’99 Integra FG Box
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=41258
Printed Date: April 27, 2024 at 8:54 AM
Topic: ’99 Integra FG Box
Posted By: 93accordSE
Subject: ’99 Integra FG Box
Date Posted: October 19, 2004 at 8:44 PM
Lately I have been constructing a box for a friend. He is putting 2 12" Audiobahn's in his Integra. With a nice looking Audiobahn amp to match, along with blue wires and all the good stuff. So lets start off of a picture of the subwoofer. The box is almost ready for wrapping and resin. 
Will post pics when I get more finished. I still have to make a seperater in the middle and add a peice of mdf to the top where the amp will be housed. If you have any questions on how I did something, go for it and ask. I will answer ;)
Replies:
Posted By: ravenndude
Date Posted: October 19, 2004 at 8:48 PM
looks great so far!!
You are going to cut the braces after you FG though ... right?
Posted By: 93accordSE
Date Posted: October 19, 2004 at 8:52 PM
Yeah, I will have to cause one of the screws will be out of reach, no biggie.
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Posted By: 93accordSE
Date Posted: October 19, 2004 at 8:59 PM
Note: The magnets will be facing out.
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Posted By: Alpine Guy
Date Posted: October 19, 2004 at 9:29 PM
you should put a separater in the middle of the box, it will greatly improve the sound.
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2003 Chevy Avalanche,Eclipse CD7000,Morel Elate 5,Adire Extremis,Alpine PDX-4.150, 15" TC-3000, 2 Alpine PDX-1.1000, 470Amp HO Alt.
Posted By: 93accordSE
Date Posted: October 19, 2004 at 9:34 PM
I am planning on doing that. You skimmed the post to fast ;)
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Posted By: Carbonb
Date Posted: October 19, 2004 at 10:48 PM
Looks great, I was wondering does anyone know where to get a cheap router? I have to cut out circles with a jig saw right now and it is annoying me ;( I want a router!!!
Posted By: realitycheck
Date Posted: October 20, 2004 at 7:52 AM
Lowes and home depot are to me the cheapest places to find tools. I found one at my local Lowes for as low a $60 im looking at this one its $219 but its a fixed/plunge combo by bosche https://www.lowes.com/lkn?action=productDetail&productid=136633-353-1617EVSPK I hope its a good one.
Posted By: CarAudioHelp
Date Posted: October 20, 2004 at 9:05 AM
Harbor Freight rules the cheap tool market IMO. I have one of their Chicago Electric plunge routers permattached to my circle jig. It can't hang with my Porter Cable but then it's about 1/10 the MSRP.
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Posted By: dxav
Date Posted: October 20, 2004 at 9:15 AM
Harbor freight is exellent.
93accordSE, why did you drill the holes out already? Aren't you going to get fiberglass in the space?
Good call with the T-Nuts, too. They are excellent.
DXAV
Posted By: 93accordSE
Date Posted: October 20, 2004 at 9:31 AM
The fiberglass shouldn't get in those holes. Its going to be flush mounted so it has a 3/4in. upper ring over it.
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Posted By: dxav
Date Posted: October 20, 2004 at 3:56 PM
True, I would probably tape over it just in case, though.
Good luck, it looks good.
DXAV
Posted By: 93accordSE
Date Posted: October 20, 2004 at 11:07 PM
Problem, need help. I am wanting to put a piece of mdf on the top of that but the mdf rings get in the way, and the amp is very large. It is going to need to be flush with the height it is now, and it is sitting in the picture 3/4" too high. Is there any method of getting it flush. I was thinking of routing a 3/4" divet in the divider. Anyways, if theres a better way please let me know, i wanna get this wrapped soon. 
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Posted By: realitycheck
Date Posted: October 21, 2004 at 8:07 AM
Why dont you cut off the excess board and leave just enough board to mount it. Cut enough off to where the amp actually hangs over a little but you still have plenty to put the screws in.
Posted By: 93accordSE
Date Posted: October 21, 2004 at 9:05 AM
I am going to need to cut off 3/4in off the back and ten cut the front corners off or something. I just wanted to see what others would do in this situation.
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Posted By: dxav
Date Posted: October 21, 2004 at 9:25 AM
I would cut the back and septum down 3/4". Then the top of the box would be flat for the amp, and the sub rings would still be a little curved at the top.
Looking great!
