Topic: Center waterfall subwoofer

[Helios]

I've had numerous failed attempts to get someone else to fiberglass an enclosure for me. I decided to do it myself. This is my first foray with fiberglassing. So, I'm sure I'm going to make mistakes along the way. I know some audiophiles think having a subwoofer in the center waterfall is all show and no go, but it's the look I want and the 8" sub I'm going to use will give me sufficient bass and won't blow my ears out. So here goes nothing.

[Helios]

I removed the rear waterfall panel. I also removed the cubby door and cupholder assembly. I then masked it off and added an aluminum foil layer as well to help prevent the resin from leaking through to the panel itself. That's all the time I had today...more to follow.

[Gentleman Jack]

Isn't the woofer going to be right next to your face?

[Helios]

Isn't the woofer going to be right next to your face?

Nope. Just because I'm Asian doesn't mean I'm as short as Elff. Hahahaha! I'm 5'7" so even if I center the ring with the middle of the cubby, it'll only be about shoulder height. I have thought about lowering it a little bit more than that though since I will not be reusing the cupholders.

Anyway, I have to fiberglass the back panel first. Then, I'll have to worry about the "top half" with the speaker ring.

[elff]

IMHO, I think that is still too close to your ears.

Bass sound isn't directional, but the push of air will still be there. This is why people normally hide their subwoofers.

Hopefully I am wrong and this works out as intended.

[PyrateDave]

Should be interesting.  I saw this at a recent car show I was in, a Dodge Viper next to me had dual Subs between the seats in the waterfall.  Although it was not turned on, it did look damn sweet. 

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[Helios]

IMHO, I think that is still too close to your ears.

Bass sound isn't directional, but the push of air will still be there. This is why people normally hide their subwoofers.

Hopefully I am wrong and this works out as intended.

I have also seen the subwoofer reverse mounted inside the enclosure so that it fires back at the rear firewall. If the setup that I'm fiberglassing doesn't work as I hope it does, then I'm prepared to try reverse mounting it as well.

[Helios]

Should be interesting.  I saw this at a recent car show I was in, a Dodge Viper next to me had dual Subs between the seats in the waterfall.  Although it was not turned on, it did look damn sweet. 

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The Dodge Viper setup below is what inspired me to want mine in the center. I just like the look of it as long as it also sounds decent. Like I said, I'm only mounting an 8" sub and the cab of our little roadster is small enough to not really require anything larger.

[Helios]

Had some time tonight. Cut up 2 of the 4 fiberglass mat sheets I bought into squares. First batch of resin I mixed was 4 ounces and started laying glass in the cubby then worked my way outward. I quickly found out that I mixed way too much resin at one time and wasted about 2 ounces. I only mixed 1 ounce at a time or less thereafter. It is a messy sticky process. I worked on my screen patio with an oscillating fan running behind me. I wore disposable latex gloves, safety glasses, a dust mask, went through 4 paint brushes, 3 pairs of gloves, and more than half of the container of resin for ONE layer. Going to lay at least two more. Need to buy more brushes and resin.

[Jim]

Is the resin expensive? Just curious. I buy resin by the pound and typically buy 2500 pounds at a time as I build burial vaults for funeral homes and cemeteries around the state. It's a side business I bought about 4 years ago and is somewhat interesting....

[Helios]

Is the resin expensive? Just curious. I buy resin by the pound and typically buy 2500 pounds at a time as I build burial vaults for funeral homes and cemeteries around the state. It's a side business I bought about 4 years ago and is somewhat interesting....

29fl oz. Is $17.

[Jim]

Polyester or Epoxy? I use poly at an average of $11 per gallon.

[Helios]

Polyester or Epoxy? I use poly at an average of $11 per gallon.

Poly.

[TomatoSoup]

Is the resin expensive? Just curious. I buy resin by the pound and typically buy 2500 pounds at a time as I build burial vaults for funeral homes and cemeteries around the state. It's a side business I bought about 4 years ago and is somewhat interesting....

Don't tell me... people are just dying to use your services?

[Helios]

Don't tell me... people are just dying to use your services?

Wow! 

[Jim]

Don't tell me... people are just dying to use your services?

Customers are just dying to get into one of these! We've got you covered! Zero customer complaints! This is the really last product you'll ever need to buy! And the list goes on and on and on.... is it dark in here????

Helios - if you find yourself needing more materials than you had planned on and need some product (resin, catalyst & mat- not a vault), let me know and I'll send some to you for the cost of shipping as I'm somewhat interested in what you're doing. Hopefully none of us will need a vault for a loooooonnnngggg time.

Do you plan to cover the finished enclosure with vinyl or leather or are you thinking of finishing it with something else like paint?

[Sly Bob]

Interested in seeing how this turns out. I tried fiberglass years ago as a repair on an old car that I owned at the time. Wasn't pretty is all I'm going to say.     

[Helios]

Customers are just dying to get into one of these! We've got you covered! Zero customer complaints! This is the really last product you'll ever need to buy! And the list goes on and on and on.... is it dark in here????

Helios - if you find yourself needing more materials than you had planned on and need some product (resin, catalyst & mat- not a vault), let me know and I'll send some to you for the cost of shipping as I'm somewhat interested in what you're doing. Hopefully none of us will need a vault for a loooooonnnngggg time.

Do you plan to cover the finished enclosure with vinyl or leather or are you thinking of finishing it with something else like paint?

I already bought more resin. I didn't want to run out mid layer, but it only cost me a couple bucks cause I had a credit at AutoZone. I'm thinking of painting it the OEM olympic white.

[Helios]

Did a second layer this morning with fiberglass cloth (cut into approx. 12" long strips x 1.5" wide) instead of mat. The cloth was much easier to work with and required less resin. I couldn't find a definitive answer on whether mat or cloth was stronger so I decided I would use both. I'll do another layer of mat for the third and final layer when this one has cured.

[Helios]

Jim, I'll take you up on your offer for resin. I'm pretty sure I'm going to run through the second container easily, if not while laying the third layer of glass for the back panel then while I'm using the resin on the fleece for the front half of the enclosure. Thanks a bunch!

[Jim]

PM your address to me and I'll get a gallon shipped to you on Monday. If you think you'll need more than that, let me know. Do you have enough catalyst or do you need some?

[Helios]

PM your address to me and I'll get a gallon shipped to you on Monday. If you think you'll need more than that, let me know. Do you have enough catalyst or do you need some?

I'll need some as well. Thanks.

[Helios]

PM sent.

[Helios]

Layer number 3. After it cures I'm going to trace where I intend to cut it down to the desired shape. Then, I'll remove it from the OEM panel, sand it down, and prime it. Since this is the back half of the enclosure I don't think it's necessary to apply body filler or make it perfect since it won't be visible once the top half is made and attached to it. We'll see how it works out.

[Critterman]

Come on don't half ass it, finish it like you want to show it off.   It will be good practice for the front.