A step-by-step Fiberglassing tutorial with lots of pix

[qsiguy]

yes, it is carpet, thanks for the compliment. It matches the Porsche carpet that's around where the box sits. Would normally sell for around $600 range but this was for a friend so he only paid $200. Materials/parts were over $100. It sounds good but is a little spendy for most consumers to do for just a single 8" sub. The car is also a convertible so most of the bass is lost anyway. It sounds great for slow cruising but at speed the stereo is pretty much worthless. Oh ya, and the car has really loud straight though exhaust, hehe.

[PoorManQ45]

I love that car! The rims fit/match perfectly!

[qsiguy]

Yes, the car is very nice. I sold him those wheels as well. Quite a pain to get tho. They are ROH Modena's and I had to order them from Australia. Took about 6 months to get because we wanted a specific size/offset/width. They do fit nicely tho. Theres barely 1/4" between the tire and the suspension. Couldn't get any wider without sticking out of the fender.

Here's a couple more shots of it.

[PoorManQ45]

Are those the wheels from a ferrari?

[qsiguy]

No, that's what ROH calls them.

[PoorManQ45]

I didn't even realize the modena name was in there.

I just thought they looked similar to the wheels that come on one of the ferraris

[Uberck]

dude that looks freakin incredible, nice job i wish i had those kind of craftsmanship skills

[qsiguy]

Thank you. I'll have to get one last shot of the box in the car to post so you can see what it looks like in the car.

[shore_rider]

AWESOME write up!

[twistedsymphony]

it's a pretty good write up but I'm confused as to how you got to the point in the first picture.

I've never fiberglased before so I guess I don't understand what you did to prep the area.

Also to me it looks completely flat but then once you popped the hardened fiberglass out it was all raised and shaped... how did that happen?

Everything you do beyond that point is pretty clear but it's just the prep portion before you even laid down the first sheet that has me completely confused.

[PoorManQ45]

it's a pretty good write up but I'm confused as to how you got to the point in the first picture.

I've never fiberglased before so I guess I don't understand what you did to prep the area.

To prep the area you need to use masking tape. Cover the entire area that you want to mold the fiberglass enclosure into. I like to use two layers. Mask off a bit more then you intend to cover. Then tape down plastic to protect the rest of the surrounding carpet. This is to prevent fiberglass from getting on it.

Some people like to spray a mold release agent on the tape before they start. This makes it a bit easier to pop out when it's dry. I personally am a cheap arse and skip this step. The tape comes out stuck to the fiberglass when I pull it out.

[twistedsymphony]

after looking at the pictures again I think I understand it. I was just confused by some of the stuff in the pictures. It looked like you had a frame built in the car before you even put down the first mat but it was just the way I was looking at the picture, that's all.

One more question though. How did you attach it to the car once it was all done?

[PoorManQ45]

One more question though. How did you attach it to the car once it was all done?

I'm not sure how he attached his, but I'll tell you the common solutions.

I personally, assuming the box is molded into a recessed and not on a flat surface, like to just put velcro on the sides of the enclosure that touch the carpet. This will hook into the carpet and secure it in place.

Some people like to do the same thing that they do for MDF boxes, which is to bolt/chain it in place. This is a little harder to do, and make look clean, with a fiberglass box though.

Also, my personal box sits down into a cavity. SO I just let gravity and tight fitment do its thing