hi guys,

had a couple of requests for how i made my fibreglass sub enclosures:

first make your base out of 16 or 19mm mdf. tape alfoil to the moulded carpet sides so you can fibreglass the exact shape of the inside of the boot. make this thick and strong. then pull it out and trim the edges smooth as this will be your final shape top, bottom and sides. cut a ring out of 16 or 19mm mdf to screw your sub to, and position it where you want it by making 'sticks', top and bottom out of mdf, then gluing and screwing them to the ring and on the fibreglass base you have made. ill attach photos for you if i can find them. then get some stretch fabric from spotlight- make sure it stretches both ways. lycra will do it. wrap it around and tention it so you get the shape you want- remember that the boot hinges will be close so allow that in your shape. hold the material at the back with pegs, as you cant staple to the fibreglass. then lay on a layer of resin a couple of times to get the material hard, before laying on the fibreglass. if you put one sheet over the whole thing, rather than lots of small bits cut up, you will have less filling/ sanding to do later, as you get a much smoother finish with the glass. i learned this after doing the first one and sanding till i had no fingerprints left! when this is thick enough (basicly when the box wont flex much- remember your sub will be exerting a fair bit of air pressure from inside). i made up more resin and poured it all around the seams on the inside to make sure the box was air tight. then cut the sub hole out and the excess off of the back, cut a hole in the back for the wiring terminals and fibreglass them in. spray on hi-fill primer and sand the high spots off, then do it again, and again, and again(!) and if you want to paint it, about 6 more times as the paint will show up every little imperfection. an orbital sander will help here. but if you are going to vinyl it like i did, then it will hide small lumps and bumps. but remember this is the stage where you need to be fussy as it will be the difference between a good finish and a perfect one. when vinyling, i was surprised to find the vinyl stretches to even complex shapes. use a hair dryer to get the vinyl realy hot, and use contact adhesive to stick it on. start by sticking it on the ring first, and working out to the edges. a friend is a must in this stage as one needs to pull the vinyl, while one carefully rubs it down smooth on the box. the contact sticks instantly so it wont move when you get it right.

hope this helps anyone contemplating a setup like this

i expect to see some more boot install threads popping up now- no excuses!!!

scott

Excellent work mate!

I might just try this my self, except for the back of the seats (boot side), do you think this would work? i guess theres nothing to loose except for abit of resin and time.

anything is possible with fibreglass. the same process can be used all over your car- my mate chris made sum pods on the sails (above the front door trims) to house his tweeters and sum pods for the 2 sets of splits in the front doors. looks like a full on shop install. seriously it looks a million bucks, he will win shows with that because it looks like hes spent thousands on it. ive got a couple of projects on the go with 'glass too. stereo and guage surround, gauges up on top of centre dash (like bf gt)- it can all be done with fibreglass, its just a matter of patience and time.