DXAV
Posted By: HottAccord
Date Posted: October 21, 2004 at 6:23 PM
I too would trim off those corners that are touching the sub rings, you can round them off for a little extra style!  ------------- Im a fiberglass whore!!
Posted By: 93accordSE
Date Posted: October 21, 2004 at 7:24 PM
I guess thats what I gotta do. Is that your accord man?
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Posted By: realitycheck
Date Posted: October 22, 2004 at 7:25 AM
Post more pics too man!
Posted By: 93accordSE
Date Posted: October 22, 2004 at 9:31 AM
I'm gonna do that tonight, see if I can't get it wrapped and maybe resined. Will post more pics, dont worry.
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Posted By: 93accordSE
Date Posted: October 22, 2004 at 9:17 PM
Letting it dry. Will probably caulk it tomorrow after work, and wrap it by sunday. Will post more pics later. -------------
Posted By: HottAccord
Date Posted: October 23, 2004 at 9:36 AM
93accordSE wrote:
I guess thats what I gotta do. Is that your accord man?
Yup that's my baby! I see you decided to cut the corners, lookin good! ------------- Im a fiberglass whore!!
Posted By: 93accordSE
Date Posted: October 23, 2004 at 4:30 PM
Got her wrapped really tight. Its kinda cold out today, don't think i will resin it. The snow level dropped for this weekend its down a like 3500 feet. We'll see if I can get it warm enough in my shed. -------------
Posted By: Sharp21
Date Posted: October 24, 2004 at 4:41 PM
i have a question. im new to this forum & method of speakerbox design, but how do you calculate the internal volume prior to wrapping the box?
Posted By: 93accordSE
Date Posted: October 24, 2004 at 8:40 PM
Basically you multiply the h*w*d and divide it by that special number i can't remember right now. Then factor in the curves. It a game of guestimation. This box I am making has about 1 cu. ft of space. I didn't have much room to work with, so he better like tight bass. :-P
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Posted By: ravenndude
Date Posted: October 25, 2004 at 12:28 AM
i;d say always make it a little big. then to get close to perfect calculations fill it up with packing peanuts. Put the peanuts into a box, then you can calculate the amount of peanut. That't the same (or real close) to the size of the enclosure.
If its too big you can make small blocks out of any solid matterial to fill up space.
If its too small you can add polly fill to the walls of the enclosure to make the sub "think" that the enclosure is bigger (i forget how much the sub will "think" it got bigger)
Posted By: fuseblower
Date Posted: October 25, 2004 at 8:09 AM
Posted By: dxav
Date Posted: October 25, 2004 at 10:03 AM
93accordSE,
I am glad you went that route, the box looks great. Are you happy with the outcome so far?
DXAV
Posted By: 93accordSE
Date Posted: October 25, 2004 at 10:31 AM
Yes, I think its coming out good. I resined it on saturday. My friend will see it tomorrow, i'm sure he'll like. I can't wait to get it done, but its been getting really cold here, so its slowing me down. I will probably end up having him buy some polyfill for it :)
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Posted By: boxmaker85
Date Posted: October 25, 2004 at 1:12 PM
Are you using heat lamps? Those make curing time go by faster (especially in cold weather). Make sure they aren't too close b/c it'll dry some parts faster and let the box warp (bad). But that thing looks sweet man.
Posted By: 93accordSE
Date Posted: October 25, 2004 at 9:44 PM
Nope, I might borrow some from my neighbor.
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Posted By: 93accordSE
Date Posted: October 27, 2004 at 7:13 PM
Just a little update: Thats just it after it was fleeced and I sanded some of the larger resin bumps out of it, and dremeled the back/bottom overhang of the fleece. -------------
Posted By: PATPJRICK
Date Posted: October 27, 2004 at 9:49 PM
that looks very nice, but now how do you paint the whole thing to get the same color effect since the MDF is showing in the back. wouldnt the paint take a different shade to the FG as the MDF?
Posted By: 93accordSE
Date Posted: October 27, 2004 at 10:29 PM
Yeah, i am going to lay a nice coat of resin over that and sand it, so it will look the same as the rest of the box. My friend wanted me to do it that way. I was going to suggest carpet or leaving it mdf. I am going to need some advice on doing the wiring so its hidden, if anyone could help me that would be awesome.
