Just went down the path of upgrading the entire stereo in the ES to replace the god awful standard stereo. Wanted to show how I did the subwoofer box molded into the corner of the trunk. Overall this took me about 3 days. All materials were sourced from US Composites. Naturally there are several ways to do something like this and this is my way.

The 20 step process to create this!:


Step 1: Mask Like Crazy - I used 3m blue tape alternating vertical/horizontal layers.
Step 2: Mold Release - I used PAM Olive Oil Spray (yes the cooking spray)


Step 3: 3-4 Layers of thick fiberglass mat directly to the tape. You could build the whole box in the car but the resin uses MEKp and I didnt want the car to smell. I put enough layers to have the back hold its shape for removal. Used 1.5 oz chopped mat
Step 4: Once cured pull plug out. Should come out easy from the tape.




Step 5: Layer up like crazy. Some spots got over 1/4" thick.


Step 6: Use jigsaw to cut final shape of the back side of the box. Cut to hit the required box size of the sub. I needed .5-.6 cu-ft after the space the woofer take up. I have a little over .7 which was perfect. Easy way to measure: Use or cut a box down to the side volume you need. Fill with packing peanuts. Then pour the peanuts from the box of known dimensions into the mold.
Step 7: Cut or buy the mounting rings. I made mine 3/4" MDF for the mounting ring and 1/2 MDF for the trim ring.
Step 8: Use dowels to prop up ring to allow enough magnet clearance.
Step 9: Secure dowels to backside with hot glue gun and nails/wood glue to the rings.
Test Fit



Step 10: Attach fleece to the ring/and perimeter of the fiberglass. Pull it tight as this will set the shape of the exterior of the box. Secure with hot glue. Interior dimesions grew a little but still within spec.
Step 11: COAT the entire top surface and around the edges of the fleece with resin until its saturated. Let dry completely.




Step 12: After curing the fleece, remove the excess from the backside and the sub ring.
Step 13. Mask the subwoofer ring to prevent resin from sticking.
Step 14. Layer up the top surface, the backside/edges, interior seams, and the supports on the inside with resin/mat. Anything over 1/8" final thickness is perfect as there are no flat surfaces. Final two layers should be fiberglass cloth vs mat as it will setup nice and smooth requiring little to no sanding. Let cure completely.
Step 15. Use a router with a laminate trim bit to clean off the excess resin/fiberglass from the inner edge of the subwoofer ring.


Step 16: Mask again the entire wood surface for the subwoofer.
Step 17: COAT the entire top surface and sides with high strength adhesive. Also coat the backside of whatever carpet/vinyl is covering the exterior. You could fill/sand etc if you were going to paint/vinyl but the carpet takes up the minor surface imperfections fine for my needs.


Step 18: Pull/Smooth the carpet to the box wrapping around the edges a few inches. The carpet bonds instantly to the exterior after the glue is set. Trim the excess from the backside and sub ring.
Step 19: Spray some black paint to the wood so you don't see it when the sub is installed.


Step 20: Install into car and secure with velcro. The box is molded perfectly and will not go flying around the trunk. The velcro helps it stick to the carpet in the trunk. Wire up and bass out.

 

For reference I used an Audio Control LC8i to take care of the factory headunit/amp integration. I left the center channel speaker alone and used the other 7 channels to feed the LC8i. The wires were tapped from the outputs of the OEM amp under the drivers seat.

Outputs from the OEM amp were:
FL/FR door speakers
FL/FR dash speakers
RL/RR door speakers
Rear Sub

At the LC8i its current setup to sum all the fronts into one channel, and utilize the factory channels for the rear doors and sub. Therefore the 7 inputs from the OEM amp (#8 was the center left alone) were fed into 5 channels. These were then output via RCA to a 5 channel amp in the trunk. All the interior speakers were replaced and the outputs from the amp/crossovers were fed right back to the OEM lines outbound from the stock amp.

Overall it sounds soooooooooo much better than stock. Of course we all have our own ears and hear things differently and I always have the option of getting a DSP. But for now the LC8i works great and I retain all the functionality of the OEM headunit.

 

Very clean.

 

Nice work and very well done!

 

Very nice and clean job. I'm sure it sounds as good as it looks. Anyway to put a grill over your sub so not to damage it with an errand package?

 

Amazing job!

 

I have enough trim ring to mount something but I haven't needed a grill yet....knock on wood....plus I think it may make it look turrible. I picked this spot based on how we have loaded strollers etc into the trunk and this corner was always empty so hopefully nothing slides into it.

 

I like the open look too, but let's just say my wife can be a bit careless and Murphy seems to follow her. I guess you can easily replace it if damaged.