# 1995 Corvette Build



## TJ Mobile Audio (May 6, 2009)

Here is the latest patient to go under the scalpel. I expect this project to go on for at least a month or two, as this customer has requested some rather detailed work.


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## TJ Mobile Audio (May 6, 2009)

Here's the hatch area:


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## TJ Mobile Audio (May 6, 2009)

Checking out the factory Bose enclosures:


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## TJ Mobile Audio (May 6, 2009)

A little damping:










I installed nylon spacers between the metal and fiberglass parts to support the weight of the stereo (picture taken upside-down on lying on my creeper):










Shaping a base plate:


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## TJ Mobile Audio (May 6, 2009)

Test fit:



















Bolted in place:










More to come over the next few weeks.


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## mattyjman (Aug 6, 2009)

this looks fun, sub'd


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## TJ Mobile Audio (May 6, 2009)

I figured I ought to detail expectations and goals a bit.

This is a repeat customer. My most recent project for him was an SPL box for a single Planet Audio 15" sub. He came to me and said he wanted the sub to be as loud as possible, and he planned to feed it twice the rated power. I proceeded to build a dual-chambered ported box a la DIY Subwoofers: The Subwoofer DIY Page - Dual-chamber ported systems. It turned out to be the loudest (by my ear-SPL-meter) single sub I've ever heard. So the guy is a bit of a basshead. However, he came to me this time asking for a more adult system that matched the style of his ride. Terms he used were loud, clean, and balanced. It also won't hurt if it turns out to be "tight" and "sick", to use his vernacular.

In keeping with "matching the style of his ride", I decided to use baltic birch plywood (with the exception of the baseplate, which is oak - EDIT: it's just CDX plywood) because it is stiffer than MDF and in my experience 1/2" is generally adequate, resulting in significant weight savings. Practically everything on the car is made of the lightest weight material possible for the desired characteristics, including a various fiberglass, plastic, and aluminum parts. He wanted a bit of a tuner look as well, so I'll be trimming most of it out in carbon-fiber fabric. Weight savings is a major concern for this vehicle since of course it is a sports car, so in addition to the Baltic birch we are offsetting some of the weight gain by eliminating the spare and the jack. I'm also going to choose subwoofers with reasonably sized motor structures for the same reason.

The system, as presently planned, will consist of two or more subwoofers, a five-channel Boston amplifier, and limited (if any) signal processing. We'll likely need time-alignment capabilities due to the high probability of rear-mounted midbasses. The front stage will likely be passively crossed at around 2000 Hz, and I'll be aiming for equal PLDs but only to the extent feasible while keeping symmetry for aesthetics. The subs and midbasses will be crossed actively via the amp.

Currently I have only bid the subwoofer enclosure, but the customer has expressed that he will have me do the front stage and deadening for the rest of the car as well. All-in-all, the idea is jaw-dropping sound and jaw-dropping presentation. I don't believe there's any incentive to make it competition-worthy, but I will certainly do my best to provide the best sounding system he's ever heard, within any budgetary constraints he places.

Hope that clarifies the intent a bit.


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## JayinMI (Oct 18, 2008)

Looks like a good start. These were always one of my LEAST favorite cars to work on. With the high rockers, and speakers that fire into your leg, and limited space in the radio area it was a particulary hard car to get to sound good without a fair amount of custom work, and of course most of the owners of these cars didn't want to pay for it. 

Looking forward to seeing more. 

Jay


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## TJ Mobile Audio (May 6, 2009)

Yeah I'll likely be stuck with mids firing into the legs on this one. I do plan to relocate the tweeters at the very least, we'll see where the budget lands when I bid the front stage.


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## Notloudenuf (Sep 14, 2008)

TJ Mobile Audio said:


> Test fit:


Is that oak?


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## DaveRulz (Jun 22, 2006)

TJ Mobile Audio said:


> we are offsetting some of the weight gain by eliminating the spare and the jack.


From my reading on the Corvette Forums, it's a bad idea to remove the spare without putting in a spare tire delete bracket. The car was designed so that in a rear impact, the spare shunts the force down to the rear end. Without the spare (or a spare tire delete bracket) the car will not be as safe in a rear end collision.

Just a heads up.


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## TJ Mobile Audio (May 6, 2009)

Notloudenuf said:


> Is that oak?


