fiberglass box for 07 sedan

It is far from finished and it is by no means suppose to be loud, it's meant to be compact.

so far I have finished the base, it will be finished with wood(top, front, side against backseat) once I lay a few more layers. Here is what I have so far:


base was foil pieces taped together to protect my interior
http://sdnclan.net/serprise/pics/aveo/base.jpg

I then lined the rest of the trunk with plastic (just in case) and put a layer of vaseline where I was laying the fiberglass
http://sdnclan.net/serprise/pics/aveo/plast.jpg

and, the finished mold (the vaseline worked great, mold came out with ease)
http://sdnclan.net/serprise/pics/aveo/fib.jpg


I still need to take a shot of the mold out of the car, and add a few more layers. The box will be an enclosure for my amp (the narrow area by the back seat) and the larger area will be for my 8" sub. I'm not looking for anything loud so don't knock me, I know it isn't going to be anything special bass wise but it'll be enough for me. I have a 200W audiobahn amp and it will be going to an 8" Punch p1(decent woofer, for the price, plus it uses virtually no airspace.)

My amp, Audiobahn A2002T:
http://www.sonicelectronix.com/item_...hn+A2002T.html

My sub, Rockford Fosgate P18S4:
http://www.rockfordfosgate.com/produ...5&locale=en_US

a lot of where you see the fiberglass is layed will be trimmed down, the box is only going to be maybe 10-12" tall at most when finished.

This is in no way going to be finished in a week or even 2 weeks, it is low on my priorities and don't be surprised if you don't see the finished product for a month, or possibly longer. I just thought maybe some of you would be interested in following my very slow progress. My advice though, if you ever do fiberglass, put down something under the foil in case you get a leak somewhere, too much prep is better than not enough. I didn't bother only because this is a work car, and if a little leaked onto the carpet I could've cared less, I did get lucky though, not a single bit of anything made it to my carpet.

So far I have added

JVX XG700 double din head unit:
http://mobile.jvc.com/product.jsp?mo...hId=148&page=1

some Clarion SRR1616 6.5" rears:
http://www.clarion.com/us/en/product...643389176.html

Polk Audio GXR4 4" fronts:
http://www.polkaudio.com/caraudio/products/gxr4/

SIR-JVC1 Sirius Satellite tuner:
http://www.sirius.com/servlet/Conten...=1107450540311

The Polk fronts are really nice, next time I'm looking for speakers I'll definitely look into possibly doing Polks all around for mids/highs. They are really nice(my first time buying Polks). My Clarions in the rear aren't bad or anything, but unfortunately there is definitely a noticeable difference in the quality between them and the Polks. I always thought Clarions were pretty good, oh well though. If I were you I'd definitely look into finding something other than what I got for the rears. I maybe bought the most inexpensive Clarions though, and their higher end ones are better? All I know for sure though is I fell in love with Polk Audio.


I'll try to get a pic of the finished mold up soon and I'll take more progress shots as they happen

looks good so far...
If i ever decide to change my system up a bit, i was planning on doing this.

Great job! :thumbright:

here's the finished mold(obviously it needs some more layers but it's a start)

http://sdnclan.net/serprise/pics/aveo/mold.jpg

yeah definitly more layers... i think you need about a MINIMUM of 10 layers of fiberglass mat for a sub box.


looking good keep the updates coming

with it just being a single 8" I will be adding another 4 or so layers, maybe 5

or be more safe than sorry. But just go by your judgement.

To settle the layers debate, it's not the number of layers but the overall thickness that matters. Car Audio Magazine recommends a 1/4" thickness because it gives the equivalent strength of 3/4" MDF.

not really a debate, what it really comes down to is how much fiberglass I have, I have enough for around 4 layers before I run out and regardless of how thick it is that's where i'm stopping ;) luckily 1/4" is a good thickness though because that's right about how thick I assume it'll be. Basically I haven't put a lot of thought into this box because I am only doing it to save room and give me a little something extra bass-wise. If I were doing like a dual 10" or 12" setup and going to make a crazy box that had to withstand all the pressure, and really had to look good then I'd put more into it and make sure it was perfect. this here though is going to be a single 8" and it will be ported too so the fiberglass won't get stressed much. I'm happy with how the box is turning out though even with very little thought into it I think it's going to be a sweet looking box for the next 2-3 years I drive the car, and maybe I'll be able to charge $100 extra for the car when I sell it. sub cost me $20, amp was $30(amp and sub were on clearance) and I have around $50-60 into the box materials. This is being made with 100% budget on mind, not competition quality :lol:

any updates?

