Custom Fiberglass for Car Audio and Everything Else

Ever want to make your own custom speaker pods or just make a big mess in general? Bil Herd leads you step by step on how to make a mess and end up with your own custom fiberglass construction.
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Music:
Latin Industries Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
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[@SomebodysNephew]

This is a skill I absolutely MUST get skilled with. I want a full 3 way component setup for all four doors and my trunk space back with this MASSIVE 40inch tall 15in sub box. Thanks for the information and video I intend on rewatching and attempting this at some point. I need a new router too because my wife threw my craftsman one out(because the table was bent and she thought it was garbage) because I really really like the way you make the front portion of your speaker enclosures. I'm glad you showed it with a jigsaw although router just does it so well. I just wish there was a way to make those lips so you can mount the speaker flush with the outside of the enclosure without a router. Thanks again for this great content. Very easy to understand for a big ol dumby like me. Curious as to if there is any tradeoff from using large properly tuned box hitting 24hz to fiberglass assumming the internal volume is large enough and if I can port it as well I am not familiar with the material.

[@mxcollin95]

I was thinking the same thing! 👍

[@naseemahmed4005]

This guy is entertaining as hell....I am 44 seconds in and I don't care about fibreglassing anymore, I'm just gonna carry on watching to see what he says next!

[@norbac]

Thanks for the tutorial! You made the fiber glass fabrication look simpler than they make out to be. Stay cool!

[@mbt28]

Bill your videos gives so much inspration. Can you make more videos about diy car audio?

[@jayc3069]

This is a pretty cool process that I would have never even knew where to begin with. Thanks for sharing! Good to know my fellow New Joisians can be creative

[@rogerronan2222]

I realize I am kinda off topic but do anybody know a good site to stream new movies online?

[@caidenkenneth6857]

@Roger Ronan Flixportal

[@rogerronan2222]

@Caiden Kenneth thanks, I signed up and it seems like a nice service :D I really appreciate it !!

[@caidenkenneth6857]

@Roger Ronan glad I could help xD

[@georgechapa4061]

Did tou actually use fiber glass? All i saw was resins

[@houseoffire72]

Excellent video! Ive played with frp for over 20yrs. Did custom audio for 3-4 yrs built dashes door panels sub boxes fixed boats basiclly anything fiberglass. One trick I learned after sanding door pods for hours was to use hoodie material. Smooth side out saves HOURS of body work:) Depending on application sometimes a couple layers are needed or frp from behind.

[@STAY-GOLD-VINYL]

Hoodie material? Sweater hoodies?

[@houseoffire72]

@@STAY-GOLD-VINYL Yes works great for certain applications.

[@dontump2286]

So...cotton?

[@houseoffire72]

@@dontump2286 Anything that is flexible & stretches works although you will need fiberglass the backside

[@dontump2286]

So, the resin will harden with any material that soaks it up, but fiber glass matting is needed to give make it more rigid and help prevent cracking ? @@houseoffire72 I'm guessing fiberglass mat for resin acts like rebar for concrete?

[@billyeast6819]

Get a 3d printer

[@wnoah3352]

I have one an can say it’s very useful for prototypes but for large complicated models it’s so much easier to fabricate something up.

[@hlmartelli]

You're awesome! Liked a lot of this video and I'm going to subscribe to your channel. Would be possible for you to tell me how many fiberglass layers should I use in a 20 liters box using an 8 inch subwoofer and 100 watts RMS please? I want to build a nice and good quality fiberglass box to my car, it's a sedan and will build it in its trunk. Hope you do a lot of videos like this. It was completely enjoyable. Thanks. :)

[@808chevykev]

I did up my first fibreglass sub enclosure yesterday and it's out in my gf's greenhouse drying😂 because it's to stinky to leave in the basement. She doesn't know it's in there btw😂 Great video!

[@scooter313]

Great video, you're fricken hilarious, thanks for showing the newbs😁👍

[@AZstu324]

In case anybody is still following this, I'm trying to make some enclosures for a home audio surround system. The walls are all textured so I'm not really concerned about a smooth finish. Is the bondo coat necessary? Can I just apply a couple layers of resin, paint with primer and then brush on interior wall paint? Also I'm making sure I didn't miss something but the actual enclosure you made doesn't actually have any "fiberglass" correct? This just looks too easy to not try out. Thanks!

[@sergioperegrino2310]

This is one of the most informative videos I've ever seen!! Pure perfection. Thank you!!!

[@stryker2764]

Your video is one of the best and there is a lot out there on pod fiberglassing. All your tips are awesome, and all the tid bit comments entertaining! Thanks for sharing with us, you've helped me make my first set of speaker pods!

[@davidlyons8278]

Dude you ROCK…. Love watching your videos… thanks for posting them…

[@justinkase8669]

Do you do custom door panels? I'm in Mass until April and looking to get 2 front door panels, bottom half, custom fiberglass. Smooth black finish. Just a 6×9 and super tweeter is all I want slots for.

