# Great door panel step-by-step



## chuyler1 (Apr 10, 2006)

http://www.caraudiomag.com/technical/0701_cae_door_panel_speaker_installation/

The only part I don't understand is how they get the aluminum trim ring to stay in place.


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## Whiterabbit (May 26, 2006)

who here hides their door speakers?

does anyone choose not to look at their doorpspeakers in any situation where they arent just doing a "standard" door speaker install?

i predict its tape or friction that holds in the aluminum.


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## chad (Jun 30, 2005)

Whiterabbit said:


> who here hides their door speakers?
> 
> does anyone choose not to look at their doorpspeakers in any situation where they arent just doing a "standard" door speaker install?
> 
> i predict its tape or friction that holds in the aluminum.


Certainly not "hidden" but you have to know what you are looking for  










Chad


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## chuyler1 (Apr 10, 2006)

I realize many people here are on the "keep it safe, keep it secret" bandwagon but many of the steps used in the article could apply to a stealth install to. For example, the technique for building the trim rings with a rabbit bit is interesting. Of course you need the right size bit (or the right size bearing) to do it.

My mindset is, if I have to do elaborate fabrication I might as well go one step further and make it look cool. That way people (other than members of this board) can appreciate the work I put in. If you get bored later on, cover it with SEM texture coat and no one will know it was a custom panel.

I'm still trying to make a decision about my door panels. Right now I'm floating between something elaborate like this, or something as simple as cutting out the factory grill and replacing it with grill cloth on a ring.


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## DonutHands (Jan 27, 2006)

confused about one step of the aluminum as well.

it looks like he uses the chamfer bit with the aluminum attached so it chamfers the wood and bends the aluminum. i dont get that part at all. he is missing a step or 2 in that process.


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## ErinH (Feb 14, 2007)

That's really cool, but to me, I'd prefer it to be out of the way. I'm the only one in my car 90% of the time. On top of that, it just doesn't make sense to me to go through all that. I know it has advantages, but I’m just not sure they’re worth it to me. If anything, I’d just cut out the factory grill and put some grill cloth over it, but that’s the farthest I’m willing to go.


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## chuyler1 (Apr 10, 2006)

internecine said:


> confused about one step of the aluminum as well.
> 
> it looks like he uses the chamfer bit with the aluminum attached so it chamfers the wood and bends the aluminum. i dont get that part at all. he is missing a step or 2 in that process.


He attached the aluminum ring to the baffle with tape so the bearing would roll along the inside of the baffle and the chamfer bit would create a slopped edge along the inside part of the aluminum ring. The baffle is the guide and the aluminum is cut not bent.


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## khail19 (Oct 27, 2006)

So a carbide router bit will cut aluminum pretty well? That opens up a world of possibilities for me! I always figured I'd need a CNC machine to make aluminum grills and such.


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## chuyler1 (Apr 10, 2006)

My thoughts exactly. Aluminum is pretty soft I guess. I never thought of using the router for it. It is a little more elegant than using 1/4" MDF. I wonder how difficult it is to paint aluminum.


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## forty5cal1911 (Sep 11, 2006)

Aluminum can be painted but it doesn't hold up very well due to the softness of the alloy. It really needs to be anodized with a chemical bath.


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## quality_sound (Dec 25, 2005)

khail19 said:


> So a carbide router bit will cut aluminum pretty well? That opens up a world of possibilities for me! I always figured I'd need a CNC machine to make aluminum grills and such.


You don't even have to use carbide. As long as you're using aluminum that's not really thick you're fine.


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## chuyler1 (Apr 10, 2006)

You're prolly right. Just make sure to remove as much material as possible before using the router.

Can you get sheet aluminum at Home Depot?


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## DonutHands (Jan 27, 2006)

chuyler1 said:


> He attached the aluminum ring to the baffle with tape so the bearing would roll along the inside of the baffle and the chamfer bit would create a slopped edge along the inside part of the aluminum ring. The baffle is the guide and the aluminum is cut not bent.


i see it now, i didnt realize that the aluminum was somthing like 1/4" thick. didnt know it could be routered like that. 

from a quick glance at the pictures it looked like it was a thin sheet of aluminum and the wood was chamfered then the thin aluminum was bent to conform to that angled wood ring.

thanks for making me look at the pictures again.