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Posted By: dxav
Date Posted: October 28, 2004 at 8:20 AM
93,
Look sweet. Great job. That amp will fit great up there. You aren't going to see the back of the box right? And how is it going to mount to the car? I would used recessed speaker terminals if the box ever needs to be removed.
If I had known in the beginning you wanted the wires hidden, I would have suggested using a tube of PVC pipe down the middle in the back of the box. If you cut a hole in the bottom, you could feed the wires under the trunk carpet, thru the box, and up to the sub. Speaker wire from the subs would go there too, but you obviously would need to seal the holes. Now, I really don't know how you would hide the wires.
Now, you may not be able to hide all the wires. But you may be able to drill holes in the top of the box, to feed speaker wire for the subs (and seal from the inside). Power/GND/Remote, may be a little more tricky.
Keep up the great work.
DXAV
Posted By: 93accordSE
Date Posted: October 28, 2004 at 9:27 AM
Nah you won't see the back of the box or the bottom. It will fit behind the rear seat in between the wheel wells in the small trunk that the 99 integ has. Thanks for the help.
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Posted By: dxav
Date Posted: October 28, 2004 at 10:45 AM
If you can squeeze wires behind the box, it should work ok, but they are going to be seen anyway you look at it. Unless you want to add more glass, and build a channel, but I would want to mess with those nice curves you already have.
What do you think?
DXAV
Posted By: 93accordSE
Date Posted: October 28, 2004 at 5:52 PM
I don't really want to mess with the fiberglass I have already done. I was going to drill holes close to the amp and run the wires through the box. Same with the speaker wires, run them from the speaker to the amp.
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Posted By: dxav
Date Posted: October 29, 2004 at 8:24 AM
Sorry, 93, I meant "but I would NOT want to mess with those nice curves you already have."
As long as you seal (from the inside) where ever you drill into the box, you should be ok.
Sorry for the confusion.
DXAV
Posted By: 93accordSE
Date Posted: October 30, 2004 at 10:37 PM
Update: I have started laying the fiberglass mat. And will hopefully finish tomorrow. I will take some more pictures before I start sanding and post them here. -------------
Posted By: sl00wsentra00
Date Posted: November 03, 2004 at 9:54 PM
hey man whered you go?? i want to see some more pictures and stuff of your box and see what progress you have made!!! btw lookin good so far!!!!
Posted By: 93accordSE
Date Posted: November 05, 2004 at 1:02 AM
I haven't forgot, been very busy, I have new pic's just need to post them. I will when I get some time. I am in the process of sanding the box now.
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Posted By: sl00wsentra00
Date Posted: November 05, 2004 at 8:24 AM
sweet the box should look sexy with the flame subs in there  so yea.....keep up the good work!!!
Posted By: 93accordSE
Date Posted: November 05, 2004 at 7:54 PM
Long awaited pictures. -------------
Posted By: sl00wsentra00
Date Posted: November 05, 2004 at 8:24 PM
damn, sexy man, good work i hope my first fiberglass enclosure turns out like that my first enclosure will also be fiberglass, im going to have the two sides the back and then the base and then ill pull the fleece over the top and front with the two rings sticking out lol.....anytips on this type of design, itll be different since yours doesn't have the sides.......good work btw
Posted By: erickbkny28
Date Posted: November 09, 2004 at 4:50 PM
Why didn't you stiffen the box from the inside? It looks like you lost some shape on the box. There's an expander that you can mix with your resin so you won't have to use fiberglass mat.
Posted By: 93accordSE
Date Posted: November 09, 2004 at 7:15 PM
Stiffen the box with what? The box is solid as is...
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Posted By: sl00wsentra00
Date Posted: November 09, 2004 at 7:22 PM
hey man, when are you going to get new pics up??? i still dont know what im going to do for my fiberglass project. im trying to come up with a way for it to fit 4 12"s in my trunk......anythoughts??? i guess im trying to be like hzemall lol
Posted By: erickbkny28
Date Posted: November 09, 2004 at 8:41 PM
There's a product call "thixotropic powder" It's a resin expander. It's used to thinken fiberglass resin. If you mix them together, you get a resin thats as thick as peanut butter. Then INSTEAD of adding chop mat to the outside of the fabric, you add this resin to the inside ( you can build it up to more than an inch thick if you want.)After that,All you have to do is bondo, sand, primer, and paint..
