Got to get the Faceplate right, Mark it and Cut!
http://i1191.photobucket.com/albums/z467/Shootmarty/Sub%20Build/IMG_1078.jpg


Thats 12mm MDF right there, seems a bit thin eh!

http://i1191.photobucket.com/albums/z467/Shootmarty/Sub%20Build/IMG_1079.jpg

Make another 12mm piece, a bit smaller, Glue and screw, I aimed for about 8-10 gap all the way round.

http://i1191.photobucket.com/albums/z467/Shootmarty/Sub%20Build/IMG_1080.jpg

http://i1191.photobucket.com/albums/z467/Shootmarty/Sub%20Build/IMG_1081.jpg

A few screws here and there, and roughly where the sub sits. The center is marked, but the pics a low res.


http://i1191.photobucket.com/albums/z467/Shootmarty/Sub%20Build/IMG_1082.jpg

http://i1191.photobucket.com/albums/z467/Shootmarty/Sub%20Build/IMG_1083.jpg

Drying
http://i1191.photobucket.com/albums/z467/Shootmarty/Sub%20Build/IMG_1084.jpg

A guide......

http://i1191.photobucket.com/albums/z467/Shootmarty/Sub%20Build/IMG_1085.jpg

A few bars....

http://i1191.photobucket.com/albums/z467/Shootmarty/Sub%20Build/IMG_1086.jpg

http://i1191.photobucket.com/albums/z467/Shootmarty/Sub%20Build/IMG_1088.jpg

http://i1191.photobucket.com/albums/z467/Shootmarty/Sub%20Build/IMG_1089.jpg

Thats almost half way!!!

Nice. Whats the plans for the back end?

Next Job! Maybe tomorrow, I have a sheet of fleece lay over the frame, then staple that in the little step between the 2 boards, resin that, then Fibreglass! (Utter FG Noob) and cover the front....

Then fit a 12"....Of course...

Looks good, its an interesting way to do it nether the less.

Question however ! I would've glassed up the guard first buying covering the area in scotch tape and foil, glassed it all, trimmed it then made a flush face plate for it. How come you opted to go this way?

Im but all means no pro a glassing but if you have any questions don't hesitate.

Two reasons I wanted to do it this way,
1. I dont want glass/resin in the car.. (Its still doing the school run....)
2. Strength..With 24 mm Front - And bracing for the Rear, this is going to be very, very solid. ( I dont want any resonances( coz its sealed, I throw a fair amount of power at the woofer, to make up for lost volume opposed to ported.))

It was the strongest way I could think of to mount the MDF to the Glass, its gonna get a hiding. lol. And Obviously, this is my first go, collecting experience on the way. (Thank You - Youtube)

The only thing I have Q. about is timing, I have a rather thick fleece, I'll need almost another litre of resin just for that, and I'll be looking at adding 6-8 layers of glass. With 1 or 2 over the ribs on the inside. Its the time inbetween layers, and how many layers to at a time.
Everyone has different opinions on the net, I was think resin the fleece, wait 2 hours, scuff, do three layers, wait til not tacky, do another 3....
What do you reckon.....

I have had a run through sealing up the boot, resin some fleece in there for a mould, pull out and glass. Not something I want to tackle for a first glass project...

You can add all the layers right on top of each other, so wrap the panel in fleece, and hit it with resin, once thats completely dry scuff it up a little with a piece of sandpaper and start laying the layers on.

I personally would do half of them at the one time, get yourself a fiberglass roller to ensure you are not soaking it in too much resin, also gives an unbelievably smooth finish in comparison.

You can do as many layers you want at a time, the more you do at a time the quicker you can complete the job however you will need to be careful to give yourself plenty of time before the resin sets once mixed with the catalyst, and if you do it too hot the whole thing can warp.

Sweet Thanks, I have a roller, mixing bucket, small measurer, 2 litres Resin, hardener, 2 m of the thicker chopped mat, 100 Gloves (WTF), 1 litre of acetone, 2 brushes and NFI..

Actually all that cost me Under $100.00, which was U***BLVBL, 30.00 bucks for hardware, MDF Alum, and screws, PVA etc.... Its quite dear these large scale glass projects...

Rectangular Boxes are cheaper, thats Next....

Where did you buy your glass products from? I normally get mine from Bunnings which is an expensive way to do it, a specialist will be the cheapest way to do it, the matt would be cheaper and they would be able to do a good deal on polyester resin (not as strong as Epoxy but still does a decent job.)

I got them for a specialist, I paid a bit more for the accessories there than Bunnings, but his help and service was so good, I didnt mind at all....

Funny thing was, I just come out of spotlight for the fabric, googled my area and fiberglass, and he was 120m down a side street...Bonus :)

I just did a bit searching on the difference between the poly and the Epoxy, it turns out that I have poly, and while that might be ok for some, it really lacks in the bonding strength.


Epoxy resins have an extraordinary ability to bond dissimilar and already cured material. Polyester resins have the poorest adhesion power. Superior epoxy resins have a 2,000 p.s.i. (pounds per square inch) adhesion strength over polyester resin at 100 p.s.i.

