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Fiberglass Door Panel Pictures


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auex 
Platinum - Posts: 5,041
Platinum spaceThis member has made a donation to the12volt.com. Click here for more info.spacespace
Joined: December 23, 2002
Location: Arizona, United States
Posted: May 31, 2009 at 12:08 AM / IP Logged  
Very nice work and a very good tutorial so far.
Certified Security Specialist
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I've been sick lately, sorry I won't be on much.
jack a lope 
Member - Posts: 1
Member spacespace
Joined: July 12, 2009
Location: California, United States
Posted: July 12, 2009 at 11:37 AM / IP Logged  
My first post. What do you know about that? Your project looks like it is coming along nicely by the way. I can all ways appreciate a job well done. To the vast majority of those reading this it is something that they just won't be able to do properly. Even after trying many times to create a finished look they won't be able to. Others will the first time out. These types of projects are on the difficult side of the spectrum or at least some what difficult any ways. So I can appreciate a job well done because I know what it takes.
I've been building and fabricating things all my life. Personally and professionally. Putting together sound systems has been one of my favorite hobbies for the better part of 25 years now. Back in the day, when lowered mini truck clubs where all the rage in So-Cal, it was all ways a challenge to get the big sound in the cramped cab of a standard  Toyota SR5 pick up but it was possible. With some help from Cerwin Vega that is.(CV was the only speaker worth a damn back in those days in my opinion. My how things change) Making custom door panels with multiple 8" drivers in band pass configured boxes "glassed " onto the panels was really the only way to get any real base out of such a limited space. It beat putting 10" woofers in wedge boxes behind the seats. The average 10" woofer needed about 3 and 1/2 to 4 cubic feet of air space for a properly tuned  ported box back in those days.
You would think that as I got older that my systems wouldn't be so loud but nooooo. I can afford the good stuff now and there is a lot of it out there these days. So my systems are totally over the top now a days. I turned 42 only 2 days ago. Imagine that.
I was reading your thread here because I was going to be doing something very similar to what you are doing to the front panels of my Ford Exploder as soon as I get some free time. I was looking for some inspiration to motivate me. I need to finish my ongoing never ending installation.
For any one interested, here are two links that are quite useful. 
Keep up the good work. I am looking forward to seeing the finished product.
Cheers
Jack 
It's not until you have herd music through a high end system that you notice how badly produced most of it really is.
silentblackhat 
Copper - Posts: 138
Copper spacespace
Joined: January 14, 2005
Location: New Brunswick, Austria
Posted: July 12, 2009 at 12:16 PM / IP Logged  
jack a lope wrote:
Your project looks like it is coming along nicely by the way. I can all ways appreciate a job well done.
Thanks. This one is actually almost done now. I have the whole thing fiberglassed on the inside for strength and now im doing the body work to smooth the rough spots and then it should be ready for primer/paint
deeg money 
Copper - Posts: 107
Copper spacespace
Joined: October 26, 2008
Location: Florida, United States
Posted: August 18, 2009 at 5:24 PM / IP Logged  
Silent where is the rest of this man.... I always checked on this post you cant ditch us now. let us know whats going on with it. Thanks
Deeg money
"If you cant be good, be good at it"
silentblackhat 
Copper - Posts: 138
Copper spacespace
Joined: January 14, 2005
Location: New Brunswick, Austria
Posted: August 18, 2009 at 6:54 PM / IP Logged  
deeg money wrote:
Silent where is the rest of this man.... I always checked on this post you cant ditch us now. let us know whats going on with it. Thanks
Ask and you shall receive! This should be done soon, i got more materials to start the other side. the other side should take MUCH less time since I know exactly what needs to be done.
After it was wrapped, i used epoxy to make it where i can drill through the cloth and not have the cloth unravel. This is so after i put resin on the door piece, i could screw down an external speaker ring to hold the cloth down while it cures.
This picture is of the main speaker ring held down(this is to make sure it will work):
Fiberglass Door Panel Pictures - Page 3 - Last Post -- posted image.
And here is the tweeter ring:
Fiberglass Door Panel Pictures - Page 3 - Last Post -- posted image.