I misspoke, it's just cheap CDX plywood. The box will be Baltic Birch though.


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## TJ Mobile Audio (May 6, 2009)

DaveRulz said:


> From my reading on the Corvette Forums, it's a bad idea to remove the spare without putting in a spare tire delete bracket. The car was designed so that in a rear impact, the spare shunts the force down to the rear end. Without the spare (or a spare tire delete bracket) the car will not be as safe in a rear end collision.
> 
> Just a heads up.


I will inform the customer on that one, thanks for the heads-up.


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## DaveRulz (Jun 22, 2006)

TJ Mobile Audio said:


> I will inform the customer on that one, thanks for the heads-up.


No Prob. I figure the last thing anyone needs is a piece of audio gear forcefully implanted into their body.


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## TJ Mobile Audio (May 6, 2009)

It is bolted to the frame so I'm thinking it would take a pretty hard hit to move...


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## DaveRulz (Jun 22, 2006)

The whole back of that car will collapse without the spare in there, It really doesn't take much to break a bolt in an accident.

Edit: OK, OK, the whole back won't collapse, you got me.


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## rodneypierce (Feb 2, 2012)

DaveRulz said:


> The whole back of that car will collapse without the spare in there, It really doesn't take much to break a bolt in an accident.


Im sorry, but do you seriously believe an ounce of this.... Do you really think the fine folks at GM would engineer there ENTIRE back end of the car's safety around something as trivial as a spare tire???? I highly doubt it. And its actually just designed to dampen the crash, the car WILL NOT collapse upon impact without a spare in there.....


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## DaveRulz (Jun 22, 2006)

Ok, you're right, the rear end won't collaps, and I exaggerated a little, but is safety really a trivial thing, especially when you consider a rear end crash is something you have no control over? It is documented that the spare is integral to rear crash worthiness. It wouldn't be worth the risk to me. Don't forget that Corvette's have fiberglass bodies. There really is not much metal behind the driver. 










Regardless, with heavy audio equipment that close to your head would you risk it? 

In a car with a hatch like a C4, it's pretty scary to think about what would become a projectile in a collision and the damage that it could do.


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## TJ Mobile Audio (May 6, 2009)

Well I'm planning to take whatever safety precautions he wants to pay for, I'll clear my name by telling him it could be an issue. The part you're referring to is apparently not available so if we decide to put something in I will most likely fabricate it. Either that or I'll leave it up to him to source the part.

Solution: go fast enough that no one _can_ rear-end you.

In all seriousness, I don't think we need a full discussion here of Corvette safety (or lack thereof, in this case). Suffice it to say that I will bring it up and see if he cares. I mean he's already elected to drive a fiberglass car...


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## rodneypierce (Feb 2, 2012)

TJ, Im sorry, I didnt mean to derail the thread... I am looking forward to seeing this build though.


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## TJ Mobile Audio (May 6, 2009)

rodneypierce said:


> TJ, Im sorry, I didnt mean to derail the thread... I am looking forward to seeing this build though.


No worries.


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## DaveRulz (Jun 22, 2006)

Same, no intent to derail your thread, I just want to make sure your ass is covered in case he does get rear ended and what you install ends up hurting him.


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## BumpaD_Z28 (Dec 12, 2011)

SWEET ! a C4 Corvette 

And in Idaho !!! I'm in Northern UT, it's cool to see someone "close" doing installs.

~DaVe


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## TJ Mobile Audio (May 6, 2009)

BumpaD_Z28 said:


> SWEET ! a C4 Corvette
> 
> And in Idaho !!! I'm in Northern UT, it's cool to see someone "close" doing installs.
> 
> ~DaVe


Welcome! I grew up in the Salt Lake area, so Northern Utah is "close" as far as I'm concerned.

I got to work on the Corvette again this weekend, so I have a few updates.

Here's a mock-up of my baffle construction, 26 of 35 plies...










Making an internal brace with my router:



















Round-over applied:


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## TJ Mobile Audio (May 6, 2009)

DIY dust collector:










Mockup of enclosure:



















Note that the baffle section is upside down, I didn't have a way to make it levitate. I have not yet built the top, the amp rack, or the cover. Final word is the enclosure will house two 12s, sealed.


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## hybridamp (Oct 10, 2006)

Nice car; that's for sure. Dust collector was innovative also.


