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In addition to the AC work yesterday, I managed also to take care of a sound system issue. With three large speakers (2 10" powered by main amp, 12" subwoofer powered seperately) mounted on the rear deck, the deck needed support reinforcement. When I initially mounted them I added a layer of 1/4 boarding, through which the holes were cut and the speakers mounted. The deck edges, however, were not reinforced and after a short time the whole thing began to sag, except for where the deck lip is supported in three places. With every bump I half expected the whole thing to collapse into the trunk. There was also increased unwanted structural vibration at certain frequencies and volume. As well, with the deck drooping, it left a sizable gap along the rear edge, opening up the space between the face and rear speaker sound wave patterns. If you don't know, one of the secrets to good bass response in a car when mounting speakers on the rear deck is to have good seperation between the front and rear speaker sound waves. Clearly, this had to be modified.
To remedy the situation, I decided to reinforce the rear deck lip using fiberglass. And so with an $8 can of resin and $3 worth of glass cloth I cut up strips and laid a thick layer down along the bottom rear edge of the deck (after having removed the speakers and the deck itself from the car). Then while the catalysed mixture cured enough to handle it, I went to eat barbeque tri tip dinner with the local bikers. Some 60 minutes later I went back and cut off the excess material along the edge with a razor blade (very important when working with fiberglass - remove the excess material while it's semi-cured, thus saving a lot of time sanding and filing).
After letting it sit directly in the late evening sun for an hour, it was cured enough to remount it. Oh sure, I'll have the everpresent smell of curing fiberglass resin in the car for a week or more, but let me fill you in on a few things about me. I spent nearly half my youth in a fiberglass boat, which never lost that unique aroma. I also worked in a fiberglass plant making tub and shower units at age 18. Years later I joined forces with a pair of friends to manufacture fiberglass satellite dish antennas. I've used fiberglass many times over the years to reinforce or manufacture a variety of things. To me, fiberglass is the smell of fun, freedom, opportunity and ingenuity.
Comparing the sound differences between then and now proved dramatic. Having a solid platform on which to mount speakers for optimum bass response is crucial. Where the deck vibrated before, it no longer does. The bass response is consistent and deep across the entire spectrum. Amazing stuff that fiberglass!
posted by 152.163.204...
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