Coupe Custom Amp Mount

[Hussain]

not really feeling it. you could mount it in the trunk and have an extra seat in the car. plus thats super visible, especially without tints... but good job with the work, it looks like you did a really good job

[DiamondWVU]

SICK!!!

Its too visible and i'd be nervous about someone breaking into my car and leaving not only with the amps but with half of the seat lol.

I agree but tint can solve that problem real fast.

[iammai]

Very creative and unique. I am going with the IX series amps for the small footprint. You can fit the IX1000.1 and IX500.4 above the spare tire (hidden below the carpet) if you cut the styrofoam out of that area. I haven't measured yet but the set of IX amps might fit in the glovebox. Since all the wire inputs are on one side I can have the side of the amp with the crossover controls facing out for easy tuning and the wires, fuses, and distribution blocks hidden on the other side.

Kicker made some ugly a** end caps.

[DJ_B_Easy]

@ all...Yes tint is happening very soon.

@ Hussain...I didnt want to go in the trunk becuase Im already taking up a ton of room with my sub box, didnt want to go under the carpet because I want things accessible for tuning and for fear of overheating. I NEVER have anyone in the backseat so this was my best option.

@ iammai...IX series are nice also, VERY small footprint. I cant remember why I chose ZX over IX, there was def a reason though.

Thanks to all on compliments on the work, its funny though, I feel like my craftsmanship is the biggest problem with the whole project? Needs some revision for sure.

[DJ_B_Easy]

Alright so Ive decided that Im completely unhappy with the result of this. I should have framed everything with wood rather than relying on the foam to give it definition, also have the issue with the top spacing. Soooooo.....

Im going to start over this weekend. Frame it all out real nice with wood and use batting, not foam to fill in the gaps. Also think Im going to use a leather rather than synthetic fabric, should give cleaner lines, no stretch areas.

[srwong]

A+++++ for creativity. Very unique on the turn out. Can't wait to see part 2! =)

[DJ_B_Easy]

Good looks on the JoAnn recommendation SR, they have SO MUCH STUFF...part 2 is going to be perfect.

[srwong]

Good looks on the JoAnn recommendation SR, they have SO MUCH STUFF...part 2 is going to be perfect.

yw, i told u man. soooo much fabric it'll make ur head spin... make u start thinking of crazy ideas... lol

[2008AltiCoupeDan]

it's been one day.

i demand an update!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[DJ_B_Easy]

Haha! Im a weekend warrior man, no time for projects during the week. I'll be going to Home Depot after work tonight to get some more materials (wood, trim, etc.) and hopefully will get started on re-cutting all the pieces tonight as long as I dont get too bent beforehand (its been a long week). Then I work tomorrow so wont have time to get at it again until Sunday. Updates will be posted as they are available, have no worries.

[DJ_B_Easy]

Heres your update Dan...

All woodwork is finished for the new insert. I added a bunch of rails to really frame out the amps and give a more seat like feel with some shape to it. Going to get the fabric/leather/whatever catches my eye now.

Front shot

Side shot of top (this rotated on Photobucket for some reason, you can see the hammer that locks in to keep the seat in place when not folded down)

Side shot of bottom

Side by side with the first mess


Hoping to get the whole thing finished Friday...got to love the corporate world and summer half day Fridays.

[DJ_B_Easy]

So Im second guessing myself again...

Now that I have this frame, whats stopping me from fiberglassing the whole thing and painting it? Will avoid the upholstery troubles and probably be a lot more sturdy. I can also frame out the left and right sides of the amps, I did not do so now because it will be a lot more difficult to get the upholstery laying correctly.

Thoughts people? I did a quick search online for all the materials needed and it shouldnt be more than $50.00 or so. People with glass experience, Apple? Mattv? You guys think this is doable? Better yet is it even a good idea?

[alphapig]

Fiberglassing is cool

I think it depends on how much you want it to match the seats around it tho.

I think upholstery would look better if you some how got the exact seat fabric

[dangeris]

Anything is possible! I say glass it, sand it smooth then CF it! That would be so...

