Innovative Rear Deck & 3rd Brake light write-up

[InnovativeFT86]

Hi all,

I wanted to share this small build I did of adding grilles to my rear deck and relocating the 3rd brake light. I usually do something similar on most of my builds by adding grilles like this so that the sub can breathe into the cabin, and after adding a 10" slim sub and amp to my spare tire well, this was a must in my own vehicle.

I started by removing the interior and marking where I wanted to place the grilles. I then cut into the metal and added CLD damping to help with any vibrations.


Once all that was done, I got into the fun stuff. I started off by using templates to make the desired shape- something that resembled the shape of the door panel inserts, dash piece, and overall looked like it work well in that area.


These are the housings for the grille that were routed from the template I created, and then I added a chamfer to the inside to give it more dimension.


Next comes making the actual grille insert. I made another cutout of the outside of the housing, and one of the inside with a chamfer. The piece on the left is what will be pressed into the right piece to create the actual shape of the grille.


This is the grille after being pressed into place and separating the "mold".


It was then sanded, sprayed with primer and then a matte black finish was applied. I added a 1/8" rabbet to the bottom side of the MDF housing so that the grille will sit flush once secured.


Trying to match the rest of the interior, I chose to wrap them in a perforated vinyl.


The stock rear deck with the 3rd brake light that we all know so well. Measured and marked to find the best mounting location. A common issue with this setup is that the 3rd brake light rattles against the window from road vibration... even more so with a sub installed. You can see here where I added some foam tape to help in the past, but this rear deck will only house the grilles so the brake light has to go.


I removed the material where the grilles will sit along with the 3rd brake light.


The grilles were taped up to protect from filler, and I glued in a small section of the rear deck remnants to help hide the hole from the brake light mount.


The deck was reinforced underneath with small strips of fiberglass around the opening of the grilles and under the 3rd brake light location. Then filler was added to the top to add contour on the outside edge of the grille, and blend the rest in.


I sprayed both parts with upholstery glue, applied the vinyl, and the grilles were inserted.






I regret not taking more pictures of what I did with the brake light. It was pretty simple and quick though. I separated the two halves of the enclosure, and then I cut part of the back end off to the desired length. I glued a small strip of ABS plastic to mount the led to, added double sided tape to the outside edge, and mounted it to the rear windshield.


Here it is with a red LED strip secured to it's new housing. It is probably half the size of the stock one and just as bright, if not brighter. The wires were ran and zip tied down the rear pillar and connected to the existing wiring.




If you have any questions, please ask.
Feel free to take a look at some of my other work here.

[ottoyu34]

That look awesome, great work!

[vintagemxer]

Just found my next DIY

[Kiwis]

Well, crap. Now I want to install my sub and get a high mount brake light..

[8R6]

damn. impressive skills!

[mitch t]

Wow.

The level of craftsmanship here is amazing.