Materials for custom amp rack
Printed From: the12volt.com
Forum Name: Fiberglass, Fabrication, and Interiors
Forum Discription: Fiberglass Kick Panels, Subwoofer Enclosures, Plexiglas, Fabrics, Materials, Finishes, etc.
URL: https://www.the12volt.com/installbay/forum_posts.asp?tid=33336
Printed Date: May 19, 2024 at 6:18 PM
Topic: Materials for custom amp rack
Posted By: djdaveoc
Subject: Materials for custom amp rack
Date Posted: June 05, 2004 at 12:46 AM
Should I use acrylic/plexiglass to mount the amps onto, or use Lexan plastic or some other material? Also, where can I purchase all of these? I live in Southern California. Can I get them custom cut into certain sizes? How do I mount the amps to them? Do I just drill holes and screw them on top of the sheet? What do people use to backlight the amp if they want to mount the amp on that clear surface and put something under or inside the enclosure to light up behind the amp? If you can give me links to pages where I can read more and purchase any products you recommend, that would be awesome! Thanks in advance. ------------- }:) Plan, Research, Do
Replies:
Posted By: xtreamcc
Date Posted: June 05, 2004 at 12:31 PM
Ok, that was a barrage of questions. I'd recomend not using acrylic, it tends to crack. Lexan is a popular one because it tends to withstand pressure levels etc better than plexi. I'm not sure where you could get them since I live nowhere near S. Cali and I'm sure someone in the area does custom cutting of specialized plastics. As for mounting, I think you can get screw hold put in them at the same place as you get them cut, then just use the factory mounts on the amp to mount it. For back lighting I'd say neon tubes or maybe some bright LED's. I'll check around but I dont know any links off the top of my head. Good luck
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Posted By: auex
Date Posted: June 05, 2004 at 2:58 PM
What kind of pressure? Plexi should be fine to mount an amp to, and a ton cheaper then lexan. Just don't expect to put 100 lbs on a 1/8 inch plexi. Also don't just run screws through either plexi or lexan, you must pre-drill them or risk cracking.
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Posted By: casedeez
Date Posted: June 05, 2004 at 4:28 PM
And tighten them down with your screwdriver, not your drill. "Whoops, sorry dude didnt mean to do that."
Posted By: mikedawg
Date Posted: June 05, 2004 at 6:24 PM
a trick i use to stop the cracking when you drill, is drill on a flat piece of wood and take it slow. dont push too hard.
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Posted By: djdaveoc
Date Posted: June 05, 2004 at 6:52 PM
Thanks for answering guys. I guess I'm on my own for finding a place to buy the plexiglass/acrylic or lexan plastic. I'll have to start hunting around I guess. -------------  Plan, Research, Do
Posted By: xtreamcc
Date Posted: June 05, 2004 at 10:38 PM
selectproducts.com (I think thats it) has all sorts of plexiglass stuff. I dont know exactly where you could get some lexan though, dont use the stuff myself. Good luck though
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"Shiny chrome when used in conjunction with bikini models is particularly effective in inducing brain deficit disorder"
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Monster System on its way.
Posted By: audiomechanic
Date Posted: June 06, 2004 at 12:50 AM
most places that sell glass will sell plexi. look in the phone book under plastics and glass and start callin.
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Posted By: djdaveoc
Date Posted: June 06, 2004 at 1:12 AM
Thanks for all the help so far guys. I am installing two PPI amps. One will be the PCX-2125 and one is the PCX-1500. Both of them are big/heavy amps, especially the PCX-1500. What thickness acrylic/plexiglass do you recommend. I'm either going to get clear or clearish-redish and I want to drill holes and mount the amps on the plexiglass. Then I'm going to put neon or LEDs under or inside the box so the amps are backlit. I'm going to try to do it in a way where you can't see the neon tubes or LEDs but you can just see the glow coming from under the amps. I'll post pics when it's done. I'm slowly buying the parts I need and doing the work as I have the money and time. Today I just about finished dynamating the floor of the truck cab. I'm using two full bulk packs of dynamat Extreme. That's over 70 sq. ft. I'm doing the doors, roof, walls, and the whole floor. I also used some Madmat as well. So the cab should be just about air tight and super padded when I'm done. With a JL Audio 12W7 in such a small cab being fully powered, I'm guessing that will be all the bass I need plus some. So again, after all my rambling, what thickness plexi do you recommend? ------------- Plan, Research, Do
Posted By: AirNavy
Date Posted: June 06, 2004 at 4:38 PM
You can normally find smaller sheets (2'X4') at Lowe's/Home Depot type stores in the glass cutting area. The thickness depends on whether the plexi wil be supporting the weight of the amps or is just sndwiched between the amps and another structure.