[@VitalMusic217]

this guy drives a 280z

[@ronsmate]

Bill, you Sir are a rarity, a KZbin presenter worth watching. I don't intend fiberglassing anything any time soon but if I did, this is where I'd come for some further education. The odd errant comment below I suggest are from individuals who are legends only in their own minds.

[@jvanasselberg]

I totally agree with you. There are people on here that love to promote a hostile environment. I liked the video and a lot.

[@scottrc5391]

Fleece uses WAAAY too much resin, causing your enclosure to be heavier than it needs to be (and not a bit stronger). So my only input would be to use a thinner fabric - check my channel (video 2) for an example. Also, glue is better than staples because you won't have to grind it off.

[@erictownsend8711]

Very helpfull. thanks very much for sharing your knwledge. you make it seam simple with your thorouh explanation.

[@matthewsamard4591]

Your mixing process is the cause of your pinholes. Folding or stirring leaves pockets of air between the layers of putty.

[@felipeespinosa947]

It's to hot I was watching til a man with skull shirt cries about heat mommy probably made them speaker boxes

[@wynnyoder5605]

You keep on saying fiberglass but you don't use any fiberglass. this is in the beginning half project. You use resin but you are not using glass. what gives?

[@chriso8292]

"I'm usually not happy until I've burned myself" 😂

[@iliagofman]

Lots of good info cheers. You could squeeze down the body filler putty on to mixing board to squeeze out air bubbles, each time you mix/ turn the putty over with hardener with a scrapper, quickly squeeze it down as well. Also maybe you could have the scrapper at a shallow angle to trap less air between putty and mixing scrapper. I've been doing a lot of repair on my daily driver car Vauxhall astra estate 1.6 1999 that I used for my small landscaping business, in particular the rusted out wheel arches last year and finally sold it this year in good condition (without huge rust holes), and bought a newer car this year, a Peugeot partner 2.0 HDI 2004

[@niamakhtar2234]

A big hello from the UK... I love this first video which I viewed.. I like your eccentric and loose style of presentation... No offence intended by myself... Yes, do keep up the good work old chap! and keep these video's rolling... Tatty byes!

[@rickyreynolds9056]

Hot 🥵 😂😂😂y’all don’t know hot!! Thanks for the info from Alabama!! 😅

[@davidjones702]

Lol... Thanks pal. Very entertaining and good work!

[@alexluna7810]

I love the video but mostly how much you enjoy it,nice job sir 🙌

[@buz3377]

Hi Bill, Where is the fiberglass? You only used resin. Is that strong enough? Thanks.

[@j.harris7228]

Just make it already! I bet your tongue is sore from all of the excess talking

[@mfamus2272]

😂😂😂

[@tuckerj.1793]

Thank you for your time and sharing!

[@darrenmaglione6235]

Inspiring video. Thanks, fellow New Jerseyite

[@skater11301]

Mr , you are HILARIOUS! Grate job and thanks for the instructions !

[@marcusjangefelt8510]

You cant keep talking about fiberglass, when you dont use fiberglass. You just have fleece with polyester, nothing else. All that filler wont make it as sturdy as fiberglass mat would do.

[@sonicase]

7:10 this is where the fun begins

[@universalvisioner]

U only use polyester then body putty right? Bro

[@e90lownslow14]

dude, you are a legend. love your videos. one tip you could do with your one fingerless finger hole on your glove, is to tie the finger of the glove in half and cut off the excess.

[@sux2bu883]

Just wanted to say Thank You for the video. I wasn't sure how the internal structure was made.

[@mikealvarez5244]

Hey where in new Jersey I'm looking to get some work done. 👍👍

[@DirtbagOfficialPage]

I need pods made for 8 inch speakers 🔊 for my side by side

[@alexanderhayden96]

So much sacrifice just to do a video you didnt really want to do😑

[@jdmchickkustomz9417]

Hey so I'm still learning and I built custom fiberglass boxes out of my carpet inserts in the trunk of an Audi. After my fifth coat of paint on one of them I noticed a bunch of low spots now how do I fix that? I would appreciate any help this is very frustrating I work that hard on it and now it's got low spots in it

[@TheVanderfulLife]

I really enjoyed this video so thanks!

[@ituneyou1213]

Great video, i usually use some ca glue and activator to hold the rings instead of hot glue

[@chemy-p1c]

Just finished a pair of 3 inch midrange component speaker enclosures to mount on front doors of my Corolla . This video gave all the info I needed to complete the project . Most of the time was sanding / finishing and painting ! Of course if your an auto body guy your way ahead of the curve . Lots of time yes but what are the alternatives for mounting 3 way components in these new cars that have no room to put speakers anywhere at all ? Next project will be adding fiberglass mounting boss for Focal 3 way K2 components on A pillar trim ! I would be stuck using 2 way components without this information ! Back 35 years ago 3 way setups were more common . Then again the cars of the period were much easier to install systems into . A hole saw got you a long way back then . Now they've got multiple airbags installed inside the seats !!!! Thanks for the video !