Read more: Polyester Resin Vs. Epoxy Resin | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/about_5932927_polyester-resin-vs_-epoxy-resin.html#ixzz1srVYGYng

There was also something else about poly's inability to bond to metal's, I'm gunna have to go back and get epoxy, If I was doing dress trims or tweeter pods, poly would be fine. I set out to make this extremely tough. Thanks heaps mate, I would have been spewing if I found this out after the fact, which is normally the case...

Well, I learnt a lot of things, Like I am the worlds worst Fibreglasser, and 300-400 mls on a big job is enough, use small pieces. etc. etc. etc.

Anyway, got it all to hold together,

http://i1191.photobucket.com/albums/z467/Shootmarty/Sub%20Build/IMG_1092.jpg

http://i1191.photobucket.com/albums/z467/Shootmarty/Sub%20Build/IMG_1093.jpg

http://i1191.photobucket.com/albums/z467/Shootmarty/Sub%20Build/IMG_1094.jpg

http://i1191.photobucket.com/albums/z467/Shootmarty/Sub%20Build/IMG_1095.jpg

http://i1191.photobucket.com/albums/z467/Shootmarty/Sub%20Build/IMG_1099.jpg

http://i1191.photobucket.com/albums/z467/Shootmarty/Sub%20Build/IMG_1100.jpg

How does it sound compared to your old box?

How does it sound compared to your old box?

Its a different sub Red, its the 12 inch version of the 13.5 I have, the 13 can move 60% more air than the 12...So it doesnt quite massage the seat like the 13 did. But it seems well balanced @ low Vol, I wont stress the box just yet....
Quality is just the same, the both were in there recommended sealed enclosures, I'm tinkering with the idea of a monstrous box with a slot port for the 13.5, that will rattle the house windows when I pull out the front, seriously! I had a quick mock up of that box for while, it would tickle your hair roots with 380w, I have 3 times that now.....:ninja:

But its all about bootspace, I can fit an esky, dismembered body, you name it. lol

http://i1191.photobucket.com/albums/z467/Shootmarty/Sub%20Build/IMG_1109.jpg

http://i1191.photobucket.com/albums/z467/Shootmarty/Sub%20Build/IMG_1101.jpg

Any ideas on some light mounts, or I'll fashion some from the black stuff off sound deadening.

looks good except for that gay way the bracket standing out like dogs whatits....should investigate a better ,stealthy way of mounting it..

looks good except for that gay way the bracket standing out like dogs whatits....should investigate a better ,stealthy way of mounting it..

Yeah, thats on the cards, just wanted it in there and safe for now, we're headin out to meet a NQld'er....

I'll probably use that same bolt, mount the bracket onto the box from behind.

Im a fan.. If you look at selling it Marty.. Lemme know!

I was thinking about testing out my glassing skills.. But i have a new plan for my LHR guard area..

Still as clean as it sounded before with the 13..?

SuFz :ninja:

Looks great man its good to see you do it so quick aswell.

Firstly, you can either drill into some of the chassis from the inside of the box to hold it in place, or you can apply some carpet to the bracket to help hide it and hit the screws with some matt black enamel spray paint.

As for a light mount, how about using a piece of MDF to glue to the underside of the parcel shelf, make it light a wedge with the wedged size aiming and the side and recess an led strip in it? And of course carpet the mdf.

Thanks for the responses, it was pretty quick, some of you may know I've had a about 8 weeks of work.....Had to do something to curb the boredom.

As for the sound, it loads up in the boot quite nicely, still smooth and clear, very composed. I like it, which is good...:thumbsup:

I'll look at remounting it tommorow, I like that bolt access, easy to remove....I might put a slit in the carpet and selftap the bracket to the rear of the box, then place the box, slide the bracket under the carpet, over the bolt and done.

Next is a chat to WooB, get him to have a look at the ported enclosure specs on the 13W3 (link) (http://www.jlaudio.com/13w3v3-4-car-audio-w3v3-subwoofer-drivers-92157) and see if we can make it a touch wider and taller, but just a shade shallower.....

:thumbsup:
Looks great and thanks for the quick write up - always like seeing how members do their stuff (even if I couldn't do it lol).

Well, here's the finished product (if you can call it that)

The quick pics I threw up before, was just a cheap cloth, and a quick install, just to see how it went. I went easy for the first week, and went back to normal after that....

I pulled it out, removed the non matching covering, inspected for cracks, all good. Some dacron add, as it was a few litres smaller than I wanted, recovered in black again, and the bracket moved to the rear...Now its Bolted to the floor through the alumium ribs.

Sounds good, If you are sick of not having space and a sub, I advise you to give it a go, its pretty rewarding....

http://i1191.photobucket.com/albums/z467/Shootmarty/Sub%20Build/2012Boot-1.jpg

http://i1191.photobucket.com/albums/z467/Shootmarty/Sub%20Build/2012SubBox-1.jpg

The peep show curtain has been drawn.