Custom Rear Deck

Yo Yo Yo It's ya boi. I was feeling kind of generous today so I decided to hit y'all up with two post on the same night. This one is also from the ppl at Caraudiomag.com. It's about how to make a custom rear deck for you car. Here Goes

http://www.caraudiomag.com/technical/caep_0711_custom_rear_deck/index.html

Rear Deck From Scratch - How To

writer: Jason Ludwig Rodz

Even if your ride doesn't come with factory speakers in the rear deck, it doesn't mean you shouldn't put some aftermarket drivers back there. Building a baffle is relatively simple. All you need are some basic ingredients (e.g., MDF, fleece, resin, body filler and vinyl) and some tools like a saw and router. Here we'll show you how to build a custom panel from scratch for CA&E's classic BMW project car.

The original rear deck panel on this Bimmer had already been removed. That's good news for us as it cuts down on demolition time. As you can see, the metal tray that separates the cabin from the trunk allows plenty of depth for a set of coaxials.	Before continuing, we have to unbolt and remove the seats. Here we got rid of the headrests (who needs 'em?), which means getting busy with an airsaw. The metal brackets are sawed off on both sides.	With the area clear, we can make a cardboard template for the base.
Using the cardboard template, we cut out the base from 51/48" MDF. Check for fit back in the vehicle.	Sand the edges of the MDF before routing it to get rid of imperfections and ensure a smooth routing job. Also, knocking down the big stuff with 50-grit now cuts down on sanding later, when it will be more difficult to sand the beveled edge.	For the sake of good looks, we'll route a 45-degree bevel all around the edges of the piece.
Next, cut the mounting rings for the speakers from a piece of 31/44" MDF.	Router the edges to ensure they're the same and finish nicely. Create plates to match out of 11/42" MDF (not pictured). Use these to protect the rings later when coating the rear deck with resin.	Marking guidelines of the centerpoints on the MDF base makes it easier to center the two rings where we want them.
I like to tilt speakers at a 30-degree angle <>	Sand the sharp edges of the bevel all around to soften the shape.	Notice that there's a gap in between the rear deck and the seat. Fill this in with another piece of MDF. Again, grab some cardboard and create a template of the area before cutting out the MDF.

Attach the two filler pieces to the underside of the rear deck with angle brackets and screws.	To smooth everything out as well as stiffen it up, smear on some fiberglass reinforced body filler. All the gaps should be filled in when you're finished.	We'll also add the Rodz logo in the center of the piece. You can create your own logo, use a manufacturer logo or skip this part entirely. Cut out a piece of 11/42" MDF in the correct shape. Also, cut out a matching plate like those for the speaker rings.
Again, make a bevel by routing with a 45-degree bit and create stilts with the tops cut at a 30-degree angle. Glue and nail the stilts and logo backing to the base.	The rear deck gets its flowing shape from fleece, which we'll stretch across the MDF base and stiffen up with resin. Before attaching the fleece, get out those plates for the speaker rings and logo. Pre-drill holes so you can match them up through the fleece later. When attaching fleece, start from the center and work your way out as you stretch the material tight. Staple it down securely on the underside. Here we placed the staples approximately 0.25" apart so that the material won't stretch.	Cover your pre-drilled plates with blue 3M masking tape and screw them to the rings underneath the fleece. Here is where pre-drilling comes in handy!
Mix up some resin and apply it to the fabric. Be generous - soak the fabric about 95 percent through.	This is how it should look after you soak the fleece with resin. Let it cure overnight.	In order to smooth out all the rough stuff, sand the cured fleece with a 50-grit sanding disc in a die grinder.
Remove the plates and cut out the fleece in the mounting rings. Continue to sand around the cutouts before moving to a 200-grit sanding disc. We need to get the fleece as smooth as possible, because even small imperfections will show through the vinyl.	Spray upholstery glue over the fleece and smooth on the vinyl. As with the fleece, start in the center and work your way to the sides, stretching just a little bit.	Now, break out the heat gun. You'll need to warm the vinyl in order to smoothly pull it over the sharp edges. Heat it just enough so it's pliable, especially when you're working on the corners, but don't make it so hot that it melts.
Staple around it on the underside as you did with the fleece. When you're finished, all the vinyl should be completely glued down.	Now cut out the holes in the speaker rings and test fit the speakers. Pre-drill the MDF when mounting them. You can also now attach your logo. Our logo was water jet cut from 11/416" polished stainless steel. It's glued on with epoxy.	Your last step is attaching the rear deck to the vehicle. In the front, screws hold it in the corners, while aftermarket brackets fasten it in the rear. Now try it out in your ride.

