I built a new speaker frame/baffle (2 pieces of 1/2" mdf, glued and biscuited together. The one that came with the sub is still in the box in case I have to send it back for repairs. I did use it as a template though.




I planned the volume of the box using graph paper and then a full size drawing with a 1" grid drawn on. I determined the height I had to work with and just kept making it bigger until I had, according to my best estimates, the correct volume. It ended up being .02 cubic feet too small (used packing peanuts when it was finished).

The gray covering is speaker box carpet. I used contact cement to put it on (Weldwood). The inside (not seen part) of the amp rack is the spray on liner.

I had a fair amount of woodworking experience. I had only used fiberglass once before with the following result:



I wasn't happy with the way this one attached to the vehicle and I didn't have a decent place for the amp, thus the reason for the redo.

 

Your design shows a lot of care and effort.

How did you mount the box? Did you have to remove the jack or spare? I've seen a similar box where the owner used the jack screw and a hole in the taillight to mount it.

I like the look of that first box with the memphis sub as well. Is that carbon fiber?

After doing all that, how does the w7 sound?

 

The box is held in place with two 5/15" bolts with BAWs (big *** washers).



The box with the Memphis sub was mdf and fiberglass with the final layer being 5.5 oz carbon fiber cloth (for appearance only). The jack now resides above the spare tire, which is still in it's original location. Sorry, no pictures with the spare tire cover off.

I'm real happy with the way the W7 sounds, probably would sound better if I finished setting up the gain and crossovers. If anything needs work, it's probably in the 65-85 Hz range. Very loud and very clean (CDT HD-65z's in the front doors).

 

Did you have to use a router?

What woodworking tools would you recommend I have?

 

I don't have a router but it would have been nice to have one. I did everything with:

1. Bosch jigsaw
2. Porter Cable 5 1/4" orbital sander with vacuum capabilities (ruined my vacuum in the process)
3. Bosch Brute cordless drill (18 V)
4. DeWalt biscuit cutter (not needed but I already had it)
5. Sears miter saw (not needed but made some parts easier)
6. Corded drill (with drum sander attachment, lot more power than the cordless)
7. Lots of clamps (you never have enough clamps)
8. Couple of hand saws
9. Various files and rasps
10. Hole saws
11. Quick disconnect chuck
12. Circular saw for long straight cuts

Most important ones: #1, #2, #6, #7 and #11

 

wow, you have all those tools?? I have some work to do.

You've inspired me to look into CDT's, I'm thinking about replacing my overly-bright MB Quarts...I've read good things about CDT, but I know nobody who has them.

I'm not sure what I'm looking at in that picture, is that the underside of the car?

As for the box, is it all fiber except for that frame pictured? Did you put an mdf frame on the underside?

Thanks for answering all my questions. It's really helping me figure out what I need to be able to do this project on my own.

 

Yep, I have all those tools as well as some others. I have quite a collection of saw blades and drill bits as well. Just buying what you need keeps initial costs down but it doesn't take too long to get a respectable set together. Don't go cheap on a jig saw, I did on the first one I bought and was never happy, ended up giving it away. The Bosch cost $170, I've never been disappointed.

I got my CDT's from djdilliodon on Nabisco, $400 shipped. I checked with CDT, he is an authorized dealer (as of spring of '05 when I bought them).

The picture is the underside of the car, just above where the muffler would be (it was removed in the picture).

All the flat pieces of the box are mdf (1/2") with a layer or two of fiberglass for additional support. The biggest pieces (horizontal parts), are 1/2" mdf bonded to 1/4" mdf with a layer of fiberglass between them. The back side is pure fiberglass. The curved vertical part on the face is part mdf, reinforced with fiberglass and smoothed out with thixotropic powder (thickening agent) mixed with resin ( www.mertons.com ).

 

Damn.....some nice work.

 

what's Nabisco?

Have you compared these CDT's to other speakers? are they really all that?

So far I've bought a router, a Dremel tool (for trimming the excess and cutting out the opening after I cover it), and a sander.

I'm working on finding a good circular saw. I've got a list of all the materials needed for doing the fiberglass, but I'm just trying to build up the toolkit first. I'll probably start the project in a month or two. I figure there's no rush, and it's fun to try and find all the best tools.

 

I haven't had the opportunity to compare the CDT's to other speakers.

Jay, you have pm

 

Hey Herger, where'd you get the carpet for this enclosure? Anywhere online? It looks factory. Also, what type of body filler and resin did you use?

Went by my pop's place and it turns out that he has a whole set of woodworking tools he bought a couple of years ago and never used..he loaned them to me, and now I have everything!!! I started cutting speaker rings last night. I'm gonna start with different project in a friend's Acura MDX. It will get underway in a couple of weeks and I'll post pics when I can.

Hey, what oz fiberglass mat did you use for this as well, and how many layers?

Thanks

 

I got the cloth from a audio shop in Winona, MN. They did custom work so they had rolls of several different colors. Partsexpress.com may have a similar cloth (grill cloth I think).

On the carbon fiber box, I used System 3 epoxy resin ( http://www.mertons.com/Epoxy/epoxy_resins/index.html ). For the carpeted box, I used polyester resin from Home Depot. I made my own filler by mixing thixotropic powder with the resin ( http://www.mertons.com/Additives/thixo.html ). I prefer it to the bondo filler. I like the System 3 a lot more than the Depot stuff, but the Depot stuff is cheap. System 3 has non-noxious fumes so that is a huge plus for it. If you go with the polyester resin, you should have a respirator.

I bought some 6 and 10 oz. cloth from Mertons. 6 is a waste of money, it's just too thin. I used quite a bit of the 10 oz. The mat that I used was what ever Home Depot was selling. I also used 12 and 18 oz. woven roving, I didn't like it because it doesn't like to lay flat, but it does build up thickness quick. I'm not sure how many layers but I tried for a solid 1/4", most areas are thicker and/or braced.

I've made about 3-4 purchases from Mertons, all went through without any problems. I'd happily buy from them again. FYI, they have great prices on brushes.

 

Holy smokes man! I was only looking at 1.5 oz chopped strand mat. You must have built a hull-strength enclosure!

I was told by the folks at the marine shop that one layer of fiberglass is roughly equal to 1/4" of plywood. I figure I can do about 3 layers and I should be fine. My first project, however, will not be my own car, so I can experiment a bit.

I haven't checked out mertons, I'll see what they have to offer. How much resin did you use for your w7 box?

I did get polyester, because of the price, and I purchased a fume mask, but I might consider getting the one you recommend next time.

 

I'm not sure exactly how much resin I used because I had some other projects going on at the same time, I'd guess a bit more than 1 gallon. If the mat is 1.5 oz, they probably measure the weight of mat different than cloth because the 6 and 10 oz. were pretty thin (thinner than the Home Depot mat).

I'm guessing a fume mask is the same thing that I called a respirator. Mine was about $30 in the painting department, it has 2 charcol (I think) cannisters for the air inlets.

I also bought a bunch of wax paper graduated cups from Mertons, great for mixing up small batches. They were cheap too.