Hey guys,
I've been working on making tweeter and speaker pods for my SR components over the weekend. I finished everything Monday morning, but I didn't want to post anything until I listened to them for a while first.
This is my first attempt at making something like this, so the outcome wasn't the greatest but considering the circumstances, I'm still pleased with the way it turned out.
First I had to take out the a-pillars
Then I had to make a mold of them for the tweeter pods:
I started making the mold using fiberglass. I just followed the instructions by mixing the hardener and resin and then I applied 3 layers of fiberglass matting:
While waiting for the fiberglass to cure, I went to admire my SR components:
*drool*
I waited until the next morning. I took the mold off the a-pillars and cut them to my desired size. As you can tell from the pictures, I used a lot of resin.
Then I mixed body filler and fiberglass resin/hardener to apply over the now cured fiberglass
I did the same to both a-pillars:
While I was waiting for the mixture to dry, I started the speaker pods. I bought an extra pair of speaker grills for my Civic in case I ever wanted to go back to stock. I started by making sure they fit and cutting a small adapter for the drivers.
Next, I began gluing the adapter to the speaker grill which I cut out to fit the drivers. I had to test the location of the speakers in different places until I found the right position. After I found the right position, I used tape and glue to hold it in place. Then I used some small wooden supports and glued everything to place.
Then I used a stretchy cloth to cover the speaker pods. I didn't cover the middle since I was going to be cutting it out anyways (for the driver):
Next, I applied the resin/hardener mix to the cloth. I applied 2 or 3 layers and waited for it to harden:
While it was drying I moved back to the a-pillars and essentially did the same thing for the tweeters. It took some playing around and a lot of tape for me to find what I thought was the most ideal place for the tweeter. After I found that location, I used plastic can lids for tweeter mounts:
Once I finalized the location of the tweeter, I glued the plastic lids to the a-pillars:
Next, I used the same cloth to cover the pods:
Now it was time to apply the hardener/resin mix just like I did for the speaker pods:
As you can tell from the pictures, I didn't stretch the material enough, so it began sagging a little when I applied the resin. I waited for it to dry and then I used bodyfiller to even everything down (as you can tell I used too much hardener):
After I sanded it, it became a little more even:
Now both the speaker pods and a-pillars are at the same step of the process
It was now time to apply a coat of bodyfiller and resin/hardener for both the speaker pods and tweeter mounts. You might have also noticed that I cut the a-pillars a little shorter:
When that cured, I put sealant around the inside of the speaker pods to make them as airtight as possible:
Now the fun part! ... sanding. This probably took the longest. I began by using a dremel to cut/sand the ends of the speaker pods so they fit in the stock location. Then I began with 40 grit sand paper and sanded everything down to 600 grit. I applied some filler as needed and kept sanding.
After all the sanding was done, I started applying multiple coasts of scratch filler and primer. I applied thin coats but put many layers until it was very smooth:
It was now Saturday night. I went out, but as soon as I returned, (it was about 1AM) I started applying coats of paint.
The next morning, I applied a few more layers of paint and 2 thin coats of clear coat (after the paint dried):
I've been working on making tweeter and speaker pods for my SR components over the weekend. I finished everything Monday morning, but I didn't want to post anything until I listened to them for a while first.
This is my first attempt at making something like this, so the outcome wasn't the greatest but considering the circumstances, I'm still pleased with the way it turned out.
First I had to take out the a-pillars
Then I had to make a mold of them for the tweeter pods:
I started making the mold using fiberglass. I just followed the instructions by mixing the hardener and resin and then I applied 3 layers of fiberglass matting:
While waiting for the fiberglass to cure, I went to admire my SR components:
*drool*
I waited until the next morning. I took the mold off the a-pillars and cut them to my desired size. As you can tell from the pictures, I used a lot of resin.
Then I mixed body filler and fiberglass resin/hardener to apply over the now cured fiberglass
I did the same to both a-pillars:
While I was waiting for the mixture to dry, I started the speaker pods. I bought an extra pair of speaker grills for my Civic in case I ever wanted to go back to stock. I started by making sure they fit and cutting a small adapter for the drivers.
Next, I began gluing the adapter to the speaker grill which I cut out to fit the drivers. I had to test the location of the speakers in different places until I found the right position. After I found the right position, I used tape and glue to hold it in place. Then I used some small wooden supports and glued everything to place.
Then I used a stretchy cloth to cover the speaker pods. I didn't cover the middle since I was going to be cutting it out anyways (for the driver):
Next, I applied the resin/hardener mix to the cloth. I applied 2 or 3 layers and waited for it to harden:
While it was drying I moved back to the a-pillars and essentially did the same thing for the tweeters. It took some playing around and a lot of tape for me to find what I thought was the most ideal place for the tweeter. After I found that location, I used plastic can lids for tweeter mounts:
Once I finalized the location of the tweeter, I glued the plastic lids to the a-pillars:
Next, I used the same cloth to cover the pods:
Now it was time to apply the hardener/resin mix just like I did for the speaker pods:
As you can tell from the pictures, I didn't stretch the material enough, so it began sagging a little when I applied the resin. I waited for it to dry and then I used bodyfiller to even everything down (as you can tell I used too much hardener):
After I sanded it, it became a little more even:
Now both the speaker pods and a-pillars are at the same step of the process
It was now time to apply a coat of bodyfiller and resin/hardener for both the speaker pods and tweeter mounts. You might have also noticed that I cut the a-pillars a little shorter:
When that cured, I put sealant around the inside of the speaker pods to make them as airtight as possible:
Now the fun part! ... sanding. This probably took the longest. I began by using a dremel to cut/sand the ends of the speaker pods so they fit in the stock location. Then I began with 40 grit sand paper and sanded everything down to 600 grit. I applied some filler as needed and kept sanding.
After all the sanding was done, I started applying multiple coasts of scratch filler and primer. I applied thin coats but put many layers until it was very smooth:
It was now Saturday night. I went out, but as soon as I returned, (it was about 1AM) I started applying coats of paint.
The next morning, I applied a few more layers of paint and 2 thin coats of clear coat (after the paint dried):
Why did you get rid of the old speakers, they were just fine.
I often put too much hardener so it'd get all putty-like on me.