Custom Center Channel

Yo Yo YO, what up. Srry I haven't posted in a while but I've been extremly busy. LOL. So here is a hot tutorial coming at you from the folks at Caraudiomag.com. Its on how to completely redo the center console in your car.


http://www.caraudiomag.com/technical/caep_0711_custom_center_channel/index.html

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Redo Your Entire Center Console - How To

Incorporating A Custom Center Channel.

writer: Jason Anderson

With surround sound becoming so popular at home, more and more people want the same sound quality in their rides. You can buy a single-DIN center channel ready to drop in your dash or you could custom mount a driver right in your instrument stack. Even if you pass on 5.1, this how-to shows you the steps to totally customize your center stack, including rerouting the HVAC controls and smoothing in your aftermarket gear, such as this Kenwood double-DIN monitor.

We performed this install in a Nissan Maxima, which comes with a plenty of room in the dash for the stock equipment. A good place for the center channel is at the top of the center stack, where the HVAC and hazard buttons are.	Pull out the entire center stack and disconnect all of the cables. Now figure out where your HVAC and hazard buttons will fit. Here in the Maxima, the HVAC controls come in a single strip, which we can reposition underneath the new head unit. The tricky part is the factory thermometer, which is just to the right of the controls. We'll get rid of a cigarette lighter and ashtray to make room for this at the base of the stack and flank the hazard and defrost buttons around it. Take apart the HVAC unit and cut the HVAC bezel so it will fit in the factory trim beneath the new head unit.	Once you've decided where everything will go, and made sure the equipment actually will fit, start cutting the existing factory bezel. Use a Dremel tool to cut the trim a little larger than the bezel that came with the radio. This makes the head unit look stock. Do the same with the HVAC bezel and relocate the buttons.
For solid and clean results, it's important to mount the equipment first and fabricate around it rather than fabricating and then mount the gear. Mount the HVAC controls and the new head unit securely in the factory brackets. Now, superglue the bezel into the trim and remove the equipment.	Scruff up the entire bezel with 40-grit sandpaper and then tape up the head unit and HVAC. Mount them back into the bezel and, using a 3" grinder, grind down all of the bezel's sharp edges so that the various pieces visually flow into each other.	Now fill in the gaps with Rage Gold body filler. Smooth it out to the edges of the bezel. Remove the equipment again so it won't be scratched during the sanding process. Start with 40-grit to knock down the high spots and finish it off with 80 grit. It's important that there are no imperfections since they'll definitely show up during the primer and paint stages.
Mount the radio and HVAC in the stack and reinstall the bezel securely. Mounting the unit securely guarantees that all of the fabricated pieces fit tightly.	The center channel will be placed within the lines of the dash. It helps when building a frame for the material to secure to, to tape the sides of the dash and construct a frame out of MDF.	The best way to securely mount the driver is to create a ring. This way the speaker can mount from the back. Cut a ring from MDF and round over the inside edge to eliminate unattractive 90-degree angles. Superglue the ring in place.
Stretch and superglue the grille cloth in place. Make sure you pull the cloth tight so it won't sag as the resin is applied. Cover the panels and floor to protect them from drips and mix 8 ounces of resin with 8 ounces of 1/32nd milled fibers. This gives it more strength. Apply evenly and let it cure completely.	Next, smooth the piece over with Duraglas and sand out the rough spots. Be sure to let the piece cure completely before removing it from the vehicle in order to prevent warping.	We'll use acrylic to mount the tweeter that comes with this. Cut out the desired shape and bend it to get an interesting angle.
Glue the tweeter pod in the desired location and Duraglas it in place. Then, superglue the entire tweeter mount to the center channel piece.	Install the center channel panel to the dash to make sure that the tweeter piece is lined up and straight. Then, mold it to the center piece with body filler (we don't need the strength of reinforced body filler, which is harder to sand anyway).	To match the rest of the interior panels, take a piece of the dash to a paint shop so that the paint could be dye-matched. It only takes a few coats.
After giving all three pieces a final sanding, it's time for primer. The Slick Sand variety can be built up and sanded very easily.	Before reinstalling the panels, stick the soft side of Velcro to the edges to prevent the panels from rubbing against the dash and damaging each other. The finished result will look completely integrated - much better than the mishmash of colors and dash kits that were in place before!

