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267 Posts
Background:
I first got into car audio about 3 years ago, when a friend gave me a pair of Sony subwoofers in a box with a Kenwood amp for free. I got into it only to the point where I got it installed and working (amp screwed to the side of the box), added tweeters, replacing my headunit, and replaced the factory woofers.
Other than spending a fair amount of time with an RTA, I had basically lost interest in doing anything else.
About two months ago I had to pull the sub box out of the trunk to make room for a huge package, and it inspired me to finally mount the amp under my parcel shelf. Since then I've been going through and correcting everything else halfass about my original install.
I've been using the plastic mounts that came with my replacement speakers, but they actually really suck. They are flimsy, don't fit well, and don't do anything to seal the speaker to the door.
This is definitely detrimental to their sound, and so would need to be replaced.
I dug out the OEM speakers to take a look at their built-in mount, and realized they were actually angled up toward the driver.
While it would have been pretty easy to just cut out a new flat mount and call it a day, I decided to copy the angled factory mount.
Car manufacturers try to make their cars as good as possible as cheaply as possible. Any positive attribute becomes a selling point. This includes their sound systems, especially in recent years. While the actual speakers were not very good, I'm sure some engineer was paid to make them sound their best (or at least as good as their manufacturing ability and budget allowed), since a properly designed mount does not cost much more than a poorly designed mount.
So it wouldn't hurt to start there.
Introduction:
I live in a basement apartment at the moment, and don't have access to a lot of big tools. (table saws, planers, belt sanders, etc) I also don't own a proper router. So I have to make do with what I have.
Originally I was going to make them out of MDF which I'd coat with some sort of sealant, but I found a better, easier solution in my wood pile: PVC lumber.
For those unfamiliar, PVC lumber is exactly what it sounds like: long, flat boards made out of PVC. You'd use it as a rot-proof alternative to wood for building outdoor trim, and can find it in the lumber section of any Home Depot or Lowes.
Its sold like wood, cuts like wood, and is priced like wood with one major difference- unlike wood, it does not need to be coated with anything.
Tools and Materials:
1) Dremel tool, with router bits and circle guide. (Good)
Router (Best)
2) Hack saw (cleanest cut) OR Sawzall (if you lack patience... like me...)
3) Regular PVC Cement- you can find it in the PVC/Plumbing section of Home Depot. The brand I bought is called "Oatey," and is the kind used on piping.
4) Sandpaper. Palm sander optional.
5) PVC lumber- I used 1/2" because that's what I had lying around, but 3/4" or 1" might be easier.
6) Closed-cell foam- mine came from Sound Deadener Showdown, and was leftover from when I treated my front doors.
Method
--Part 1--
1) Determine the inner and outer radii of your bracket. It doesn't hurt to use manufacturer recommendations for the inner. Use your own discretion to determine the outer. (Just make sure its thick enough to be rigid.)
-->My wall thickness ending up being ~1/2"
2) Determine the height and angle of your bracket. This, and your board thickness, will determine how many circles you will need to cut.
-->It is assumed that you have already checked your door to make sure this will fit
3) Trace that many circles onto your PVC board.
4) Then, trace two larger circles. Use the same inner radius as before, but make the outer radius ~3/8" wider. These will bolt to the door.
5) Begin routing the circles. Start with the outer edge This might seem obvious, but your circle jig won't work without material in the middle. Also, some tutorials suggest leaving a 1/2" piece of material on the inside, and finishing up with a jig saw. I didn't need to with my Dremel, but I see needing to with a real router.
6) Once you have finished routing all of your circles, take the two larger ones and set them aside. We will go back to them later.
7) Take the remaining pieces somewhere with a LOT of ventilation. Ideally outside. PVC cement is f***** horrendous, and will off-gas horrifically for a few more hours.
8) Take two of the circles. Coat one face of each with the PVC cement, then push them together. The cement sets pretty quickly. Just makes sure you keep them pressed together for at least 30 seconds.
9) Once its tacked on nicely, coat the top face of your stacked circles with PVC, coat one face of another ring, press them together.
10) Repeat until you have a nice, even tube of PVC.
11) Leave this outside where it won't get disturbed. Preferably overnight. It only says it needs 2hrs cure time, but it doesn't hurt to have more. At the very least, by that point it will stop smelling like ass.