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## JayinMI (Oct 18, 2008)

LOL, that's the same table saw I have. I upgraded my blade to a Diablo 70tpi (IIRC) and it works great...just have to make sure to measure front and back of the blade to make straight cuts.

Jay


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## TJ Mobile Audio (May 6, 2009)

JayinMI said:


> LOL, that's the same table saw I have. I upgraded my blade to a Diablo 70tpi (IIRC) and it works great...just have to make sure to measure front and back of the blade to make straight cuts.
> 
> Jay


Funny, I haven't had any problems with mine. I'm just glad I bought it when I did. I'm hoping this one lasts me another 10-15 years, since the latest version looks like it's been cheapened significantly. The miter table (which is one of my favorite features) has been replaced by a simple miter gauge.

I initially bought a cheaper one and it was terribly flimsy, and had to return it. This one the fence latches solidly and straight, the table doesn't flex, and I can do 30" rips without issue. I upgraded to a 60-tooth blade, which, as you can see, makes nice clean cuts. For a portable saw, it's all I could ever want. Now for a fixed saw, I could go for some additional heft.

Hooking up the shop vac as a dust collector is the best improvement I've made to this saw, though. I was able to cut all afternoon in a confined space without a dust mask!


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## JayinMI (Oct 18, 2008)

I probably just need to adjust my rip fence. I saw the new one today at HD and it did look much cheaper. My first 10" saw was a cheap Craftsman, which I probably built 50 boxes on over 4 years or so was a piece of crap in comparison...but it more than paid for itself. This one should hold up much better, but if I get my own garage someday, I plan to get a nice Delta of something.

Jay


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## TJ Mobile Audio (May 6, 2009)

Super Tuesday update!

Baffle construction:



















Recessing the bottom of the box for motor structures:



















Box partially assembled:










That's as far as I got yesterday. The t-inserts are proving problematic, I bought the entire inventory from the hardware store (16 total) and I broke and stripped a few during installation. I hope they get some more soon. I usually think these things are more trouble than they are worth, but since I'm only grabbing 3/4" of the 2" baffle (it's 1-1/2" currently but I'll be adding one more sheet of 1/2" to span the entire top) I thought they would be worthwhile. Here's hoping the holes line up perfectly when it comes time to install the subs...


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## JayinMI (Oct 18, 2008)

I've had similar problems with HD's threaded inserts. They strip really easy, the t Nuts do too, they cross thead easily. Makes me wonder if McMaster-Carr makes better quality unit.

Jay


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## TJ Mobile Audio (May 6, 2009)

JayinMI said:


> I've had similar problems with HD's threaded inserts. They strip really easy, the t Nuts do too, they cross thead easily. Makes me wonder if McMaster-Carr makes better quality unit.
> 
> Jay


These were from Ace, I'll have to try BMC West next, maybe CAL Ranch. The nearest Home Depot is over 30 miles from here, not worth the drive with gas prices what they are, and not worth the time. I only go there for major tool purchases.


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## JayinMI (Oct 18, 2008)

TJ Mobile Audio said:


> Hooking up the shop vac as a dust collector is the best improvement I've made to this saw, though. I was able to cut all afternoon in a confined space without a dust mask!


Did you need to do anything special, or did the shop vac hose just fit? The shopvac I have at work has a damaged hose, so it didn't fit.

Also, how many times did you have to empty the shopvac?

Jay


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## ek9cv5 (Jan 12, 2012)

Nice work


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## TJ Mobile Audio (May 6, 2009)

JayinMI said:


> Did you need to do anything special, or did the shop vac hose just fit? The shopvac I have at work has a damaged hose, so it didn't fit.
> 
> Also, how many times did you have to empty the shopvac?
> 
> Jay


Yeah, just a standard 2.5" (or whatever the larger standard size is?) hose. Fits right in. You'll likely need the shop vac on a separate circuit from the saw. I haven't had to empty it yet.



ek9cv5 said:


> Nice work


Thanks!


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## TJ Mobile Audio (May 6, 2009)

A few minor updates.

I solved the t-insert problem with the "get a bigger hammer" method:










Here is the box with the bottom installed:










Plenty of clearance for the pole vent:










Top view of the Vibe Black Air II subwoofer from a couple model years ago. Really nice subs:










The amplifier arrived today. It's a Boston GTA-1105 which will run all 5 channels (1 channel for subs, 2 for woofers, and 2 for mids/tweeters crossed passively).










