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Fiberglass kick panels

J

JohnC

Veteran Member
Senior Member
Why would I do this? I want to mount small speakers but have them be as unobtrusive as possible and definitely not have to modify the parking brake pedal. I know some people say it’s not a big deal but I just don’t want to deal with it. Plus I already bought the speaker and fiberglass supplies, so this is happening.

Having done a little research my plan is to coat my old kick panels with wax or cooking spray and replicate the kick panel with a couple layers of fiberglass (then remove the original kick panel). Then build the hump where the speaker will sit off of the fiberglass panel.
I don’t want to do the traditional thing which is to mount an MDF or plywood ring and wrap the whole thing in fleece and coat in resin. Those end up looking really fat and bloated because the stretched fleece creates a lot of space underneath it. I want it to look more like the Q Logic panels.

If anyone has any experience in this I’d love to hear advice.
 
These fit pretty tight. I had hoped to lay the fiberglass on a bench (for cleanliness) but because these fit tight (especially at the corner by the arrow), I’m afraid I’ll have to mount them on the car and lay the fiberglass there otherwise they might not fit afterwards.
I had considered cutting off the edge (highlighted purple) and tucking the edge under wind lace trim but that might look goofy. IMG_4064.jpeg

That really skinny uppermost part I might fiberglass off the car when the other part is done.

I don’t know where I got this DS kick panel. It’s got a vent which I don’t need. Mine is an AC car so I’ll try to cover up that area.
IMG_4062.jpeg
 
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My other thought on the DS is this little plate that covers some kind of access hole. I suspect on some cars there is a vent there but I just have a stamped metal plate to cover the hole. There is endless space behind this plate so I can mount the speaker in the plate and on the backside weld in a bowl of sorts so that the backside of the speaker is protected from water that drains down there from the cowl. The probably makes the most sense since I could theoretically just use the kick panel as-is and not have to add a speaker grill. The sound would come through the hole that’s already present.

IMG_4065.jpeg
 
I made a little progress working on this slowly.
I’ve duplicated the kick panel in fiberglass, it still needs a significant amount of smoothing out. Part of it was covered in x-grip filler and needs to be sanded.
I need to mount this MDF ring to the panel that’ll allow the speaker to mount flat and allow for speaker grill to mount.

Question, how would you mount the ring and blend it into the fiberglass panel? My thought is stick in on with construction adhesive and run a few short screws from the back side then blend in with filler.

The other thought is just use filler to stick it on and also run screws. Could use fiberglass filler.
My only concern is the thickness of the filler. Will it crack?

I don’t think there’s enough of a gap to fiberglass it in. I don’t know how I’d fill the gap.

Also, can you just paint the MDF ring with resin to seal if from moisture? IMG_4313.jpeg
IMG_4311.jpegIMG_4312.jpeg

Thanks
 
I have an extra set of black ABS or plastic speaker ext rings if they’ll make your project any easier I’d be happy to mail them to you for free, I somehow ordered 4 when I only needed 2 lol so been in a drawer in a toolbox just waiting
 
Nice offer but these are 4 inch speakers which are a little oddball so not sure they’d be the right size. I’d also be a little concerned that plastic filler wouldn’t stick well to ABS and up cracking.
 
I never had planned to put huge speakers there. I wanted some sound coming at you from different locations but wanted the speakers to be less obtrusive than the kick panel speakers that are currently available. The ones you can buy have the speaker mounted very low and the pod sticks way out. My intention was to tuck the speaker up higher and have it stick out less. There is a small pocket in the metal in that area that you can sink the speaker’s magnet into, but I think it would be useless with a much larger magnet.

I know body filler sticks like a MFer. How would it work as an adhesive? I feel like I’ve seen people use it to bond hood scoops on and such.

I’d like to put 6x9s in the back, 2 in the center dash, 2 in the kick panels and perhaps speaker and/or small sub under the seats which I think is needed because the front speakers are all 2 way.
 
JohnC said:
I never had planned to put huge speakers there. I wanted some sound coming at you from different locations but wanted the speakers to be less obtrusive than the kick panel speakers that are currently available. The ones you can buy have the speaker mounted very low and the pod sticks way out. My intention was to tuck the speaker up higher and have it stick out less. There is a small pocket in the metal in that area that you can sink the speaker’s magnet into, but I think it would be useless with a much larger magnet.

I know body filler sticks like a MFer. How would it work as an adhesive? I feel like I’ve seen people use it to bond hood scoops on and such.

I’d like to put 6x9s in the back, 2 in the center dash, 2 in the kick panels and perhaps speaker and/or small sub under the seats which I think is needed because the front speakers are all 2 way.
Click to expand...
These pods look like they are 1.5" tall and the speakers sink into them. So would they be intrusive ?
You need some powerful speakers since they are down at your feet IMHO.
 
The top mount depth of the 6x9 I’ve looked at are over 3 inches. Plus I think those would have to be trimmed quite a bit because the panel has a curve to it. I think the speaker would be too deep to use those mounts.
I wish I had found something like that for a 4 inch speaker because it would have been easier but ultimately I’d rather not have a seam where the pod meets the kick panel.

I’m really trying to minimize the stick out of the speaker. I might have been able to try a 5.25 inch speaker but the recess in the metal behind the panel tapers so a small speaker magnet would sink deeply into the panel well and a big magnet might not sink at all without hitting. My testing fitting with the small speakers I had at home suggested I couldn’t go too much bigger.
 
Silicone caulk / sealant will stick it to the fiberglass and once it cures, you'd be hard pressed to separate them.
 
One other thing that came to mind was either you need to seal the MDF or replace it with plywood. Over time the MDF will expand if it gets too much moisture and it will separate, whereas plywood won't.
 
JohnC said:
Nice offer but these are 4 inch speakers which are a little oddball so not sure they’d be the right size. I’d also be a little concerned that plastic filler wouldn’t stick well to ABS and up cracking.
Click to expand...
My rings are for 5.25" or 5.5" speakers
 
kmakar said:
One other thing that came to mind was either you need to seal the MDF or replace it with plywood. Over time the MDF will expand if it gets too much moisture and it will separate, whereas plywood won't.
Click to expand...
I think I will try to cut one out of plywood. The MDF seems a little soft and friable.
 
I’ve been very SLOWLY working on this. It’s pretty close to done. The grey is sandable spray can primer. I’m not gonna go too crazy getting it super smooth because I think I’m going to buy some spray can texture to give it a more OE look and finish with SEM portofino red which is the “dye “ I used on my dash pad.
image.jpg


This is the texture I was going to use but at $32 a can I’ll listen to suggestions if anyone has them. I know Rustoleum and such make textured paints like hammer tone but I’ve never used them and I’d be afraid the texture would be too fine and not look right.

 
I'd spend the money on the SEM, only because their products have never disappointed me. BTW, that kick panel is a work of art !
 
Thanks. Im pretty happy with how it’s turning out. At the very least it won’t look too custom and won’t look like dog shit.
 
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