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## ClinesSelect (Apr 16, 2006)

chuyler1 said:


> My thoughts exactly. Aluminum is pretty soft I guess. I never thought of using the router for it. It is a little more elegant than using 1/4" MDF. I wonder how difficult it is to paint aluminum.


There is an article on this very subject in the latest CA&E with the 2007 product directory. It shows them fabricating an alum trim panel for the dash using a router. 

They also tear apart Biggs' Regal and show the fabrication.


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## quality_sound (Dec 25, 2005)

internecine said:


> i see it now, i didnt realize that the aluminum was somthing like 1/4" thick. didnt know it could be routered like that.
> 
> from a quick glance at the pictures it looked like it was a thin sheet of aluminum and the wood was chamfered then the thin aluminum was bent to conform to that angled wood ring.
> 
> thanks for making me look at the pictures again.


I'm pretty sure it's not even that thick or you'd lose all the pliability. I'm guessing that wasn't more than a 16 gauge tops.


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## chuyler1 (Apr 10, 2006)

He says in the photo comments "_To hide the mounting screws of the speaker, I've made a 1/4" aluminum ring that trims around the cone of the speaker._"

It isn't pliable. It is the same as a 1/4" piece of MDF except it is metal and he cuts it in the same mannor.


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## DonutHands (Jan 27, 2006)

quality_sound said:


> I'm pretty sure it's not even that thick or you'd lose all the pliability. I'm guessing that wasn't more than a 16 gauge tops.


there no reason for it to be pliable. take another look at the photos, i had to. its 1/4" thick


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## Rudeboy (Oct 16, 2005)

chuyler1 said:


> Can you get sheet aluminum at Home Depot?


Yes!


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## chuyler1 (Apr 10, 2006)

What department should I look in. I swear I get lost in that place...and there are three near me, each puts **** in different places. Last time I went looking for 3M Super 77 adhesive I was there 20 minutes...the workers couldn't even find it for me...I was like "I know you have it...just tell me what isle to look in...no I checked that already"


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## quality_sound (Dec 25, 2005)

chuyler1 said:


> He says in the photo comments "_To hide the mounting screws of the speaker, I've made a 1/4" aluminum ring that trims around the cone of the speaker._"
> 
> It isn't pliable. It is the same as a 1/4" piece of MDF except it is metal and he cuts it in the same mannor.


I must have missed that part. 1/4" really is overkill and WAY more than is needed for a trim panel, but I guess when you don't have to pay for it.


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## Rudeboy (Oct 16, 2005)

chuyler1 said:


> What department should I look in. I swear I get lost in that place...and there are three near me, each puts **** in different places. Last time I went looking for 3M Super 77 adhesive I was there 20 minutes...the workers couldn't even find it for me...I was like "I know you have it...just tell me what isle to look in...no I checked that already"


In the two near me it is where they have bulk bolts, mailboxes and toolboxes. There is a rack with steel and aluminum rods, bars and sheets.


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## dogstar (Jan 31, 2007)

Home depot is incredibly expensive for any specialized metal product like that.

Try looking in your phonebook for "metal suppliers" Im sure you can find some for a reasonable price.

Ive been working with aluminum at my job for a couple years now, and I really like it... Very easy to work with hand tools, and a router can do some beautiful work as shown in CA&E, plus its cheap and a lot lighter than steel.


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## chuyler1 (Apr 10, 2006)

1/8" or 3mm would work fine too but it wouldn't provide the beveled look which really sells the whole door panel. You can tell they don't waste the aluminum. The guy started with a piece of scrap.


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## durwood (Mar 7, 2007)

www.mcmaster.com is a good place to order raw sheets of metal from. I don't know how they compare in prices to other places, but I wouldn't know where else to look unless you opened the phonebook and found some local.


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## Whiterabbit (May 26, 2006)

I like aluminum because its much stiffer than steel. gives less.

I needed some metal very recently for a project and called local metal suppliers. They were very unwilling to work with small onsey twosey customers.

I then found out online retailers really do charge a huge amount for product I frankly don't need in the nice condition they sell in. I am willing to work with a dirty product because of the TLC I have to give the metal to begin with. I'd rather reap cost savings.

