DIY Network

Scion XB Stereo Upgrade: Speaker Pods and Mounting Bar XBoom Box, Part 2 of 2 From "Tricked Out" episode DTRK-313

	This Scion xB, already tricked out with a sliding rag-roof, gets the thump treatment with amplifier mega-wattage, subwoofer and rear-firing speaker pods. You'll definitely hear it coming.

In this project, Tricked Out host Andrew Totolos upgrades the stereo of a Scion XB with a new amp and subwoofer kit, and a set of custom mounted rear firing speaker pods normally used on wakeboard boats. Now that the amp and subwoofer have been installed it's time to get the speakers in the car. But first Andrew will have to fabricate a mounting bar on which to attach the speakers. The bar will run across the rear window. To get the process started, pipes and mounting brackets get measured up with the car for a template.

Materials/tools--fabricating and installing mounting bar:

painter's tape
combination square
angle aluminum
measuring tape
bevel gauges
2-inch steel flat stock
punch
vice
cutoff saw
grinder
wire brush
drum sander attachment for drill
drill
manifold gasket material
grabber tool

Materials/tools--welding

welder
welding helmet
safety goggles
leather gloves
drill with three-sixteenths-inch bit
vice
primer
spray paint

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Fabricating the Mounting Bar for Speaker Pods

• Before you begin measuring for the bar, tape over the hatch in the work area to protect it from scratches.

• Pick a line on the rear defroster to use as a level starting point.

• Mark the tape at the defroster line level, and use a combination square to extend a line out and around the corner from the mark on each side.

• Tape a lightweight section of angle aluminum up so that it touches the marks on both sides.

• Next, measure the maximum distance between the posts. Subtract the thickness of the mounting plates, and you'll have the measurement for the finished length of the pipe.

• Cutting the angles on the pipe is somewhat difficult. The two posts in the project car angle in so the window is narrower at the top than it is at the bottom. Using a couple of bevel gauges, take a measurement of each angle separately to transfer it to the pipe.

• Set the first bevel gauge on the straight edge and adjust the bevel to match the angle of the window frame. This will become the first angle for the cut.

• Lay the second bevel gauge flat on the angle aluminum and set the horizontal angle of the window frame for the second cut.

• Once you get the rough measurements down, make the mounting plates.

• For the plates, use 16-gauge sheet steel. Since the pipe for the project car is a little less than two-and-a-quarter-inch in diameter, simply measure out two rectangles two-and-a-quarter-inches wide by six inches long. Cut them out using a cutoff saw.
  

  	Figure A
  	Figure B

• After the pieces are cut, take the plates to the grinder to round off the edges (figure A) and use a wire brush to clean them up. dtrk313_2c_grindMounting_Plate

• Mark the plates for driver's and passenger's side, and then mark mounting holes one inch from all of the ends. The passenger's side mounting plate also gets marked in the center for a wiring access hole.

• Use a punch to divot all of the holes for drilling, and use a vice to hold the plates while you drill them (figure B). dtrk313_2c_holes_podWires1

• Now it's time to cut the pipe. Some cutoff saws have the ability to make compound cuts in one pass, but unless you're a professional it's best to cut the angles one at a time. On a project like this, it's also good to cut the first angle with the saw and then use a grinder to bring in the second radius for a custom fit.

• On the pipe, use the angle aluminum to mark a straight line along the length, and then eyeball a mark on the opposite side. Extend that line across the pipe as well.

• Next, use the first bevel gauge to set the first cutting angle on the cutoff saw. Be sure to tighten everything down and double check the angle before making the cut.

• Support the long end of the pipe so it sits level on the saw, and rotate the end until the division marks are level too.

• When the marks are level, lock the pipe into the cutoff saw's clamp and make the first cut.

• The pipe should cut easily, so use very light pressure and let the blade do the work.

• After the first cut is made mark out the maximum length along the longer of the two division lines. Then flip the pipe directly over, level the division marks again, and make the second cut using the same angle so the blade falls across the mark.

• When you're satisfied with the first cuts, take the pipe to a vice and rotate the pipe so that the longer division line is facing up. Align the second bevel gauge so that the high point on the pipe is centered and mark the overlapping section to be ground away.

• Grind off the second bevel on each end, and then have a friend help you try the pipe at the car. It will probably take a couple attempts to get it right. Just be sure to take the material off the pipe in small bits.
  

• Next, grind a beveled edge onto the ends of the pipe for a good weld.

• Safety Alert: Welding galvanized steel will produce dangerous fumes that can make you sick, so wire brush off the galvanized coating at least to inches back from the edge, and use a drum sander to do the same on the inside of the pipe.

• When complete, the pipe should fit nicely with a mounting plate on each side (figure C).

• While you have it in place, make a few registration marks between the pipe and the mounting plates on either side (figure D), and you'll be ready to weld.

• Before you attach the mounting plates to the bar, it's a good idea to trace the plates onto some intake manifold gasket material and cut out a couple of gaskets to reduce vibration. Once you've traced the gasket shapes, cut them out.

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