How to create fiberglass amp tubs on walls

[tahoexfixssd]

Ok i have been wanting to post this for awhile but havent had time. had alot of questions about this truck and "how the hell did you do that" from alot of locals and what nnot. most with any experience have a general idea of how its done but dont know every step. i will show you...

this technique could also be used in trunks as well or even on you b pillars

Materials/tools:

1 gal fiberglass resin

24oz fiberglass matt (or chopper gun but this is before i had one)

chip brushes

body filler of your choice (i prefer rage gold for ease of sanding)

painters tape

paper (to mask areas off)

fleece (i would use something relativley thin)

staple gun

drill

sander

die grinder

sand paper

ok here we go....

this is the area where amps will go that we will be trimming off.

start by taping everything off where the fiberglass wil be near. remember resin will drain downward so its very imporant you put plenty of tape and paper on the floor and on the interior panels the fleece will be held under

taping off the metal edge where the weatherstrip is is not important as the figerglass should not reach that far.

now make the shape where the amp will go.

you want to hold it up where it needs to sit to clear the amp. i used 1.125" mdf scraps and screwed them together in a way that it can be removed from inside the ring. THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT... unless you never wanna take the tub out.

next you wanna take a template of the outer edge of your trim panel around your wall. i would suggest making it 1/8-3/16 smaller so that when carpet/fleece there it will not be bigger than the acual panel.

once you have that, tranfer it to wood. this piece will then be screwed to the trim panel FROM THE OUTSIDE. now if you dont want to screw thru your panel, this will be very difficult. i have tried double stick tape and it usually comes off when the fleece is stretched.

once everything is taped off and you feel comfortable that your not gonna ruin your carpet, take fleece and lay it on the area USING THE WEATHER STRIPPING TO HOLD IT UP.

this step is the trickiest part. may need 2 ppl to do it. it has to be straight and even for it to work right. also make sure that the weatherstip is on tight. i sometimes use duct tape to hold it onto the vehicle while im stretching

[tahoexfixssd]

once you have it in the weatherstripping you need to staple it to the wooden shape you cut for the trim panel. this process may take awhile to get it perfect with not stretch marks. once it is stapled in that area then do you amp trim ring.

the very bottom of the truck had a rocker panel that was split and would look alright if i held the fleece down this way

its also important to tape off the weather strip to prvent resin from gettin gon it

lay on your resin. this takes alot of resin. its very important that you soak it very well EVERYWHERE. you have to get resin as close to the weatherstrip as possible.... after you do this, add fiberglass matt. you want this tub to be sturdy and not crack or bend.

NOTE: after it dries leave it in the truck for a few days... this is to ensure that it does not shrink or sag.. i have had this happen before and it ruins your whole project.

once it is dried take it out and knock down all rough edges and do your body work liek your normally would on fiberglass. make sure to install it back in the truck every now and them to ensure it fits and hasnt sagged.

one thing that you must do so that it will fit is cut off the fleece but leave about an inch of un soaked fleece so that the weatherstrip will hold it in. keep doing test fits while doignthis. you want the weatherstrip to hold it, but you dont want your fleece coming out the other side or else you will have leaks.

this is a test fit of the other side after some work was done. you can see the extra fleece

[tahoexfixssd]

now you can do your carpet. leave some extra carpet around the outer edges as well and when you test fit trim off what you need. you can sometimes use this carpet to hold it in with the weatherstrip instead of the fleece. but make sure your glue is strong enough to hold.

all said and done should look like this

[larrys95civic]

pure sexiness man! You sir do some kick ass work,

[**Hollywood**]

God dam boy that's nice , when u comming to do my wall :-)

[TheBetterMethod]

Great writeup man! The finished piece looks great too.

[jakobebassbudds]

wow excellent work . very clean and sexy