--Part 2--
12) At this point, you have two options:
1. Sand the outer surface of your tube nice and smooth. I used 150 and 220 grit sandpaper. DEFINITELY WEAR A MASK.
2. Save that for later, and skip to next step.
13) (Looking at it from the side) Mark the middle of your tube.
14) (Looking at it from the end) Divide the face into 4 even, equal quadrants, and mark the bisecting lines.
15) Continue those lines down the sides. These will mark the locations of the high, low, and middle points of your angle. (These do not determine your angle, however)
16) Draw your angle onto the side using the points from step 15 as a guide.
17) Clamp the tube into a vise.
-->I used a B&W Workmate. The really basic one. $20 at Home Depot. One of the best tool purchases I've made.
18) Set it so that one of the guide lines from Step 15 is facing up. You will be looking at the angled line.
19) It is imperative that you cut straight down at the guideline from step 15, following the angle you drew on the face. Do NOT change the vertical angle of your cut. Your blade MUST remain parallel to the ground in order for your cut to be clean.
20) If using a hacksaw, simply take your time and be patient.
21) If using a Sawzall, start with a shorter, metal-cutting blade. Cut in as far as it will go while remaining perfectly level. Then, continue the cut using the full-length blade.
-->I found that when I tried starting with the long blade, it wobbled too much resulting in an ugly gouge on one side. Starting with the short blade resulted in a much cleaner cut
22) If you need to flip the work piece over, make sure that the other halfway guideline is facing up. Ensure your cut is level with the work piece.
-->IMHO it ends up cleaner if you try to go all the way through without flipping it.
23) Set this aside.
--Part 3--
24) Pull out the wider rings from earlier. Remember those?
25) Draw up a template for the mounting holes on your car door, and transfer that to the wide rings. Drill out those holes.
26) Take one of your recently cut pieces of angled tube. The flat, uncut face is where your speaker will mount. So, set the cut side onto one of the mount rings to check for gaps. If you're some sort of ubermensch mega-carpenter, it will sit flat. If you're like me, you'll have some sanding to do.
27) Using a sheet of coarse grit sandpaper- preferably on a palm sander- sand the surface as flat as possible. Recheck for gaps. It doesn't need to be perfect perfect, but it certainly helps. As long as 90% of the surface is in contact with the mount. (for structural reasons)
28) Once you're satisfied with the fit, determine the angle your speaker will face in relation to the car door. Sit the tube on top the mount, and draw marks to help you line them up again at that point.
29) GO OUTSIDE, and coat the cut face with PVC cement, coat the interfacing portion of the bracket with cement, and mate the two pieces together ensuring your marks line up.
30) Hold these together- as before- for about 30 seconds.
31) Repeat with the other two pieces. Remember, the tube will face the OPPOSITE direction on the other side.
32) Leave outside to dry overnight.
--Part 4--
33) Once dry, once again don your mask, and begin sanding the inside surface of the tube. Start coarse and work your way to finer grains until the inside becomes one smooth, consistent surface.
34) Take plumbing caulk, and fill in any remaining gaps, both on the inside and outside. Use either your finger or a tool to smooth those flush with the surface.
35) Let that dry for awhile.
--Part 5--
36) Pull out your closed cell foam.
37) Trace the top and bottom of each mount onto the foam. Cut those pieces out.
38) Glue the CCF to the top and bottom of each mount using regular ol' Super Glue.
39) Let dry.
40) Enjoy.
Discussion
After all the time it took to route the circles and glue them together, it took me awhile to get the courage to cut into it. I almost gave up and used wider circles by themselves as flat brackets.
BUT! I am really, really glad that I didn't give up, and I am extremely satisfied with the way they turned out. Other than my ugly foam-cutting job, they look really clean.
Full disclosure: they haven't gone on the car yet, but I'll provide an update once they have.
Any comments, criticism, critiques encouraged. I don't claim to be an expert, only sharing my experiences.
Edit: I forgot to add, it might be easier to make a straight cut if you make yourself a jig first. That being said, I did just fine without one, and I am by no means a master woodworker.
-------------------------------
DISCLAIMER: ATTEMPT AT YOUR OWN RISK. THE AUTHOR WILL NOT BE HELD LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGES TO YOU, YOUR TOOLS, OR YOUR STUFF.
Be Smart. Be Safe. Wear glasses. Use a mask.
