The hardest part on doing a project is income. That is why i am opening a shop very soon so the hard working individuals out there who cant afford a high end shop can come and spend what they can afford and still get quality work at an affordable price. Keep up the good work Mark and putting out these videos. The build is coming out nice so far. Peace.
How is the shop going? I wish you the best of luck, but I think you may find in any service industry the customers cost the price to go up. There are so many people who want something for nothing that the people who are not guilty of this sadly have to pay the price...
Awesome Mark!! I think the most difficult part is getting the perfect mix of sub box air space needs vs not taking up all the space in your trunk. Thanks again Mark for great content!!
This is such a cool project. I don't have a truck to take advantage of this empty space, but the whole thing really interests me. Can't wait to see more!
You've inspired all of us so my turn to return the favor. Several interesting ideas. 1. Build an amp rack, sub box, etc trimmed in brass and copper so it looks like it was made in the 1850s. Think Warehouse 13 2. Build a Sci-Fi system so it looks like it was yanked from a future space ship. 3. Build a box with 1 or 2 video screens instead of plexi inserts. 4. Build a box with the sub mounted in a plexi panel with a metal mounting ring that connects via 4 or 8 pipes between the back wall & ring.
mark, i know you made this video a while ago, but when I made my fiberglass box and amp rack for my challenger i used a layer of masking tape and then i used metal foil tape (used in HVAC applications) i found this worked very well when paired with some mold release wax on top of the metal foil tape. the tape held up extremely well ans everything came out clean as a whistle
Hey Mark, new to your site and I really like your work! I wanted to throw out a suggestion that ight help you in your fiberglass fabrication. I saw you using a pneumatic cut off wheel to cut off excess fiberglass. That is very common use but I have found a horizontal reciprocating saw works much better. The side wise movement is only a few millimeters in action, which creates a smaller amount of dust, less overall mess and better on the lungs. I am an old fireman that is a jack of all trades and a master of a few!! Good luck with your videos!
7 years later... I have absolutely no idea how I’ve never seen these 2 videos. Lol Hardest part of an installation 🤔 pushing the limits of previous installs.
I would have to say the hardest part for me is choosing the gear for the install, with so many different venders, sizes, power outputs and so on, it can be a task just choosing what i want to install, no matter how complex a build I have planned.
so can i use SMD Sun flash for this and all fiberglassing? fiberglassing and speaker molds are the hardest part. this makes running wire and installing decks easy! lol
How do you know the air volume is the proper volume for that particular subwoofer? Or does it really matter within this build? other than that, awesome install...
I think the most difficult part of car audio installs is running the wires. It's bad enough running the main power wire through the firewall to the trunk along with the remote, but there's also the RCAs which need to go on the opposite side, and if you're running new speaker wires you probably need to pull the doors apart and snake them along with the stock harness through a little rubber twisty straw.
Mark makes some of the BEST and most legit car audio youtube videos ever and all you notice is his voice? Wow, i think someone has a man crush, now dont go baiting to my profile pic
Try SMD sunflash, you don't need to mix it with any kind of hardener drops, simply resin up your project in doors and then take it outside to the sun light so the UVs from the sun can cure it and harden up within minutes. It's an awesome product and will make your projects get done faster.
The hardest part for me sometimes depending on the vehicle is running the hot wire through the firewall. Also I read a couple of comments that viewers left. I seen a couple go on about the use of aluminum foil in the build. I feel this is a waste of criticism, of course there's more than one way to do it. The comments that I read both stated different materials used in place of aluminum foil, but those materials are more pricey than something that almost every household in America keeps on hand. He shows us easiest way to pull off builds that you can show off and be proud of.
Mark. I'll be doing a 2004 GMC crew cab and would like to build a box behind the back seat. I use the under side of the seat for storage. Do I have enough room for a small sub and amp? Not looking for big bass just clear and crisp punch.
Honestly, with most simple installs, getting that damn power wire through the firewall is usually the hardest part. That being said, it depends on how complex the build is.
