FR-S / BRZ / GT 86 - Fiberglass Subwoofer Enclosure Prototyping by Integrity Concepts

[Integrity Concepts]

Scion FRS / Subaru BRZ / Toyota GT 86 - Fiberglass Subwoofer Enclosure Prototyping
by Integrity Concepts

Hey guys, I wanted to make a quick intro, before getting down to the real reason for this thread. My name is Dan and I am the Owner and Operator of Integrity Concepts. We are a new Official Vendor with FT86Club.com!

Integrity Concepts specializes in the Design, Fabrication, and Installation of unique and innovative aftermarket audio systems, subwoofer enclosures, and fiberglass parts for the automotive market and beyond. After many years of high end custom fabrication work combined with years of planning, we are now moving forward to develop and manufacture our own line of cutting edge vehicle specific fiberglass subwoofer enclosures, called Integrity Enclosures.

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The 2013 Scion FRS, Subaru BRZ, and Toyota 86 appear to be a great vehicle platform, collaborated on and offered by 3 heavy hitters in the auto industry, and has been hugely embraced by the aftermarket parts industry. We have been gauging interest and following threads about adding bass in the 2013 Scion FRS, Subaru BRZ, and Toyota 86 for many months now. It is obvious there is a demand for a lightweight and compact, high quality sub box solution. We have also found that while a few product solutions, fitting the above need, have been introduced by various companies over the last year, they have either not yet truly made it to market or they have one or more of the following:

· Lack the option of a protective grill.
· Restrict the use of a rear upper strut bar.
· Only come preloaded with a speaker or in a large system package.
· Don’t offer a proper mounting solution for the enclosure, the woofer, or both.
· Don’t offer enough depth for mounting larger & deeper magnets found on many high end subwoofers.
· Don’t offer an option for both the Driver’s and Passenger’s sides.

Integrity Concepts would like to solve all of this by designing and manufacturing Integrity Enclosures specifically for this vehicle platform; vehicle specific fiberglass subwoofer enclosures that are truly tailored to the needs of you, the owners and enthusiasts.

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We are excited to announce that we now have a new 2013 Scion FRS in our shop and we are in the prototyping phase. We would like to use this thread to gather design and cosmetic feedback and ideas from you guys, because we feel this is the best way to build the best possible product.

Although we would like to further gauge interest in the enclosures, and welcome any mention of such interest, please remember that this thread is primarily for product development purposes and so please refrain from talking about sales and pricing or inquiring about ordering. When the prototypes are done (very soon), we will move into making the molds, and at that time we will post up a product thread in the appropriate section and offer a pre order sale in which a list price and sales price will be displayed. What we can say at this point is that we plan for the enclosures to be similarly priced with the small handful of other manufacturer’s “enclosure only” options we have found to be of similar quality but only available for other vehicle makes and models ($300-$400 range).


Now on to the Design:

First off, this vehicle has a relatively small cabin and so, although the need for bass is there, it should not take much to get an amount that is adequate for most owners. After a quick look at the limited space in the cargo area and some quick measurements, combined with the small cabin, it is clear that a 12” sub enclosure would not be a practical solution for most owners and for what we are trying to achieve, so we are not going to entertain that idea right now. We have decided however that we will be building an 8” and a 10” for both the Passenger and Driver side.
Here is the plan:

· To build an enclosure of the highest quality with integrity at its core. An enclosure that is solid and strong yet lightweight and compact.
· That offers a fair amount of sealed airspace (about 0.75 cubic ft. for the 10" and about 0.40 cubic ft. for the 8") and depth (with a large dia. magnet about 7” deep for the 10" and about 5.25" deep for the 8") without sacrificing much, if any, truly usable cargo space, and yet still allows for the use of a rear upper strut bar.
· That looks good, is as symmetrical between the Driver and Passenger sides as possible, and integrates with the vehicle like a factory piece.
· That incorporates a ¾” MDF mounting ring that is sandwiched between the layers of fiberglass for a solid yet reusable speaker mounting option.
· That has solid mounting options to the vehicle, yet installs and uninstalls without tools, for quick and easy access to the spare.
· That incorporates an optional pressure fit pressed grill to protect your woofer, with a customizable trim ring.

In addition to the above design aspects, we also plan for every enclosure to come standard with spray on sound deadening, polyfill dampening material, gold plated terminal posts, and heavy gauge twisted speaker wire. Initially, we plan for all the enclosures to be wrapped in a factory matched carpet / trunkliner, but we plan to offer other custom finishing options like vinyl, paint, and carbon fiber after things really get underway. Lastly we plan to offer customizable airspace that can be adjusted upon request to your exact specifications during the manufacturing process, as long as it is below the enclosure's standard manufactured size.

