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| Learn to make this! |
What’s up ladies and gentlemen of the car audio world? Today
I bring to you the all inclusive Fiberglass Amp Rack 101 Lesson! Allow me to
insert my shameless plug and say that if you enjoy any part of this tutorial,
or learned something new, please post a comment, rank this thread, and share
with your friends! Also I love when I get new subscribers on my YouTube
channel! (
www.youtube.com/caraudiofabrication ) Other than that let’s review
what you will learn shall we?
Intro:
First off I know I know, this looks like a ton of reading,
and a ton of work, but it really is not, it just seems that way because I am
outlining every thing I have learned over the years of many car audio
installations. When I started learning this I would have done ANYTHING for a write
up with the tricks and techniques I am going to show you, but it didn’t exist,
so again while it might seem like a lot to read it WILL be WELL worth your time
to read through this and watch the videos. Note that some of the videos or
somewhat of an “update” to my progress within the step, where as others are
much more of an actual step by step instruction. The videos have a run time of
a little over an hour, so grab a frosty beverage and some food and sit back!
That being said there are a million different ways you could construct an amp
rack, this tutorial will cover what I have learned and found to be very
effective means of building a professional quality amp rack. Note that for the
sake of length some sections of this lesson may refer to previous lesson posts
I have made, in these cases I will provide a link for you to visit so that you
may learn that technique as well! Also note that the quality of my videos
improves throughout the series.
Please watch all the videos to gain the full
experience! In order to watch all of the YouTube videos is one go, please view
the YouTube playlist here:
Note that each step within this write up also has the video
thumbnail, with a link to the video below it.
The Process:
Before we begin allow me to briefly outline the process that
will be covered. By understanding each step involved you are well on your way
to an amazing fiberglass amp rack!
- Designing
the Layout
- Skeleton
– The Foundation of your shape and Making Templates
- Prepping
Templates and Skeleton for Molding
- Applying
Fabric – The Skin of your shape
- Glassing
and Strength
- Smoothing
and Prep for Finish
- Adding
Plexi and Inserts
- Wrapping
the Amp Rack – Vinyl, Suede, and Carpet
- Final
Thoughts
Let’s begin!
1) Designing the
Layout:
Before you even cut your first piece of wood you are going
to want to carefully consider your layout. First off most all amplifier racks
should be designed with two pieces in mind. They are 1) The Mounting
Structure and 2) the Beauty Panel. The mounting structure
is what your amps and equipment will mount too and the beauty panel is the
structure that will hide all the wiring and effectively show off your amps.
Note that your amp rack could be designed that both these functions are in one
piece, but in my case they are separate.
Next you need to layout the equipment. To effectively do
this take a picture of the bare trunk and sketch where each piece of equipment
will be, and then what you want the finished product to look like. Luckily I
have access to modeling software so I perform this step on a computer. The
video shows my first step of the design. This is also a great phase to consider
the materials you will use to finish the amp rack and their seamless integration
into the vehicle. I strongly advise you to consider the “less is more”
philosophy in this phase. Often times the best installs are those that are the
most simple.
Before continuing to your skeleton here is an excellent list
of questions to ask yourself about your design to minimize issues throughout
the build.
·
Have I accounted for enough room for all
amplifiers, distribution blocks, equalizers/crossovers, and wiring?
·
How will the wiring reach my equipment?
·
Is there enough airspace around my equipment for
proper cooling per the manufacturer recommendations?
·
Will my equipment be secure in the way I plan to
mount it?
·
Can I easily access all fuses, and adjustments
on the equipment?
·
Are all functions of the vehicle still possible?
(Moving Seats, Trunk Closing, etc)
If the answers to the above questions are yes, lets continue
onto making your wooden skeleton.
2) Skeleton – The foundation of your shape:
So its time to get to work building your skeleton which will
be the foundation for your amp rack. I recommend building your Mounting
Structure for your equipment first. This will require basic building
techniques so I did not outline much of it within the videos. Some tips are to
utilize good mounting techniques for securing the base of the mounting
structure. Some of these techniques are to use nutserts (threaded rivets) for
mounting to the sheet metal of the vehicle and t nuts for mounting equipment to
wood. They are outlined in the following two videos:
Once your mounting structure is complete you will want to
start determining what shapes you would like to use for templates that will
cover the amplifiers or be around them. I cover how templates are made in a
totally separate how to series, as they are pretty involved steps, but once you
learn them you are on your way to taking your install to the next level. Check
out that how to series here:
When it comes to making the Beauty Panel skeleton you
are going to want to utilize techniques like router tricks to make pieces that
fit within one another perfectly. You will also want to use techniques that
allow you to mesh similar pieces of wood into one another to create separate
pieces of the amp rack so that the amp rack is an assembly, rather than one permanently
conjoined part. Having an amp rack that is multiple pieces that are joined
together by bolts and screws is much more effective than an amp rack that is
glued or otherwise permanently joined. You want to have access to the equipment.
The methods and steps to effectively doing this are outlined
in the following video:
Once you have all your skeleton pieces built for both
supporting the equipment and hiding the equipment you are going to want to
prepare the skeleton for fiberglass, the professional way.
3)
Prepping
Skeleton and Templates for Molding
Here is where the rabbeting bit and the router come into
play. If there was ever one ‘most important step” within the process I would
say this is it. This step is often skipped and leads to tons of more effort in
the fiberglass stage. Pay close attention to the steps performed here, and
follow them!
