TheSubaruJunkie Posted April 25, 2010 Share Posted April 25, 2010 I was in the Off-Road area and saw True2Blues build thread and it reminded me of my speaker install on the 4Runner. So, yesterday I was bored & had $10 to spare, so I stopped at Lowes and got some material to finally make panels on my 1/2 doors. You can see here what I started with: The previous owner cut diamond plate for one door, but not for the other. He gave me a sheet of diamond plate when I bought the doors, but I would rather use the plate for something else... so I removed it and decided to go with a thin sheet of plywood. I removed the old diamond plate, and found a good spot to place the speaker. Its nice not having to worry about windows being in the way, or knobs or anything I used the diamond plate i removed as a template and traced out a larger panel on the sheet of plywood. Then went at it and cut it out; The fit was acceptable, so now was time to trace & cut a spot for the speaker. There we have it, wired & screwed into place. My plans are to later find a fabric to cover the panel, then i will paint the doors to match. I am thinking of a black on grey, we'll figure that out later. After all that work I figured I should take it for a test drive, and see if the new speakers can overpower the sound of 35" super swampers at 60mph. They do alright, but still not enough. When I am crawling they will sound great though For my test drive, i took it over to my buddies place. He called me earlier and wanted my help with his truck... so i thought I could show off my work. While there, we did what we needed to on his truck & i talked him into welding some scrap tube I had to my bumpers. Ive been kicking around the idea of adding a piece of tube to act as an arm rest... so I took some scrap we had from a failed project & cut it to fit my doors. Didn't take him long to buzz them in place, and here's the finished product I have to say I think I made the right decision. Having arm rests again is very nice, and it gives an added sense of security when traveling down the road. I think next weekend I will go shopping for some materials and finish the panels & interior... -Brian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jibs Posted April 25, 2010 Share Posted April 25, 2010 So how does that plywood hold up when you roll? Does it catch fire easily? I liked the diamond plate WAY better. But thats just because I like things to look good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheSubaruJunkie Posted April 25, 2010 Author Share Posted April 25, 2010 It will look good when its finished, and the plywood did catch on fire pretty easily when we were welding it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subaruguru Posted April 25, 2010 Share Posted April 25, 2010 "IT WILL LOOK GOOD WHEN ITS FINISHED", and the plywood did catch on fire pretty easily when we were welding it. i have been saying that for years very seldome is it true Roll Eyes Rob. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turbone Posted April 25, 2010 Share Posted April 25, 2010 Not all of us are naturals when it comes to booty fab. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T'subaru Posted April 25, 2010 Share Posted April 25, 2010 So how does that plywood hold up when you roll? Does it catch fire easily? I liked the diamond plate WAY better. But thats just because I like things to look good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jibs Posted April 26, 2010 Share Posted April 26, 2010 I dub thee rig THE PLYWOOD PRINCESS!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheSubaruJunkie Posted April 26, 2010 Author Share Posted April 26, 2010 I dub thee rig THE PLYWOOD PRINCESS!! That's a whole lot of talk from somebody who had to bring their Subaru to the Moonrocks.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheSubaruJunkie Posted May 10, 2010 Author Share Posted May 10, 2010 Ok.... So I finally finished my doors. I found some old camping pads that I could canibalize, and some spare fabric from another project. So I cut the padding to match the panel, and wrapped it in outdoor canvas, then stapled it in place. A few coats of paint to clean things up a bit... Panels installed... last step is to connect the speakers but I think im going to pull the stereo & re-wire everything before i can call the job complete. -Brian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcbrat Posted May 10, 2010 Share Posted May 10, 2010 doesn't your new armrest limit the usefulness of your half door? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheSubaruJunkie Posted May 10, 2010 Author Share Posted May 10, 2010 Uhm... i can still see thru them They are still 1/2 doors & work just the same. Just alittle more comfortable now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jibs Posted May 12, 2010 Share Posted May 12, 2010 Ok so they DID turn out ok-ish. The tube bar saved it though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Qman Posted May 12, 2010 Share Posted May 12, 2010 doesn't your new armrest limit the usefulness of your half door? I have to say I am with Mick on this one. They looked absolutely perfect... right up 'til you put the bar in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheSubaruJunkie Posted May 13, 2010 Author Share Posted May 13, 2010 The bar does not get in the way at all. And it's an added piece of mind when I have my girlfriends 11yr old daughter in the passenger seat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Numbchux Posted May 13, 2010 Share Posted May 13, 2010 See through it, yea, but you can't lean out to get a better look at the wheels. meh, I see both sides of the argument. I plan to do some full-tube doors for mine at some point. nice work on the door cards, though! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Qman Posted May 14, 2010 Share Posted May 14, 2010 The bar does not get in the way at all. And it's an added piece of mind when I have my girlfriends 11yr old daughter in the passenger seat. I understand, but it does take away from the cut out though. The idea is to lean out to get a better look at the tires and the line. Don't let us talk you out of what is important to you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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