11. Inset Rubik's cube system. Make the sub box, amp rack, door pods and a-pilar pods so they look like various sizes of Rubik's cubes have been contoured to fit into the body panels of the vehicle with a portion of the cube sticking out of the panel to mount the speakers into. 12. Iluminated Rubik's cube box. Make the above system but use LED lit panels for the individual cube pieces using several different LED controllers to make the different colors. 13. UV reactive vinyl & UV lighting.
i make circles the same way with the cardboard. broke my compass the first time using it lol. i think the hardest part for me is sanding. i get soo bored after fifteen minutes i usually bust out the big power sander.
I know this is old, but I'm not finding the fiberglass materials listed in the lessons tab...can you help? I'm going to try and attempt a fiberglass build next week...
it's a never ending spiral. I always wish I had of just stuck to the original design that took forever to do. 9 times out of 10 it would have been better (that's with all things not just my car audio)
i would say the most difficult part would be trying to decide what exactly your going to use as far as equipment is concerned. There are a-lot of choices available and everyone has an opinion about one or another. It can be difficult to find with you are truly looking for to suit you needs
Use a nap roller, the kind you use to paint walls, this distributes resin evenly and you can extract excess resin, an overly wet part is heavier and more brittle, you're shooting for 38-40% fiberglass to resin ratio (by weight)
14. Crime scene system. White vinyl wrapped pieces with gruesome blood spatters. 15. Finish the system with chalkboard paint and let the kids help decorate it with chalk and when the art work is ready make it permanent with a fixative spray. 16. Make the system look like it was made from oversized legos. 17. Diamond plate trim pieces 18. Old West inspired system using old rusty saw blades or portions of a wagon wheel 19. Comic book inspired system. 20. Video game inspired system.
Here is a bonus one. Get as many stuffed animals you can find at yard sales etc and dismantle them into flat panels. Then sew all the "pelts" together and use that to cover the box etc. When someone asks say "I had a really bad childhood".
Have you considered using aluminum duct tape, instead of masking tape and foil? I use it a lot for taping mold flanges, and for protecting the paint of a car we're building wide-bodies for.
The hardest part for me has always been trying to rid the system of alternator whine. Despite picking a good place in the sheet metal of the body to attach the ground cable, using the same location to ground the head unit and processor, and using high-quality twisted pair RCA cables, that insidious noise creeps in. I have had better success with balanced-line transmitter/receiver set-ups but that still doesn't seem to guarantee a noise-free install. Wish all signal connections were optical!
You have skipped the grill cloth stage if you just brought the fiberglass from the bottom all the way up to the wood. just use smaller pieces and pre wet them. the hardest part of installing is doing the math for a complicated ported box
...continued 5. Stealth system. Take an old piece of furniture like a night stand or small dresser and build the sub box inside it with the sub and port not visible. Maybe the drawer could be the amp rack. 6. Metallic vinyl comes in many colors. Nuff said. 7. Homeless system. Skin the sub box and amp rack in cardboard. 8. Think of different materials to use instead of vinyl. Denim, Canvas, Duct tape, plaid, 9. Cover a box so it looks like it was made entirely of wicker. 10. Shipping crate box.
CarAudioFabrication Hey guys, great info and vids as usual. I just noticed that you are using aluminum foil to help in your molding process. I just wanted to suggest that you use carpet shield instead as it is tacky on one side and just like a big roll of flexible tape. I use it all the time as you can get every detail and shape necessary and it sticks to itself eliminating leaks. This would save you a decent amount of time with your builds.
The hardest part on doing a project is income. That is why i am opening a shop very soon so the hard working individuals out there who cant afford a high end shop can come and spend what they can afford and still get quality work at an affordable price. Keep up the good work Mark and putting out these videos. The build is coming out nice so far. Peace.
How is the shop going? I wish you the best of luck, but I think you may find in any service industry the customers cost the price to go up. There are so many people who want something for nothing that the people who are not guilty of this sadly have to pay the price...
Awesome Mark!! I think the most difficult part is getting the perfect mix of sub box air space needs vs not taking up all the space in your trunk. Thanks again Mark for great content!!
You clearly put a ton of time and care into your videos, so keep it up!
