Custom Interior Issues

What I have So.... I have gutted the interior. Back bench is gone, I have created some monster comforatble - although ugly - seats from combining 97 seat plates with 86 integra seatbacks and bolsters, painted panels and accents....la la la

In the back, the seat backs remain, as does the spare and the one piece carpet/backing for the seats and trunk.

I want to do: make a fiberglass insert that replaces the whole of the back seat but fits flush with the rear interior panels and I want to mount the 6x9s as well as a 10'' er two in the area where the seat backs would have been.

My problem is, I am quite the novice with fiberglass construction and can't seem to figure out a practical way to build such a thing so that the speakers remain accessible, the metal areas covered, and the trunk usuable (despite the amps)

help.

seriously help, I know how to use fiberglass, I need help on how to build the frame for such a project - materials. Not the medium density fiber board nonsense either - this thing will be rounded and complicated, I need something that can be easily shaped....havin a hell of a time figuring this out. Common places on where to buy the stuff would be good too....

thanks all,

i am a complete novice and not sure, but you might be able to use chicken wire? you could make a frame out of really light weight wood, then cover it and mold what you need with chicken wire covered in tape... just my 2 cents.

Funny you should mention that.....it's a muthafuNka. I tried that in my 92 whoa back in the day, tried to round out the notches in the rear with speackers in them...I actually used 12guage fencing knowing that the chicken wire was too wide and the glass would sag in the gaps,

lil too difficult, while you're sculpting the metal, it has a tendancy to bend, plus it comes rolled and the memory is hard to work against, then you end up with flat parts or bubbles that you don't notice until it's too late to correct.

I have heard rumors of using a wood frame construction with some sort of cloth (not fiber cloth) to stretch over it and glass...but can't find such a thing, plus a curved wood frame is, well, tough to build.

I don't mean to shoot your best intentions full of holes, but sometimes brainstorming works best when you know the issues of ideas.

thank you none the less

nah nah its cool... thats what i am here for... to live and learn. its better to find out this way instead of sitting in my garage cutting myself and throwing shit around when i get pissed of with teh chicken wire...

I have done some fiberglassing before but had molds already, so not sure what else could work out all that well...

wouldnt you be able to use cloth but cover it with some tape? i would think if there was enough layers it wouldnt reach the cloth, and it would be easy to mold something using such a thing... just making the fram would be interesting...

to tell you the truth i was actually thinkin about it while driving home from work. tell me how it goes tho.

I know exactly what you are talking about.. the stuff is like a felt mat just stretch it over the form for a sub box, or over a board, add speaker rings and you can stretch the felt mat to fit, and simply smear on the fiberglass resin. it's a very simple, and the easiest way to make a custom fiberglass box for your speakers/subs. then you simply fill in the rough spots on the felt/cured resin surface with bondo, shape it, and paint it..

the stuff is like a felt mat just stretch it over the form for a sub box

riiiiiggghhhttt...what is the "stuff" and where can I buy it?

What's killin me here is not knowing what this stuff is or where to get it..Home Depot employees are useless as well, even marine stores that should be fiberglass experts.

I am having difficulty on coming up with how to build that frame in the back seat of the car so that it is lightweight, strong enough to hold speakers, as well as open and accessible without rattling.

I was thinking of placing dowl (sp?) rods in certain spots across the rear like hanging rods, then stretching canvas over them and glassing that. Problem then lies in how to make that flush with the curved edges of the rear interior side panels.

ugh...me and my disease...

i think i read somewhere tht they use fleece to wrap around stuff and then fiberglass on top of that.

you can also use blocks of foam and wrap it in aluminum foil for a cheap way...make sure u get like styrofoam like stuff...that way u can sand it to be perfectly round ...dont get the kind made out of little ballz of styrofoam either ..its a pain in the ass to sand..then u just cover it in aluminum foil...the aluminum foil just peals off the fiberglass...i did this when i made a custom box for my car

I used the craft molding styrene when I attempted to make a front lip for my 92 VX....doesn't work so well for an interior, I thought about making a mold out of that, but for what I want, for it to be flush, I will need to fuse it to the plastic panels, and a styrene mold wont work well for that, tends to be off, and with plans of speakers going in there, if it's not flush and solid, rattle rattle...