That's all for now, I'll work on this again Saturday. Time to build the amp rack next.


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## TJ Mobile Audio (May 6, 2009)

I've really got my work cut out for me with this amp rack. I have to combine several functions into one unit:

Hide wiring
Provide ample room for wiring
Provide access to factory wiring which is located under enclosure
Provide for possible future fan cooling
Provide means for securing front end of enclosure to baseplate
Secure amplifier against excess vibration

This might all be simpler if I were using a smaller amp, but...

Here's what I came up with. I'm going to try to assemble it today. Was going to fix the washing machine but decided to call the repairman instead...


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## TJ Mobile Audio (May 6, 2009)

Made some serious progress on the amp rack today.





































Found a good use for my two extra t-inserts:



















Test-fitting the amp rack and amp in the enclosure:



















That's all for today. It turns out some of my bracing is redundant due to the shape of the amp rack, but such is design-build.

To clarify the design intent of the amp rack, there will be a cutout in the top of the box that follows the shape of the amp, for a flush or slightly recessed mounting. Then there will be one final cover above that. Enough room is left around the amplifier (1/8" on one side, 1-1/4 on the other for wiring, and 1/4" above) to allow for active ventilation if that becomes necessary. The piece which the amp mounts to is removable to allow for access to wiring, crossovers, etc. The space under the amp rack is open to increase the volume of the enclosure.


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## TJ Mobile Audio (May 6, 2009)

For those who may (or may not) have been wondering, this build is now back from the dead. In fact, so is the Corvette. The engine had a leak in the rear main seal, and the owner neglected to top up the oil frequently enough. He ran it dry for a few miles too many, and developed a bad bottom-end knock. So he took the car back and spend several thousand on an engine rebuild, and has just recently turned it back over to me. It also got a car wash, as well as new tires and rims in the meantime.

I'll post the pictures from working on the box while the Vette was gone, and this weekend I'll likely have more updates.


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## TJ Mobile Audio (May 6, 2009)

Cut a hole in the bottom of the box with a flush-cut router bit for a wiring pathway.










You can see here I've made the amp rack permanent:










Next, I added another layer to my baffle.


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## TJ Mobile Audio (May 6, 2009)

All of the joints fit flush and are assembled with Elmer's glue, but I added caulking between the amp rack and the enclosure to ensure the two spaces stay isolated. Used an old standby, DAP acrylic latex plus silicone, AKA Alex Plus.










I painted some of the areas that will be visible when the cover is removed. The treatment begins with multiple layers of flat black paint.










Once the paint is thoroughly dry, I apply clear deck stain for a satin finish. I have used this process before, it works well because the flat black paint is porous enough to let the stain soak in. A fringe benefit is you gain a degree of water resistance.


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## TJ Mobile Audio (May 6, 2009)

1/4" round-over applied to amp trim piece:










Got my first coat of paint on then realized I had some holes to fill (these were leftover from the way I attached my edge jig when cutting the hole).










Multiple coats later, here is the test fit. In this shot, you can see the difference between the flat finish that comes from a can (on the lip) and the satin finish I am going for (below the lip).


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## TJ Mobile Audio (May 6, 2009)

I was able to use screws everywhere except the one edge nearest the sub cutout. The rest of the perimeter of the hole has extra space so the screws will not be visible, but I didn't want to mangle that finished edge. Clamps, glue, and more jigs do the trick:










Here is the amp rack with the base piece in place:










Here's one of the features I built in: the base piece is removable to allow access to wiring (left cubby) and crossovers (right cubby).










That's all for now. I hope to have some exciting updates this weekend.


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## TJ Mobile Audio (May 6, 2009)

Sorry those pics are a lower resolution, I guess I scaled them wrong.


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## backpachyderm (Dec 17, 2010)

Same saw here, and it is very capable for the amount of space it takes up in the garage. I couldn't stand the placement of the power switch, so I put a two gang box on the left side filled with a light switch and receptacle. The plug is switched too, so when you kill the saw the shop vac goes off. Power on and the shop vac starts up too. There is a 25' extension cord wired directly in that makes it a lot more handy than what came with it.

The fence sucks, but I keep a framing square handy for that. I measure from the tooth to the square and then slap the fence up to it and tighten it down. The blade is dead square to the front table edge so this works 100% every time.


