Celica Forums General Discussion Exterior Fiberglass enclosures

whats up guys,
Im deciding to build a custom box for 4 12s. I cant decide fiberglass or mdf. Ive seen some glass enclosures on this site. but i want to know has nebody built their own fiberglass box. If so how much did it cost and how long did it take.. and was it hard?

secondly who has had a glass box built by a shop. and how much was it? please post pics too.. itd help alot.. thanks

MDF is sooooo much easier

i thought it was mdf.. and then they sorrounded it with fiberglass

Thats what we always did when i was workin in a shop. 1/4 inch MDF is for smaller apps, but for 4 12's i'd go with something stout. like 1" MDF. Build the basic shape then glass in the details.

the more MDF you use the less glass you have to use. ..

when working with glass , espically when its first time, it can get real ugly and messy and your gonna do things 4 times over. Practice on making something smaller first. . . because ALOT of sanding is involved.

I think for your application MDF for the BASE and FOUR sides would be good. But i would mount the rings at different angles inside the MDF frame and then glass the top. . . of course trying to make it blend as much as possiable with the edges of the trunk, but that would be my idea. ..

fitting 4 12's is kinda . .eh . .. meh. .. i would just work with a 10w7 or somthin, that's a lot of noise and a lot of weight, and a lot of space you need, but dont get me wrong you can do it. . .

for time frame, if its your first attempt, and you work on it everyday, and few hours a day. . . (based on my idea of how i'd make it look) i'd say you could be done in, 2 weeks tops. but for a first timer, a month of so.

a shop will charge you prob like 70$/hr and will quote you 500$+. . just to build it, and that im GUSSING.

do it urself.. learn.. and then re-do it and do it the "more efficent way". a little glass goes a LONGGG way in strength.

and i'd say for supplies. . .
1. Paint Brushes ( 10$ )
2. Fiberglass Mat ( 30$ )
3. 1 Gallon of Fiberglass ( 30$)
4. Gloves ( 5$ )
5. MDF ( 24$ / 4 Slabs , and that extra wood)

= A HELL OF ALOT CHEAPER THEN A SHOP DOING IT, plus you learn somthing.

i think i blabb'd on enough. . .i have pics of my glassing if you want to see also

thats great I was considering doing the same thing, but I need to buy my ZEX first so I can find a place to put dual 10lb bottles.

how do oyu lay donw fiberglass? do you need any special air gun or anyhting. Never worked witht he stuff at all. kinda a noob ? but curious?

MDF is easier but fiberglass looks better.

Took me about $500 - $600 dollars in supplies to do this job ... I can't remember the exact amount.

https://celicahobby.com/vip/album14

does anyone have any pics?

Don't you have a bit of cancelation with your subs facing each other?

6. reading one of paul's posts (priceless) j/p dude

You can use your spare tire well and create a FG tub with MDF surround. Or just make it a full MDF box & design it however you want for the bottom base. If you want FG for looks and performance. An example you can do is design a FG cover for it for appearance.

If you don't know how to FG or the FG job is no good its more likely it'll crack and flex. Depends on how you want to do it. Do both doesn't matter. Seal it real well and it'll pound hard

thats really clean looking and a better install than a word for word one...i like it
how did you mount it in?

They are sealed enclosures so if there is cancellation, it's so slight I can't even notice. Also the drivers are facing away from each other, and the speakers are angled back slighty. As a matter of fact, all speaker placements, no matter how well they are placed, there will be sound cancellation, but it is a matter of getting the best sound - it is a kind of a hit or a miss proposition.

could I do this maybe.. build a mdf enclosure then where the subs would go build up the ring liie how you would with all fiber glass box.. then lay mats over the ring to get the curve look and also over the other mdf creating one big fiber glass enclosure.