MSA's 2013 SEMA Project: Black Rhino > Speaker Pods - The Design

The speaker pods have been an amazing feat from the get go.  I'll explain how speaker pods are normally made and a new method I tried out that worked great for me.  First off, we didn't want to build something simple.  Sponsors don't want that.  They want their products displayed, not hidden.  They want flashy, showy, attention drawing exposure.  I'll write a blog later on sponsors - how to get them, what they expect, and the understanding of what comes with that.

Front Doors:
So, we had a small challenge to overcome here.  We definitely wanted to incorporate as much sound awesome-ness as possible.  We chose a set of 3 way components for each door.  However, Fords are known for not having a lot speaker space.  Some nice deep pockets are available, but everyone does the same...mold the speakers using the whole door panel and rock on.  Just perhaps the speakers in different spots, but most are about the same.  Nah.  I wanted technical credit.  Not SQ, but "cool" credit.  So, I chose to keep as MUCH of all the pockets as possible.  After all, we are still using this truck daily.  We chose to put the speaker pods in front of the pockets.  However, we were faced with the challenge that when the doors closed, the dash would hit.  So we had to be careful where exactly we put the speakers.  I wanted them to look like they were a part or at least a continuation of the factory piece.

Rear Doors:
These doors are a bit more challenging.  First, the speakers sit behind the back seats and to the side.  If you've owned a Ford truck, this design hasn't changed in years.  Because of Ford's design, there are no speaker wires going into the back doors, nor is there any room.  There were 2 additional factors that came into effect here.  One, we are doing Suicide doors.  We had to make sure where ever we put them, the doors still worked.  Second, I have little kids, and those speakers had to be protected.  So the only spot I was left with was inside one of the door pockets.  I decided then to replace the front door pocket with the speakers with pods that were isolated.  Basically, instead of molding the speakers into the door panels, like most do, but trimming the panel to meet up with the speaker pods.  Technical...I think so.  Trimming a plastic door panel very closely is not an easy task.

to be continued...