yah, sorry I haven't updated, I really haven't been working on it much. I got the front on but I still haven't added the layers of glass. I will be doing that sometime this weekend hopefully and all that should be left after that is cutting the holes for the port/sub, then doing a fiberglass top, doing wood is going to be too hard I think.

http://www.sdnclan.net/serprise/pics/aveo/fr1.jpg
http://www.sdnclan.net/serprise/pics/aveo/fr2.jpg
http://www.sdnclan.net/serprise/pics/aveo/fr3.jpg
http://www.sdnclan.net/serprise/pics/aveo/fr4.jpg

that curved area where there is a gap next to the wood will just be glassed, I want to keep that curve in there so there won't be a gap between the box and trunk.

those pics are actually a little out of date too, I only had the wood on there for a few minutes when I snapped the shots. I re-mounted it with lots of liquid nail to make the corners a little smoother and make sure it has a good seal. I wasn't shy with that liquid nail.. if I remember to snap a shot before finishing the glass I'll be sure to post it, it's definitely going to hold a seal 8)

definitly looks good and clean.

yeah i would keep that curve too, just so it all flows together.

what color are you going to paint it (if you are), or are you going to carpet it? It would probably blend a lot better if you carpet it with matching carpet. I probably wouldnt be able to carpet a box very well, but my mom (haha) probably could.

but yeah try to take a picture before glassing it up!

I have some big fabric store down the street that I will step in to for the first time. I will find the best match to the trunk and I will be carpeting the front and top which will be the only 2 areas exposed(and the easiest to carpet, thank god) then the back and uncarpeted areas will just be spray painted black since adding carpet in those areas may cause the box to not fit right. I will be adding glass on the inside to increase the thickness so I don't end up changing the shape of the shell. Those areas wont be seen, that's why I will only be spray painting them

understandable...

be sure to go around the edge so all you see it carpet, and not the spray paint. You probably already figured that though.

yup :idea:

and that little bit will raise the front just a slight bit, hopefully just enough to keep it from tipping ;)

if it doesn't hold it still I'll need to figure out some sort of way to mount it, maybe put some velcro on it :lol:

lol yeah ghetto rig an awesome box haha

You could use an "L" bracket. Mount one side on the floor, and the other on to the side of the box, Only cut a small slit in the carpet of the trunk so that only the top part of the "L" can get through to screw into the box. (It will hide the bottom, and you'd only see the part that mounts to the box). Then you can paint the bracket and screw to blend in with the carpet.

I just came up with that, but it sounds like it should work...

here is a shot of what it looked like right before I added the remaining layers of glass for the box minus the top. I reinforced all sides+bottom of the box, cut out the hole for the sub/port. All I have left is to glass the top to complete the structure before I can paint/carpet/install. It was a beautiful day yesterday then all the sudden it started to rain so I just covered it up to make sure the wood didn't get wet. As soon as the weather clears up(which it is suppose to today) I will remove the plastic and snap the shots of where I'm at. It should be either today or tomorrow that I get the current pics up.

http://sdnclan.net/serprise/pics/aveo/lnail.JPG


I added around 5 more layers, It is close to say... somewhere between 1/8"and 1/4" thick, more towards the 1/4" thickness though, like 1/5" and it is strong as hell.. I'd feel confident in standing on it and I'm a 6' 230lb guy so that should give you an idea.. I haven't stood on it to know for certain but those layers I added last night made a huge difference in how sturdy this thing is

well I started the top, but yet again, the rain... Hopefully I get a break with the weather tomorrow or the next day so I can finish it

I formed the top with cheese cloth
http://sdnclan.net/serprise/pics/aveo/cloth.jpg

after my first layer of glass
http://sdnclan.net/serprise/pics/aveo/rtop.jpg

and the rain put an end to today's work, I'll add the final coats hopefully soon.
http://sdnclan.net/serprise/pics/aveo/rdy.jpg


I was looking forward to finishing the box today minus the carpet/paint/installing sub but the weather decided I have to wait for another day.

one part that is probably hard to see is I filled the gap between the front area of the box and the curve, I did that right as it was starting to rain so I didn't get a chance to snap a shot, you can kinda see on the image where it is covered in the plastic. I basically just stuffed it with fiberglass/liquid nail on both the inside and out.

