2006 MR Clean Up
Stereo and Sub Enclosure
I ordered some new pieces for the stereo system a few months ago but I was busy with other projects until recently. I finally had a chance to make the sub enclosure and get everything installed. I'm pretty happy with it for my 2nd fiberglass project and for a single 10" sub it sounds pretty good.
I've found some evidence in the car that a PO had a system in it, but when I got it there were Pioneer speakers in the doors and rear deck (door speaker sounded blown) and the factory A-pillar tweeters were missing. Stock head unit.
Here is the audio equipment I ordered (picture is blurry, might be time for a new garage camera)
For building the enclosure, the first step was to plan the spot to put it, tape it off to protect the trunk panels and carpet, then put painters plastic over everything to keep any resin drips off of the car. Then I lined the area with tinfoil since this helps the resin to release much easier. Then I started laying down the fiberglass mat and saturating it with resin, working a little bit at a time.
Once I did 3 layers of fiberglass mat and resin in the car, the shape was stiff enough to remove from the trunk. Then I added 2 more layers for a total of 5 layers.
It was pretty thick at this point; around 1/4 inch or so. I wasn't really able to get it to flex at all so I figured that was strong enough. I cut off the edges nice and clean with my angle grinder and cutoff wheel.
I decided to make some anchors in the trunk to keep the box from flying around during spirited driving. I didn't want to make any holes in the box but this seemed like the easiest way and I did seal the holes with rubber washers on final assembly.
With the back of the box done it was time to build the front. I cut out two wooden rings, one from plywood to mount the speaker and a 2nd one from MDF to make it flush. I glued them together and then positioned them into the back using hot glue and stir sticks. Then I stretched the fleece over to create the front shape.
I soaked the fleece with resin to make it rigid and then repeated the process with the layers of fiberglass and resin that I used on the back of the box. I used my flap disc to smooth out the front a little bit to make a good surface for the carpet.
Then I cut out the hole for the speaker, mounted and sealed the terminal cup on the back of the box, and carpeted the box. I lucked out at my local fabric store and found some felt that feels and looks identical to the factory trunk panels.
Before I finished the box and mounted the amp I decided to install the head unit and new Polk component speakers in the front door so I could play with the sound levels. Pretty straightforward here; I switched the door speakers and mounted the new tweeters in the a-pillars and found a good spot on each end of the dash for the crossovers.
Finally, I mounted the sub enclosure, stuffed it with polyfill and loaded the speaker in. Then I mounted my amp. The carpet I used is so close to factory it's hard to tell where the enclosure ends and the trunk panels start!
I've found some evidence in the car that a PO had a system in it, but when I got it there were Pioneer speakers in the doors and rear deck (door speaker sounded blown) and the factory A-pillar tweeters were missing. Stock head unit.
Here is the audio equipment I ordered (picture is blurry, might be time for a new garage camera)
For building the enclosure, the first step was to plan the spot to put it, tape it off to protect the trunk panels and carpet, then put painters plastic over everything to keep any resin drips off of the car. Then I lined the area with tinfoil since this helps the resin to release much easier. Then I started laying down the fiberglass mat and saturating it with resin, working a little bit at a time.
Once I did 3 layers of fiberglass mat and resin in the car, the shape was stiff enough to remove from the trunk. Then I added 2 more layers for a total of 5 layers.
It was pretty thick at this point; around 1/4 inch or so. I wasn't really able to get it to flex at all so I figured that was strong enough. I cut off the edges nice and clean with my angle grinder and cutoff wheel.
I decided to make some anchors in the trunk to keep the box from flying around during spirited driving. I didn't want to make any holes in the box but this seemed like the easiest way and I did seal the holes with rubber washers on final assembly.
With the back of the box done it was time to build the front. I cut out two wooden rings, one from plywood to mount the speaker and a 2nd one from MDF to make it flush. I glued them together and then positioned them into the back using hot glue and stir sticks. Then I stretched the fleece over to create the front shape.
I soaked the fleece with resin to make it rigid and then repeated the process with the layers of fiberglass and resin that I used on the back of the box. I used my flap disc to smooth out the front a little bit to make a good surface for the carpet.
Then I cut out the hole for the speaker, mounted and sealed the terminal cup on the back of the box, and carpeted the box. I lucked out at my local fabric store and found some felt that feels and looks identical to the factory trunk panels.
Before I finished the box and mounted the amp I decided to install the head unit and new Polk component speakers in the front door so I could play with the sound levels. Pretty straightforward here; I switched the door speakers and mounted the new tweeters in the a-pillars and found a good spot on each end of the dash for the crossovers.
Finally, I mounted the sub enclosure, stuffed it with polyfill and loaded the speaker in. Then I mounted my amp. The carpet I used is so close to factory it's hard to tell where the enclosure ends and the trunk panels start!
Your car looks really good... Its nice to see and owner improving their car rather then bending fenders to fit tires and ruining their suspension for looks... Keep up the good work...
Thanks for the compliments! I've been really happy with the way the sub enclosure turned out; it's more than enough for my liking 
The car is currently for sale. Though I really enjoy it, I've badly missed having a Supra ever since I sold my last one. I already picked up another one and I just don't have the garage space to keep the Evo around.
The car is currently for sale. Though I really enjoy it, I've badly missed having a Supra ever since I sold my last one. I already picked up another one and I just don't have the garage space to keep the Evo around.
Here's the thread: https://www.evolutionm.net/forums/sa...per-clean.html