Finding the right place for all the audio equipment so that you are still able to get to your spare tire
Very true, thank you for watching
This is such a cool project. I don't have a truck to take advantage of this empty space, but the whole thing really interests me. Can't wait to see more!
The hardest part of the install for me is deciding on the equipment I want to use. Great vid, Mark!
I know I'm kind of randomly asking but does anyone know of a good website to watch newly released tv shows online ?
@Torin Adrian Flixportal :P
@Ryder Ismael thanks, I went there and it seems like they got a lot of movies there =) I really appreciate it !!
@Torin Adrian You are welcome :D
Yes it is especially if you do it properly and go through the door molex.
Another great vid. Most difficult part is the choices to many great products and as soon as I figure it out a new great on comes out.
Proper placement of speakers for the listener
You've inspired all of us so my turn to return the favor. Several interesting ideas.
1. Build an amp rack, sub box, etc trimmed in brass and copper so it looks like it was made in the 1850s. Think Warehouse 13
2. Build a Sci-Fi system so it looks like it was yanked from a future space ship.
3. Build a box with 1 or 2 video screens instead of plexi inserts.
4. Build a box with the sub mounted in a plexi panel with a metal mounting ring that connects via 4 or 8 pipes between the back wall & ring.
Totally true, its hard not to just "plan" all your time away! Thanks for watching
mark,
i know you made this video a while ago, but when I made my fiberglass box and amp rack for my challenger i used a layer of masking tape and then i used metal foil tape (used in HVAC applications) i found this worked very well when paired with some mold release wax on top of the metal foil tape. the tape held up extremely well ans everything came out clean as a whistle
Picking the prefect speaker box for your car or truck
ive always found it difficult getting good mid bass in the driving position. but im pretty sure thats why you want all that mdf in the pods!!!
Can you please share why you didn't just bring the fiberglass up to the rear wood piece? Why use the grill cloth at all? Thanks and awesome work!
So, the fiberglass will bond to the wood using the resin? So there's no need to reinforce the joint between the fiberglass and the wood?
No problem, thank you for watching!
Haha nice, thanks for watching bro!
Agreed. Staying consistent always throws me for a whirl. Even on home projects. This just may be the man curse... lol
Properly planning a build or the tuning after
Hey Mark, new to your site and I really like your work! I wanted to throw out a suggestion that ight help you in your fiberglass fabrication. I saw you using a pneumatic cut off wheel to cut off excess fiberglass. That is very common use but I have found a horizontal reciprocating saw works much better. The side wise movement is only a few millimeters in action, which creates a smaller amount of dust, less overall mess and better on the lungs. I am an old fireman that is a jack of all trades and a master of a few!! Good luck with your videos!
7 years later...
I have absolutely no idea how I’ve never seen these 2 videos. Lol
Hardest part of an installation 🤔 pushing the limits of previous installs.
Does the fiberglass self adhere to the wood with the resin? Or do you have to use something else to make sure it sticks?
Im the same way, I constantly want to change and build something new!
Have you ever made a custom box for a 2010+ camaro?:3 and the hardest installation for a car I think is the rear speakers on coupes
I would have to say the hardest part for me is choosing the gear for the install, with so many different venders, sizes, power outputs and so on, it can be a task just choosing what i want to install, no matter how complex a build I have planned.
Hey Mark, great videos. You do a great job. I enjoy watching them again, and again, and again...!
Mark when will you show how mate fiberglass to plastic interior pieces..been waiting on that one..
Excellent show my brother basshead.
I think it would be making amp racks and making pods to mount the cooling fans
That is always difficult to deal with. Thanks for watching
When doing this. I've always sprayed a little 3m aersol glue onto the tape, then apply the aluminum foil.
+Andrew Mack Spending my holiday weekend making an FG bottom enclosure, thanks for the tip!
so can i use SMD Sun flash for this and all fiberglassing? fiberglassing and speaker molds are the hardest part. this makes running wire and installing decks easy! lol
proper enclosure volume and not wasting space!
It is! Thanks for posting!
How do you know the air volume is the proper volume for that particular subwoofer? Or does it really matter within this build? other than that, awesome install...
