Major JBL stereo upgrade but keeping stock HU

So far so good. It never really runs at 900 watts . That would be at full volume with a test CD playing. Of course music goes up and down and the way it's going to be tuned it will never really see 900 watts and it won't need to

 

So far I have about $ 4,500 into the system plus Tuning which will be done soon

 

OK ...I decided to bite the Bullet and build the A-pillar speaker pods for the front Tweeters and Mids. I'm looking to save some work by starting with these pre-fabricated pods . Initially they look like they will fit pretty well with some minor fabrication. I will post pics during fabrication and of course upon installation. Just not happy with the way the tweeters look sticking out of the A-pillar right now

 

OK so here are the materials for the A-Pillar speaker pods. All total not including the 3.5" Focal Mids its about $125.00 in materials . Materials include the Pre-Fab speaker pods off e-Bay, Fiberglass resin, Fiberglass mat, Fiberglass impregnated Bondo for the milkshake to coat the inside of the finished Pods, Regular Bondo filler for filling in after fiberglassing, Glazing puddy for final fill, 60,80,120 grit sandpaper, mixing buckets, chip brushes for fiberglass matt, and filler spreaders.

 

So here are the Focal 3.5" Midrange speakers that I'm using in The Pods to replace the 4" focal midrange speakers in the dash. They were $300.00 from Woofers...etc. Focal calls them a 3" speaker but they actually measure 3- 3/4"

 

So here are the aiming points for the tweeters in the A-Pillar pods. I have them centered on the two front headrests. An inexpensive pen style laser pointer ($ 4.00 ) from Walmart was used to set the aiming points to locate the speaker locations. You can see the laser pointer in the removeable round PVC disk that fits tightly into the speaker hole locations in the pods in the previous pics with all the materials .I cut some round PVC discs for both the tweets and mids. The Mid Range speakers are aimed about chest high in the center of the front seats. That was the highest I was able to point them using the Pre-Fab pods. These Focal mid-range speakers have great off-axis response so it shouldn't be too big of a beal.

 

Left and right pillars with the access holes cut out. Be certain to rough up the surface of the A pillars with sandpaper to help with adhesion.

 

View attachment 216294 Left and right pillars with the access holes cut out and pre fab pods hot glued in place

 

Temporary wood dowels hot glued in place to provide some rigidity while stretching speaker grill cloth into place

 

Test fitting the pods in the vehicle before attaching grill cloth so I could make any adjustments if needed. These happen to fit pretty well on the first shot. Always a good idea to also test fit the Mid range speaker for rear clearance issues.

 

Here are the pods after they have been covered with the speaker grill cloth using CA glue and Activator. Use gloves when using the CA glue because it seems to stick very very well to bare skin. Ask me how I know that!!!

 

Here are the pods with the first layer of fiberglass mat applied before trimming and sanding down the rough edges. The holes are drilled in the pods to help the fiberglass resin adhere stronger. Resin does not bond all that well to plastic so the holes create a way for the resin to seep into the plastic pods and lock them together. Next step is cleaning up all the loose fiberglass mat and sanding to prep for body filler.

 

SPEAKER PODS AFTER A QUICK SANDING TO PREPARE FOR FILLER.

 

TEST FITTING THE PODS BEFORE APLYING ANY FILLER

 

A VIEW OF THE PODS FROM THE OUTSIDE THRU THE WINDSHIELD. THE IDEA WAS TO KEEP THE SPEAKERS AS TIGHT AS POSSIBLE TO THE PILLAR. I DID NOT WANT THEM LOOKING LIKE A TUMOR HANGING OFF THE A - PILLAR. THESE TURNED OUT PRETTY TIGHT WITH MOST OF THE SPEAKER BEING INSIDE THAT LITTLE SIDE WINDOW CUBBY WE HAVE ON THE GEN 3 . I'M PRETTY HAPPY WITH THEM SO FAR

 

FIRST COAT OF FILLER. ONE SIDE SANDED THE OTHER NOT. I'M STILL DECIDING IF I WANT TO PAINT OR WRAP THESE PODS.