Well I think that’s it for now. We look forward to building an enclosure based on the above plans and the feedback and ideas we get from you guys, so give us your input.

Now for Some Pics:


Our 2013 Scion FRS donor vehicle thanks to our friends at Phantasy Kolors and Era-1


Empty Canvas - Trunk of the 2013 Scion FRS donor vehicle.






All masked off for the 10" enclosure plugs and marked boarders for approximate shape based on airspace.


Laying down some fiberglass for the back portion of the 10" enclosure plugs.


10" enclosure plug molds pulled from vehicle.


Laying down some fiberglass for the back portion of the 8" enclosure plugs.


8" and 10" enclosure plug molds trimmed and subwoofer mounting rings precisely positioned.


10" enclosure plug molds in vehicle.


8" enclosure plug molds in vehicle.


** Update 4/3/2013 **


Driver side 10" enclosure plug mold.


Driver side 8" enclosure plug mold.


8" and 10" enclosure plugs wrapped and taking shape.


Resin added. More shaping to come to remove any volcano look


8" and 10" Driver side plugs prepped for next step in shaping.


** Update 4/8/2013 **


Tape wall for two part foam.


Two part foam poured on 10" Passenger side enclosure plug.


Two part foam carved to shape.


Two part foam sanded to shape.


All four enclosure plugs with two part foam sanded.


** Update 4/16/2013 **


More fiberglass over the two part foam.


10" Passenger side enclosure plug trimmed and sanded to prepare for filler.


All four enclosure plugs ready for filler.


After filler and days of sanding and shaping all four enclosure plugs are now ready for primer.


Primer on the back and bottom of the enclosure plugs.


Primer on the front of the enclosure plugs.


Now ready to begin the production molds.


** Update 4/26/2013 **


10" Passenger side enclosure plug wet sanded then waxed and hand buffed 10 times with mold release wax in preparation for the molding process.


Flanges carefully added at the parting line to ensure there is no negative draft. Subwoofer mounting hole plugged, seams filled with plasticine clay and filleted, and locator bumps added.


Everything is waxed and buffed two more times, then the edges are taped and several light coats of PVA release agent is applied.


Orange tooling gelcoat is sprayed to approx. 18-20 mils, allowed to dry and then sprayed again to total 35-40 mils. When this tacks up we are ready for fiberglass reinforcement.


** Update 5/1/2013 **

A lock layer consisting of fiberglass veil and .75 oz mat is laid on the gelcoat and allowed a few days to cure. It was then sanded in preparation for subsequent layers.

Multiple layers of 1.5 oz mat are torn, laid onto the mold, and wet out, every other layer being left to cure and cool. Then combo mat (seen here), which consists of mat and roving sewn together and needs to be cut to shape, is laid to further strengthen the mold.


Once the combo mat was wet out with our ISO tooling resin, the mold edges were trimmed and we measured the mold thickness, which came in at roughly 3/8" thick.


The opening was then filled with a foam core and heavy roving was applied in one continuous sheet over the whole surface.


Wood bracing is profile cut and spaced slightly off the back of the mold with foam strips (to prevent hot spots). More mat and roving are then applied to permanently secure it. This bracing will provide extra support for when the mold gets hot and possibly pliable during part production, and it acts as a solid level stand.

Now for the second half...


** Update 5/7/2013 **


The mold is flipped over and the temporary wall and PVA is removed. The flange is trimmed and sanded out to 600 grit and then waxed 10 times to match the plugs surface. Plasticine clay is again used to fill the seams, forming a radius in the corners.


PVA mold release is sprayed in several light coats, allowing each coat time to fully cure.


Tooling gelcoat is then applied in 2 stages, like we did with the first half of the mold.


After the final coat of tooling gelcoat tacked up we laid veil mat, torn to shape.


We then applied ISO resin to create a strong lock layer behind the gelcoat. We are now ready to begin our build up of the numerous fiberglass layers, following the same layer schedule from the first half of the mold.


** Update 5/11/2013 **


After many layers of fiberglass are laid down following the same layer schedule as with the first half of the mold, we finish it off with a heavy roving material.


After fully saturating the roving with ISO resin, the mold layup is complete.


Bracing that will also act as a level stand is rough cut to the contour of the back and will be attached with strips of fiberglass mat and roving. The mold will now be set aside for a few days for post cure and then we will trim the flange and open it up.


** Update 5/18/2013 **


After resting for a few days, the mold is flipped over and the excess fiberglass is trimmed.


We trimmed the flanges to be even, rounded off corners, and ground down any sharp fiberglass burrs. Now it's time to open it up!


After opening the mold we cleaned up the PVA release agent and wet sanded the tooling surface.


