8" in 4th gen dash (pics) - Honda Prelude Forum

red92s · 05-27-2003, 03:42 PM

My new little pet project calls for an 8" driver in the dash of my Prelude (replacing the factory glove box). I'll probably be using an RE8 or Tangband driver with about 100-120 wrms, in a small sealed fiberglass enclosure (.2-ish cubic feet). I've heard "up front" bass is quite a cool experience, so I thought I'd give it a shot.

I'm a little worried about creating a lot of rattles with this setup, as there is a lot of wires and other components behind the dash that could potentially vibrate. I was planning on using the stock mounting points, which is 5 or 6 screws. I was also gonna put a layer or two of sound deadining on the enclosure. Any thoughts or suggestions on this concern?

here are some pics of what I'm working with:
glove compartment panel out of car:

Glove compartment panel with door removed:

Area which enclosure will occupy. Most Preludes have a passenger airbag in this area. My car is a 92 and did not come equipped with this airbag, and there is a large cavity in the dash as a result:

Holding the glove compartment panel in place below dash:

I was planning on modifying the OEM glove compartment panel to house the RE8, and then building a fiberglass rear section that fills the void inside the dash left by the airbag. Crappy MS Paint mock-up of front baffle:

Any suggestions on this project (specificly, how to integrate a grill)? I also need to find a way to make an impression of the dash cavity, as I dont want to try fiberglassing up-side-down! Any input much appreciated!!

apocalypse · 05-27-2003, 04:15 PM

if u put the sound deading inside the box it will hit harder and give it an illusion of a bigger box also

97luder · 05-28-2003, 07:01 AM

That is going to be so nice. Hook us up with some pics as the project is going along and also of the finished project. Keep up the good work.

red92s · 05-29-2003, 09:13 PM

I spent this evening mocking up the form of the enclosure. I used "gallery mesh" from an art supply store (like chicken wire, but more flexiable and much smaller holes) and cardboard to piece the general shape together. Yes, this looks ghetto as hell right now, but this was "pieced" together as I went (lots of test fitting and modifying). I've made a template for each "end" of the enclosure which will be transfered to 1/4" plywood. The plywood pieced will then be attached to the OEM golovebox and fiberglassing will begin.

Front view (not a lot of depth perception here):

Backside (the mesh forms the countour where the airbag normally resides):

"end" of the enclosure (both ends are pretty much the same shape):

Another reat shot:

apocalypse · 05-30-2003, 08:17 AM

why did u use the mesh instead of polyester or the kintex stuff you use?

red92s · 05-30-2003, 08:46 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by apocalypse
why did u use the mesh instead of polyester or the kintex stuff you use?

I used the metal mesh just to shape the contour of the inside of the dash. It is very flexible, so you can shape it by hand to fill the cavity. I don't want to try fiberglassing up-side-down under the dash, so I constructed the form with mesh and cardboard, and will now make the fiberglass part OUTSIDE the car. The cardboard and mesh will not be a part of the final structure, they were only used to mock up the enclosure.

apocalypse · 05-30-2003, 08:59 AM

good thinking

I'll be starting something next month sometime with fiberglass again

red92s · 06-03-2003, 09:32 PM

I've decided to go with a Dayton Quatro 8" driver, due to its SVC 4 ohm configuration (the RE8 is a SVC 2 ohm). Power will come from my Xtant 121M (125 wrms).

http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/pshow...umber=295-545&

The back portion is mostly done now, just needs to some reinforcement. I molded a new panel to replace the OEM one, as the stock panel was just to flexible and fiberglass would not stick to it.

I was initally worried I would be short on volume, but I think I will be alright. I figure I need to get about .21 cubic feet to hit the manufacturers recomended airspace (1.57 gallons). The last two pics below show the enclosure with a gallon of milk in it. It looks like there is at least an additional .75+ gallon of space left over with the jug in the box, so I should be gravy.

apocalypse · 06-03-2003, 09:46 PM

are u going to vinyle it or paint it when its done?
grill over the sub?

red92s · 06-03-2003, 09:50 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by apocalypse
are u going to vinyle it or paint it when its done?
grill over the sub?

Probably gonna go with vinyl, and it will have a grill. The fiberglass replica panel actually has a VERY nice surface on it, it just looks nasty in the photos, so it should clean up nicely.

MR.CLIFFORD · 06-03-2003, 10:02 PM

lookin good so far Tim.

I'm gonna follow this thread.

apocalypse · 06-03-2003, 10:17 PM

which way will the sub be pointed?
down or towards the passenger?

red92s · 06-03-2003, 10:46 PM

the will be in the same plane as the OEM glove box door, so I guess angled towards the floor would be the best way to describe it.

red92s · 06-04-2003, 07:12 PM

Everything is nice and strong now (no new pics since it looks pretty much the same). Rock solid. I filled the enclsoure with water, and the final volume should be about 1.85 gallons which equates to about .24 cubic feet. Should be just about a perfect fit for the Dayton Quattro!! And no water leaks either, yay!!