[@rakkup7572]

Do not kick off your gallon resin jug with more than 1.5-2-%. It will catch on fire. Learned that building boats and lit the building on fire just kicking off some gel coat. Didn’t get fired! Lol

[@grahamhancock4904]

Homeboy's lungs are fucked up

[@victorcalderamartinez3448]

genial!!! ahora si podre fabricar un cajón para mi nave :p

[@ivankozar]

24:23 haha Cool video, I'm using the same technique for similar projects :)

[@ivankozar]

25:26 lol

[@jedpetersen3806]

This guy learned the hard way not to wear your wedding ring to work.

[@thombaz]

ouh I was like, whats up with the glove.

[@LCRLive687]

Thanks Bill, but need many layers of fiberglass unfortunately. Especially if you want that full midbass. So I assume you skipped out on showing us how many layers you used unless you assume we are going at least three layers of the resin and Matt. Unless we are crossing over those speakers high and using separate midbass. Which again need many layers. And need large airspace as large as possible for speakers. Midbass is the biggest problem to get in car audio. The other reason to make the speaker pods large is to then be able to port it for bass reflex tuning for midbass. Short ports for maximizing midbass output there.

[@kgoff6]

the turkeys made a run for it behind you lol

[@jamest.5001]

sorry I'm such a rambler. anyway with the thinned body filler. couldn't it be almost like dipping the pod. that way it would be really smooth. maybe pour it on . be like chocolate candy. let it flow to the edges. just a thought. I was thinking about building one of these for a 6.5" sub. 6.5" mid. and a tweeter. with a small amp all together in the door. like the small kicker the size of your hand. with one in each door. one amp for each channel or just mount them that way. use one for the sub low pass at 250hz. then the other for mids & highs. then 2-3 15" sub's in the rear cab of a extended cab Chevy Silverado. with about 1.6kw low passed at about 80-100hz. just dreaming now. but I would like to get back into car audio. I have the truck and enclosure. but that's it. great video. nice refresher course in fiberglass. thanks!

[@Chase1297]

James stranger why install the amps in the door? Seems like more of a headache then just installing in the trunk

[@meisam9592]

It looks to be 5 different T-shirt designs. But I can’t tell how many of each one! Thanks for the video! Learnt a lot!

[@fofdeejay]

Nice,tnx for the clear explanation.

[@elmalkriao100]

Where u located in New Jersey??

[@robertsteele2286]

I always liked the smell of bondo lol

[@ΣωτήρηςΛάμπρου-μ5θ]

Dude you're hilarious ,,,,thank you i use to live in nj before 20+ years and i love that place,,now i live in ATHENS greece

[@juanmaza8575]

Select Products was like a toy store for those of us who are inro custom fiberglass installations!

[@martinezlopez4699]

Nice Speaker. It reminds me on Flintstones :-)) Other than that: Dude u like doing the talking. I would let the Picture do the talking for itself. Funny though …;-))))

[@TouchStone936]

Turkeys at 25:49

[@LPCliftonMusic]

I’m pretty sure those a Guineas. Close though.

[@tminer2110]

Def Guineas doing their thing!

[@wadebuck69]

I got alot of knowledge about fiberglass from watching Sprayway Customs. I just now found your channel and I like what you are doing very informative. I have seen the body filler and resin concoction called rondo from resin and bondo. Lol

[@erikwilkinson1353]

DUDE...... man you are great.... fun to watch.... and informative...... working on customizing an aftermarket fiber glass fairing..... this will definitely help......👊

[@tfkoincognito]

This video actually gave me some ideas.. Thanks

[@davedennis6042]

I don't know if that's good or bad LOL

[@tfkoincognito]

@@davedennis6042 I had an idea to make a hex paterned set of speakers at home. the pod reminded me of one, but the fiberglass in this would allow me to do that without ruining the sound.

[@mxcollin95]

Awesome video! I had no idea this was something you could bang out in your own garage. I learned a ton and am definitely going to give this a shot! Thanks for posting! 🤙

[@TheCthtoNicfLy]

how bout i just use a Tupperware bowl

[@soppingwetburgers6493]

I just want to make a roll pan for my truck and redo the entire front end of a ranger so I can retro fit modern lights. I'd like to do custom body work. Make my own cars.

[@michaelballone4652]

a gentle mist of prep all, clean wipe and a nice air job will keep those pinholes away. ;)

[@metricOIL]

Hey next time you get bored--- you could make me a fiberglass mounting box so I could put me a navigation system on my bike... and some saddlebag pods..