So I went to an electronics surplus store and browsed their stuff. It didnt take long to find an old broken product that had parts I was looking for, in my case some perforated sheet steel. Aluminum wouldnt be too bad either in a 7x7" piece.

and its basically garbage to everyone, so I paid pennies to the dollar.


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## thehatedguy (May 4, 2007)

Aluminum is stiffer than steel? Not at the same thicknesses it isn't.

You can router aluminum pretty easy...I have routered 3/4" aluminum for kickpanel baffles pretty easy. You just need a good sharp bit, turn the speed down on the router, and use some coolant. Aluminum is a nonferrious metal, so you can router it.

1/4 should be really easy to router.

And where can you get router bits that are NOT carbide? I've never seen one that wasn't carbide tipped or solid carbide.


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## Rudeboy (Oct 16, 2005)

thehatedguy said:


> Aluminum is stiffer than steel? Not at the same thicknesses it isn't.


No, but it is when you compare thicknesses of equal mass. Aluminum can feel stiffer because it is so light.


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## GlasSman (Nov 14, 2006)

The aluminium trim ring uses a compression fit.


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## Whiterabbit (May 26, 2006)

you guys were right. I definitely goofed on that one!

A36 construction steel, pretty common, has an elastic modulus of 200x10^9 N/m^2 (damn SI units, thank you google =\)

Aluminum is 70x10^9

I believe the metric units are 10 and 30 GPa for aluminum and steel. If I recal.

Because stiffness is related directly to the elastic modulus as a material property, we can say that A36 construction steel is roughly three times stiffer than aluminum.


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## AzGrower (May 30, 2005)

Did he just chamfer the inside part or does it look like he also chamfered/rounded over the outer circumference as well?

It looks like he used 1/4" aluminium. I assume this simply by comparison of his baffle template he uses whilst trimming the piece. That and the fact that 1/4" is the smallest size cut length you can get for chamfering.


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## thehatedguy (May 4, 2007)

You could technically chamfer any thickness of the metal. All you do is glue the metal to a wood ring and chamfer the whole thing. Then you pop the aluminum off of the wood, and you have the remaining chamfer...you can go as deep as you want on the wood and get different chamfers with different depths on the wood ring.

But I wouldn't really want to mess with anything less than 3/16th-1/4th inch for cosmetic reasons for a project like that.

The slight chamfer could come from a deburring tool after he routed the aluminum. You pull the tool across the cut edge and it takes the sharp edge off of the cut.


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## chuyler1 (Apr 10, 2006)

Folks we are discussing facts that have already been laid out. 

His descriptions specifically say he used 1/4" aluminum.

The photos how him using the original MDF ring as a guide to chamfer the inside while the outside was trimmed flush with a flute bit. No magic. Plain and simple wood working with some 1/4" aluminum thrown in for style.

sidetrack...
I think I've decided on how I'm going to mod my door panels. I am going to cut out the plastic stock grills which are perfectly circular. I'll make the cut small and then use a drum sander or paper sand paper to bring it in right to the edge of the original grill.

Using this diameter, I will make a ring with the outer diameter larger and inner diameter slightly smaller than the opening. I will use a rabbit bit on both sides and that will leave only a thin ring sticking out the full 3/4". The outer diameter of this ring (if I do my math properly) will be just slightly smaller than the stock opening. I can paint it silver and cut a separate ring to fit in the middle to serve as a grill. Then I'll mount the whole thing from behind the stock door panel. Did you follow? Ok maybe not...but keep an eye on my install thread and you'll see it unfold.


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## AzGrower (May 30, 2005)

Ooops, I guess I missed the part where he said he was using 1/4" aluminium. I didnt realize he had captions on the larger pics. 

Concerning the chamfering however, I can see that he used a wood guide, but he left a lot of explaining out. Like what size bit he used and exactly what he did to the aluminium ring. I am just the type of person who, when making a build tutorial, I like to show every process in full detail, and explain every step. Others do it differently. On my next build tutorial, I am going to show a 4x8 sheet of mdf and then the next pic is going to be a finished box.


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## chuyler1 (Apr 10, 2006)

Well, they only had so much real estate on the page...it was originally a printed article I assume. They prolly have photos for every step. It takes a few passes through the captions and photos to put it all together.


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