At the '07 SEMA show in Las Vegas, Digital Designs unveiled their latest rolling audio masterpiece, an '07 Civic Si. Built by Jason Carson and Brad Firgard at Performance Audio in Enid, Okla., the Si was used to showcase DD's latest audio components, such as their new 1508 8-inch subs. Though the installation only took a few weeks, the results are impressive. Using some old-school techniques with some modern materials, Jason and Brad created a unique showpiece that proves you don't have to go over-the-top to be different.
For the first installment of this series, we look at the process of building the trunk lid cover. One-half-inch MDF and Duraglass was all that was needed to build this piece. In the end, this was faster than laying up fiberglass and gave Performance Audio the look they wanted.
In order to replicate this build, you'll need the following tools: jigsaw, superglue, painter's tape, Duraglass, 1/2-inch MDF, and 36- and 80-grit sandpaper. These are the essentials for the project, but a router, table saw, air compressor, and DA sander will make the job much easier. We followed along and covered the entire process of the build and will be bringing it to you in several installments. This portion of the build could easily be built in a single day.
With the trunk lid removed, a base was built using 1/2-inch MDF. The base was trimmed out to clear the latch. The trunk lid was taped up with painter's tape to protect the paint from scratches, glue, and body filler coming in the next steps. To fill the large gaps around the perimeter of the base, smaller 1/4-inch-wide straps were glued to the edges using superglue.
Using the jigsaw, excess wood was trimmed off. You could use a flush-trim bit on a router if you've access to one. A DA sander with a 36-grit pad was used to blend the edges of the added strips to the base.
The base is ready for the next step. Notice how the edges of the base are about an inch from the edge of the raised section of the trunk lid; this is important for the blending that will take place later. The larger section of the base was measured and split into thirds. This will become the raised section for the acrylic mirrors.