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Stinky Girl audio thread..ongoing!
djnee - August 6th, 2009 at 12:59 PM

Thought i'd start a thread with my audio project.

Having not worked with fibreglass before i'm quite pleased with how these front kick panels are turning out.
They didn't have to be too spot on as they are being covered with speaker cloth and carpet.
As i don't need them to be removable im going to glass / seal them into place.


http://photos-f.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs131.snc1/5615_140921201814_512806814_3809357_5118010_n.jpg

http://photos-h.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs151.snc1/5615_140921566814_512806814_3809359_7035144_n.jpg
Top hole is for the tweeter, large one for the 6" and the other smaller hole is the port.
I realise that having the tweeter at a different angle isn't technically a good thing to be doing, but i'd rather have it towards my ears than legs! Due to space with the foot pedals it's really hard to get the larger speaker pointing towards your ears...so you have to compromise i guess!
Will post more as i go!


modulus - August 6th, 2009 at 04:54 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by djnee
I realise that having the tweeter at a different angle isn't technically a good thing to be doing, but i'd rather have it towards my ears than legs! Due to space with the foot pedals it's really hard to get the larger speaker pointing towards your ears...so you have to compromise i guess!



As higher frequencies are realtively directional and lower frequencies are relatively not, there is very little compromise there; you will get good tweeter sound and not lose out on the bass notes.

hth


djnee - August 7th, 2009 at 01:43 PM

My dear wife won't let me at any of the gear until my Birthday in September (grumble, grumble!!!!) so i'm sorting all the boring background stuff out in the meantime so that when i get it i can drop it all in without too much bother.

Unfortunately, car audio won't work without cables...and i hate cables!!!
I decided to trunk the cables through some hosepipe which will run via the heater channels on both sides to keep them out of the way. The heaters aren't connected on this car anyway...

http://photos-a.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs131.snc1/5615_140921571814_512806814_3809360_7846292_n.jpg

Getting the hosepipe down around the 90 degree bend at the bottom of the A panel was proving impossible, so i decided to exit through one of the inspection holes and then continue though the heater channel to the rear. Probably a good thing as my front speaker cables will need to exit here anyway.

http://photos-b.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs131.snc1/5615_140921576814_512806814_3809361_2715784_n.jpg


Cables will exit under the back seat on both sides. Ideal :)

http://photos-c.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs131.snc1/5615_140921581814_512806814_3809362_4159940_n.jpg


djnee - August 7th, 2009 at 04:52 PM

Just offered the speakers up to make sure there's enough clearance behind.. (ok...i lied, i just wanted to see what it looked like...lol)

Gave them a coat of paint just in case the speaker cloth i use is slightly see-through.

http://photos-a.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs131.snc1/5615_140977756814_512806814_3810720_3329886_n.jpg


trickysimon - August 7th, 2009 at 05:22 PM

That's excellent for your first go at fibreglassing:tu:


Joel - August 7th, 2009 at 10:38 PM

trust me carpet hides everything :D

ive still got audio cables everywhere through mine now but its not half as bad now as it was when i had bigger systems


djnee - August 14th, 2009 at 03:54 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by trickysimon
That's excellent for your first go at fibreglassing:tu:


Thanks Simon / Joel :) It's been good fun too...enjoyed it!


Ok, front speakers in and carpet stuck down!

Just gotta trim around the tweeters a bit to neaten them up and i'm done.


Passenger side..
http://photos-b.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs131.snc1/5615_144658286814_512806814_3874753_3467207_n.jpg

Drivers side...
http://photos-c.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs151.snc1/5615_144658291814_512806814_3874754_2045968_n.jpg


trickysimon - August 14th, 2009 at 07:13 PM

:tu: Now you can make some up for me :lol:


colonel mustard - August 14th, 2009 at 11:58 PM

Looks reaaaally good dude. love it. :)


eraser - August 15th, 2009 at 09:54 AM

Very nice :D


djnee - August 15th, 2009 at 05:48 PM

Thanks guys :)

Quite pleased with how it's all going so far!

Just started taking everything out behind the rear seat now in preparation for the sub going in. Given it a coat of sound deadener to start with, then will line with some rubber to dampen it down further.


eraser - August 15th, 2009 at 06:59 PM

take lots of pics.. :P love a good blow by blow of peoples ideas and systems.


djnee - August 16th, 2009 at 03:13 PM

Had a few hours spare on a Sunday afternoon, so i did a bit more...