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## TJ Mobile Audio (May 6, 2009)

backpachyderm said:


> Same saw here, and it is very capable for the amount of space it takes up in the garage. I couldn't stand the placement of the power switch, so I put a two gang box on the left side filled with a light switch and receptacle. The plug is switched too, so when you kill the saw the shop vac goes off. Power on and the shop vac starts up too. There is a 25' extension cord wired directly in that makes it a lot more handy than what came with it.
> 
> The fence sucks, but I keep a framing square handy for that. I measure from the tooth to the square and then slap the fence up to it and tighten it down. The blade is dead square to the front table edge so this works 100% every time.


That's a good idea, I've thought of adding an auxiliary outlet as well. Everyone mentions the fence but I have had no issues. As long as I push it forward while I latch it down, it squares itself. The measurement numbers on the rail are accurate once you calibrate the little plastic marker.

PS, I like your screen name. Are you a backpacker as well? I've done a lot of trekking in the Rockies, particularly the High Uintas and the Tetons... I'm still trying to come up with a plan for this year's trip.


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## JayinMI (Oct 18, 2008)

I was just wondering what happened to this build. The say works great, I measure in front and back of the blade and clamp it when it's straight...tho I think the problem might be more the aligment of the motor than the fence. lol

The newer replacement model is crap in comparison.

Jay


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## TJ Mobile Audio (May 6, 2009)

Jay, I think there are more interesting things in this build than my saw . Like these new rims:


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## JayinMI (Oct 18, 2008)

Not a fan of C4 Corvettes, really, but that isa nice looking car.
I just hate working on them. lol

Jay


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## TJ Mobile Audio (May 6, 2009)

I put in a few hours this morning, now I'm just waiting out the hottest part of the day.

Wood putty:










Sanding + 3 coats flat black. Yes I found some irony in using the hearing aid ad for masking...










First coat of stain:










Second coat of stain:










Stained the rest of the box as well, but only the top gets paint. Will rub off any excess this evening, then start gutting the interior of the car.


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## TJ Mobile Audio (May 6, 2009)

Morning updates!

Reinstalled the rear carpets, and trimmed them down so they won't interfere with mounting the box. I found tin snips to be the most effective for cutting the vinyl-backed carpet.










Not to toot my own horn, but this really turned out to be a perfect, snug fit for the space available (TOOT, TOOT!)










Next step is to build a carbon-fiber wrapped cover for the enclosure with cutouts for speaker grilles and an amp cover. If all goes as planned, there may be a raised Corvette emblem implanted underneath the carbon fiber wrap. We shall see. I'll have more updates throughout the week.


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## TJ Mobile Audio (May 6, 2009)

No carbon fiber work yet, but the panels area almost ready to be wrapped. Here's what I did on Indepencence Day...

Practicing my chosen method for the raised logo on a scrap piece of birch:










Enter the vinyl Corvette logo:










Drilled some 2" holes:










Used my router to convert those holes into handles:










FatMat with vinyl logo affixed (protip: stick the FatMat in the fridge or freezer for a few minutes before this step, or it may bond to the wood prematurely).










Logo with the bulk of the FatMat removed:










Damn, that fleur-de-lis took forever to get right:










Can you tell the sides of this bottom piece have a compound curve?










Laying out two more handles and a grille:










That's as far as I got on the 4th, fast forward to today after the break...


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## TJ Mobile Audio (May 6, 2009)

Here are some updates from this afternoon, hopefully I will have more to show by tonight.

Dug a large square recess with my router bit, about 1/16" deep:










Test fitting the 304 stainless grille:










Yay, routers are fun! Got bored and dug some more recesses, then remembered what I was doing and tacked some strips of birch in place for a jig:










Cut out a square hole, leaving a 5/8" lip. Then laid a bed bead of acrylic latex caulk:










Bedded the grille, then masked the face:










Laid a face bead, then tooled the caulk flush:










Masking removed, and voila!










That's probably almost dry by now, and I've had a nice break, so it's back to the grind.


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## TJ Mobile Audio (May 6, 2009)

Last update for today. I decided to do a test with the carbon fiber wrap. It's actually a carbon fiber-look cloth, which looks more real in person than in the pictures. JPEG compression is a killer...