The Basics of Lowering Part I

This is part one of a three part artical brought to you by hondatuingmagazine.com

Camber 101 - December 2007 Wrenchin'

How Do You Do That Thing You Do?

writer: Marcus DI Sabella
photographer: Marcus DI Sabella

There is hardly a single vehicular enhancement that is more commonplace than lowering the car's ride height. Whether it be for looks or handling, we're convinced that removing an inch or two (or even three) of ground clearance is synonymous with Honda Tuning. Over the years, there have been many developments that are designed for the specific demands of low-riding tuners. Short case dampers, skid plates and higher spring rates are all designed to help keep suspension compliant and handling in check by way of resisting the bottoming of the car or the dampers.

Suspension modification is very common today, but one should be careful not to oversimplify the suspension system's dynamics. It is quite complicated and was laboriously protracted in the name of handling balance by the Honda chassis engineers. Of course, it is expected that lowering a vehicle will thereby alter this trigonometrically dictated ballet and will generally upset some of the compromises built-in from the factory. The "alignment" of common suspension angles that compose the geometry are greatly effected by lowering and this writing is intended to bring those changes to light.

The three angles to consider in the alignment settings are caster, camber and toe. All of these suspension settings dictate important considerations in terms of handling, feel and tire wear. Caster is somewhat built-in to the chassis and is non-adjustable on a typical Honda. Generally we are not concerned with adjusting it outside of race-level performance enhancement. It doesn't move much when a car is lowered.

Cusco camber plates provide easy camber adjustment on strut suspension cars like DC5s and EP3s.

Camber is the most dramatically effected setting when lowering a car. This is the characteristic "tilt" of the wheel on a slammed car. The top of the tire leans into the wheel arch, and in drastic cases (especially on EF and DA chassis), the angle is so severe you'd swear the wheel is about to fall off. Nearly all automotive suspensions are designed to exhibit a certain amount of camber, which is measured in degrees. An age-old gripe within the Honda Tuning community is that there is no ability to adjust this angle with the factory suspension arms.

In fact, the only suspension angle to which Honda does provide adjustment is to the toe angle. This is the baseline steering angle, easily remembered if you liken it to looking down at your feet: Toes pointed in or out will simulate the toe conditions on a car. Toe is probably the most important angle we consider since it is adjustable and it's setting impacts the car the most. If the steering wheel is off center, or the car pulls to one side or the other, toe is the typical culprit.

These toe links from Cusco offer additional rear toe adjustment on the RA chassis Odyssey. They provide the additional range that is needed when lowering.

When a car is lowered, the tires will toe-in or -out fairly dramatically, depending on the design of the suspension. The odd thing that happens is, the toe is impacted evenly on both sides, so when the toe is even there is no pull. Many people mistakenly think that because there is no pull no alignment adjustment is needed. Unfortunately they find out instead that their tires have worn out very quickly and need to be replaced.

It is important to realize that all cars have positive caster built-in (adjustable on some cars, but non-adjustable on a Honda). This means that when you turn the wheel, the axis of rotation is not vertical. You may notice caster to be more exaggerated on European cars. The best way to view the caster angle is to turn the wheel all the way to one side and get out and look at your car. Notice that the wheel is turned but also somewhat flopped over? Have a friend with a Mercedes S500 do donuts while you watch outside. The wheels really flop over on those tanks!