Has anyone made one of these bad boys...? I'm talking about the ones where you replace your spare with subs... I can't afford paying 400+ $$$$$$$ for someone else to do it... where can i get fiberglass at...?

 

You will need the following:
Tin Foil
Fiberglass Mat
Fiberglass resin
3/4 in MDF

Take all the crap out of your spare tire well (you know, all the junk that fell in there underneath the spare itself). Line the entire thing in tin foil. Slap one layer of fiberglass mat down (which by the way you can get at home depot). Mix the resin and coat the mat with it. Do this several times until you have something that is as rigid as wood. Take the MDF and cut the "top" out of it. Be sure to cut the hole in it for mounting the sub. Take out the bottom piece that you just glassed (starting sto see why you used tin foil?) Place the top onto the dome shaped piece you just made and use mat and resin to secure it to the dome piece. Don't just use mat and resin on the outside, also do the inside (since you already cut the hole for the sub). When you think it is solid, test it out by stress testing it. Do this by either standing on it (depending on how much you weigh - fatass) or dropping it on the ground, etc. Make sure it "thumps" and it doesn't echo. If it echoes, you can line the inside of the enclosure with ice guard (you can also get this at home depot, it works JUST like dynamat). Now all you have to do is connect a speaker terminal to the enclosure (you'd probably wanna do this on the wood part of the enclosure if you have room) or drill a hole in the bottom of the enclosure, feed speaker wire through it and 'glass the hole shut. Ta-da, you now have a lighter, more rigid and space saving box than a standard MDF sub-box. Enjoy. Also make sure that the airspace inside the spare tire well is sufficient for the sub(s) you are mounting. Enjoy.

 

Your a life saver...!!! Have you done it...? How much do you estimate it will cost...?

 

Total in supplys should be less than $50. The resin is $10, the mat and cloth depending on how much you use will be around $20, and the board less than $5. It's not hard to do at all. As you work with it, the easier it becomes to learn to handle, and apply.

 

Well this will be the third time I type this. The first time my computer shut down Netscape and the second this site didn't like me trying to attach an adobe file. But you should consider the internal net volume your sub/subs will need. Is just the basic tire well large enough? Or would the entire thing be too large? Those are easy enough to measure and adjust. I don't think he said above that you need to get rid of air bubbles in between layers. Cut them out with a razor and sand down rough spots to ensure a good bond from one layer to the next. Air bubbles are an enemy of strength in fiberglass and an enemy of sound quality in a speaker enclosure. That's why plywood is not used to make speakers. If you want a few adobe files about fiberglassing techniques post your email.

 

Good point jmax. Jung, you really should post your email and get as much paperwork on it as you can. I haven't done this stuff for YEARS, so I was reciting from memory and it sounds like jmax may have a more recent experience or just more experience with 'glass in general. I'm an old man now with every kind of bill but a mortgage. I remember when I just used to work on my car and increase my credit debt, but it just ain't that easy anymore . . . good luck with your project

 

I have the mortgage as well as all the others. Where do you do fiberglass work if you don't have a mortgage? When I started this Maxima project I was working at least 8 hours overtime a week and getting all kinds of shift differentials. Then it was cut off for no reason as we now have less personel and higher work load than previously. So that's how my debt load dramatically increased and I am still not done.

 

I don't know if I am deep in the hole as you guys, but once you start buying one thing for your car then you just can't stop... Waiting for grants to come to get out of the hole. Kpxnamjax918@aol.com
Thanks for all the info... Seems like a lot of work...

 

a little more info ..you get about 1.6-1.8 cuft out of the well ..mines also fiberglassed but i used it to save a little room ...just rebuilding the walls to accomidate about 4.5cuft(tirewell included)... you can do almost up to about 6cuft before you get to where it just looks stupid....

 

How far does the subs have to be away from the wall where the wheel well is and how far from the other sub...? Is it dangerious to have a nos bottle and bump my subs. I dont want the bass from my subs losening the bottle when i get it and having a leak in my car...