Here's the test piece I made earlier. I'll wrap the Corvette logo another day when I have more time, this was just a proof of concept:










The amp cover will be this same red, the beauty skirts will be a similar black carbon fiber cloth, and the speaker grille will be black grille cloth. I'll get back to this on Friday at the latest, possibly during the week depending on homework.


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## Gadget01 (Oct 20, 2008)

I definitely like the enclosure. Limited space breeds creativity. I was considering doing something similar for my C5 Vette, but I had to sell it before I could complete my installation.

So what's with the C5 logo for a C4 Vette?

I like the C5 logo a LOT more, but this is the correct logo for this car:


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## JayinMI (Oct 18, 2008)

I've been lucky enough to have avoided working on an C4's for the last few years, but I've been stuck with 2 in the last couple of months. They are not my favorites.

I love how this is coming along, however. 

In the pics, the FatMat looks like it has a wavy texture. I'm surprised it doesn't show through the c/f vinyl you're using. Does that have something to do with putting it in the freezer, or do you leave the sticker/template on it for a smooth surface?

Jay


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## TJ Mobile Audio (May 6, 2009)

Gadget01 said:


> I definitely like the enclosure. Limited space breeds creativity. I was considering doing something similar for my C5 Vette, but I had to sell it before I could complete my installation.
> 
> So what's with the C5 logo for a C4 Vette?
> 
> I like the C5 logo a LOT more, but this is the correct logo for this car:


Yep, I'm aware of this. He wanted the C5 logo, we agreed it is a lot more iconic and less bland.

Oh, and thanks about the enclosure. It was definitely the product of a fair amount of brainstorming.


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## TJ Mobile Audio (May 6, 2009)

JayinMI said:


> I've been lucky enough to have avoided working on an C4's for the last few years, but I've been stuck with 2 in the last couple of months. They are not my favorites.
> 
> I love how this is coming along, however.
> 
> ...


Jay,

The fatmat is wrinkly due at least in part to the thinness of the foil facing they used. Before applying it, I ran the surface back and forth across the edge of a table to flatten it, then I put it in the fridge. Chilling simply gave me more open time before the tar/butyl would get too gummy to work with, and didn't affect the surface. After the logo was cut out, I flattened the surface as much as I could with a roller (but with caution not to deform it).

On careful inspection the wrinkles do show through the CF vinyl just slightly, however this is minimized by the nearly matte texture of the fabric's surface when viewed straight-on. The edges of the cut have a much more abrupt transition than the waves, so that's what my eyes pick up on. I think the logo will work fine, but if I use this technique again I will choose a CLD with a flatter surface for uniformity. Yes I will leave the vinyl sticker on, that may help a bit.


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## JayinMI (Oct 18, 2008)

When I used to to raised logos out of carpet, I used to use foamboard. Now that I'm doing more vinyl work, I need something a little sharper. I've heard of alot of people using old standard Dynamat (the black stuff you have to use heat to apply) too.

Thanks for the additional info.

Jay


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## TJ Mobile Audio (May 6, 2009)

Jay,

Dynamat Original would probably better for the raised logos. I've seen it used as well. Couldn't find any though and didn't want to special order it.

Morning updates!

Blended the edges of the grille a little more with wood putty:










Both panels are now ready to be wrapped, once the paint dries. The paint is for color uniformity, and so the wood won't soak up the glue:










Looks like I'll have a black spot on my lawn for a while:


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## Wicked V6 (Jun 12, 2012)

Wow, very nice work! 

Thanks for sharing!

Prasad


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## TJ Mobile Audio (May 6, 2009)

Time for some serious updates!

Wrapped the grille in black grille cloth. I did this with the help of a simple pine frame made from wall studs:


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## TJ Mobile Audio (May 6, 2009)

Next came the CF vinyl amp cover, using the same method:










And - *insert worshipful chamber music here* - It came out just as I had hoped!

The two grilles as they will be installed:


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## TJ Mobile Audio (May 6, 2009)

Soldering time!










OEM woofer:


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## TJ Mobile Audio (May 6, 2009)

Replacing the OEM woofer's wiring:










This part of the grille was at risk of rubbing the higher-excursion aftermarket driver's surround:










Solved!


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## TJ Mobile Audio (May 6, 2009)

Aftermarket woofers installed. These are Vibe coaxials, but they are bi-ampable so I can drive only the woofer. I have used these in the past with impressive midbass results:










This motor structure just barely clears the back of the enclosure:










Why trust the stock foam gaskets to still seal?