Took the carpets out from the gap behind the rear seat to sound deaden it a bit. Basically there was just thin carpet there before, and i want to keep the sound in / engine noise out as much as possible.
On the bare metal i painted a nice thick coat of body deadener and then coated in foil to keep the mess locked away! Then i got a couple of thick foam camping mats from Rays Outdoors ($7 each) and glued them on top.
http://photos-f.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs131.snc1/5615_145628326814_512806814_3891749_1139946_n.jpg


Mats in place....hush engine!
http://photos-g.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs151.snc1/5615_145628331814_512806814_3891750_2311171_n.jpg


Then finally glued the carpet on top of it all.
I won't know how easily the sub is going to fit until i have it in the car. I know it's pretty tight already...but im sure with some jiggling around it will be fine!

It's deffo a lot quieter inside than it was!
I plan to give the insides of the doors (and most places i can get to) the camping mat treatment..
http://photos-h.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs151.snc1/5615_145628341814_512806814_3891751_4134581_n.jpg


colonel mustard - August 16th, 2009 at 03:23 PM

camping mat would kill alot of the noise, and proably feel better than carpet straight on metal... :)


djnee - August 20th, 2009 at 08:41 PM

Finished the box that will house the Kenwood 12" sub. Measurements had to be exact so that the internal capacity was dead on 1.25cuft. It's a pretty snug fit once the seat is in place!
To secure it in place i will be using ratchet straps that will go down through the floor, underneath the car and back up through the floor on the opposite side.

http://photos-b.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs151.snc1/5615_147972936814_512806814_3933729_1112498_n.jpg

Made a start on the rear MDF shelf that will house the Pioneer 6's. The speakers will be recessed into the shelf so that it's flush, and will cover with speaker cloth.
The tweeters will be freestanding on top in each corner.

http://photos-c.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs131.snc1/5615_147972956814_512806814_3933730_7646448_n.jpg


colonel mustard - August 20th, 2009 at 08:54 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by djnee

To secure it in place i will be using ratchet straps that will go down through the floor, underneath the car and back up through the floor on the opposite side.



Hold up hold up!!! your cutting holes in the floor.... to secure a box, with ratchet straps?? Serious?... No offence, but why??? couldnt you just use 4 bolts with large washers on each side.and wing nut inside the box.... then it would be pretty hard to seal....... wouldn't cut the straps ... wouldn't leave massive slits in the floor... and those ratchet tie downs will rattle heaps...


Joel - August 20th, 2009 at 09:03 PM

i gotta agree with mustard, thats so over complicating things and cutting precious early metal you will regret in years to come

i've lost track of how many enclosures ive built for mine over the years but my very first one was almost identical to yours

but with most of them all i do to keep them firmly in place is on the bottoms fit some of those wood thread insert things like these:

http://www.runnerduck.com/sundial/sd_20_insert.jpg

and them put bolts from underneath up thro the parcel tray floor into them

has passed pinkslip brake tests with 4 wheel discs and never budged


trickysimon - August 20th, 2009 at 09:07 PM

Don't know whats wrong with you guys. The only thing holding my sub box and shelf in is the back seat and its never budged :lol:


Joel - August 20th, 2009 at 09:09 PM

i used to do that till that one time the seat just wasnt quite clipped into place

plus 6 volt bugs dont have a backrest locking system like fat chicks do


djnee - August 21st, 2009 at 10:07 AM

Have chosen to opt for 4 bolts instead! Still going through the floor, but less drastic!

The reason for doing the straps....
Back in the early 90's i met a guy who had a bass tube in his bug. It was only an 8" speaker, but his was installed professionally and they strapped it through the floor and around the chassis....and it was the craziest bass i'd ever heard, especially from such a small speaker.

But yeah, im going with the bolts now anyway!

With the car not having the backrest lock like Joel stated, plus with my 2 kids sitting there, the least thing i want is anything that heavy shifting forwards should we hit something.


Midlife crisis - August 21st, 2009 at 11:57 AM

Now that is a great job , well done



Marc


djnee - August 21st, 2009 at 01:35 PM

Many thanks Marc :) Starting to feel like i'm getting somewhere now! :)


Ok....bit of an update today.....and typically i chose the only day of really heavy rain in months to be climbing underneath the car..lol :)

Drilled 4 holes to fix the sub in place and ran bolts to the underside of the car. Made sure everything is sealed with silicone sealer.

http://photos-b.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs131.snc1/5615_148372256814_512806814_3940593_4652222_n.jpg


View from underneath the car. I made some rubber gaskets and used lashings of silicone sealer to prevent rattles and to keep it all watertight.

