The Rebirth - Audio Tech

In the July '07 tech article, "Size Matters," we started on a facelift of the trunk in Marty Felix's '64 Chevy Impala, "Life After Death." In that article, we focused on the downsizing of the hydro setup and alluded to a big sound system to come. So here we are with the finish line in our sights and ideas running though our skulls.

As always, we look upon the empty pallet that our trunk provides and scope out the best opportunities to showcase everything possible. Unlike the previous installation, we hope to achieve more sound quality and much more flash than before. So what do we do? Follow along and watch this trunk be reborn.

Straight from Custom Lows...        read full caption Straight from Custom Lows in Riverside, California, to Radioactive in Ontario, California, the '64's ready for the next progression. We begin our endeavor by gutting the trunk.	Now that we're clean, the...        read full caption Now that we're clean, the first order of business is to cut out the rear bar of the hydro racks that's no longer being used to allow for the amplifier rack.	Here, you'll notice that we...        read full caption Here, you'll notice that we added a few boards to close off the trunk. We hope to gain a loading effect with a forced air enclosure
After measurements were properly...        read full caption After measurements were properly taken, the box building begins. For a more dramatic effect, the speaker mounting boards were cut with compound angles. The second board was cut out and a router was used to cleanly cut the second speaker hole.	The top panel of the box was...        read full caption The top panel of the box was then cut out. The angle was first cut and matched before trimming the rest of the panel down to size.	A temporary panel was nailed...        read full caption A temporary panel was nailed in place to allow more working room and to hold the compound panels in place while they're being secured and finished.
Notice that the bottom of...        read full caption Notice that the bottom of the box had grooves cut out to allow room for the factory contours of the trunk/package tray floor.	To fill the groove and keep...        read full caption To fill the groove and keep it solid, a mixture of kitty hair and resin was used on the backside of the speaker panel joint.	After the mixture flash dried,...        read full caption After the mixture flash dried, fiberglass matt was resined into place to ensure our panel would not separate.