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## TJ Mobile Audio (May 6, 2009)

Added Poly-fil stuffing to the chambers, and stretched grille cloth onto the port to keep it from blowing out:










Installed:


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## TJ Mobile Audio (May 6, 2009)

The mids are the next step, again utilizing the OEM Bose enclosures. I had to cut the hole larger where the tweeter was installed to make room for two midrange drivers:










All connections soldered:



















First midrange installed:


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## TJ Mobile Audio (May 6, 2009)

Made some adapters to take the 4" Bose opening down to a 3" opening. I installed all four but don't have pics of that yet.










These are 8-ohm Tang Band W3s wired in parallel. After installing all four, I tested them on my home receiver and they have a nice smooth midrange, really shone on songs like the Red Hot Chili Peppers "Porcelain". Excited to hear them in the car.

Well that's all for now, I need to go work on some beauty trim for the subwoofer enclosure.


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## TJ Mobile Audio (May 6, 2009)

Fiberglass time!

I made this shape with some 50/50 cotton/poly from a stretchy t-shirt, some masonite rings, some dowels, and some hot glue. Sorry I didn't get any pictures of the frame before I wrapped it:










Doused that in resin:










Drilled some holes to improve adhesion:


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## TJ Mobile Audio (May 6, 2009)

First layer was done with fiberglass cloth:










Did two layers of chop mat, then sanded:










Cut out the mounting hole with my hole saw:


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## TJ Mobile Audio (May 6, 2009)

Cut out the back with my Dremel to so I could insert the mounting ring:










Test fitting the tweeter. Note the additional aluminum tape to smooth the fiberglass transition and prevent peeling:










Both A-pillars painted with Rustoleum semi-gloss black:










The next step will be to wrap the entire A-pillar with black grille cloth, but I'm done for today.


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## Hemivette (Jul 20, 2010)

Any more updates on this? You've given me a lot of ideas, and I would like to see the finished product. Peace. h


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## TJ Mobile Audio (May 6, 2009)

I will update when the power comes back on from Hurricane Sandy. Moved to the East Coast just in time for a big storm!


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## FLYONWALL9 (Nov 8, 2009)

Good to see you back and posting.


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## TJ Mobile Audio (May 6, 2009)

So I left off after fiberglassing, sanding, sanding again, and painting the A-pillars. Next I wrapped both A-pillars in black grille cloth using 3M Super 90, and painted with three light coats of black fabric dye for color consistency.










In reality, I didn't install the A-pillars until I was ready to re-assemble, but for the sake of continuity I will show the installed pictures of the A-pillars here. Note that because both shots were taken from the driver's seat, my flash made the left A-pillar look much lighter than it is. And yes, his cheap-o GM dashboard is a little gimpy as well, the owner assured me a fix was in the works.


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## TJ Mobile Audio (May 6, 2009)

Next came some work with subwoofers and wiring.



















The Xtant/Morel passives for the highs and mids:










See? See? Told ya' so! Okay so the Morel logo is in the very center if you can't actually see it.


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## TJ Mobile Audio (May 6, 2009)

Next came the amp wiring. In this case it is more functional than aesthetic, but I wanted it to still be clean.


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## TJ Mobile Audio (May 6, 2009)

Now for the beauty trim - if you're sharp you'll notice another anachronism in these pics (but pay no mind to the man behind the curtain)...


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## TJ Mobile Audio (May 6, 2009)

Ready for the grand finale? The logo is a bit washed out in the first two photos, but I did some lighting tricks in #3 to bring out the full effect.




























I will post a video at some point in the future if people need to see that kind of thing, but of course hearing the audio through a camera mic is kind of a letdown. While I could pick the system's little flaws apart, the owner seemed thrilled with the performance and balance of the system, and that's what this was really about. He seemed very pleased with the presentation overall, and commented that it sounded like a good home stereo. I'll take that as a compliment any day.


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## FLYONWALL9 (Nov 8, 2009)

TJ,
Did you ever finish the install on your truck? I see you have a Rover now, 
I hope that you don't have as many issues with it as my Pop and a couple
of my buds. Some are great, some are just basket cases. Its a shame too
because IMO they interior is well trimmed out.

Post up some pics of your truck if you have any and you were able to finish it


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