I have same question. Do I wait to buy sub-woofer until I complete this box volume calculation at this stage of build?. Whats up Mark?
~4:07
I think the most difficult part of car audio installs is running the wires. It's bad enough running the main power wire through the firewall to the trunk along with the remote, but there's also the RCAs which need to go on the opposite side, and if you're running new speaker wires you probably need to pull the doors apart and snake them along with the stock harness through a little rubber twisty straw.
Mark makes some of the BEST and most legit car audio youtube videos ever and all you notice is his voice? Wow, i think someone has a man crush, now dont go baiting to my profile pic
Should use spray glue to attach the foil to the masking tape. That should give you a smoother surface for the fiberglass.
How do you like to clean the resin out of your roller?
Let it sit in a bath of acetone, does the trick! Thanks for watching
Does the fiberglass stick to the wood? Thanks for the video very well done!
How do you attach the fiberglass to bottom edge of box? Just with resin and fiberglass?
Where do you buy your chopmat from and what size do you use
I like to make the box and reinforced.
Always do a final layer with Rezin and mass palstica mixed.
i have to agree about tuning it especially if you do not have a SMD DD-1
Awesome vid Mark!!! As Always very informative!!!
I feel ya, I got total designers block
The most difficult part for me is the fiberglass right now. But practice makes perfect.
what resin is better sand-able or laminate resin for box building
Try SMD sunflash, you don't need to mix it with any kind of hardener drops, simply resin up your project in doors and then take it outside to the sun light so the UVs from the sun can cure it and harden up within minutes. It's an awesome product and will make your projects get done faster.
The hardest part for me sometimes depending on the vehicle is running the hot wire through the firewall.
Also I read a couple of comments that viewers left. I seen a couple go on about the use of aluminum foil in the build. I feel this is a waste of criticism, of course there's more than one way to do it. The comments that I read both stated different materials used in place of aluminum foil, but those materials are more pricey than something that almost every household in America keeps on hand. He shows us easiest way to pull off builds that you can show off and be proud of.
Mark. I'll be doing a 2004 GMC crew cab and would like to build a box behind the back seat. I use the under side of the seat for storage. Do I have enough room for a small sub and amp? Not looking for big bass just clear and crisp punch.
i would say the hardest part is the correct electricial system to feed sub amps.
more info here would be great
Re watching these! Love these videos!
Great job Mark!!!
Most difficult part of a car audio install is staying with that same install for awhile. I always have the need to do something differ each time lol
Honestly, with most simple installs, getting that damn power wire through the firewall is usually the hardest part. That being said, it depends on how complex the build is.
11. Inset Rubik's cube system. Make the sub box, amp rack, door pods and a-pilar pods so they look like various sizes of Rubik's cubes have been contoured to fit into the body panels of the vehicle with a portion of the cube sticking out of the panel to mount the speakers into.
12. Iluminated Rubik's cube box. Make the above system but use LED lit panels for the individual cube pieces using several different LED controllers to make the different colors.
13. UV reactive vinyl & UV lighting.
i make circles the same way with the cardboard. broke my compass the first time using it lol. i think the hardest part for me is sanding. i get soo bored after fifteen minutes i usually bust out the big power sander.
tunning after u done all the installation...
I think it would be finding wiring diagrams and info on some cars. Like higher end cars, Audis, Mercedes, anything newer.
I know this is old, but I'm not finding the fiberglass materials listed in the lessons tab...can you help? I'm going to try and attempt a fiberglass build next week...
it's a never ending spiral. I always wish I had of just stuck to the original design that took forever to do. 9 times out of 10 it would have been better (that's with all things not just my car audio)
i would say the most difficult part would be trying to decide what exactly your going to use as far as equipment is concerned. There are a-lot of choices available and everyone has an opinion about one or another. It can be difficult to find with you are truly looking for to suit you needs
I'm in to SQL personally, and I find it difficult to figure out where to locate mids and tweeters for them to sound best together.
hardest part HANDS DOWN is getting rid of rattles
Picking equipment and proper imaging are the most difficult for me
Thanks for the reply, I enjoy your videos they are very well done and informative. Keep up the good work
2004 nissan Frontier crew cab, figuring out how to make a box seat combination. Pretty difficult.
