Mazda Rotary Club

Nice package turned up today with my Filter Ram Charger.  My initial thoughts were "mmmm... carbon fibre", followed by "is that K&N filter really big enough?"
The finish is quality, and i will get pictures up as soon as its fitted (which looks like a simple job with the full english instructions).  The 2 things im concerned about are where the intake air is gonna be coming from, and why the filter seems so small, but i guess GruppeM didnt get their reputation by selling crap.

Also nearly done is my interior transformation.  Gone are the rear seats, \'get me home\' wheel, and side panels, and in come 12" sub, 2 amps, and some better speakers, all wrapped up in shiny fibreglass.

Last but not least is all my lighting.  Ive gone neon style with a quality LED setup, and little touches here and there.

All in all i can think of other ways to spend £4k, but im happy. :)

Cool - I take it you\'re doing a fibreglass build???  What kinda resin are you using??  are you going for a grp finish, or are you going to fill, sand, fill, sand, fill, sand, fill, sand, fill, sand, fill, sand, fill, sand, fill, sand, fill, sand, fill, sand, fill, sand, and then paint? *grin*  Have you got much experience of playing with glass fibre - I\'ve only had one real go with it, and want to redo it before rotorstock...  (if I get time...)

Maybe the GruppeM is meant for the stock bumper - you have an RE-A one dont you?  

Hope you can find a nice airflow for it.

If there is not enough airflow i will have to modify the bumper to make sure.

Im sanding, and filling, and sanding, and filling, and sanding... :D

Ive done quite a few installs, and find find fibreglass pretty easy to work with.  Didnt really intend on doing anything in the rex, but i just couldnt resist.  Ive made it so it can be bolted in and out with ease though, so i can still use the rex for track days.

Cool - any advice, cos I had some troubles with the first play with the stuff!!

sure matey, what is it you wanna know?  what is it your making?

Well, I was gonna pm, but I figured this might be useful to someone else.

Box base:

Q1 - when glassing the wheel well, I found it quite difficult to remove airbubbles.  I put clingfilm in first, so I could remove the box, and stuck it there with spray adhesive, then used the spray adhesive to stick the glass matting down, before applying the resin.  Once that had gone off, I put another layer of just resin to try and remove the airbubbles... still seemed to have a bit of a problem, and it didn\'t really look neat.

Q2 - how many layers of resin and matting are you gonna put down?

Q3 - epoxy resin or polyester resin?

Q4 - had a hideous time trying to seal the base of the box to the mdf lid I\'d constructed - any hints???

Box lid (where the woofers go...):

Q1 - I used stretchy material to form the top - but still had gathering problems in places where the material bunched.  I didn\'t want to cut it, so it would retain strength, but it looked tatty.  how are you gonna get round this?

Q2 - what depth of filler are you gonna put over the top before sanding it down?

Q3 - are you gonna whack filler on the inside to make it structurally stronger?

Q4 - what volume are you going for?  Mine is about 55 litres...

Q5 - what (structurally) are you attaching the woofers to?

Finishing:

Q1 - what finish are you going for?  how are you gonna get it?

Q2 - finishing hints??

AMP:

Q1 - Are you going to mount the amps in the box?

Q2 - if so, how are you going to support it, wire it, and access it for setting up your sounds?

I reckon that\'s about it... *grin*

Cheers

OJ

This is the "what I\'m making" bit...

I\'ve currently got twin tens in the box, and the amp mounted seperately, but I\'m looking to combine them, along with a capacitor and a 3rd TV screen...!!

I\'ve got an idea how I want to mount them, but it\'s actually doing the mounting part that\'s the issue - inc having the capacitor, tv screen and amp mounted into the box...

Ok mate, firstly im not turning the wheel well into a sub box.  Im mounting my sub in a box as its too big for the tiny wheel well, buts its a simple enough to do what your doing.

Box Base:

Q1 - I always use a roller to get rid of all the air bubbles.  you can pick up small rollers from anywhere like homebase for a couple of quid if you dont already have one.

Q2 - It all depends on the thickness of the matting you have.  Thin matting is easier to work with, but you need more layers.  With 2 reasonably powered subs you want at least a solid 5mm, but you should know if it feels tough enough.

Q3 - I use Polyester resin

Q4 - Ive always screwed the fibreglass to MDF using resin to seal it.  Ive never had any problems this way.  

Box Lid:

Q1 - Ive never had the problem of the matarial gathering, i think if you pull it tight enough, and the matarial isnt too thick you should have no problems.

Q2 - I use a healthy amount of general purpose filler to give me a base i wanna work with, then i use fine bodyfiller and wet and dry untill its perfectly smooth.  takes a lot of sanding, but the end result is worth it.

Q3 - I NEVER use filler inside the box.

Q4 - Cant answer that one as im not doing the same as you.  I know the rex wheel well is very small.  Im using a 1cf box for mine.

Q5 - What subs are you using?  As long as the MDF is thick enough to take the weight that should be fine.  My sub weighs a tonne, and its gonna take inch thick MDF to hold it.

Finishing:

Q1 - Im spraying my fibreglass as i think it gives a better finish.  But the finish is only better if you take the time to sand the filler down perfectly.

Q2 - It all depends on what your install looks like, and the rest of the interior.  I think if your box is fairly square its easy to glue vinyl, or anoth matarial to it, but curves are a lot harder to cover.

Amp:

Q1 - Mount the amps in the box?  If you mean  inside the the airtight box your sub sits in then no.  Your amp needs to keep cool, and there is no air escape inside a box.  make sure you mount your amps somewhere they can keep cool.  Im sure having amos inside the box wont have positive effects on the sound either.

Q2 - At the minute i think im going to mount my amps in a false floor in the boot.  All the wiring will be hidden under the floor, and its easy to access.  Under the front seats is also a good place if your amps are small enough.


I hope this helps you out.  Post some pics when its sorted.

I wouldnt bother with a capacitor.  What do you think getting one will acheive?  Are you suffering from dimming lights?

they are good for offing people you dont like poking about yer car, "just try touching those bits" lol
Si

yeah, but apart from that they just put a bigger strain on your battery.  Your better of upgrading your battery or alternator, or both.

Still havnt had the time to fit it, but here are a couple of pics.
The vent in my bumper is perfect for getting air to it, but the filter itself is tiny :confused:

and another.

Its on!!!

Went on simple enough, slight concern that it touches the bonnet when closed, but GruppeM supply a nice cusioned sticker to protect it.

Ive now lost the high pitched induction sound my RE-A kit gave me, and thats been replace with a loud \'sucking through your teeth\' sound, which is similar to the sound my Apexi Power Filter makes on my 200sx.

I havnt had time to test it properly due to the damp roads, but the wastegate chatter sounds even louder, and i expected the carbon fibre box to block out all the good sounds.

"loud \'sucking through your teeth\' sound"

That describes it very nicely :)

your engine looks a hell of a lot tidier than mine.