Plexiglass speaker box


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Old 06-19-07, 04:21 AM
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Plexiglass speaker box

I just bought a 2000 Mustang and i was thinking about putting a custom-built plexiglass speaker box around the outside of the trunk ( or possible the entire trunk), just to make it look cool; however i have never tackled anything to do with plexiglass. lol

Due to my vast laziness and unwillingness to read through everyone's blogs i'm not sure if anyone has asked any of these questions before:

i'm looking for a good way to cut and 'reseal' plexiglass.

also, thickness?? i have no idea where to start for something like this.

everyone is telling me to just build some speaker boxes out of plywood..blah blah blah .. i want it to be original, plus i plan on lighting up the whole thing with blue LED's so i want to be able to see through it lol

if this seems like too much trouble or too big of a hassle for me to take on, please feel free to say so.
any help or comments are greatly appreciated...

Thanks

-trent
 
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Old 06-19-07, 05:25 AM
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come on people...theres gotta be some one out there that knows something!!??
 
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Old 06-19-07, 07:56 AM
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The entire box made out of plexi? It would sound like junk and the plexi would not hold up to well.

Create the box out of MFD wood and just put a plexi glass face on it.
 
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Old 06-19-07, 08:02 AM
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yeah but i want to be able to see through it...is there not some other type of material that would sound better and still be able to see through...??

any comments are greatly appreciated thanks

-trent
 
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Old 06-19-07, 08:11 AM
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You could always build it out of plexiglass with aluminum corner braces, BUT, like I said before, it would sound horrible.

Plexi glass does not have the sound qualities as wood does.


There is no other product that I know of.

Unless you plan on entering this vehicle in some sort of audio competetion, who is going to care what the box is made out of anyways?
 
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Old 06-19-07, 08:16 AM
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lol good point...however i was to be completely unique and wood is def. not original ... i mean ive already built boxes with wood...carpeted them and everything and yeah they sound great but i wanna build one that i can look through and have blue LED's shining all over the place and still have good sound quality.. (it would match the underbody LED's)

thanx for the aluminum corner's tip tho verrryy niicceee (borat)

how bout how i would seal the boxes? i have no clue? some sort of residue? plexi apoxy?

-trent
 
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Old 06-19-07, 08:20 AM
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You could make one out of MDF and put a layer of graphite composite on it and a coat of polyurathane and it would look awesome and it would be very unique.

I worked with this stuff everyday and you can make some awesome things with it.
 
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Old 06-19-07, 08:32 AM
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alright well sry to ask this but i have no idea wat MDF is ?

is it clear? i really want to be able to see through it...but if thats not possible then we'll just move on the the next best thing while still being unique if you know wat i mean...

more info would greatly be appreciated..

-trent
 
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Old 06-19-07, 08:48 AM
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MDF is a pressed laminate wood, typically used in boat fabrication. Very strong stuff. It is not clear.

You can go the plexi glass route if you want, since it is your car, but you may not like the sound qualities. If you do this, go with at least 1/2" plexi.

My opinion of plexi boxes comes from a friend who made one, and it didn't sound right. It may have been the way he made it though.

Take a look at the plexi boxes. They are nice looking. http://www.transparentacoustics.com/boxes.php
 
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Old 06-19-07, 09:03 AM
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i only found a couple of pictures from that? i dunno how many you found but they were pretty kick **** looking...and thats wat i was talking about...they mentioned something about Lexan? do you know anything about that stuff??

they also stated they could do anything from 1/2'' to 1'1/2'' thickness of plexiglass...do you think that the thicker the plexi is the better the sound quality would be??

thanx again for the info...

-trent
 

Last edited by HotxxxxxxxOKC; 06-19-07 at 09:08 AM. Reason: keep the language clean
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Old 06-19-07, 09:10 AM
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Thickness depends on what kind of speakers and how much power you plan on having.

1/2" for most applications will be more then enough.

Do you plan on making this yourself? Plexi/lexan requires some good tools, i.e. band saw, torch (to clean up the cut lines).

Lexan is a break resistant type of plastic.
 
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Old 06-19-07, 09:17 AM
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yeah i plan on doing this myself? lol do you have any objections MR.? lol jk

i think it'll be a fun project ... i need to give the car something unique...everyone's got a freakin stang....

i'll be extending the deck after this one lol ...

but yeah i plan on doin this myself unless you wanna build it and then fedex it to me
thanks for offering...i'll be expecting it by this weekend

-trent
 
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Old 06-19-07, 09:19 AM
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I charge $120/hr for projects like this!

You should be able to do it. Get a good jig saw with a fine tool blade and it will cut through the glass well, and a good router to make the hole(s).

I would recommend reading up on how to cut plexi and work with it before you begin.

Get your hands on some and practice making a small box.
 
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Old 06-19-07, 09:25 AM
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good plan dr. seusss


however i have no idea how to seal the boxes other than the aluminum corners that you mentioned (which i'll probably do cuz i think it would look good with it) but it have to be sealed on the sides as well?

you said you used to mess w/ that all the time maybe you can help me out with this question too thanx o and btw i'll build it myself.

-trent
 

Last edited by twelvepole; 06-19-07 at 09:52 AM. Reason: Nonprogressive language edited
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Old 06-19-07, 09:28 AM
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lol. Yes, you could probably use some aluminum corner bead typically found to protect drywall on the corners of your wall.

You would seal the edges with a typical clear silicon caulking.
 
 

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