Blogs: 0 (Add) Vehicle: Grocery Getter w/attitude Joined: May 2005 Member # 22 From: Houston TX Visit Gallery
Posted - July 1 : 9:56a
Well I guess I have officially made this a hobby of mine, this will be my third one in about 4 months or so to build.
I am working on a new radio cooler that I will use everywhere/anywhere, no limitations on where you can go with a radio now. It will hold 4 Kicker KS6930 6x9 3-ways, 4 Kicker KS600 6" coax in the lid. The 6x9s will be run off of a Kicker marine MX350.4 amp and the 6s will be run off of a Jensen marine MSR7007 radio. This will all be powered by a Optima 34/78 red top battery. I will be forming the lid with wood and foam, then coating it with a US Composites 240 surfboard resin and E-Glass, the final coat will be Carbon Fiber and polished to a high gloss. I will keep you updated on the progress, I just got everything yesterday and started by installing the 6x9s in the base.
Here is the last one I built [url]
Some of the goodies
Figuring out placement for the 6x9s
6x9 holes cut-out
6x9s installed
Inside view
My son wanted to have the coolest/loudest wagon so he climbed in, lol.
Cutting out the rings for the Kicker KS600 6" coaxials
Speaker rings mounted in the PVC
Chopped mat
Resin added
Here is the digital volt meter holder (with kevlar) and then the switch panel and antenna holder (with carbon fiber)
Box that will house the radio/wiring
Fiberglassed the speaker rings and radio box in place
Fiberglassed cupholder rings You can see the hole where the antenna base goes into
Masking tape and ready for foam (used tape to keep the area behind the foam hollow for sound and running wire)
Sprayed foam (2 cans) used cardboard to keep the room for the cupholders to fit Foam fully expanded
Working on battery strap to keep it from moving inside the cooler Fevlar tape with resin Carbon Fiber Cloth so it will match the lid and tie the outside to the inside
I moved the axle of the cooler as well to give it more ground clearance and makes it easier to pull, also had a custom name plate created.
I will try to make time to do some shaping on the foam as well as try and finish the wiring, did most of the pre-wiring this morning. Got the 4 6x9s running off of a iPod hooked to the amp and it is very loud and I still have 4 more speakers to connect, lol.
I will update this thread as I do more work on it as well, so you can see my hobby come together.
Blogs: 0 (Add) Vehicle: Grocery Getter w/attitude Joined: May 2005 Member # 22 From: Houston TX Visit Gallery
Posted
- July 1 : 1:29p
Thanks for the props, I just got back from lunch (I go home for lunch) and I did some carving on the foam and should hopefully have the shape of it tonight and maybe get some fiberglass on the lid for shaping as well.
Blogs: 0 (Add) Vehicle: Grocery Getter w/attitude Joined: May 2005 Member # 22 From: Houston TX Visit Gallery
Posted
- July 3 : 9:16a
I did some more work on the radio: *Created a iPod nano holder out of carbon fiber *Did some more finish work on the Carbon Fiber battery holder *Shaped the foam of the lid *Wiring
Time to add some drywall putty and then start fiberglassing
Blogs: 0 (Add) Vehicle: Grocery Getter w/attitude Joined: May 2005 Member # 22 From: Houston TX Visit Gallery
Posted
- July 3 : 10:58a
Quote:
Originally posted by Mort
Its kinda useless as a cooler now, isn't it?
Very nice work, dude. Your talent is very much big.
Lol, yeah, not much a cooler as far as holding drink anymore. But hey, no matter where I go, I will have music. If I want drinks to, I just need to bring another cooler which is no big deal, the wife can pull that one, lol.
Blogs: 0 (Add) Vehicle: 2003 OshKosh S-Series 6x6 Joined: May 2005 Member # 86 From: Mortville WA Visit Gallery
Posted
- July 3 : 11:03a
Sure, make her pull the heavier one.
What would be the feasibility of doing a setup just like that, and wiring it in so that it could be plugged into a cigarette lighter? I'm not necessarily thinking of something as extreme as you've done, but I'm thinking something small and portable to put into various work trucks that I drive (we brought a bunch of mixers up from California, and NO TUNES!). Would it be alright, or would I blow fuses?
Blogs: 0 (Add) Vehicle: Grocery Getter w/attitude Joined: May 2005 Member # 22 From: Houston TX Visit Gallery
Posted
- July 3 : 11:14a
Generally the cigarette lighter is about a 20amp fuse, so if you plan on doing just a radio running 4 speakers you should be okay. You could probably get a small lunch box type cooler with the radio on the front and 2 5 1/4s or 2 4 1/2s on each side.
Blogs: 0 (Add) Vehicle: 2003 OshKosh S-Series 6x6 Joined: May 2005 Member # 86 From: Mortville WA Visit Gallery
Posted
- July 4 : 11:17a
If we weren't going for show quality, could we just stop after the drywall putty? I know it won't look nearly as nice as fiberglass, but would it be a bitch to maintain?
Blogs: 0 (Add) Vehicle: Grocery Getter w/attitude Joined: May 2005 Member # 22 From: Houston TX Visit Gallery
Posted
- July 4 : 11:17p
With just the drywall putty it is too flexible and will crack around the speaker rings, you would need at least one coat of resin with a fiberglass cloth.
Blogs: 0 (Add) Vehicle: Grocery Getter w/attitude Joined: May 2005 Member # 22 From: Houston TX Visit Gallery
Posted
- July 7 : 9:30a
I sanded down the drywall putty and sprayed some black spray paint, so the fiberglass will have a nice black base under it for the carbon fiber in the long run. I used a 8.9oz E-Glass cloth with the US Composites Silmar 249 Surfboard resin (UV and Water resistant resin, dries crystal clear as well).
Black sprayed over drywall putty
8.9oz E-Glass (you can see how dense the fibers are to give it strength)
This is what the resin looks like before adding the MEKP and lettign it dry to a clear
First layer of glass and resin (ended up with two layers)
Cut out hole for radio and sanding on the resin, ready for more resin and then the carbon fiber
I am off today, so hopefully I can get the carbon fiber on it after doing some minor sanding and getting it perfectly smooth and shaped.
Custom Radio Cooler (lots of pics 56K beware)
Posted - July 1 : 9:56a