I first got into car audio about 3 years ago, when a friend gave me a pair of Sony subwoofers in a box with a Kenwood amp for free. I got into it only to the point where I got it installed and working (amp screwed to the side of the box), added tweeters, replacing my headunit, and replaced the factory woofers.
Other than spending a fair amount of time with an RTA, I had basically lost interest in doing anything else.
About two months ago I had to pull the sub box out of the trunk to make room for a huge package, and it inspired me to finally mount the amp under my parcel shelf. Since then I've been going through and correcting everything else halfass about my original install.
I've been using the plastic mounts that came with my replacement speakers, but they actually really suck. They are flimsy, don't fit well, and don't do anything to seal the speaker to the door.
This is definitely detrimental to their sound, and so would need to be replaced.
I dug out the OEM speakers to take a look at their built-in mount, and realized they were actually angled up toward the driver.
While it would have been pretty easy to just cut out a new flat mount and call it a day, I decided to copy the angled factory mount.
Car manufacturers try to make their cars as good as possible as cheaply as possible. Any positive attribute becomes a selling point. This includes their sound systems, especially in recent years. While the actual speakers were not very good, I'm sure some engineer was paid to make them sound their best (or at least as good as their manufacturing ability and budget allowed), since a properly designed mount does not cost much more than a poorly designed mount.
So it wouldn't hurt to start there.
Introduction:
I live in a basement apartment at the moment, and don't have access to a lot of big tools. (table saws, planers, belt sanders, etc) I also don't own a proper router. So I have to make do with what I have.
Originally I was going to make them out of MDF which I'd coat with some sort of sealant, but I found a better, easier solution in my wood pile: PVC lumber.
For those unfamiliar, PVC lumber is exactly what it sounds like: long, flat boards made out of PVC. You'd use it as a rot-proof alternative to wood for building outdoor trim, and can find it in the lumber section of any Home Depot or Lowes.
Its sold like wood, cuts like wood, and is priced like wood with one major difference- unlike wood, it does not need to be coated with anything.
Tools and Materials:
1) Dremel tool, with router bits and circle guide. (Good)
Router (Best)
2) Hack saw (cleanest cut) OR Sawzall (if you lack patience... like me...)
3) Regular PVC Cement- you can find it in the PVC/Plumbing section of Home Depot. The brand I bought is called "Oatey," and is the kind used on piping.
4) Sandpaper. Palm sander optional.
5) PVC lumber- I used 1/2" because that's what I had lying around, but 3/4" or 1" might be easier.
6) Closed-cell foam- mine came from Sound Deadener Showdown, and was leftover from when I treated my front doors.
Method
--Part 1--
1) Determine the inner and outer radii of your bracket. It doesn't hurt to use manufacturer recommendations for the inner. Use your own discretion to determine the outer. (Just make sure its thick enough to be rigid.)
-->My wall thickness ending up being ~1/2"
2) Determine the height and angle of your bracket. This, and your board thickness, will determine how many circles you will need to cut.
-->It is assumed that you have already checked your door to make sure this will fit
3) Trace that many circles onto your PVC board.
4) Then, trace two larger circles. Use the same inner radius as before, but make the outer radius ~3/8" wider. These will bolt to the door.
5) Begin routing the circles. Start with the outer edge This might seem obvious, but your circle jig won't work without material in the middle. Also, some tutorials suggest leaving a 1/2" piece of material on the inside, and finishing up with a jig saw. I didn't need to with my Dremel, but I see needing to with a real router.
6) Once you have finished routing all of your circles, take the two larger ones and set them aside. We will go back to them later.
7) Take the remaining pieces somewhere with a LOT of ventilation. Ideally outside. PVC cement is f***** horrendous, and will off-gas horrifically for a few more hours.
8) Take two of the circles. Coat one face of each with the PVC cement, then push them together. The cement sets pretty quickly. Just makes sure you keep them pressed together for at least 30 seconds.
9) Once its tacked on nicely, coat the top face of your stacked circles with PVC, coat one face of another ring, press them together.
10) Repeat until you have a nice, even tube of PVC.
11) Leave this outside where it won't get disturbed. Preferably overnight. It only says it needs 2hrs cure time, but it doesn't hurt to have more. At the very least, by that point it will stop smelling like ass.
