07-07-07, 17:38 GMT+10#1
When i first posted pictures of my car there was a fair bit of interest in my custom shelf. I now Build and sell these and can tailor them to pretty much any car and any speakers (even put a tv in one) but a lot of the people who showed interest in these are interstate so i figured i'd post this up mainly for you guys and save you a bit of postage $$$ (too heavy to post).
This process is ideal for those of you lucky enough to have a walky, Brocky or BT1. Because when your done what you have is effectively a box, it can be removed easily and will not affect any of your stock trim or metalwork you dont even need to drill a single hole in the actual car to fit it.
The Final cost will be around $150ish for raw materials, and it takes 2 days minnimum to make one properly.
It will fit 4 speakers (more if you like) and because it will end up effectively being a padded box it will not rattle and will sound excellent.
[Note: Just out of interest i showed that top pic^^ to a trimmer and asked for a quote to get this done "professionally". I was told $500 minnimum. so for those of you who are prepared to sacrifice some afternoons building it this is a great way to save some of those dollars.] most of the steps of this process can also be applied to door pods and door trims.
Sorry about the crappy pics. i'm building some more of these in the next few weeks and i'll take some propper progress pics then. most of these pics are from the first one i ever built.
[EDIT] All of The pics have now been updated.
What you will need:
Materials:
* Fiberglass resin and catalyst (I used about $50 worth, depends how thick u want it)
* Cloth (fiberglass cloth is pricey, I recommend Polar Fleece as it is flexible, absorbent and thick)
* MDF Fibreboard. at least 10 mm thick and you will need about 2 parcel shelves worth. (around $25 a sheet from memory)
* Foam Roll (about $10 from spotlight, this is optional)
* Nails and/or screws (thin, sharp and long to suit MDF)
* Araldite.
* Cloth (Whatever colour/finnish you want. i used black stretch suede for this example)
Tools:
* Jig-Saw.
* Staple Gun. (gun is a lot easier and faster but a normal stapler will do the job)
* Paint Brushes (get a few cheapies you will probably destroy one brush per coat of resin)
* Beer.
Process:
1. Get the standard parcel shelf out of the car and trace it to make a copy out of MDF (this is thicker and stronger plus you dont want to destroy your standard one. Make sure this new shelf fits neatly around your seatbelts and does not press too much against your back seat when fitted. if you want 6x9's like mine you will need a couple of small holes where the stock ones are for the magnets to sit through.
2. Cut out some speaker mounts from the rest of the MDF for your speakers to fit in. These can be whatever shape you want(depending on what speakers you want in the shelf and what you want it's final shape to be)
[Note] The speaker mounts need to be edge sanded to the desired angle so thast they sit firmly on the shelf when you nail them in.
3. You will now need the speakers you are intending on fitting. If you want 6x9's they will need to be located above where the standard speakers would have been (because unless theyre shallow-mount speakers the magnets will need to sit in the standard speaker holes) 6" speakers you can pretty much put wherever you want. just on a slightly sharper angle.
4. Whilst the shelf is in the car trial fit your speakers to make sure of 2 things
1. You need the speaker magnets to clear the inside of the shelf
2. you need the shelf to clear the rear windscreen.
Take into account you will have another 5mm or so of cloth, foam and fibreglass when its finnished. If you have or want to have rear venetians i recommend having them in when you do the trial fit. (I didnt do this and i had build myself a new shelf later to fit my venetians in)
5. Once you have done a trial fit you will know what angle your speaker mounts need to be on, So chop up some wedges from the offcuts of MDF and glue/nail them in place for support. Once you have the frame complete, put a few more nails in and strengthen it with some glue or fiberglass (i just used a bit of sikaflex on mine to aoid vibration)
6. Now you have your frame, you are ready to cover it. Use a layer of removalists cloth first (sound deadening). Staple it firmly in place AROUND the speaker mounts and then stretch the polar fleece over it. (This will end up being the inside layer and will help to insulate your box and improve the sound you get from it) Stretch the polar fleece evenly over the frame, whatever shape the fleece sits in will end up being the solid shape of the shelf, you will also have to staple it inside the speaker holes (but try not to get any resin here)
One layer of cloth is usually plenty for this type of application. Double layering is neccesary for sub enclosures.
The left box is covered and finnished, the right has just been glassed and trimmed.
7. Next trim off all the offcuts of cloth and fit the speakers, do another trial fit in the car and make sure it still all fits up nice. If there are any bits sticking out on the edges of the shelf they can be cut off with sharp scissors but do this before the resin is completely set. Once the fibreglass is set the whole item will need some sanding to make it nice and smooth before it is covered.
8. whip out the spotlight foam roll and roll it out over the shelf. (this step is optional. Depends if you want your shelf to be soft or hardon the outside. stretch it tight and go crazy with the stapler so that the foam sits firmly over the shelf. (once again you must also staple inside the speaker holes. Get the leftover foam and staple or glue it to the bottom of the shelf, Because The shelf will be held firmly in place by the rear windscreen seal and rear seat you dont need to bolt it down. the foam on the bottom of it prevents it rattling at all on speed bumps or if you have subs etc.
9. Finally get the material you want it to be finnished with, This can be anything you like, you can match it to your bodywork or to your interior... either looks good. the covering on this example is straight off the shelf at spotlight and its called Black Stretch Suede. Once it's covered, trim off the excess, mount up the speakers and throw it in the car.
This is what they look like from outside the car (mine is covered with grey vynl)
The final product will sound awesome, will not vibrate at all and of course it looks pretty smart...
And best of all, it is completely removable and there's no cutting or modifying of any or your stock parts and no chassis defects.
[EDIT] I also now build door pods with a very similar process and they come out pretty good too.
I hope this thread comes in handy and saves some of you some money.
And Those of you who aren't game to give it a try, pm me for details and i will make you one.
Some original photos have not been recovered yet.
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