We then buffed the tooling surface with compound and glaze to a high gloss "class A" finish. Now we will seal and wax the mold in preparation for the first part to be molded!


** Update 5/25/2013 **

Below are some of the custom pressure fit gills we have been working on. They are made from heavy gauge steel, and come with a trim ring that can be painted or wrapped in any number of different colors and finishes. They are pressed to a shape that increases their strength and to allow high excursion subs plenty of clearance (up to 22 mm one way xmax, that's almost an inch of clearance). These optional grill and trim ring combos can be added to any of our enclosures at anytime, as they simply pressure fit into the grove already formed in the lip of the enclosure opening.


Here the grills are pictured with the factory matched carpet to give you an idea of how they will look with our typical enclosure finish. The left grill is clear coated for a glossy black finish with a black suede trim, while the right grill is matte black with a red suede trim to match the interior stitching or FRS seat inserts.













Color and finish options are virtually endless, so place a combo request, and we will try to put something together for a pic to post up here. Pricing will be posted within our 8" and 10" enclosure sales ads in the audio visual section of the commercial classifieds.


** Update 6/4/2013 **


Enclosure in the process of being laid into the mold.


Enclosures pulled from the mold and awaiting trimming.


Cascade Audio Engineering VB1X spray on sound deadening applied. Cures to a textured matte Black finish.


Finished 10" Passenger side Integrity Enclosure.


Enclosure with matte Black press fit grill and textured Black trim ring combo


Embedded product certificate.

More to come soon!

[Integrity Concepts]

** Update 6/26/2013 **

We are Excited to Announce that we will now begin building the production molds of both our 10" and 8" Driver side Integrity Enclosures for the 2013 Scion FRS / Subaru BRZ / Toyota GT 86!

For a limited time, while the production molds are being built, we are offering a pre order sale for both the 10" and 8” Driver side enclosures!

Once the production molds are finished,
the pre order sales will end for these Driver side models and they will be listed at a higher introductory sale price,
shortly followed by MSRP.

For complete info on the enclosure specifications, pricing, and pre order information,
please follow the appropriate link below to our pre order sales ad in the Commercial Classifieds section.


- 10" Driver Side Pre Order Sale -





- 8" driver Side Pre Order Sale -




The above pictures are of our 10" and 8" Driver side prototype enclosures in primer.
The actual products will be the exact same size and shape as pictured,
but will come finished in carpet to match the OEM trunk liner
unless another custom finish is specified.

** Update 5/18/2013 **

We are Excited to Announce that we will now begin building the production mold of our 8" Passenger side Integrity Enclosure for the 2013 Scion FRS / Subaru BRZ / Toyota GT 86!

Updates on the build of the production mold will be posted on this thread

For a limited time, while the production mold is being built,
we are offering a pre order sale on this 8” Passenger side enclosure!

The above picture is of our 8" Passenger side prototype enclosure in primer.
The actual product will be the exact same size and shape as pictured,
but will come finished in carpet to match the OEM trunk liner
unless another custom finish is specified.

Once the production mold is finished,
the pre order sale will end and this model will be listed at a higher introductory sale price,
shortly followed by MSRP.

For complete info on the enclosure specifications, pricing, and pre order information,
please follow the below link to our pre order sales ad in the Commercial Classifieds section.


- 8" Passenger Side Pre Order Sale -
Click Here


________________________________________________

** The 10" Passenger Side Pre Order Sale is Now Closed **

The above picture is of our 10" Passenger side prototype enclosure in primer.
The actual product will be the exact same size and shape as pictured,
but will come finished in carpet to match the OEM trunk liner
unless another custom finish is specified.


Once the production mold is finished,
the pre order sale will end and this model will be listed at a higher introductory sale price,
shortly followed by MSRP.

The 10"Passenger side pre order sale ended on Sunday, May 12th.

For complete info on the enclosure specifications, pricing, and pre order information,
please follow the below link to our pre order sales ad in the Commercial Classifieds section.


- 10" Passenger Side Pre Order Sale -
Click Here


For those waiting on the other enclosure models:
Approximately every other week following,
we will begin another enclosure production mold based on the next popular model in the line up,
and offer a pre order sale for that model.

.

.

[JoeBoxer]

Looks good guys

[cruzinbill]

Whatt????? Are you silly guys making a box to be able to mount a normal sub and have it sound good.... get outtahere!

Kidding aside, nice to see it. Tired of seeing these .25 cube boxes. Hope it turns out swell!! What are you guys thinking for price bout $500?

[wdninja]

I've been waiting on a good custom enclosure solution. I have a JL Audio 8W3 and can't wait to get it installed. Very interested in at least one side, maybe both, depending on the pricing, of course.

