Jonny_L

I just got myself a sub box from halfords today. I was halfway through building a fibreglass one and went to buy some more resin and carpet, and i spotted they had 10" sub box's going for £14.99!! Couldn't resist it, and it sounds really good. first time i've ever bought a sub box. Mind you, i now have no bootspace, and i'm gonna have to put in a false floor so it doesn't wobble around the spare wheel. sounds good tho, if anyone else is tempted. Jonny

Thanks for the replies. I forgot to post the other day, I've decided to stick with my old 10" sub and am half way through building a fibreglass box to fit in the side, and i've spent my tunes money on getting some decent JBL components and a JBL amp. Thats interesting about the difference between japanese and american wattage, i'll remember that in future. One day, i'm aiming to get some coaxials in the rear shelf and box them off so the sub doesn't kill them. now that i've put components in, the 6x9s really sound a bit pants compared. I aim to have the lot finished by next week and i'll put some pics up in the gallery forum. Thanks again, Jonny

Ok, here are the pictures: Sorry, haven't got time to do a diagram at the moment for measurements. I'll do that later. Also, please excuse the dust everywhere, i'm in the middle of building a sub box.

No probs, I'll get some pictures tomorrow. the idea is to draw round the original shelf onto a bit of mdf, then cut it out, take some measurements for where you want to put the dips in the shelf, cut 2 holes out there too. I used a router to round off all the edges for a nicer look, if you're keen, they start at £30 odd from B&Q, but otherwise just get some sandpaper and sand the edges off the top of the surfaces (not the bottom). then cut another piece of mdf smaller to go underneath. you could just have one flat bit if you wanted, but it'd need a bit of wood underneath to give it more strength, although it's not much more work to make it contoured, and looks so much nicer. At this stage, i got some black paint and painted both bits, (though don't worry too much about how the top looks, it'll be covered in carpet). this helps seal the mdf and makes it look good when you open the boot. Attach the 2 parts together with screws, then mark up some 6x9 shaped holes on the smaller bottom part. take it apart again and cut the holes for the speakers. Then get some appropriate carpet from somewhere like halfrauds. (they usually do 2 different thicknesses, i always use the thinner one coz i think it looks more like the original, though get whatever type you prefer) while your there, get some spray glue too. Next, cut the carpet to cover the large top part, make it about 4-6" bigger than the shelf(so about 2-3" each side) so it overlaps to be stuck underneath. try and leave a big enough piece to cover the bottom part too. Spray glue on the carpet and the wood, and it helps if someone can hold the carpet tight for you, but it's alright on your own too. stick them together, cut the corners carefully so they're nice and flat underneath, but still attached where you can see them. the hardest part is cutting out the holes for the dips, you have to cut from the middle and stretch the carpet into the corners of the holes you've cut, and trim it so it overlaps about 2" underneath. then cover the bottom part of the shelf. make sure that's really, really tight. the idea is that the carpet goes over the 6x9 holes, so you can't see them, so make sure it doesn't flop into the holes. try to avoid putting spray glue on the part that covers the speakers, as it might affect the sound. Put the lot together. the next step is making it sit in the peg holes in the car. Use whatever you can find that works best for this, I used a couple of large nails and some corner brackets bent to fit, which may sound like a bodge, but it works nicely, and doesn't look that bad. Then if you want to, you can get some black string (shoe laces work well), and carefully drill a couple of holes on either side, tie it up underneath and attach it to the bits on the boot lid that pull the shelf up when its open. And your done. It might sound like a bit of work, but it doesn't take that long and is really easy. a mate of mine once bought a shop one for £90, and it is exactly the same technique (exept the nails and brackets!) a few pointers: When you're cutting, always make it slightly too large, and keep checking the size with the car. it should be very snug, but remember the carpet will add a couple of mm to the size. Make sure you wear some old clothes when glueing, and maybe do it outside. it can get messy. If you've got a subwoofer in there, consider building little boxes around the back of the speakers, pressure from a sub can really do horrible things to shelf speakers. Hope you understand all that, i'll get the pics tomorrow to help, and i'll measure the distances for the holes too, that should make things easier. Jonny PS. Sorry, didn't realise this was that long! don't be put off by that!

