Fiberglass Quarter-Panel Fabrication
This month we'll look at the construction of the fiberglass trim panels for the rear quarter-panel area (sides of the back seat). In my early planning stages, one of my goals for the JS Designs Honda Civic Si was to have an extremely loud and fun system. Basically, while driving the car I wanted it to sound like a concert or a dance club. To accomplish this, I integrated six sets of Sony XS-D170SI speakers into the car as a whole, with two component sets for each third of the vehicle.
For example, my design called for two component sets in the front doors, two in the back seat panels and two in the rear hatch. This division of the component sets created a balance of sound in the car from front to back; I had already created the ported subwoofer enclosure for three 12" subs. Five 8" speakers equaled the active radiating area (or SD ROM) of the three 12" drivers, the Sony drivers are 6.75" so 12 of these drivers are more than capable of keeping up with the high excursion of the Sony subwoofers.
Two of the six sets were placed into newly fabricated rear trim panels for the back seat. These panels sit adjacent to the large, fiberglass amprack that holds the six Sony amplifiers and 12 Sony LCD monitors. I wanted the panels to fit in the same way that the factory panels fit plus I wanted them to serve as a trim panel over the enclosure for the 6.5" component set. The panels were designed in a way so that the overall shape flowed with the factory lines of the car and, in the end, enabled all of the back seat panels to flow together as one shape.
Next month, we'll take a break from the Civic Si construction and examine how to do some clean, structured wiring. In the meantime, if you would like any additional pictures or information, please feel free to contact me at info@jasonsyner.com.
Using the side of the amprack as a template, a piece of MDF was cut and flush-routed to match its shape. This piece will later become the outer framework for the side panel, which will also be used to transition the side panel into those I built for the backseat area. When I used a router/lift combo (available from www.mobilesolutions-usa.com) speaker openings were cut into the panel and flush-routed. To trim in the speaker grilles, 11/42" MDF rings were cut. Eighth-inch stainless steel brackets bolt the MDF to the supporting metal in the quarter-panels of the vehicle. This picture shows the MDF panel bolted into place inside the vehicle. This picture shows the speakers test-fitted into the enclosure.