MSA's 2013 SEMA Project: Black Rhino > Speaker Pods - Building the Front Speaker Pods Step by step

As I mentioned before, the main challenge here is clearing the dash when the door closes.  We measured this area several times and marked the doors where it would be safe.  We then began building the wooden structure.  To make this a little more challenging, we wanted to see the door panels almost effortlessly move into the speaker pods.  We trimmed the panels so that the pods for the front doors would slide right under the panel.  We then built the wooden structure and made sure all components cleared the doors.  Success!  Then comes the build.  Here's what we did step by step.
Step 1.  I used strand fiberglass to create a base.  I wanted something that was form fitting and sturdy enough for the wooden structure to stick to.  We used aluminum tape and pressed in all the grooves, corners, and made it contour to the exact shape of the door.
Step 2: Wax wax wax.  Resin doesn't like to stick to waxy surfaces, so this allows us to pull the fiberglass away from the door when the mold is complete.

Step 3: 3M Super trim adhesive.  One of the most difficult things to do in this process is making sure the fiberglass itself works through the grooves and the shapes its supposed to, giving it the strength.  We actually use the glue to do this and press the fiberglass where we need it.

Step 4: Resin.  Cover the fiberglass strands in as must resin as possible.  Enough to create a level surface we can adhere the wooden structure to.

Step 5: Let dry.

Step 6:  Once its dried, we were able to pull the fiberglass straight off the doors for a perfect bottom structure for the pods.  The fiberglass is sturdy enough now, I used a nail gun and through the bottom of the fiberglass, shot nails into the wood, holding it in place.

Step 7: Then comes the fleece.  Using staples, we wrapped the wooden structure using fleece, keeping it as tight as possible and forming the generic shape we wanted.  For novices, fleece is used to absorb resin.  It offers some rigidity once absorbed, very much like fiberglass does, so It's popular to use when making "
"fiberglass" enclosures.  When sanding, you don't get all the fiberglass debris in your arms and so it's nicer on the skin as well when sanding.

Step 8: Resin and let dry.

Step 9: Once dried, we cut away any excess fleece and using a roloc disc, shave down any mistakes in forming the fleece.  Sometimes it doesn't stretch exactly where you need it and spots become wrinkled.  That's not an issue.

Step 10: Once done, we take short strand fiberglass filler and fill in any necessary areas.  We also use it to get both structures to match up better.

Step 11: More fiberglass short strand and bondo.  Layer, sand, and shape.  Repeat, repeat, and repeat until the process is done.  Between a few of these steps, you may use primer to get an idea.  It can be sometimes difficult to see if the shapes are matching having multiple colors, so a can of Duplicolor Gray Primer works great.

Step 12: Use higher grit sandpaper and continue to shape.  Your end point will be determined what you're doing.  We are spraying flat black and texturizer, so for our application, it doesn't have to be perfect.  However, if you are doing a gloss paint like on the exterior of a car, you have to continue until all the waves and imperfections are gone.

Step 13: :Paint, cut out the holes for the speakers, mount it to the panels.  What's left is up to your audio expert.  :D