I'm knee deep in building mine, and was going to use wood glue, then 1 1/2" drive screws to put it all together ( if there is a preferred method please share). But then, what do you use to seal the seams to make it air tight? Liquid nails? Goop?

Thanks!

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89' Firebird Formula
Black/grey cloth
305 TPI/5 speed/3.45 rear
dual cats/PW,PL/T-tops
K&N, SLP TB booster,
SLP exhaust, Jet chip

 

Clear silicone. It's cheap and works as good as anything else. After I let the silicone dry, I also coat the inside of my boxes with rubberized undercoating. In addition to helping damp the box, it provides yet another barrier for air just incase I missed something with the silicone.

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The IROC Homepage
<A HREF="http://www.rit.edu/~jli4307/camaro" TARGET=_blank>
View the restoration of an 85 IROC</A>
"I didn't know a bored out Ford could go so slow" -Shenandoah

 

Thanks, Jim. This stuff can be found at a hardware store or Home Depot type place? Also, just second guessing myself here, but is regular old Elmer's wood glue OK? Sorry for alot of ???, but I don't want my box to blow up like some others I've read about!

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89' Firebird Formula
Black/grey cloth
305 TPI/5 speed/3.45 rear
dual cats/PW,PL/T-tops
K&N, SLP TB booster,
SLP exhaust, Jet chip

 

You need the wood glue to glue the wood together, but you can not rely on it to make an airtight seal, especially if your cuts/joints aren't perfect. You need the silicone after the box is constructed.

I buy my silicone at Wal Mart for about $.99, but you can get it at any place like Home Depot. I use plain old clear silicone. They make 50 different varieties ranging from a buck to 7 bucks. I just use the clear plain silicone.

------------------
The IROC Homepage
<A HREF="http://www.rit.edu/~jli4307/camaro" TARGET=_blank>
View the restoration of an 85 IROC</A>
"I didn't know a bored out Ford could go so slow" -Shenandoah

 

i would use this stuff called Liquid Nails for wod glue. And for a sealent i use Urethane. Its the same thing they use to seal in your windshield so it real good but its like $12 a tube compared to $1 a tube for silicone

 

Liquid Nails is what I used. It works good because not only does it seal it up tight it also creates a bond that is really strong(you still would want to use some screws though for added strength). Silicone is good, but it doesn't create a bond it just seals. So you would need to use a lot more screws if you go with silicone.

 

Thanks, guys. Went to Radio Shack today and bought silicone sealant for 1.99. I'm going to use wood glue and screws to put it together and then the silicone for the seal. My step-dad builds pipe organs for a living- giant ones you see in churches. I figure if a 24' pipe works Ok with glue and screws, my box should be fine (not blow up!).

Now if I could just figure out how to make perfect angle cuts with the radial arm saw. . .

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89' Firebird Formula
Black/grey cloth
305 TPI/5 speed/3.45 rear
dual cats/PW,PL/T-tops
K&N, SLP TB booster,
SLP exhaust, Jet chip


[This message has been edited by Ziggy89Formula (edited August 05, 2001).]

 

Hey I made my whole box with nothing but a drill and a jig saw . And two of the sides are at funny angles, and those same two sides come together at a corner, making an even worse angle.

- Mike

 

Wood glue and screws will be as strong as you ever need. The only purpose the screws serve is to hold the wood tight while the glue dries. All of your strength is in the glue. If you ever removed the screws and tried to break the wood apart, chances are it will break NEAR the glued joint, but not at the joint. Wood glue is very, very strong stuff.

------------------
The IROC Homepage
<A HREF="http://www.rit.edu/~jli4307/camaro" TARGET=_blank>
View the restoration of an 85 IROC</A>
"I didn't know a bored out Ford could go so slow" -Shenandoah

 

Jim, I'll have to agree with you this time
How far apart do you all place the screws? I've been putting them at 4" (now that my cuts are kinda straight!), but feel this is an overkill. . . any thoughts?

 

It's overkill, but it's not really going to hurt anything. Mine vary from 3" to 6" depending on which panel and what sort of mood I'm in.

------------------
The IROC Homepage
<A HREF="http://www.rit.edu/~jli4307/camaro" TARGET=_blank>
View the restoration of an 85 IROC</A>
"I didn't know a bored out Ford could go so slow" -Shenandoah

 

Jim can you please explain. I've never heard of this before.


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Quote:

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">
Jim can you please explain. I've never heard of this before.

Rubberized undercoating adds mass to the enclosure and helps damp it to reduce resonance. How much of a difference it makes is open for debate. On a well built box I don't think it does a damned thing, but the people that buy my boxes pay for a well built box with no comprimises, so that's what they get. It also does help to seal it up just incase the silicone has a couple pinholes or some inconsistancies that can cause small amounts of air to get through.



------------------
The IROC Homepage
<A HREF="http://www.rit.edu/~jli4307/camaro" TARGET=_blank>
View the restoration of an 85 IROC</A>
"I didn't know a bored out Ford could go so slow" -Shenandoah

 

another hint for anyone building their own box is to drill an 1/8 inch hole to run your screw through because most wood, esp. MDF tends to split when you run a screw through it. i've had my box in for about a year now w/o any problems, i guess 4 years of woodshop in highschool paid off. wish i would have had a table saw though, but it wasnt too bad using a circular saw, jig saw and a drill. it feels good to accomplish something like building your own box, esp. when people compliment you on it and ask where you bought it. good luck

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85 Z28- 350, Comp 262, Edelbrock Performer intake, Edelbrock 600 cfm carb and Edelbrock cat back, Summit headers and vette servo
-JVC, Eclipse, Pioneer, MTX, Phoenix Gold, Planet Audio

 

Camaro is right. Pre-drilling your holes is a must.

As for the table saw, you don't need no stinkin table saw! I've got a table saw and a radial arm saw, and I use neither for my boxes. Running a 4x8' sheet of MDF down a table saw and expecting a straight cut is out of the question. I use a circular saw, a jig saw and an electric rotary grinder to shape my wood.

------------------
The IROC Homepage
<A HREF="http://www.rit.edu/~jli4307/camaro" TARGET=_blank>
View the restoration of an 85 IROC</A>
"I didn't know a bored out Ford could go so slow" -Shenandoah

 

damn i thought i was the only one, didnt have a bit for my screws so they all were driven by hand, yup all 144 of them.

 

HAHA, I thought I was dumb for screwing all of mine in by hand, but at least I'm not the only one! Kinda hurts after a while, doesn't it! I used an electric drill for the predrilling though