Fiberglass project ek

[Mike1ch]

I started this project today.
I have a 99 Ek and i'm fiberglasing a box to fit in the spare tire well
12" 2000 watt power acoustic sub. Needs 1.25 cubic feet of space
I have never done this before, looks ugly but so far its strong without any leaks.
Today i used 1 gallon of resin, and need to use at LEAST 1 more.

Materials to use/used:

Epoxy resin (2) gallons w/hardner $35 each
3 bags of fiberglass mat $7 each
16 3" brushes, from the dollar store
some sort of cloth
mixing stick to mix hardner and resen
painters or duct tape
paint thinner gloves 3 bucks at home depot (if u get latex they rip when they get sticky)
lots of time
crappy clothes


Using the exact ratio of hardener to resin gives u 10-15 min max to work with
I recommend using a little less if your new at this
My materials were 1 pint of resin to 5.25ml or hardener and took 10 min to completely dry after i applied it all
I found out that 10 min wasn't enough for a beginer so i used 4ml or hardner.
Took 15-20 min to get gel-like and hardened. but took 45 min instead of 10 to completely dry after that.

First i taped everything the resen will touch

Second i put cloth around acting as a wall to make my shape.

Now i started glassing, that is 1 pint of resin, took less than 10 min to start hardening so i had to rush it.

Start putting fiberglass down and make sure it's soaked in resin

There are some mistakes already that i will fix tomorrow.
http://mikehasner.com/other/fiberglass/Apr27_0005.jpg

Last of my project for the day

Will post more pics tomorrow.
Tell me what you think, if you have advice, or have a question. post it!

 

[terceltyler]

looks good. i just hope you never get a flat

 

[b4t0g]

looks like a lot of work ahead of ya!

 

[xzodiackillerx]

why didnt you take the wing nut off first so if in the future you could put a spare in your spkr.box?

 

[Trbolvrcrx]

Jesus that a lot of resin. What is the ultimate box plan?

 

[Genuine Rolla]

looks like its coming along good so far....!

 

[Mike1ch]

why didnt you take the wing nut off first so if in the future you could put a spare in your spkr.box?

i'm protecting the threads of the bolt hole. I can still break the bolt loose. When i'm finished glassing the box, i will get a true bolt with a washer to hold the box down.

The final plan is to thicken the walls more, sand the glass off the wood, and get a piece of wood that will become a false floor. Need to glue and screw the new larger piece of wood to the current wood frame. seal all the edges with glue and calk, carpet and insert my sub.

NEW PICS

the floor is getting thick enough now...

build up the walls some more, so far i used 1.5 gallons of resin.

 

[mastertee31]

I've done a lot of FG work myself, and 1.5 gallons is overkill. From my experience it's worth it to put 2 layers of fleece (Or whatever your using) Fleece soaks up more resin, and because the pores are smaller it's less likely to leak. For future projects, I recommend putting a layer of sound deadener down before laying your tape. You might just end up with a lot of rattles with the route you've gone. Try to get your hands on some liquid rubber and coat the inside of the box with a thick layer. FG resonates like a mother f*cker if not deadened properly. Good work so far! Keep us updated.

 

[Mike1ch]

I've done a lot of FG work myself, and 1.5 gallons is overkill. From my experience it's worth it to put 2 layers of fleece (Or whatever your using) Fleece soaks up more resin, and because the pores are smaller it's less likely to leak. For future projects, I recommend putting a layer of sound deadener down before laying your tape. You might just end up with a lot of rattles with the route you've gone. Try to get your hands on some liquid rubber and coat the inside of the box with a thick layer. FG resonates like a mother f*cker if not deadened properly. Good work so far! Keep us updated.

I actually have sound deadener layed in my spare tire well. How large was your project? Plus i want to use more glass mat than fleece.
In my opinion, half an inch of glass mat and resin is stronger than 1/2 inch of fleece and resin. The Fleece idea is great if you want to finish quicker, but the results may not be as good.

 

[Mike1ch]

This was the last layer of fiber glass i added. It came out alrite, it should sound good. I need to sand around the edges of the wood frame to level and smooth out the fiber glass because i will be placing a piece of mdf on top. I will be using liquid nails heavy duty along with screws to make a good seal and then calking it once it dries. Tuesday i will be working on it again, as of now thats where it stands.

 

[Jason-]

Damn. That looks interesting. I might have to try something like this..

-Jason

 

[mastertee31]

I actually have sound deadener layed in my spare tire well. How large was your project? Plus i want to use more glass mat than fleece.
In my opinion, half an inch of glass mat and resin is stronger than 1/2 inch of fleece and resin. The Fleece idea is great if you want to finish quicker, but the results may not be as good.

Good thing there's deadener, I couldn't tell from your pictures. I think you misunderstood me with the fleece too. Your right the mat will be stronger than the fleece, but for future cases lay 2 layers of fleece first with the FG mat after. The pores in the FG mat are much bigger in comparison to the pores in fleece, with pressure it's much easier for a sub to punch a hole through glass than the combo of the 2.
This was my project... http://www.clubcivic.com/board/showthread.php?t=100475&highlight=fiberglass
But I think i've outgrown it already, I just might start over with a stealth system.

 

[Billy.]

when i skimmed over the title of this thread i was hoping you were building a fiberglass body EK... sooo disappointed when i clicked

 

[Mike1ch]

Good thing there's deadener, I couldn't tell from your pictures. I think you misunderstood me with the fleece too. Your right the mat will be stronger than the fleece, but for future cases lay 2 layers of fleece first with the FG mat after. The pores in the FG mat are much bigger in comparison to the pores in fleece, with pressure it's much easier for a sub to punch a hole through glass than the combo of the 2.
This was my project... http://www.clubcivic.com/board/showthread.php?t=100475&highlight=fiberglass
But I think i've outgrown it already, I just might start over with a stealth system.

Wow very nice work, this is my first fiber glass project that i have done on my own. When this is finished, almost none of the glass will show, it will just be a sub coming up from the floor. Just want to keep to clean looking but nothing fancy. But anyway very nice work, and next time i'll double fleece, it makes sense.
Thanks for the advice.

 

[Mike1ch]

Completed

Alright i finally had the time to finish my sub box.

In this pic i sanded the fiberglass than ran over the wood frame so it's nice and smooth.
I cut out a piece of mdf that will cover the box.
Using a whole tube of all purpose heavy contruction liquid nails, i sealed the wood and screwed it down.

Then i used some thin wood laying around, and made a false floor that extends to the perimeter of the hatch. I then wrapped it in black tweed.

Had my speaker wire come up from under the amp, and the rest of the wires withen the carpet that is attached to the rear seats.

Thats is plain and simple. I still have a funcation trunk not a lot of added weight, and some nice bass.
Hopefully this may inspire some beginners and thanks everybody for the tips and positive comments.

 

[Ferio Vi-RS]

super sweet. i wish i was brave enuff to do this.... haha.