That looks brilliant. I've been building a half fibreglass, half mdf box all day today, but mine still looks like it was made in playschool at the moment. although mine is gonna fit in the side (hopefully!) so i can get stuff in the boot still. Who needs bootspace, anyway! Good work, I look forward to seeing the finished product. Jonny

I might be too late on this, but if you want a parcel shelf to put 6x9s in, why not build a stealth shelf. what you need is 2 sheets of 2'x4' -18mm mdf, some screws, carpet, a jigsaw and a bit of elbow grease. I just made one last week, and it looks great (if i may say so myself!), and the best thing is that the thieving pikeys can't tell you've got speakers in there. if you're interested, i can take some pictures and tell you more. That said, that one that ZippyVR6 listed above is pretty good value if you're not keen on DIY. Jonny

:oops: Never thought of that. I'll let you all know how i get on. thanks for all the help. Jonny

I know, just couldn't stop when i realised it (down little country roads) so i carried on for about 5 mins to get home, making sure to keep the revs low and the speed up. water temp was around 100 degrees C, give or take 5. I don't have an oil temp gauge, so couldn't say. Hope that won't of damaged anything, it still felt normal to drive. Jonny

Might as well then. when you say that, do you mean the radiator thermo switch, or the water hose thermo switch? Also, is it worth maybe replacing the thermostat as well, just in case? Its a lot cheaper than another new hose. (Unless its a huge job, i wouldn't know, i'm not really used to this newfangled watercooled business!) Jonny

eek, sounds like i could have a problem then. If so, it's bound to be expensive, i've found the hose i need is £100 or £225 for a samco kit. If it goes again that's already £200, plus whatever the problem is. :( I think i might go for a whole samco kit, that way i'll know for sure if another one breaks like yours did. Lets just hope that the hose died of natural causes. Cheers, Jonny

Haha! superb! not heard that before. I suppose i should do, gives me a chance to get to know the car better too. on that note, is there such thing as a haynes manual for a corrado? always worth having just in case, even if the bug ones are about as much help as a fish on a bicycle.

Just looked at samco hoses, the kit's quite expensive, but i suppose it might be worth it, plus it'd look cool. Flushing it would probably be a good idea i suppose. is it easy to do? I've got it booked into my local garage for it, but the more i think about it, the more it'd probably be easy enough to do myself. Forgive my ignorance, but what's the stealers? Cheers

Hi all. was just on my way back from a scrappy to find a new steering wheel for the vr6 as the old one's knackered. (Unsuccessfully, buy the way, if anyone has one spare!) When my temp light starts flashing, and steams coming out of the bonnet. obviously i'm starting to get worried, shouting obligatory swear words and pleading with the car to get me home. anyway made it back and let it cool down while still bricking it, since the car's only been mine since thursday. Anyway, had a look, and theres coolant everywhere, adding to my worries, then i spotted one of the radiator tubes has a split in it. Phew! so all i need to do is get a new one and i'll be alright. (hopefully). Good thing i havent sold my old seat cordoba yet, looks like it'll still come in handy for a couple of days! So anyways, where do you lot get bits like that from? couldn't find much in german+swedish. Cheers, Jonny

I've looked into the moulded boxes a bit, and it looks like a good option if i wanted to keep the 10" i've got, but i'm thinking more along the lines of just getting the little ones in the doors instead. I've just never heard them or met anyone with them, so i was wondering if anyone else has? I'll keep the moulded box in mind though. i've always fancied making one of them myself. nice and messy. cheers, Jonny

Hi guys, I've just moved my stereo from my old car into my new corrado. So far i've got the head unit in, and made a stealth shelf for some kenwood 6x9s, running the standard speakers in the front. Usually i have a 10" sub in my car, but i figured in the interest of keeping bootspace and saving weight, i'm looking into different options. I'm thinking either getting much better 6x9s and some cheapish components up front, or getting some 4" coaxials in the dash and getting some 5.25" mid bass subs in the doors, like: These Does anyone know what the little subs are like, or which option would be better? Cheers, Jonny