Posted By: djdaveoc
Date Posted: June 07, 2004 at 1:12 AM
I didn't know Lowes or Home Depot sold plexiglass. Do you know if they will custom cut if to a certain size/shape for me? What thickness do you recommend if one big sheet will be supporting the weight of two PPI amps? I guess they will weight about 50 lbs for both put together. I will probably want just one rectangular piece that will need to be about 2 feet wide by about 4 feet long. If I need to put a brace in the back middle to help hold the weight, I can. Thanks. ------------- Plan, Research, Do
Posted By: mikedawg
Date Posted: June 07, 2004 at 10:50 AM
yeah they also sell the lexan youre talking about. im not completely sure i know what your design is. so i cant really help ya too much with that. but its really easy to cut. just score it a couple of times with a hobby knife, put it on the edge of the table and snap it apart. theyll cut it for you too if you need them too. good luck ------------- always looking for new info and willing to give it
Posted By: djdaveoc
Date Posted: June 07, 2004 at 5:26 PM
If the stuff is expensive, and I'm going to be buying such a large piece, I won't want to try to cut it or break it myself. The piece will have to be pretty thick if it's going to hold a lot of weight and I'm guessing cutting it with a hobby knife and trying to break it will not give me the precision edges that I'll need. Basically I want it to be the front window of a fiberglass enclosure that will have an MDF structure under the glass, bondo, and paint. The two amps will mount on the sheet of clear plexi and I will probably glue the neon tubes right behind the amp on the back side of the plexi so the amps look backlit when the neon tubes are on. ------------- Plan, Research, Do
Posted By: AirNavy
Date Posted: June 07, 2004 at 9:01 PM
I would probably go with at least 1/2" for that. They can probably cut it, but I wouldn't trust them to make it square or clean. You can cut it just like MDF, but you have to use a very fine blade in a jigsaw or fine bit in a router and go slowly. Then you sand the edges with 1500ish grit paper and hit it with a propane torch (about 6" away) to bring back the shine. The biggest drawback to trying to backlight them is that the edges will show the light more than the face will. If that's the look you are going for, it is cheaper and easier to drill a couple of 1/4" deep holes to mount LEDs in behind the amp so they are hidden.
Posted By: djdaveoc
Date Posted: June 07, 2004 at 9:38 PM
I have a jigsaw, but I'm not sure how fine the blades are. I'll have to check. I'm not too worried about the edges. I thought of a way to hide them when I make the enclosure. It should look nice when done. I just bought both the PPI amps and paid some bills, so I'm low on funds for a couple weeks. I'll probably buy the plexi next paycheck and then I'll get started on building what I'm calling "The Beast". It will be one large amp rack that will house both PPI amps on top of the plexi window(s) and it will cover and enclose the JL Audio 12W7 sub in the subzone box. I'm going to build it in 3/4" MDF and fleece and glass it. Then use Rage Gold and maybe Maraglass to finish it and then paint and clear it. If it comes out looking bad I'll either carpet it or take it to have them fix my messed up paint job at the body shop. I'll build the MDF frame outside the truck and then put it in the truck to stretch the fleece over it and staple/glue that down. Then I'll remove it to glass it outside the truck. When that dries I'll make sure it fits inside again and then I'll Maraglass it outside since it won't move/warp by that point. I can also finish it with Rage Gold and do the sanding and painting outside the truck as well. When it's done I'll install the plexi Window(s), neon tubes, and amps onto/into it. In a month or so when I buy the 12 W7 I'll have it installed in the sub zone box. Then I'll put the box with the sub inside the truck and put the amp rack over it. Then I'll take it somewhere to have it all wired since I don't want to ruin the equipment by messing up the wiring myself. I'm a newbie so if I have to pay a little to have it installed by someone who knows what they're doing, that's fine. ------------- Plan, Research, Do
Posted By: mikedawg
Date Posted: June 08, 2004 at 10:10 AM
i dont think they sell it that thick. you can always put two together. airnavy gave ya the basics of it. id lean more on the lines of the router cause a jigsaw causes the two sides to move up and down and will be more prone to cracking. if you got any questions about wiring it, just come back on here. theres alot of people that can help you. i got a 10" w7 and a 13.5" w7 so if ya need any help with those or the jl amps let me know.