Posted By: sl00wsentra00
Date Posted: November 09, 2004 at 8:55 PM
well erickbkny28, hes already built the box and is almost done so whats it matter about that stuff?? just wondering, who makes that stuff you are talking about, i've never heard of it before.....
Posted By: Alpine Guy
Date Posted: November 09, 2004 at 9:16 PM
The box looks like an alien kinda, , lookin cool tho! ------------- 2003 Chevy Avalanche,Eclipse CD7000,Morel Elate 5,Adire Extremis,Alpine PDX-4.150, 15" TC-3000, 2 Alpine PDX-1.1000, 470Amp HO Alt.
Posted By: 93accordSE
Date Posted: November 09, 2004 at 10:00 PM
Ericbkny, interesting. I'll have to look into that. Should have let me know before I already used mat. No biggie, the traditional way works right? I am going to work on the sanding tomorrow, hope to finish this box soon.
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Posted By: erickbkny28
Date Posted: November 10, 2004 at 12:11 AM
Yeah.. The traditional way always works. But it's now called OLD SCHOOL.. The expanding powder is NEW SCHOOL. LOL... Oh yeah I forgot to tell you something, It not cheap. And you can find it at your local marina.
Posted By: realitycheck
Date Posted: November 10, 2004 at 9:31 AM
Is this stuff strong enough too hold the pressure of the subs? And can you order this stuff on the net? If so where at? I'm assuming it is im just asking though.
Posted By: erickbkny28
Date Posted: November 10, 2004 at 11:48 AM
This stuff is very very strong, and will hold the pressure from the subs. You can order it from https://www.shopmaninc.com/fillers.html ( Aerosil-Cabosil). It's best to buy the 4gal or 10lbs bag.
Posted By: realitycheck
Date Posted: November 10, 2004 at 12:18 PM
So how much will a 4gal bag do. How much too make the inside about an inch thick? And how does this stuff work, do you just mix it and then spread it on an inch thick on the inside and then youre done, or is there something im missing?
Posted By: erickbkny28
Date Posted: November 10, 2004 at 1:47 PM
You can do about 30 boxes with a 4 gal and about 80 with a 10lbs bag. It all depends on how thick you make it, and how much you use. For an enclosure with 2 12" subs, you don't really have you go an inch thick, you can go a half inch thick. I mix mine at 1:1 ratio, some people do a 2:1 ratio There's a web site that sells how-to DVD's. I have all there DVD's and they are very very good for first time builders. https://www.glassmanscustomforum.com/howtodvds.html After I saw theys How-To DVD's This was the first enclosure I built. https://www.picturetrail.com/gallery/view?p=999&gid=4937988&uid=2492971&members=1 Not to bad for my first project.
Posted By: realitycheck
Date Posted: November 10, 2004 at 3:27 PM
Thats a pretty awesome looking box, I saw the peanut butter stuff inside the box, that looks pretty neat. On my next box I will definately be trying that. So how does that box sound, and how did you plug the holes you cut in the bottom of it?
Posted By: erickbkny28
Date Posted: November 10, 2004 at 3:43 PM
The box sounds great, I had to add some speaker box stuffing, there was to much air space inside, but now this sounds perfect. I put the two pieces back with duck tape then filled the outside cracks with 40/40 and then filled the inside cracks with the resin expander.
Posted By: realitycheck
Date Posted: November 10, 2004 at 3:55 PM
So it looks like you made it about 1/4 to an 1/2 inch thick with that stuff did you just apply it all at one time or do you kinda have to do it like a layer at a time? And last question I promise, is it hard to work with or is it pretty easy to get it in there and spread it?
Posted By: erickbkny28
Date Posted: November 10, 2004 at 4:22 PM
NO layers... I did one side at a time. It's not very hard to work with, but if you add too much hardener, then you'll have to work it fast. You can us a paint brush to apply the resin, remember it's almost as thick as peanut butter so it not going to drip all over the place. Don't worry about the question, thats why we're all here, to ask and answer questions.
Posted By: realitycheck
Date Posted: November 10, 2004 at 4:48 PM
Thanks for the help man i'm definately gonna use that stuff for my next box.
Posted By: erickbkny28
Date Posted: November 10, 2004 at 4:51 PM
Anytime. Good Luck.