http://photos-c.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs151.snc1/5615_148372266814_512806814_3940594_724322_n.jpg


Mounted the speakers and crossovers, soldered everything up and coated it in grey grill cloth.

http://photos-d.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs151.snc1/5615_148372271814_512806814_3940595_1639001_n.jpg

Before fixing the shelf onto the top of the sub box i applied lashings of silicone sealer to prevent any rattles.

http://photos-e.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs151.snc1/5615_148372276814_512806814_3940596_2440021_n.jpg


Shelf bolted to sub box....Getting there!

http://photos-e.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs151.snc1/5615_148372961814_512806814_3940604_7524125_n.jpg


Rear end finished and tweeters mounted in each corner....good to go!

http://photos-f.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs151.snc1/5615_148372281814_512806814_3940597_237997_n.jpg

Now to mount some amps....


Mick058 - August 21st, 2009 at 01:49 PM

well done mate, looking really good :tu:


djnee - August 21st, 2009 at 03:05 PM

Under the bonnet was never going to be anything amazing...just wanted it to function really!

http://photos-e.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs131.snc1/5615_148398156814_512806814_3941084_1926656_n.jpg

Cut a piece of mdf for the amps to mount onto and covered it with some black material...keeps the wires out of sight, that's the main plan here :)

The Kenwood 500W 4 channel amp i managed to grab off Ebay for $40 which i'm pretty stoked about! Many thanks to STIDUB for collecting it for me up in Bris and posting down to Geelong... (the ebay guy was trying to wriggle out of the sale saying the listing was meant to be collection only).
Just awaiting the 600W mono amp for the sub and i can start hooking stuff up :)


Joel - August 21st, 2009 at 06:50 PM

looking good :tu:
just make sure your power terminals on the amp are well covered

trust me theres nothing like sitting in peak hour traffic when burning smell comes through all the holes in the dash cos a piece of metal luggage in the boot has decided to sit across the terminals.....

i now mount my amps under the front seats :blush:


djnee - August 25th, 2009 at 07:58 PM

Original plan was to make something to house the head unit underneath the dash, but after trying a few ideas i decided it looked too bulky...
Saw a thread (on here i think?) where someone made a panel to sit inside the glovebox, so i went for that instead.
I made a wooden panel to sit a couple of inches inside the glovebox and glued it in place.

http://photos-c.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs133.snc1/5695_150598321814_512806814_3980826_3929596_n.jpg


As the glovebox is essentially made from cardboard, i gave it a coat of fibreglass to strengthen it all up a bit.

http://photos-d.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs133.snc1/5695_150598326814_512806814_3980827_5790037_n.jpg


Once the fibreglass was dry i then filled up the edges and smoothed it all out.

http://photos-e.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs153.snc1/5695_150598331814_512806814_3980828_1705466_n.jpg


Finished it off with some white paint and refitted into the car.
Another job sorted...

http://photos-f.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs153.snc1/5695_150598336814_512806814_3980829_3705745_n.jpg


Scarab - September 7th, 2009 at 06:24 PM

Thats some nice work there mate....you'll be pumping tunes in no time!!
Love the glovebox enclosure....I'll be stealing that idea for my Notch I think! :smilegrin:


djnee - September 8th, 2009 at 01:20 PM

Thanks Scarab!


OK....drum roll.....haha

Finally finished!


Kenwood sub fitted! Good old silicone sealer was used to seal the speaker into the cabinet.
http://photos-b.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs215.snc1/8225_158585926814_512806814_4108513_6846961_n.jpg


Amp for the sub mounted and wired up and all fixed into place.
Will make a cover of some sort for it at some point.

Finally finished! Yey! It's been fun to do, and sounds awesome!
http://photos-c.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs235.snc1/8225_158585936814_512806814_4108514_1694476_n.jpg


djnee - September 30th, 2009 at 07:40 PM

Well...
my wife made the fatal mistake of saying that she hadn't got a clue what to get me for Christmas this year, so today i went outside and mocked up a rough design for another 10" sub mounted beneath the rear seat...
:lol: :lol: :lol:
The speaker in the pic is for template purposes only...just wanted to get an idea as to how well it's going to fit.
I intend for the final design to be a sealed box made from fibreglass and 18mm mdf.
Watch this space!

http://photos-a.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs215.snc1/8225_172522086814_512806814_4286192_3667883_n.jpg


colonel mustard - September 30th, 2009 at 07:57 PM

Thats where i keep my tools/jack/wheel brace/spare parts..... :) good spot if your not using it.