The back side of it:
Fiberglass Door Panel Pictures - Page 3 - Last Post -- posted image.
Now its time to put resin on the piece!
Here is a video on YouTube where I show how I mix the resin and hardener together. I use 2 popsicle sticks and i do it really slowly:
YouTube How to Mix Resin Link
And here is the video of me putting the resin on the door piece. I apologize for the camera zooming in and out slightly, i didnt have the camera set right:
***this is not the full video, it stops half way through due to a camera battery going dead but you get the idea of what im doing***
YouTube How to Put Resin on Door Piece
Remember, after this step is where I screwed down the speaker rings from before.
MAKE SURE TO COAT THESE EXTERNAL RINGS IN MOLD RELEASE WAX BEFORE SCREWING DOWN or you might find that getting them off is impossible.
Make sure to use a respirator, glasses and gloves AT THE VERY LEAST inside a well ventilated place.
Now since everything has resin and is cured, its time to lay fiberglass mat and resin on the inside. To do this you will need to cut the back off(no one will see this anyways).
The way I did this was drill holes to where i can fit a power jig saw into it and just cut in straight lines. make sure not to have the blade go in deep to poke the front. also, dont put weight on the front face of the piece, this is still pretty fragile till the mat is laid down and cured:
Fiberglass Door Panel Pictures - Page 3 - Last Post -- posted image.
Before you lay the resin inside, i would recommend sanding the inside surfaces first, this will greatly enhance adhesion of the laid fiberglass mat to the existing cured fiberglass.
One thing i would make sure to do is to NOT add extra hardener to speed up curing time in this specific process. Especially on this part, you want just enough for the piece to cure so it wont warp anything due to excessive heat. When I first started out, i would put a lot extra. this was a HUGE mistake because the newly laid fiberglass got very hot and warped(and actually broke through) the front of the piece, so i had to cut the cured cloth shell off and start over from stretching the cloth back over everything.
Make sure to lay glass along the edges inside to attach the front to the already cured fiberglass.
Here is the picture of the back cut open and glassed. It looks like crap on the back but I didn't care because it will be against the door. This is also cut open to make room for installing the crossover:
Fiberglass Door Panel Pictures - Page 3 - Last Post -- posted image.
Here is a picture of the piece after everything is glassed. In this picture I also sanded down the face of the piece to start getting it ready to paint. I still have to do body work on it to make it perfect to paint. It looks like crap right now but body work on it will make it perfect:
Fiberglass Door Panel Pictures - Page 3 - Last Post -- posted image.
and for a final fit check(this is where it is now) I put it on the door and door panel to make sure everything fits ok. The edges need some work to make it perfect but thats a piece of cake to do.
Fiberglass Door Panel Pictures - Page 3 - Last Post -- posted image.
More to come!
deeg money 
Copper - Posts: 107
Copper spacespace
Joined: October 26, 2008
Location: Florida, United States
Posted: August 20, 2009 at 8:45 AM / IP Logged  
Silent I must say you have to be one of the most meticulous people I have seen on here. This is a great post for anyone wanting to know how to build a door panel piece. I am going to be building entire door panels for my truck to match the dash I am building right now. Your post has given me plenty of ideas to work with. I cant wait to see your final project.
Deeg money
"If you cant be good, be good at it"
silentblackhat 
Copper - Posts: 138
Copper spacespace
Joined: January 14, 2005
Location: New Brunswick, Austria
Posted: August 20, 2009 at 12:00 PM / IP Logged  
Thanks! I am actually going to make a website with all of my projects on it. I remember one site that helped me start out that isnt on the net anymore so i will try to re-create that same type of thing(i always take pictures of this stuff so it wont be too hard.
I am also getting into video tutorials. I am learning Adobe Premiere so this is a good opportunity.
If you want to see a video tutorial on how I laid the rubber down for the rubber mold, visit my YouTube link (this account is specifically for this project):
Youtube Videos for CivicFiberglassDoor
I would put a specific link to the videos but right now, they are constantly changing. The camera isnt the best but you can clearly see what I am doing. Hope this helps!
(still more to come)
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