Dose11

Got it...thanks!

Dose11

Yeah I know it well. I love how you did the speakers in the rear...my only problem is I have a feeling that one day I will want to do the removable rear window, and maybe install the shelf...But the way you have them firing down is the best way I have seen to keep some storage space in the rear...

Dose11

Nah you first...so I can see how it looks

I thought I was going to wait til this fall/winter as well...and still might but I really want to upgrade the stereo, and I have a feeling there might be some funny business going on behind my dashboard with the wires...Sooo even though I don't want to...I might put the vette on the shelf for a week and do the whole interior!!! I am going to try SOOOO hard to just do the interior...

BadAssRocker

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/album.php?albumid=2513

Just finished this up. I have two Infinity KAPPA 462.9CFP in the dash, two of the same behind the kick panels, two JL Audio 8W3V3-4 8" subs and two Infinity KAPPA 42.9I in the back. I mounted a JL Audio XD700/5 amp underneath the jack tray. I ran the four speakers and the two subs off of the amp and let the deck handle the two 4" speakers in the back. I'm pleased with the sound and the preservation of storage. Also, aside from the deck and peeking your head way in the back, everything still looks stock. Good luck with your decisions.

Roco71

That is really neat just like the pros at one of those West Coast custom shops you see on TV. I am thinking about giving it a try do you think it can be done with 6x9's?

BadAssRocker

Absolutely. You could put just about anything back there. That was only the second fiberglassing job that I've done. I was honestly a little apprehensive about working with fiberglass and doing something like that, but I was very impressed with how easy it was. Highly recommended.

Roco71

Thanks, I am going to make a run at it. Where did you get the "fleece"?

Dose11

Whoa sir....that is Sahweet. Hmm, just wondering.....would you by chance want to make another pair of those boxes? That is the best set up for the rear that I have seen so far. Im digging it....I would love it just for the subs tho...

BadAssRocker

Pretty much any fabric store. I've also heard of guys using T-shirts, pantyhose, etc. I'm just more of a fan of fleece because it has a decent amount of elasticity and it still soaks up a good amount of resin. That seems to makes it a more rigid setup to start glassing on.

Be sure if you are putting multiple speakers of different sizes in your box, i.e. a subwoofer and a coaxial, make sure you mold around the speakers to accommodate different air spaces. You wouldn't want your subwoofers trying to punch a hole through your other speakers. Not to mention very bad quality sound.

A "Tools and Materials Needed" list off the top of my head:

• Tin foil - to make your mold around the wheel wells and back of your box
• Masking tape - to tape your foil down and to mask off the area very well (do me a favor and don't ruin your carpet, ha)
• Approx 1 gal. of Fiberglass resin (depends on how many layers you want to do)
• Fiberglass matte (don't remember how much I needed.)
• At least 10 of the cheapest 1"-1 1/2" paint brushes you can find
• A reusable, "bendable" quart size mixing cup (it's easier to get the hardened resin out of the cup)
• A quart of bondo (I personally like the kind with the fiberglass in it, but I believe any kind will would)
• Sandpaper - if you're covering it with carpet, you don't need to go 2000 grit or anything, but if you're planning on painting, obviously you'll need a little finer than 60
• Wooden dowels (I recommend at least 1/2" just for strength)
• 1/4" MDF - to cut your rings (Some say 1/2', but I'm thinking that's a little excessive)
• hot glue gun (to glue your dowels and rings into place)
• Depending on how fancy you want to get with angles and such, you'll need a can of spray adhesive to spray your fleece so it'll stick to your rings and the back of your mold (obviously you'll need some if you're covering with carpet)
• Sometimes a staple gun is handy to staple your fleece to the back of your mold once you stretch it around
• Razor blades -to trim the fleece and carpet
• A dremel, cutting bit on your drill or any other suitable tool to cut the holes out of your box for the speaker(s) as well as trimming the edges of the fiberglass during the process.

Well, that's the best I can do off the top of my head. I hope I didn't go too crazy with stating the obvious. And here's a heads up - Being that our cars are MADE of fiberglass, I'm sure there are plenty of guys who have better ideas of how to to do this. So, as a disclaimer, I will say that this is how I do it (albeit with decent results so far), but this very well may not be the best way to do it. If there are other guys here who know better, please be my guest.

Being that I have a day job, chilluns and I usually party on the weekends, as well as having to wait for resin and bondo to dry, it took me a couple of weeks. Im sure it can be done quite a bit faster, but don't expect to have it done in a weekend with good results.

Let me know if you have any other questions. I'm excited to see how your boxes come out. Good luck.

BadAssRocker

I definitely appreciate the compliment. I started with the giant box that barely fit in the back when I was younger, but then I realized I might need somewhere to put the T-tops... I lurked on the forum for a while, looking for a setup that gave you the bass, but kept the storage in the back and I never found anything that was quite up my alley. So, the wheels turned and that's what I ended up with.

In all honesty, I don't have this down to a science yet and I don't have the setup do get them done as quickly as I'd like. I've only done a few custom boxes. I'll have to post what I did in my '75 Blazer. Unfortunately, I would have to charge more than anyone would be willing to pay to make it worth my time. I was kinda doing it as a one off deal and not planning on going into business...

But, on second thought, if enough guys wanted to get a set, I might go for actually spending the time to get my act together. I could at least get a discount on bulk materials...

Roco71

Thanks B.A.R.
I am looking forward to giving it a try. I wounder if I do not get to crazy with the shape if I will be able to cover it in vinyl.

BadAssRocker

Funny you say that... That's what I did in my Blazer. I would recommend getting vinyl with pretty thin backing, otherwise you'll get even more wrinkles than I did on mine.And you'd better expect to get the vinyl glued down right the first time. If you try to pull it up, it'll leave adhesive behind in a funny way to where it'll show when you try to glue it back down.

Roco71

Did you try a heat gun on the wrinkles? I am not sure how it will work after being glued. I have some vinyl ordered I was going to use in a the bar/box cabinet. I hope its works if not I probably go with the painted look.

BadAssRocker

I certainly didn't. I'm sure it would've definitely helped, but I didn't have one at the time. I go back and forth between playing with the Vette and the Blazer, so I'm sure I'll get around to trying to fix the wrinkles at some point. I'm kind of thinking about going fairly outrageous with the Blazer in the near future, so maybe I'll just scrap them. I'm thinking about doing the whole custom dash and door panel thing anyway. And being that it's full convertible, there's more room to work in it. So, I'll be getting a little more practice in. Definitely keep me posted. I'm really curious to see how it comes out. I was going for stealth mode on mine, so I didn't really look into vinyl or paint, but you may change my mind...

boeing46

I am unable to do these types of things like I used to because of a serious work place injury. When I got the 81 a few years ago the speakers sounded like originals. I picked out some Pioneers the local Corvette dealer recommended as exact but modern replacements and a Pioneer 50 watt radio/cd. Sounds fine. They did an ok job in the rear.