Following the steps in the video will allow you to cut a
perfect step in your skeleton pieces. This step will lead to a flush fiberglass
surface that is easier to sand and fill with body filler.
4)
Applying Fabric
– The Skin of Your Shape
Here is where your design will really start to become a
reality. In this step you are going to stretch material and adhere it to the
bounding surfaces of your amp rack. This is where properly preparing your amp
rack skeleton will really pay off.
Within the video you will see how I stretch the material
properly in a manner that avoids sags and wrinkles, and also how to easily
adhere the fabric and trim it perfectly.
Upon completing the stretching of your fabric you are ready
to move onto adding some fiberglass strength!
5)
Glassing and
Strength:
Now that you have a super clean and functional fabric
surface prepared it’s time to add some strength! After all we want our
fiberglass amp rack to last for years in the harsh automotive environment, so
let’s get to work making it ready for the abuse!
In this step you are going to learn to apply fiberglass
resin to the fiberglass, you are also going to learn how to apply fiberglass
chop mat. Though there are different techniques that can be used in this stage,
this is the method I use and have never had any issues. Note that if you do in
fact have access to the “rear” of the panel it is advantageous to apply the fiberglass mat to the rear. This allows
for a smoother surface to sand later on, but in my case I did not have this
option.
People who are new to fiberglass are often surprised how
simple this step actually is! Watch and enjoy!
6)
Smoothing and
Prep for Finish:
So your fabric surface is now nice and strong! So that means
it is now time to smooth things out and prepare for the finish that you plan to
apply to the fiberglass amp rack. This steps video will teach you how to
properly smooth the surface using a high quality body filler. It will also show
you techniques that can be used to help decrease the sanding time, a HUGE time
saver! Two key points here:
Milkshake: If you
have a relatively horizontal surface you can use what is called a “milk shake” to
get things nice and smooth. This is accomplished by mixing body filler and
resin with a 3:1 ratio. 3 Parts body filler to 1 part resin. You then add the
proper amount of hardener and MEKP that corresponds to the amount of body
filler and resin used. Upon mixing you
will note that the body filler will lay down extremely well, and be very level,
the downside is that you cannot really do this on vertical surfaces, and the
body filler also becomes a little more difficult to sand.
Green Stage Sanding: When sanding body filler you want to be
sure you are sanding in the “green stage”. What this means is you want to pay
close attention to body filler as it is drying. Every 5-10 minutes take a piece
of sand paper and try sanding the body filler. If the body filler still seems
like “liquid” then it is NOT ready to be sanded. But if the body filler sands
with a “foam-like” consistency, almost as if you are grating cheese, then it is
ready to be sanded. You can really sand very effectively in this phase. This is
also the key reason to purchase high quality body filler. With Rage Gold you
will find the Green stage lasts for 20 mins or more. With Bondo brand… well
there doesn’t seem to be a green stage.
Note that in the video I am prepping for a vinyl surface,
not paint, so I only sand up to 150 grit. If you were doing paint you would
want to sand smoother for the primer application… but that is a different How To.
7)
Adding Plexi and
Inserts:
Now that you have smoothed out your main surface it is time
for a step that can really make your install look amazing, and help tie everything
together. In my design you can see the shape that I utilized over the
amplifiers. It is a rounded rectangle of sorts. In order to make the entire amp
rack look appealing I want to carry that design to each piece. In order to
carry it to my amp rack “trim ring” I want to incorporate the rounded rectangle
shape. I do this in the form of an “insert”, and what better to accent the
insert than a piece of plexi glass that can be back lit, or have a logo
applied.
In this step I show you how through using router skills you
can make an exact plexi glass shape and integrate it behind an insert. I also
show you how you can use foam tape and body filler to make a perfect gap for
the materials you will ultimately finish the amp rack trim piece and insert
with. Big tips here are to use a high quality body filler (as you will likely
be doing small detail sanding) and to make sure you use foam tape with enough
thickness for the materials you use to finish the pieces.
8)
Wrapping the Amp
Rack: Vinyl, Suede, and Carpet:
So it’s finally coming all together! You’re ready to finish
the amp rack off! In the first video you will learn how I wrap “basic” panels,
which basically does not require the use of a heat gun, but requires you to
rabbet the edges of the panel for a clean finish on the rear side. In the second video I will show you how to
wrap more complex panels, which requires a more aggressive adhesive as well as
the use of a heat gun when using vinyl to properly form the piece and avoid
wrinkles.
It is very important that you take your time in this step,
do not attempt to secure materials before your adhesive is tacky. If you try
adhering the materials to early will pay for it later when the material pulls
away from the panel. It is also important when wrapping a complex panel to
utilize high quality glue, as I will recommend within the video.
9)
Final Thoughts:
Once all your panels are wrapped you’re obviously ready to
piece things back together. It is important to verify things are perfectly
secure. The vehicle can be a very dangerous place in the event of an accident,
so insure everything is held firmly in place.
If you enjoyed this tutorial please comment below, if you
utilize any of the methods in this tutorial please feel free to share pictures
within this thread of what you made! I love seeing what my lessons have helped
people create! If you have any questions please feel free to post below!
Good luck!
~Mark