Important features for me are a good material/color match for the stock mat/carpeting and protecting the sub with a grill.

[asloned]

Want! Interested in both sides!

[mashal]

If you release this before JL releases their stealth box , you have a buyer .

[Aaronimoe]

Possible ETA?

[kmbkk]

I may be interested in 2 8" enclosures. My problem is I already have the subs (Skar Audio MA-8), and they are quite beefy. They need a 6" mounting depth, and an ~sealed .5, ~vented .75 box size. Would you be able to tailor one of the 10" boxes for these subs, or maybe add an MDF ring to an 8" enclosure to help clearance?

[Integrity Concepts]

Thanks for the feedback guys. Now to answer a few questions...

Originally Posted by cruzinbill

What are you guys thinking for price bout $500?

We don't want to talk price too much before we have an appropriate thread in the sponsors classifieds section... as per forum and vendor rules. Once we move into building the molds in about a week, we will get a Pre Order Sale going in which a sales price will be listed and what we expect the normal list price or MSRP to be. What we will say at this point is that we plan for the enclosures to be similarly priced with the small handful of other manufacturer’s “enclosure only” options we have found to be of similar quality but only available for other vehicle makes and models ($300-$400 range for enclosure only).

Originally Posted by Aaronimoe

Possible ETA?

We are hoping to finish up all the prototypes / plugs this coming week and start building the molds the following week. If all goes well, we will be pulling parts shortly there after, and shipping the first orders in 3-4 weeks.

Originally Posted by kmbkk

I may be interested in 2 8" enclosures. My problem is I already have the subs (Skar Audio MA-8), and they are quite beefy. They need a 6" mounting depth, and an ~sealed .5, ~vented .75 box size. Would you be able to tailor one of the 10" boxes for these subs, or maybe add an MDF ring to an 8" enclosure to help clearance?

The 8" enclosures are actually quite deep, but it will depend on the magnet diameter at the speakers max depth. If you get us these measurements we can check its fit. If your woofers do end up being to deep, we would be willing to get you some modified 10" enclosures, custom fit with 8" mounting ring and port, as this seems to be a better option then bumping out an 8" ring and still being possibly shy on airspace and unable to use one of our grills.


Thanks again guys, and please keep the feedback and questions coming.

[cruzinbill]

Originally Posted by Integrity Concepts

Thanks for the feedback guys. Now to answer a few questions...



We don't want to talk price too much before we have an appropriate thread in the sponsors classifieds section... as per forum and vendor rules. Once we move into building the molds in about a week, we will get a Pre Order Sale going in which a sales price will be listed and what we expect the normal list price or MSRP to be. What we will say at this point is that we plan for the enclosures to be similarly priced with the small handful of other manufacturer’s “enclosure only” options we have found to be of similar quality but only available for other vehicle makes and models ($300-$400 range for enclosure only).

Good realistic price if it turns out how its looking.

[Joeprelude]

I have a Brand new never used JL10w7...got anything for that? I hate that huge box it came in..

[kmbkk]

Originally Posted by Integrity Concepts

The 8" enclosures are actually quite deep, but it will depend on the magnet diameter at the speakers max depth. If you get us these measurements we can check its fit. If your woofers do end up being to deep, we would be willing to get you some modified 10" enclosures, custom fit with 8" mounting ring and port, as this seems to be a better option then bumping out an 8" ring and still being possibly shy on airspace and unable to use one of our grills.

Thanks for the info! I'll PM you with more details to keep the thread on topic.

[Integrity Concepts]

Originally Posted by Joeprelude

I have a Brand new never used JL10w7...got anything for that? I hate that huge box it came in..

Thanks for your inquiry. The JL 10w7 is suggested to have 1.25 cu ft of sealed airspace, and unfortunately we currently do not have any plans to build an FR-S / BRZ vehicle specific enclosure of that size (like say that of a 12" enclosure's airspace) that could be modified to work for a 10" woofer. Sorry.

Now I know you already own your 10W7 woofer, but for the sake of reference within the W7 series, if you had an 8w7 woofer we could possibly modify our 10" enclosure (approx .75 cu ft) to accommodate it, seeing as it would only be shy approx .125 cu ft of it's suggested .875 cu ft.

Now if you decided to change your woofer, the JL 10W6 woofer "WILL" fit in our 10" enclosure perfectly, and we would suggest this over customizing one of our 10" enclosures for an 8W7. In the decision of how big we wanted to go with our enclosures, we felt that a couple of 10W6 woofers (Driver and Passenger Side), or of similar size in another brand (say two 10" Alpine Type R's), in such a small cabin would offer more than enough bass for the average FR-S / BRZ owner.