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204 Posts
Hey All;
Since I have actually been getting a little dusty with MDF the last week or two, I thought I would share some of the wood portions of the car restoration project I've been immersed in.
Essentially, I am resto modding a convertible 1987 Mustang with a full race suspension, a 525hp carbureted small block and a pile of modifications, including a monster sound system.
It's a street car/cruiser that will also see the race track and drag strip, as well as the cars and coffee meets and some local car shows once completed.
I was involved in various positions within the car audio industry from the early 80s until the late 90s, basically the peak of this very popular car after market category. Since last summer, I have had a resurgence in interest and have bought up a pile of old equipment and performed a few decent installations in some friends cars and one tricked out Harley.
My car is losing the rear seat, which will be turned into a parcel/storage shelf with a pair of 15" Dr. Crankenstein subwoofers, and something for midbass in the side panels. Working with 30 year old plastic that was ****ty to begin with will be a separate adventure in fibreglassing or chemical bonding, please stay tuned.
My plan here is to build something that follows the interior curves and body lines as well as looks like something that may have been installed at the factory as an option. Plain, with appropriate materials, shapes and access. The car has a 12 pt roll bar in it, so that is both a pain and a boon as you will see.
Decided to build an enclosure that bolts into the re-enforced areas of the chassis ( lots of extra metal has been welded into the car for chassis stiffness and suspension attachment point strengthening). Two main panels are the front and rear, from which all the other measurements and reference points will be taken. Lots of initial cardboard templates. Stripped one of the side panels all apart to get just the basic plastic frame in place. Then contour cut the bottom out, to allow the panel to come in and out, independent of the roll bar and the sub cabinet, once that is permanently installed. Also made up a set of hybrid bolt/studs that thread into the seatbelt anchor points and offer a stud for the panels to attach.
Will be Dynamatting and Dynalinering the areas under the panels, then continue the design for the bracing and dual panel baffles, as well as the trim and beauty panels. All told, this will likely have well over 100 hours in it by the time everything is finished, wired and leather/vinyl and carpet wrapped. The panels have been in and out of the car at least 100 times already, but it's getting there.
Since I have actually been getting a little dusty with MDF the last week or two, I thought I would share some of the wood portions of the car restoration project I've been immersed in.
Essentially, I am resto modding a convertible 1987 Mustang with a full race suspension, a 525hp carbureted small block and a pile of modifications, including a monster sound system.
It's a street car/cruiser that will also see the race track and drag strip, as well as the cars and coffee meets and some local car shows once completed.
I was involved in various positions within the car audio industry from the early 80s until the late 90s, basically the peak of this very popular car after market category. Since last summer, I have had a resurgence in interest and have bought up a pile of old equipment and performed a few decent installations in some friends cars and one tricked out Harley.
My car is losing the rear seat, which will be turned into a parcel/storage shelf with a pair of 15" Dr. Crankenstein subwoofers, and something for midbass in the side panels. Working with 30 year old plastic that was ****ty to begin with will be a separate adventure in fibreglassing or chemical bonding, please stay tuned.
My plan here is to build something that follows the interior curves and body lines as well as looks like something that may have been installed at the factory as an option. Plain, with appropriate materials, shapes and access. The car has a 12 pt roll bar in it, so that is both a pain and a boon as you will see.
Decided to build an enclosure that bolts into the re-enforced areas of the chassis ( lots of extra metal has been welded into the car for chassis stiffness and suspension attachment point strengthening). Two main panels are the front and rear, from which all the other measurements and reference points will be taken. Lots of initial cardboard templates. Stripped one of the side panels all apart to get just the basic plastic frame in place. Then contour cut the bottom out, to allow the panel to come in and out, independent of the roll bar and the sub cabinet, once that is permanently installed. Also made up a set of hybrid bolt/studs that thread into the seatbelt anchor points and offer a stud for the panels to attach.
Will be Dynamatting and Dynalinering the areas under the panels, then continue the design for the bracing and dual panel baffles, as well as the trim and beauty panels. All told, this will likely have well over 100 hours in it by the time everything is finished, wired and leather/vinyl and carpet wrapped. The panels have been in and out of the car at least 100 times already, but it's getting there.