Posted By: realitycheck
Date Posted: December 02, 2004 at 10:09 AM
Hey Accord93 you ever finish this box? Also, next question about this Aerosil-Cabosil is this stuff good for a box, how come no-one else uses it that ive seen is it just kind of new technology or what? ------------- Learning the trade one fiberglass creation at a time!
Posted By: erickbkny28
Date Posted: December 02, 2004 at 12:16 PM
It's not really a new technology, Boat builders have been using it for years. The reason I think there aren't to many guys using it, it's because it's a-little expensive. But I think it the best for fiberglass enclsures. First. It cuts down on time. Second. There's no need for fiberglass mat. and best of all, it cuts down the amount of resin used. Ckeck out the How-To DVD's from this web site, they'll teach you how to use the Aerosil. www.fiberglassing.net
Posted By: realitycheck
Date Posted: December 02, 2004 at 1:33 PM
I dont see how its more expensive when you use less resin, which is the most expensive part $25 a gallon or so. Plus you dont have to buy mat or cloth which I payed $4 a bag for and had to use about 6 or 7 bags I think. Also, like you said way less time building the thing. But you're saying theres no bad sides to this stuff is what im asking?
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Learning the trade one fiberglass creation at a time!
Posted By: erickbkny28
Date Posted: December 02, 2004 at 1:52 PM
I've been using it for about 1 year and I've done 5 enclsures with it, and I've never had any problems, And the owner from GCF also told me he's never had any problems with the product and he's been using it for alot longer. You still need to buy resin. You mix the expander with the resin at a 2:1 ratio. The best part is you can make the side of your enclosure as thick as you want. I made an enclosure with 4 15" sub-woofer, so I need a strong box. The inside of the enclosure is more than 1 inch thick. ( Think about how much chop mat you would need to make an enclosure 1 inch thick.)
Posted By: realitycheck
Date Posted: December 02, 2004 at 2:16 PM
Yeah I understood you still have to buy resin, I just meant that its less resin than all you would need to do a box with mat right? Also do you mean 2 parts powder : 1 part resin or the other way around? Also do you just apply this with a spreader, or do you use a paint brush? Which is easier? thanks man for the help. ------------- Learning the trade one fiberglass creation at a time!
Posted By: erickbkny28
Date Posted: December 02, 2004 at 2:31 PM
2 parts expander 1 part resin, or mix it until it's as thick as peanut butter. The easy way for me is with a 2" or 3" spreader. If your looking into getting some expander, go to your local marina, they should have some in stock.
Posted By: erickbkny28
Date Posted: December 02, 2004 at 2:36 PM
2 parts expander 1 part resin, or mix it until it's as thick as peanut butter. This may sound stupied but, Don't forget to add the MECP after you've mixed the resin and expander together. ( I explained how to use the expander to someone, and he got mad at me because I didn't tell him to add the MECP after he mixed the resin and expander, he kept mixing the MECP at the beginning and was wondering why it got hard so fast. LOL) It sound funny but it's a true story.. The easy way for me is with a 2" or 3" spreader. If your looking into getting some expander, go to your local marina, they should have some in stock.
Posted By: realitycheck
Date Posted: December 02, 2004 at 2:43 PM
Oh I was going to put in the resin and hardener together and then put in expander, I guess thats a bad idea! So mix the resin and then add MEKP, right? How much do you usually mix in? just a dumb question. ------------- Learning the trade one fiberglass creation at a time!
Posted By: erickbkny28
Date Posted: December 02, 2004 at 4:19 PM
Yeah. Mix the expander and the resin first, after you have it as thick as you want it, let it sit for about 20 min. then mix in your MEKP. I'm not really sure how much, I never measure I just add in about an ounce maybe....
Posted By: auex
Date Posted: December 05, 2004 at 9:47 PM
erickbkny28 wrote:
This may sound stupied but, Don't forget to add the MECP after you've mixed the resin and expander together.
Don't you mean "stupid" and "MEKP"? MECP is a test and certification while MEKP is a catalyst. ------------- Certified Security Specialist
Always check info with a digital multimeter.
I promise to be good.
Tell Darwin I sent you.
I've been sick lately, sorry I won't be on much.
Posted By: erickbkny28
Date Posted: December 05, 2004 at 10:15 PM
Hey Auex.. Aren't we here to help each other in car audio? Don't take yourself so serious, It really doesn't help anyone in they forums. O.K. Buddy B-E-Z 
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