12-10-04, 16:48 GMT+10#1
Well ive been meaning to do something like this for a while, but never really go the chance. Finally got some spare time, and figured id do a write up on how to make some custom doorpods to suit your own individual needs.
Materials:
1L of Fibreglass resin
20ml of Catalyst
Cheap paintbrushes
9mm MDF Approx 600x600mm
18mm MDF Approx 400x400mm
Approx 1x1m of Fleece or other material - needs to have a bit of stretch to it
Jigsaw
Router (not necessary but will make things nicer)
Tin of Builders bog
PVA glue
Screws
Expanding foam
Largish tin of Contact Adhesive (avoid spray on stuff)
PLEASE NOTE:
I highly suggest cutting the metal out of your door around the speaker, so as to allow the speaker to vent into it, not only does it allow you to have the magnet sitting closer to the door making the pod buildout smaller, but it also will greatly improve midbass from your speakers. I had done this prior to the tutorial so no pictures are provided. Simply trace the hole in your trim onto the metal and cut it out using your preferred metal cutting device eg. angle grinder.
1.
First up take your door trim off. Work out where you want the woofer positioned. Take into account the window winder if you dont have power windows. In this tutorial i have manual windows so the pods are built to fit without interfering with the winders.
Once you know where you want to mount it, cut out a hole slightly smaller than the diameter of the speakers you are using. For example i am using 6.5" speakers, so i cut out a hole ~5" in diameter.
2.
Now you need to work out the basic design you want. i have opted to go for a full-door length base, which will also house the crossover, however you could simply build a pod for the speakers and take up less space on the door. The easiest way of doing this is to get some cardboard lay it on your door trim and draw your design out. Cut it out then lay it back on your trim. If it meets your needs, trace the cardboard onto your 9mm MDF twice. Get out your jigsaw, and cut the design out.
Now lay it on your door trim, and stick it down temporarily with duct tape, ensuring that it holds. Turn your trim over, and trace around the hole in the trim, onto the pod base. remove the base and cutout the hole.
now would be a good time to get out the router with a 1/4 roundover bit and go around all edges of your base. remember to round the opposite side on the 2nd base as it will be mounted reverse to the 1st.
unfortuntely i didnt take a photo of this step.
3.
I have decided that i wish for my woofers to sit flush in the pod for a smoother look. To do this you will need to cut out 2 Rings from the 18mm MDF for each speaker. One ring needs to be big enough to have the speaker mount to it and allow enough excess for another ring to mount to it and go around the speaker. then simply glue the two rings together.
Next up you need to angle the woofer. To do this i simply got a thin offcut of 18mm MDF cut it about 70mm long with an angle cut on one end. Put your woofer inside the two rings, and lift the side closest to the bottom of the base. Place the offcut of 18mm in the bottom corner to raise the rings. once satisfied, glue into place, and glue the ring to it, and the base at the top. You can also screw through the rings and into the base however i had no need to in this case.
In the next few pics you will see the rings, and the ring angling.
the two pods complete:
note the rounded corners. These will make the pod flow smoother + allowu to cover them easier.
4.
Next up at this stage i decided i wanted to install the crossovers on show in the pods. i started by building a frame for it that would join up with the mounting rings. Once in place, i then filled the areas around the rings and crossover frame with expanding foam. Once this is dry it will allow you to shape your pods exactly as you wish. I have rounded it all down with a rasp & file for smooth curves. I also traced around the crossover and cutout the expanding foam inside the frame using a stanley knife.
5.
Now get out that fleece, or other chosen material. I cant remember what material i used but it was stretchy in BOTH directions. (Fleece is the preferred choice as it soaks up ALOT of resin = stronger pods).
Start stretching the material over the pods, ensuring that it is TIGHT. secure to the underside of the base with hot glue, or staples. Work your way around the pod until the material is stretched to its limits and TIGHT, if its not tight, it will wrinkle once you apply the resin to it and will create more problems later. if you are flush mounting like myself, u will need to staple the material to the inside ring also. but DO NOT cut out the whole.
6.
Now, ensure you are wearing old clothes (fibreglass resin is very hard to get out). Get yourself a plastic container that u dont plan to use again. Pour a reasonable amount of resin into the container. Now mix in a little bit of catalyst as per directions on the bottle. Stir it up with the paintbrush, you should notice it changing colour slighly.
Begin applying the resin to the fleeced pods with the paint brush. Apply liberally as the material soaks it all up. Dont just brush it on, dab it on aswell to ensure its getting into the material. Create more mixes of resin + catalyst until all is used up on BOTH pods. Leave to dry. (this can take from hours to days, dependant on weather conditions and how much catalyst you used in the mixes).
7.
Give the pods a sanding to remove any little bubbles you may have got. Now depending on how you plan to finish them ie carpet, vinyl, paint you may or may not need to do the following step.
If using carpet simply cutout the woofer hole + crossover hole, and glue the carpet down much like you did with the material using the contact adhesive. the finish. Carpet covers most imperfections in the surface hence no further finishing work is needed.
If using vinyl or painting the pods, read on.
You may now notice that the surface of the pods is far from perfect. Now is the time to fill any imperfections with bog. Apply liberally to the affected areas. Once set i found using a disc sander attachment for my drill was a very easy way to sand the pods down. Repeat this process until you are satisfied with the surface (if painting, it needs to be PERFECT). Finish with a light sanding of the whole pod.
8.
Now i am using vinyl to finish my pod. It can be fairly tricky to apply, and i have made things more difficult by adding in a 3mm MDF logo to go around.
The key to applying vinyl is to keep it warm, as it stretches easier when warm. Start by applying contact adhesive to the vinyl backing and the pod itself and begin laying it down, heating and stretching it where necessary, around corners etc. It may help having another set of hands in this step so one can heat, whilst the other stretches and applies the vinyl. Try not to overheat the vinyl tho as it will bubble and ruin it. Once done trim to size and secure the vinyl to the underside of the pod.
9.
Once done, cutout the speaker holes + crossover holes (if necessary).
place your pod onto the door trim lining up the hole cutouts once again. Screw threw the speaker hole, into the door trim. about 4 screws should do. Now turn the trim over and using SHORT screws, screw through the trim back into the pod ensuring the screws DO NOT come through the pod itself - this is why short screws are necessary. Having done that, remove those 4 screws u put through the speaker hole. Mount the trim back on the door, and screw those four screws back in, and through the metal of your door.
10.
You should onw have your very own custom set of door pods. Finish off by mounting your woofer and wiring it up.
please note for this tutorial i was using a set of PG splits and the tweeter was mounted in the kick panels, not in the pod. It would be possible to mount them in the pods if you wish, but i'll leave designing that up to you.
Some original photos have not been recovered yet.
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