Pictures of my project

Thinking this would be helpful to a lot of folks, I just made a new thread called "tips & tricks."  Anything else y'all want to add there would be great.  And thanks for the bit about strengthing ribs, that makes a lot of sense.

https://www.the12volt.com/installbay/forum_posts.asp?tid=59591&PN=1&tpn=1

I'd recommend more time spent on the body filler stage.  The surface doesn't look to be very smooth having those bumps in it.  What I recommend is using 36 grit paper till it's perfect.  You can use a palm sander, but I find that doing it by hand for the last bit just seems to work better as you have so much more control.  Anyway, durring the body filler step, you might not see those valleys and hills.  But they will show up once you paint them.  I find that the best way to find them is by closing my eyes, and running my hand over the surface.  You can feel them and know where you need to build up or take down more.  Once you have the shape perfect, then use 110 grit to get rid of any sanding marks, primer, then use 220 to sand that smooth.  A light mist of black spray paint on the primer will help you see where any remaining surface flaws are.  At least these are the tips that I've learned. 

Also, as a tip to get that snugger fit like what DukeDuke says, try taping off the area around the enclosures edge, and mixing up some fiberglass reinforced body filler like Duraglass.  Now apply it to the edge of the enclosure, making sure it fills all the way to the taped off carpet.  Do this with the whole enclosure and you will end up with something that molds perfectly in the vehicle.  Here's a picture of a couple projects where I did this:

That last picture I learned the hard way that Rage Gold doesn't work well in thin areas (you can see the chips).  That's why I suggest, and use Duraglass for thinner edge work.

Please forgive me if I am being overly critical.  But the people who you want to buy those pieces will be even more critical, and putting your best foot forward is always well worth it if you are planning on selling more of these.  Otherwise you are doing a fantastic job.

Steven Kephart

Adire Audio