well i've finally finished the interior and gotten it into paint but the car isn't complete yet so i'm going to show some teaser pics just for fun. gives some clues as to what was done showing the beginning stages of a few areas including the amps, the locations of where my 8" are as well as 2 out of the 6 actuators i used. also shows the 1st stage of the console, unfortunately because the recaro seats were wider the factory i had to make the thing 1" narrow over factory to fit properly. still was able to tie it into the rear though which worked out well.

 

should be finished in a few weeks, until then enjoy..

 

dang that looks good... i cant wait to see the panels... are you going to paint thos or... cover them?

 

i'm using very little paint but there will be some on everything yes. i'm using a combination of abs that i've heated up and molded and fiberglass for other areas. where it's needed i'm using black suede to match the inserts on my suede seats and headliner. i went with a black theme on this car so the carpet is black. the seats are black suede and black leather. the abs is black and some of the fiberglass will be painted to match the color of the car which i don't know yet.

my biggest disappointment on the material was having to use so much fiberglass and wood. i really don't like having wood in the car and i was hoping to use as little fiberglass as possible but once i got started things just took a certain course and to do it another way just didn't seem to work. the one thing that took so long was making it completely removable. the rear of the car is sectioned into 8 pieces making everything fully removable back to factory form so that if i decide i don't like it down the road or for whatever reason it can go. the total interior installation has 16 pieces total, the upside to this is that it can be assembled/disassembled in 30 min if you know where the keys go.

individually i'm quite happy with it, i wish the amps weren't so large so that i could have placed them in various places throughout the car but with my air ride setup, nitrous, batteries and the rest there is virtually no other place to put them but on the top deck.

the doors turned out great, definately something you have to see in person. using a cage in the car again it was alot of work to make everything fit right. can't say i'd do it again though as if you think your factory doors are heavy you wouldn't want to see these. all in all though i was a little upset about the handles more then anything on the doors as i couldn't alter them with the time i had to something more modern which i had really wanted, maybe next time.

the console itself i couldn't be happier. it flows very well with the interior and doesn't look too wavey or out of place. gives me plenty of room for the double din head unit, custom a/c controls as well as a few other little things.

alot of work indeed though...

 

Yeah.. but it looks good... I think all black suede and leather would look killer. how much time have you already spent on this? looks pretty far along.

 

what was in those pictures was the first four weeks. i started laying the dynomat jan 17th and i just finished last week putting in roughly 20-25 hours a week, mostly at night. the time i spent on here was waiting for things to cure which seemed to take the longest.

the back half of the car took a little over two months because i wasn't sure about the direction. the console and doors a little over a week a piece. i also had 2 other people helping which helped out alot.

 

are you gonna cover the console w/ anything or paint that also..?


!!!!!20 hours a week!!!! thats alot of time.. you must have a flexable job.. well you did say that it was a nite tho..

 

do you have any before pics of the project.?

 

most of that time was on the weekend... what you see of the console was really the bare start. the console is 4 pieces in it's own with trim pannels on the top and sides as well. the console will be painted but again very little. most of it is abs and suede. it looks very similar to the stock console at first glance with some updated trim. i put alot of work into the setup to look like everything belongs. alot of things are hidden or covered with natural materials keeping the color down and visuals to a min unless you want to. there are 6 actuators that help to uncover things. two of which control the amp rack setup.

i really disliked seeing cars at shows where the rear was 100% fiberglass. so to detract from that i made everything virtually hidden except for 6 of the 14 speakers in the car, unless they are uncovered or lit up you will not see the other 8. to break up the fiberglass i used alot of suede and molded abs. i don't want to say too much more but hopefully it turns out alright.

 

i like this alot... how old was this set up?

 

of the car itself? these pictures are the starting pieces of the interior, the car itself was just a normal thirdgen. nothing different then what you can find all over the boards.

 

that was july 2004. i recovered it in black to match better. my new design is just a much more envolved setup similar to the idea you see there and here.

http://gmhightechperformance.com/fea...p_z28_06_z.jpg

http://gmhightechperformance.com/features/0504htp_z28/

when you think of thirdgens everyone has speakers over the rear well area. i've never cared for that even though realistically it's the easiest, most affordable and probably the best sounding when equally comparing all things in consideration. i just wanted something different. i liked my old setup but i wanted it updated and right. the last setup i built in 1 day for $70 in supplies from home depot. while it served it's purpose it was suppose to be temporary and it was.