[DJ_B_Easy]

upholstery would look better if you some how got the exact seat fabric

I can buy it from nissanparts2u.com but its about $80.00 and then I actually have to get it to lay right and look good...its not as easy as it sounds. Corners are a b****. The way I have it framed right now, I can do it fairly neatly, but there is going to be a small gap on the left and right of the amps. Im basically eliminating another fold that would be there is if framed all the way around. I would love to get the actual fabric, but Im going to hate myself when I ruin it and am $80.00 in the hole.

Anything is possible! I say glass it, sand it smooth then CF it! That would be so...

CF is not really at all my style, but you may have a point here.

[DJ_B_Easy]

Soooooo...

Im fiberglassing it. Just ordered 50" x 5 yards of 1.5oz. FG mat and 1 gallon of resin with hardener for $70.00 delivered. Not sure if this is the best price but was the best I could find at the moment. Now Im really getting excited about this, should look a lot more like I had originally imagined.

[DJ_B_Easy]

First layer of F glass laid down. I must say this was a lot more difficult than I expected. All the DIYs I read were for sub enclosures, the tight corners are really giving me a problem. Also having an issue with the 90 degree weather and bubbles.



Now before I get flamed for the fabric I used for structure, it was left over from some real chairs I upholstered.



Going back for round two of F glass when the sun goes down a little and temp. drops.

[srwong]

wow, i haven't checked on this thread in a while. lol
fiberglass huh? very interesting. can't wait to see how this is going to turn out. =)

[DJ_B_Easy]

Yeah once I had the frame laid out it kind of dawned on me, fiberglass this biotch. Its going to be so much cleaner than than my skill level of upholstery would be and I can paint any color I want. Second and third layer is down, I need to buy some Bondo filler for a few of the kinks but should be finished (no paint) tomorrow.

[DJ_B_Easy]

How about that dinette set???

[srwong]

How about that dinette set???

lol

[dangeris]

I think you should do your whole interior with that stuff! Stripes are in this year

[rjs26]

i skipped over the part where you said thats were you got the fabric and assumed that was the fabric you were using.... thankgod.

[DJ_B_Easy]

i skipped over the part where you said thats were you got the fabric and assumed that was the fabric you were using.... thankgod.

Come on man....Scary Chris, not Suspect Chris. You should know me better than that.

[DJ_B_Easy]

So I got to 95% finished on this thing, went to test fit the amps back in before I final prime and paint...and they dont fit.

I guess I added too much thickness to the sides of the rails with the fiberglass. I can fit the amps in but without the end caps so it looks pretty terrible. Not sure how Im going to fix this, there is just way too much material in there now. Only thing I can think of is to fill in the entire center gap with a big piece of MDF, mount the amps, rail frame it again but with a bigger gap, and be 150x more careful. It will stick out a little more but should still look OK. I did throw a tiny bit of paint down to highlight Bondo bubbles and such I needed to fix and I must say, it looked pretty badass. Maybe I can dremmel all the excess glass and bondo out? Dont want to start from scratch and dont want to junk it, spent WAY too much time and money on this. Any suggestions? I even though I might be able to chisel it out from the top down?

3?....4 Months now? Definitely did not know what I was getting myself into with this one. Ive had my head unit installed with the signal cables laying on the floor on my passenger side since March.

[DJ_B_Easy]

Alright this SHOULD be done today. I filled in the center gap so essentially Im making a fiberglass seat cushion and the amps will sit flush on top of it. All the major fiberglass and Bondo is done, just need to go back with the Bondo finisher to fill in the bubbles and a few other spots, sand, paint.

Pray for me...

[Laxplaya!24]

Did you finish the project over the weekend?

[DJ_B_Easy]

Nope, of course not. I just sprayed what is hopefully the last coat of paint today. Go back over to ma's crib tomorrow to pick it up, test fit it, and mount the amps. Pics will be posted ASAP.

[lavon_andy]

I kinda like the idea, looks like alot of work though lol

[DJ_B_Easy]

I kinda like the idea, looks like alot of work though lol

It is a ton of work, but Im also nto able to work on it as often as I like. I live in a Condo so I have to go over to my mother's house every time I want to work on it so its a little tough getting all the timing right. As you can see I started this months ago and its not done. Id imagine with the right space and time someone could get it done in a few days.