advice for custom cover for front speakers...

Guys i have a 96 saturn SC1 and if you follow the other posts you know that i'm going to put in Diamond Hex component sets. They're nice looking speakers that i'd like to show off but my factory mounting location is a decent amount of area that would need to come off and i need advice on how to fabricate a fiberglass panel for it... here's a link to a pic of what my door panel looks like...
http://www57.pair.com/lane/forsale/panel1.jpg
btw i'll probably try and get a hold of the black grills from the mm6 to use as speaker grilles instead of the diamond grills which are a standard black mesh (bleh
)
http://www57.pair.com/lane/forsale/panel1.jpg
btw i'll probably try and get a hold of the black grills from the mm6 to use as speaker grilles instead of the diamond grills which are a standard black mesh (bleh

Hemi: (HEM -e) adj. Mopar in type, V8, hot tempered, native to the United States, carnivorous, eats primarily Mustangs, Camaros, and Corvettes. Also enjoys smoking a good import now and then to relax.
Post edited by MTXMAN on
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It sounds pretty nice but so far I haven't got it worked out to look all that pretty. Though the 6 and 3/4 pioneer REVs I got in um sound pretty. I'll probably need to glass the door to get it lookin nice too. I'd love to see what you did if you ever get that done.
Alpine SPX-137R
Alpine SPR-69LP
Panasonic CY-PA4003U
Kenwood KAC-X520
Polk SR124
you're gonna have a hell of a time getting a 2nd alternator bracket for a sidemount engine (sidemount being that the drive belts go 'front to back' instead of 'left to right') ... also - i doubt u have much room under the hood - little cars are usually put together like a big Leggo thing... fit together like a glove in there...
but, more importantly than that, you had better dynaliner / mat / or something the whole inside of that car or that thing is gonna rattle like nobody's business.
I had a couple saturn's apart in my time, and if i noticed anything it was the lack of any good anti-road noise stuff. as well as the fact that the panels are put together in a manner that lends itself to rattling with excessive vibration - as two 2000 watt subs would do (boom bitty boom boom).
might want to maybe get a couple gallons of rhino liner truck bed liner or rustproofing and go over the whole insides of the door panels and just about everywhere u can get -- i'd be tempted to remove all interior panels, spray, and reinstall panels.
- Anurag
I found a 3000 dollar DIY bolt on super charger kit that gives a 4.5 PSI boost and uses stock internals. Waaaay more power and it replaces your airconditioner. One day...
Alpine SPX-137R
Alpine SPR-69LP
Panasonic CY-PA4003U
Kenwood KAC-X520
Polk SR124
PBD i was thinking i'd probably need to cut a hole in my hood and mount the 2nd alt at the top then put a domed cover over it( i know it'll make me look performance when i'm not but oh well)
you just passed the point of "i'm as crazy as vince" ... you're now into "i'm crazier than vince" -- which is unseen territory as of yet.
- Anurag
my money order for my amps was recieved yesterday and possibly shipped yesterday...should be here around tuesdayish
-Cody
bty i just dumped my girl so now that she's not expecting an engagement ring i can bump up my system plans
... hence i gotta keep her.
.... cody - dont have any decent pics you'd wanna see yet -- frickin woman wont give me her new nikkon camera to take shots with -- that andthe inside ofmy truck is cigarette stained everywehre....
i promise i'll getpics of my truck, her car, old man's truck and caddy within the month and post on my not-yet-so-finished website
- Anurag
Just get MM6's
imma see if i can find you a link in the next few days.
- Anurag
If so, you are going to have to do so custom work and it may not be easy.
Do those door pokects come off? If so, you might want to try this idea. To get it looking "pretty", you don't want to butcher up the plastic door panels. They are costly to replace. If the door pocket/speaker grille comes off, take it off.
Get yourself some expanding foam and cooking oil spray. Cover the inside of that door pocket with cooking oil spray and then squirt the expanding foam insulation into the back of the removed door pocket. What this will give you is a negative of teh inside of the door pocket. That will be your mold for the fiberglas. The cooking oil keeps teh foam from sticking to the plastic. if you don't want to used oil, lay some thin plastic down in the panel and spray the foam into the plastic. That would be even better because then you could leave the plastic on the foam.
Anyway, lay your fiberglas. It really is easy, just messy and tedious. Take your time and follow directions, you'll be ok. I'd do like 3 or 4 layers of glas fabric. It isn't going to support any real weight.
Now get yourself som MDF. It'll work great as a spacer. Cut some rings to mount to the door of the Saturn to push your woofer out to lay flush with the new panel. Or maybe recessed slightly if you like. Next, take the new door pockets you just built and cut the hole in them for the speaker. Find a grille you like, either that kicker that was suggested or see ifyou can get a 6.5 inch grille someplace else. When you get the grille, take the mounting ring and mark holes where you will drill pilot holes for the grille to be mounted. Drill those holes out large enough to accept a small bolt. On the other side, run a flat washer, a lock washer (if you can find one small enough, if not a star washer will do) and a nut and mount the grilles to the fiberglas grille/door pocket.
Put that aside now. Now take the MDF and layer it to get a decent space if you have to. Bolt that to the door frame using teh stock speaker mounting holes so you don't have to drill new holes. You may need to get longer screw though but you can find something at a hardware store that will work well enough. You should probably coat the MDF with a polyurethane to keep it weather proof. Also, dynamat the MDF on both sides, where the spacer meets the door and the speaker meets the spacer. Now, run your wires and mount your speaker.
When installing things, this may be difficult but it should look snazzy enough. Next, find a color paint or dye to match your interior and cover the new speaker grille/door pocket to match or a contrast if you like. Since teh speaker is mounted, all you have to do is mount the door panel and then the door pocket deal you just made.
If you cover the grille with the same paint, it will all match and look like one piece. You may have to sand the fiberglas before painting to get it looking even.
This is all going on the idea that you want to showcase yet protect the speakers and that the panel and door pocket/speaker grill are removable. You can always find junkyard pieces to make this work too. It is some work but it will be worth it in the end. Take your time with whatever you decide to do though. Rushed projects look like crap.
If that isn't what you are looking for then I'll try again.
that and i'm definately not gonna rush, i have no problem taking my time and making a couple test grilles first ;D i definately don't want my car looking like trash... no wait i forgot, i already drive a saturn... oh well i can at least avoid making it even less cool ;D it's almost as hard to get respect from your friends when you drive a saturn as it is when you drive a KIA (Korean Industrial Accident) but hey at least it's not a ford ;D.
on the up side as soon as i get my degrees and my psychology career starts paying off it's muscle all the way