Use a nap roller, the kind you use to paint walls, this distributes resin evenly and you can extract excess resin, an overly wet part is heavier and more brittle, you're shooting for 38-40% fiberglass to resin ratio (by weight)
Getting the money for the equipment, and waiting for the next CAF video. :P
Nice Video. Job well done.
14. Crime scene system. White vinyl wrapped pieces with gruesome blood spatters.
15. Finish the system with chalkboard paint and let the kids help decorate it with chalk and when the art work is ready make it permanent with a fixative spray.
16. Make the system look like it was made from oversized legos.
17. Diamond plate trim pieces
18. Old West inspired system using old rusty saw blades or portions of a wagon wheel
19. Comic book inspired system.
20. Video game inspired system.
Here is a bonus one. Get as many stuffed animals you can find at yard sales etc and dismantle them into flat panels. Then sew all the "pelts" together and use that to cover the box etc. When someone asks say "I had a really bad childhood".
The hardest thing I have to say is the designing a box. once I think it have it finished I change my mind and re-do the whole thing lol.
Thank you, thanks for watching!
Budget for sure! Like button SMASHED!
I feel you there!
Where’s the link to cut a perfect hole mark?!?
Have you considered using aluminum duct tape, instead of masking tape and foil? I use it a lot for taping mold flanges, and for protecting the paint of a car we're building wide-bodies for.
The most difficult for me is running wires through the firewall.
Oh ok I didn't realize that, my bad! Figured I would give it an ole throw back reply! Lol! Cheers!
Tuning the amp after everything is installed
What 8 inch sub did you use.
How do you figure out the airspace
The hardest part of an install for me is the math for proper wattage.
fishing wire through a 2005+ vehicle firewall. Tons of wires around there and sometimes hard to access a good location to pass the wire through.
muy buenos tus videos te felicito
The hardest part for me has always been trying to rid the system of alternator whine. Despite picking a good place in the sheet metal of the body to attach the ground cable, using the same location to ground the head unit and processor, and using high-quality twisted pair RCA cables, that insidious noise creeps in. I have had better success with balanced-line transmitter/receiver set-ups but that still doesn't seem to guarantee a noise-free install. Wish all signal connections were optical!
Hardest part for me is making correct type and size enclosures. Best possible sound quality is my main goal.
placement of speakers. especially on custom panels
You have skipped the grill cloth stage if you just brought the fiberglass from the bottom all the way up to the wood. just use smaller pieces and pre wet them.
the hardest part of installing is doing the math for a complicated ported box
For me the hardest part is building a box to fit small tight spaces.
...continued
5. Stealth system. Take an old piece of furniture like a night stand or small dresser and build the sub box inside it with the sub and port not visible. Maybe the drawer could be the amp rack.
6. Metallic vinyl comes in many colors. Nuff said.
7. Homeless system. Skin the sub box and amp rack in cardboard.
8. Think of different materials to use instead of vinyl. Denim, Canvas, Duct tape, plaid,
9. Cover a box so it looks like it was made entirely of wicker.
10. Shipping crate box.
Check out the latest video! How to mold the underside of our under seat sub box!
CarAudioFabrication Hey guys, great info and vids as usual. I just noticed that you are using aluminum foil to help in your molding process. I just wanted to suggest that you use carpet shield instead as it is tacky on one side and just like a big roll of flexible tape. I use it all the time as you can get every detail and shape necessary and it sticks to itself eliminating leaks. This would save you a decent amount of time with your builds.
How is the proper way to install an equalizer
Why is there such suspenseful music playing to the video? Well it's because it's fiberglass, and it is daunting to work with!
Make sure you use quality body filler and life will be good! Thanks for watching!
the hardest part for me is spending the money
Seems nowadays it is the wiring when doing factory intergration when fiber optic wiring is being used.
i would say tuning the system. because just because the box fits and it may sound "louder in a certain position" doesn't mean it is the most accurate.