[@wadebuck69]

Do you use the cheese grater while the body filler is still somewhat soft you can use a body rasp and it shaves alot of rough edges off and saves a huge amount of time on sanding. It shaves those edges off and looks just like you are grating cheese

[@UNLOCKCONNECTIONS]

Hey, I'm thinking of making a box for my car at the back not the trunk but what I want to know is, If I spin the speakers facing the back glass will it make a difference with the sound?

[@robertvasquez3964]

You are very knowledgeable. The video is very informative thank you for that. I do have one question. Maybe its dumb but I really want to know. I have seen.several videos on how to.make the fiberglass boxes. None of them show or say how to bolt your box to.your car. If you make one for the trunk that would go on the side. For it not to fall or roll around in the trunk. Thank you

[@elbassaraghii5744]

Thanks happy ya made the vid😏👍🏾👍🏾👍🏾👍🏾👍🏾👍🏾👍🏾

[@tammyforbes2101]

And this is why I buy pre-made or use factory locations cause I don’t have time to do all this and forget paying a shop they will slop it together and probably destroy your car or if they do know what there doing there gonna want to make $800 a hour to do a couple of pods. I seen guys pay $6000 for a install that just barely sounded better then my factory location deadened spots.

[@caddiman9834]

Loved ur video. Thanx for the lesson on fiberglass. However, if i was u, i would try to cut down on the talking. That,s just me. Thanx again. Enjoyed ur video.

[@johnware5312]

Easier to do when you wire that router to 3 steppers and some lead screws.. :) AKA CNC router..... Nice tutorial there. Been many a year since I did any fiberglass work, making the molds used to make carnival ride bodies..

[@Mercmad]

I have a favorite stirring screwdriver too. I found a product in my local office supplies ,sheets of type of plastic used to make seperators for files made from polyethylene and is 1.5mm thick .. it makes perfect bench top covers to stop resin building up. the resin wont stick to it. And they were 20cents each, for a A3 size sheets.

[@BruceBusby]

He reminds me of Chev Chase. Goofy physical comedy. Totally ghetto quality. Entertaining none the less

[@jadams7346]

Please don't ever make another video! EVER. Agonizing to watch.

[@jamest.5001]

so you can mix what some call Bondo with the fiberglass resin? I guess they are both poly right? I always like using high build primer. I spent a weekend on the metal dash of an old truck . when I was growing up. then after wet sanding the clear coat. it looked like wet glass. it was well worth it.

[@Poweraddicts]

The polyester stuff with holes in it is called Coremat. It is a great thickness builder but soaks up LOTS of resin.

[@rockymontana1]

I just found your channel and I like it very much and how you go thru all the details.I appreciate what your doing.I'm in N.Y. so I'm pretty close to you.Who knows maybe one day we'll meet...I been doing all kinds of projects to.My life is a project.LOL Your channel is a keeper...thanx.

[@marko6394]

Is it necessary to use fiberglass for smaller A-pillar speaker pods or will Bondo over resin soaked fleece be strong enough?

[@dennishiggins3552]

I came here to learn how to do custom fiberglass...but now I want to know how you do the glove trick at 35:04

[@TEAMSOTO]

That's what happens when you don't where a respirator you start rambling.....lmao

[@Muisak]

you're not the only one with left hand problems ;) got the tips of three of mine on a lawnmower when I was 16, then turned around this summer and squashed it with a trailer.

[@cruiser97eric1]

Skip to 36:10 if you want to see anything actually having to do with fiberglass.

[@michaelcales6927]

I have a question what is the name of that white material that he cover the panel ??? Anybody

[@edwardnorton7463]

Great video. I really learned something. Just the info I was looking for.

[@jamest.5001]

I have made these using tiger hair. the fiberglass reinforced putty. it turned out OK! for my first pod.

[@michaelballone4652]

HOOAH!! love the videos!!!

[@oldsoul5263]

Ive heard that "gun" called a chop gun....not sure if that's actual name of it or an industry nic name

[@MrBrymstond]

Evercoat Polyester Spot Putty mixed with hardener is great for the divots, air holes and any slight issues and Polyfill or Polyester primer also mixed with hardner does not shrink and fills bad sand marks

[@unionse7en]

pretty tricky; absolutely no glass fibers were injured in the 1st part of this demo i did learn about polyester mat though!

[@GooordoX]

nice video. really appreciate the hard work just for instruction purposes.

[@mikeplummer6873]

Great video!! Informational and comical to make it fun👍🏼👏👏

[@ricardoramos6881]

Hello i need help i would like to do speaker on my scooter but i not want damage the plastic who o can do it?

[@mayhemcreative1661]

Going to give it a shot in my spare tire well. Thanks for all this great info!

[@BassHead2020]

fleece = air bubbles