I know Im a pain in the ass...just wanna do it right ya know? Ever see all those show cars with all the custom fiberglass interiors? how do they do it?

fleece? that's new...interesting.

Anyone have any photos, or links, for what I'm talkin about?? If I could see something like what I want to do on another car, that would help.

I tried like hell on google and here to find pics, but either just couldn't get the right search word variations, or I am truly a pioneer... :screwy:

Lil help?
Thanks all.

Car Domain Is Probably Youre Best Bet!!

heres a few links: of some fiberglassing work in near the trunk, and the fleece (well it looks like its fleece, some sort of stretchable fabric)

(i am going to do something like this, but include an all in one with my two subs and an amp rack in my trunk)
http://www.the12volt.com/installbay/forum_posts.asp?TID=48778&PN=1

http://chris.pfharlock.com/glass/index.htm

CivicNation...you are my hero. May the gods (0r your God) smile on everything you ever do. That second link you gave me is the BOMB!!

Despite the project not being on a Honda, I really would vote for it being added to the FAQ on this board.

hot damn, I love info!!!

This project will be happening this summer (I'm a teacher, and in charge of a lot of events at school - so I have no time now) BUT you can bet your bibby that I will have tons of pics of the process for Honda.

My girlfriend has already agreed to help - she's a photographer/artist so she'll photograph and she is going to design the paint as well.

Thank you thank you thank you....

HAHA, i wouldnt mind being called Hero Civicnation from here on out. :evillol:

anyways, its the process of what you need to do, and its all custom so whatever you think will look good, you can still go hand in hand with those directions.

ya im going to be doing a full trunk unit this summer as well, its gonna be a lot of fun.

bondo can be ur best friend! measure some wood, round it how u want with bondo (be patient) and then do the finishing work with fiberglass...hope this helps you out a little

that would be quite a bit of bondo resulting in a lot of money and weight.

HOWEVER, I have found in the past that you can use lightweight polystyrene from a craft store, then a light coat of bondo over it for strength and smoothness (that and the fiberglass is too hot and chemically different so that it melts the styrene) and fiberglass over that, plus the bondo fills in the rough spots and bubles from the fiber glass.

I gotta plan, thanks bro, check out that link above, all the fiberglass info you could want.

Fabrication (http://web.njit.edu/~cas1383/proj/main)

read that - print it out - throw it into page protectors in a binder and keep it near you ALWAYS!

mdf is probably your best bet for a frame and a stretchy felt or jersy knit cotton (t-shirt material) is going to be your best bet for fabric, IMO
you can do the whole box this way with just fiberglass - no bondo is really needed

This guy is pretty thorough and includes tons of helpful pictures - please also check out my other post on fiberglassing in this same forum

honestly, there's a copy of this site printed out and and kept in the trunk of both cars right with the haynes manuals - its like another bible

hope that helps

heres a few links: of some fiberglassing work in near the trunk, and the fleece (well it looks like its fleece, some sort of stretchable fabric)

(i am going to do something like this, but include an all in one with my two subs and an amp rack in my trunk)
http://www.the12volt.com/installbay/forum_posts.asp?TID=48778&PN=1

http://chris.pfharlock.com/glass/index.htm
btw civicNation - i printed this one out and added it to the collection in my trunk thanks : )

btw civicNation - i printed this one out and added it to the collection in my trunk thanks : )


NICE, i try to help out when i can.... I came across a site for all you do it yourself interior guys for vinyls, fabric, moc-carbonfiber, and real carbon fiber. Not sure if its cheaper then anywhere else but its a good clean site.

http://www.selectproducts.com/html/frame2/frames2.htm