fleece, a 2x4 for bracing and 2 cans of rubberized undercoating to dampen the inside of the box. The box is approx. 7 cu. ft after bracing and displacement.. its a HUGE piece of fiberglass (in fact, its for sale right now because all of my amps were stolen, and I got the Bonneville, so I dont need the box anymore... damnit...) then again, you probably dont need to make the whole thing fiberglass so your costs wont be nearly as much, as you will be able to fab a base out of wood (Medim Density Fiberboard) instead of fabing it out of fiberglass.

But if you take your time, be patient, and be CAREFUL to not spill the mixed resin on yourself (it BURNS!!!!) you will have a great looking and great sounding speaker box! Practice up and have FUN!

Peace,
Aaron

Here are couple of links for you:

This website is full of knowledgable installers (like myself) and full of useful info on a wide variety of topics (wiring etc.).
www.the12volt.com

This link is for how to make a fiberglass encloser.
http://www.the12volt.com/installbay/...519&PN=1&TPN=1

Good luck,
Dutch