I warned you this would be a long project though so sorry about how long it is taking me.

awesome job, keep up the good work and get it DONE 8)

You're still getting progress on it.

its better to take your time then to mess up on it and wish you took your time.

what are you going to do about the area above the amp? I thought you were going to glass that too. or are you just not to that point yet?

that area I'm not sure yet, because that is how I will have to access the amp's adjustments. I'll either just carpet it and cut a slit that I can get the small screwdriver in or maybe make some sort of hinge out of some really thin wood or something and carpet that. I want the hinge to be what I do but I will probably just cut a slit in the carpet to get me by temporarily until I figure out exactly how I'll make the access door.


(I know the whole slit in carpet idea seems like I'm half assing it but I'm more concerned in getting it functional before I put any time into that, it'll happen eventually)

well I just got in from finishing the box minus the cosmetic stuff. It literally looks no different than the last pics other than it's thicker on the top and you can't see through it anymore(too lazy to take a pic since nothing has changed). Other than a few areas that need sanded down/filled to smooth it out, the box is finished. Once the thing stops smelling so bad I'll bring it into the garage and finish it. I'll be sanding some areas, painting it black, then carpeting the top and front of the box. It will probably be a while before I bring the box inside where it's warm to do the touch up/carpet but the pics will be posted soon. My guess is it'll remain outside until at least this weekend, possibly next weekend. Once I pull it in to finish though I don't see it taking more than 2 hours and I'll get the pre car install shot and a shot of it in the car for yas. thanks for watching! :lol:

finally... I bought some filler to level out the top so I have a flat surface for the carpet. Now that I have the filler I should have it all leveled out and painted within the next day or 2, or maybe as late as Monday. All that will be left after that is putting on the carpet when it is all dried which should only be a couple days later.. I should have finished pics by the end of next week

sweet.
im waitng for the pics!

sounds good so far... will be interested to see what it looks like completed... Did you take measurements?

I lied... :( the whole thanksgiving thing slowed me way down, and now I'm starting to have to worry about the next run of holidays, so I might not finish this until after they're over :( sorry for the hold up...

well, sorry for the long break in my box build. I didn't get it finished in time before the cold & wet season here in Oregon but since the weather is starting to warm up and be a bit dryer I have added the bondo to level the box out all around so I can lay the carpet. I added the bondo but it's anything but pretty. I'll take some pics when I get it all sanded down/smooth when it's ready for the carpet. Just thought I'd let ya know that I didn't fall off the face of the earth, this project will get finished soon.

hmm, I guess I'll just post a pic of it the way it sits, it'll look a lot better when it's sanded smooth, but here ya go anyway

http://www.sdnclan.net/serprise/pics/DSCF0167.JPG

(the way I built the box is it can house either an 8" or a 10", before I install it in the car I'll figure out what the total airspace is, but there is definitely enough air for a 10"(not every model ofcourse, but some), and there is enough room to convert the sub hole for a 10" with no problems.)

What body filler did you use? I don't think I have ever seen a white bondo... mine are all pink or Green...

well it's the cheapest stuff they had at my local store(Jerry's) so I chose it :) it'll be fine for my needs.. it doesn't need to support anything, just as long as it adheres to fiberglass and provides a flat surface for the carpet. It may be tougher, it may be weaker, either way it works for my needs

here is a link to the product at an online store, I didn't buy it there but it's the same product

http://www.eangler.com/product/376800074msk.htm


I actually have another can, bondo brand I may use to touch up a few other areas, not sure of its color :lol: we'll see soon