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always looking for new info and willing to give it
Posted By: djdaveoc
Date Posted: June 08, 2004 at 10:26 AM
Selectproducts.com has a piece that is 24"x32" and is clear. It's 1" thick which will hopefully be thick enough. I can cut it in half so it is about 48"x16" with both pieces next to each other. Then I can mount both of the PPI amps right next to each other length wise. I can brace the plexi in the middle on the back side where both pieces meet. I'll glue a neon tube on the back side of the plexi under each amp so they are both back lit. ------------- Plan, Research, Do
Posted By: mikedawg
Date Posted: June 08, 2004 at 10:58 AM
i like select products. done business with them before
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always looking for new info and willing to give it
Posted By: AirNavy
Date Posted: June 08, 2004 at 11:42 AM
Select Products has some nice stuff, but their prices show that they are very proud of it... :D If you are going to do two pieces, then I would go with 2 seperate windows. The joint line will be very obvious and the backlighting will make it even more obvious. I would seperate them with a doubled up strip of 3/4" MDF rabbited so the windows are flush. Also start thinking about how you will mount the plexi, I'm thinking tee nuts in the back of the MDF frame with socket head bolts countersunk into the face of the plexi.... [IMG]https://www.boltdepot.com/images/catalog/sh.gif[/IMG]
Posted By: AirNavy
Date Posted: June 08, 2004 at 11:43 AM
 Oops...
Posted By: djdaveoc
Date Posted: June 08, 2004 at 11:56 AM
The problem is that since I'm such a newb to building anything or even using most tools, I don't really know what tee nuts or socket head bolts are. Home Depot and those other stores don't really have many employees in their store to help rookies like me out. The people who I have found in there, are young and usually know about as much as me. They get paid crappy wages, have little or no training of the industry and how to use what they sell, didn't get a raise this year, and all they want to do is go home. So I'm not the type of person who can go in those stores and will know what I need to buy. And since the employees there are clueless, they can't help. Nobody in a Home Depot has used plexiglass or knows anything about building car audio enclosures. If I even ask them a question about it they look at me like I have 19 heads. If you can give me links to the exact items you think I'll need to buy, that would help. If I have to buy the stuff online and pay shipping or a little more for it, I don't really care as long as I know I'm buying the right equipment and supplies for what I'm trying to build. So links to the websites that may sell what I need, in addition to the part numbers so I can find that exact items, would really help me and I'm sure a lot of other newbs out. The one frustrating thing about this forum is when someone awesome like Tim comes online and tells us about a product he uses like Rigid filler plastic but then does not include a link to a company that sells the stuff online or a part number so we can actually go find it and buy it. ------------- Plan, Research, Do
Posted By: AirNavy
Date Posted: June 08, 2004 at 5:41 PM
Here's a socket head cap screw: 
I did a search and here's a few joints I came up with: https://www.fastener-express.com/ https://www.boltdepot.com https://www.mmsacc-stainless.com/html/socket_head_cap_screws.html And here's a Tee Nut: 
A few places that popped up doing a search for tee nut: https://www.carrollland.com/shopping.asp?id=... https://www.phoenixfastener.com/viewprod.asp?index=180&cid=9 They sell some socket head screws and tee nuts at Lowe's and Home Depot. Both are in the Nut/Bolt section. Tee nuts are normally sold 4 or so to a bag and the socket head screws will be in the specialty fastener drawers. Hope that helps a little...
Posted By: AirNavy
Date Posted: June 08, 2004 at 5:47 PM
Maybe this one will work.... 
Posted By: djdaveoc
Date Posted: June 09, 2004 at 12:18 AM
Thanks for the info. ------------- Plan, Research, Do
Posted By: AirNavy
Date Posted: June 09, 2004 at 10:32 AM
No problem... All of the info is out there, you just have to be patient and vigilant in finding it. 
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