Thursday, February 09, 2012 - 10:51 pm, by: Mike Triggs(Mikeandimah)
I've recovered the three speaker grilles from the new (old!) parcel shelf I'm putting in. The original speaker cloth had turned silver with age and exposure to UV. The new colour is about two shades darker than I'd have liked. I have a darker shade of brown grille cloth to cover the parcel shelf coming, all this takes time (this stuff came from US, although, like everything else, it's made in China).
I've removed the metal grilles from the plastic forms, it doesn't do sound quality any good passing through metal, holes or not!
There were some nice shades (and patterns) of grille cloth available from US more suited to my application, mainly for old valve stereo restoration. It's quite expensive, and the piece much smaller than the piece I got- which was around a metre long. Given how hard it is to cut (especially for the oval speakers- I wasted heaps) it would have cost more than the speakers to recover the grilles!
I found the old grille cloth to have been stuck on with a nice tacky glue, much of which remained on the plastic part. I used Tarzan's Grip for the bare patches, there may be better glues for the job, I just used what was to hand (and not messy to use like contact glue, Kwik Grip etc). The cheap little clamps from $2 shops which come in a bucket (more than $2 these days) were very useful in holding down the edges.
Friday, February 10, 2012 - 09:52 pm, by: Mike Triggs(Mikeandimah)
Thanks. I'll post more pics of the stereo installation soon. I've finished most of the wiring for the amp, made the mounting plate (from MDF) a couple of weeks ago, it's fitted in the stock amp location. I've spent a lot of time mucking around with the crossovers, now mounting them on plates which replace the silly little blanking plates where the air purifiers would have been. They will just fit under the parcel shelf. The plates I made from thin MDF and vinyl glued together with felt tape on the underside.
The tweeters were also a challenge, I think I described their mounting elsewhere, all through this process I asked myself "why did I get component speakers" but it's coming together, finally.
I'm now awaiting a stock sub-woofer, having given up on aftermarket sub due size and need for enclosure. I have the design for a support/mount for Philips sub mocked up in cardboard, in stock location, but the cost to make it up would be high since I'd either have to buy a router and bits plus thick MDF, or farm it out to the local kitchen tradie. I think I'll now use the Philips in an enclosure for home stereo to complement my old Wharfedales. When I learn how to make enclosures, that is!
It has been a challenge in other ways. The amp wiring kit (Boss No2) power wire was too short so I chopped up a foglight wiring loom, from my old 1991 Isuzu MU, to make up the length, even though it's dual wire with dual 25A fuses to match the kit's single 50A (which I also used, as a connector).
Friday, February 24, 2012 - 07:51 pm, by: Mike Triggs(Mikeandimah)
I've finished parcel shelf, wouldn't recommend speaker grille cloth for covering, there must be better meterials out there.
The second pic shows new speakers plus crossover. I haven't fitted the parcel shelf yet because the crossover on other side was crook and I've sent it back to supplier for repairs. I'm not sure that I want to reconnect the crossover with the shelf in position!
Lastly there's a pic of amp. Since this pic was taken, I've tidied up all the wiring (read: put everything inside that black crackly stuff) and connected the sub, so there's another pair of wires coming off (three channels used).
Previous
) were very useful in holding down the edges.