--Part 2--
12) At this point, you have two options:
1. Sand the outer surface of your tube nice and smooth. I used 150 and 220 grit sandpaper. DEFINITELY WEAR A MASK.
2. Save that for later, and skip to next step.
13) (Looking at it from the side) Mark the middle of your tube.
14) (Looking at it from the end) Divide the face into 4 even, equal quadrants, and mark the bisecting lines.
15) Continue those lines down the sides. These will mark the locations of the high, low, and middle points of your angle. (These do not determine your angle, however)
16) Draw your angle onto the side using the points from step 15 as a guide.
17) Clamp the tube into a vise.
-->I used a B&W Workmate. The really basic one. $20 at Home Depot. One of the best tool purchases I've made.
18) Set it so that one of the guide lines from Step 15 is facing up. You will be looking at the angled line.
19) It is imperative that you cut straight down at the guideline from step 15, following the angle you drew on the face. Do NOT change the vertical angle of your cut. Your blade MUST remain parallel to the ground in order for your cut to be clean.
20) If using a hacksaw, simply take your time and be patient.
21) If using a Sawzall, start with a shorter, metal-cutting blade. Cut in as far as it will go while remaining perfectly level. Then, continue the cut using the full-length blade.
-->I found that when I tried starting with the long blade, it wobbled too much resulting in an ugly gouge on one side. Starting with the short blade resulted in a much cleaner cut
22) If you need to flip the work piece over, make sure that the other halfway guideline is facing up. Ensure your cut is level with the work piece.
-->IMHO it ends up cleaner if you try to go all the way through without flipping it.
23) Set this aside.
--Part 3--
24) Pull out the wider rings from earlier. Remember those?
25) Draw up a template for the mounting holes on your car door, and transfer that to the wide rings. Drill out those holes.
26) Take one of your recently cut pieces of angled tube. The flat, uncut face is where your speaker will mount. So, set the cut side onto one of the mount rings to check for gaps. If you're some sort of ubermensch mega-carpenter, it will sit flat. If you're like me, you'll have some sanding to do.
27) Using a sheet of coarse grit sandpaper- preferably on a palm sander- sand the surface as flat as possible. Recheck for gaps. It doesn't need to be perfect perfect, but it certainly helps. As long as 90% of the surface is in contact with the mount. (for structural reasons)
28) Once you're satisfied with the fit, determine the angle your speaker will face in relation to the car door. Sit the tube on top the mount, and draw marks to help you line them up again at that point.
29) GO OUTSIDE, and coat the cut face with PVC cement, coat the interfacing portion of the bracket with cement, and mate the two pieces together ensuring your marks line up.
30) Hold these together- as before- for about 30 seconds.
31) Repeat with the other two pieces. Remember, the tube will face the OPPOSITE direction on the other side.
32) Leave outside to dry overnight.
--Part 4--
33) Once dry, once again don your mask, and begin sanding the inside surface of the tube. Start coarse and work your way to finer grains until the inside becomes one smooth, consistent surface.
34) Take plumbing caulk, and fill in any remaining gaps, both on the inside and outside. Use either your finger or a tool to smooth those flush with the surface.
35) Let that dry for awhile.
--Part 5--
36) Pull out your closed cell foam.
37) Trace the top and bottom of each mount onto the foam. Cut those pieces out.
38) Glue the CCF to the top and bottom of each mount using regular ol' Super Glue.
39) Let dry.
40) Enjoy.
Discussion
After all the time it took to route the circles and glue them together, it took me awhile to get the courage to cut into it. I almost gave up and used wider circles by themselves as flat brackets.
BUT! I am really, really glad that I didn't give up, and I am extremely satisfied with the way they turned out. Other than my ugly foam-cutting job, they look really clean.
Full disclosure: they haven't gone on the car yet, but I'll provide an update once they have.
Any comments, criticism, critiques encouraged. I don't claim to be an expert, only sharing my experiences.
Edit: I forgot to add, it might be easier to make a straight cut if you make yourself a jig first. That being said, I did just fine without one, and I am by no means a master woodworker.
-------------------------------
DISCLAIMER: ATTEMPT AT YOUR OWN RISK. THE AUTHOR WILL NOT BE HELD LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGES TO YOU, YOUR TOOLS, OR YOUR STUFF.
Be Smart. Be Safe. Wear glasses. Use a mask.