 

does for job have anything with this kinda stuff
( Building,fabrcation,) r?eally seems that you have a skill or alot of patience. i would think that rear set up was pretty heavy?

 

all the pieces i added with equipment is just under 400lbs so yes it's very heavy. one of the two reasons why i made it all sectional, the car is a street car even though it will have enough power to race i built the interior for show. the car still doesn't weigh that much more then factory when all things are considered since i have dropped alot of weight in other areas off the car. feels like you have two passengers in the car at all times, i'm sure many of you know the difference and can relate to the weight change.

as far as work, i've been building cars for many years. playing with stereo pieces for just as many also. it took alot of work, but i didn't do it all alone either. i use to work at a few stereo shops when i was younger to pay the bills and picked things up from there giving myself just enough knowledge to get in over my head. i was fortunate enough to have two really good friends help with building and several other helpful hands to do the tedious sanding and otherwise while we were getting things done. when you have a deadline of 6 months to build a car you'll take all the help you can get. this project wasn't a one man job by any means and i'll be the first to admit it, i did that with the last car and to be honest it wasn't any fun. one things for sure i don't know if i'll ever do another stereo install as large as this one again.

 

lol yeah.. well i hope the project works out for the best.. keep us posted w/ more pics.

 

For things like the center console, you can save a lot of weight by making a mold of the finished product, then using the mold to make a fiberglass replica. The result will weigh 2 or 3 pounds instead of the 20 that the wooden console must weigh.

 

Wow, that's going to be sweet!

 

just inspiring again jeff...that looks like its gonna be sweet..cant wait to see the rest of the car done...how many subs are you runnin this time?

 

8 lbs on the digital scale.. it's not too bad. as far as that i thought about it but didn't have the time to experiment. this way worked best for me but i definately understand where your coming from, i also needed something that could hold alot of weight for the center console and i couldn't find a way to make it thin enough off a mold in time. the heaviest thing about the setup is the sub enclosure for the 2 12's and the amp rack because of it's moving parts. without all the moving parts and the extra batteries with just bare interior the setup is under 200lbs which isn't bad for all of that. it's the actual equipment with the amps, the moving pieces, batteries and subs that are killing me. but again it's just for cruising so it isn't really important.

 

actually this time only 4. 1 8" in each door and 2 12's behind the seats. i went for more clarity this time around as i used alot of their ss65.2's which were rediculous. they come in this briefcase and the retail is outrageous if you ever take the chance to look them up, but they sound outstanding. i only used 2 sets.

i used their ssmb8's for the doors
ss12l7's for the subs themselves and then their ss65.2's for all my highs.

 

wow dude.... just wow. you are an inspiration for me to keep doing my car the way i am.

 

Weak, I wanna see!

 

new pictures will be up soon..

 

ratz, missed them

 

Me too!! I'm dying to see this work!!!

 

man your gay you better get some new pics up there wtf

 

I'm just anxious to know what you did about the headliner. Did you ever find one that doesn't have the messed up middle part?

Worst case scenario I'll buy it and install a overhead console.

 

headliner i had to do some work to the abs version... wasn't fun but i couldn't find a new board that looked right to replace it similar to factory. i ended up doing a bit of finish work to the abs and making something out of the headliner. i haven't wrapped it yet though. hope to do that this weekend. should have pictures up soon..

 

im thinking about just getting the abs board and putting foam on the sides that there is no dip to make it sit level. That or to make it less obvious put something there like a bowtie or Iroc-Z or the such, then no one would notice the indent especially with an overhead console.

How did you modify the abs? Heat gun? I used to work with it all the time at my last job, we made the plastic parts for escalades,avalanche,tahoes,suburbans all the interior, and exterior. But that was thick stuff but im guessing the headliner isnt that thick?

 

no it isn't, i filled and shaped it like the fiberglass as well. using filler and whatnot in small areas. turned out nice and it's quite flexable, as much as it was originally anyhow.

 

Ok Jeff I want to see the pictures.... put them back up,please

 

yeah....

 

damn I missed them too...