How to make podiums for vase speakers yourself

Modern fashion for car audio

Today, most modern vehicles come with standard speakers. However, lovers of loud music in cars are often not satisfied with their sound, so they buy larger speakers. In this case, a different kind of problem arises - how to install large-sized equipment in the cabin so that, on the one hand, it does not disturb passengers, and on the other hand, to create truly clear sound?

One of the common ways to solve the problem is to make podiums for speakers. They can not only improve sound quality, but also take the performance of the speaker system to a whole new level.

A DIY acoustic shelf allows you to mount speakers of different sizes and shapes

What are podiums

The acoustic podium is the base for the speaker, thanks to which it is fixed in the desired position. The podium serves as a speaker mount, for example, in a car door or pillar.

Those speakers that are built into the podiums give a completely different sound: richer and deeper, with clearly distinguishable high and low frequencies.

What are speaker shelves used for?

We can say that the podium performs several functions in the car interior:

1. the variety of appearance of the podiums helps to hide an unattractive sound system or emphasize the strengths of the interior design;
2. expands the acoustic capabilities of the speakers in the cabin;
3. podiums can be made from various materials and decorated with leather, wood, velor and other types of finishing fabrics to create a unique interior;
4. in complex-shaped podiums it is easy to place non-standard and large-sized speakers, for example, a horn.

What types of podiums are there?

Podiums are divided into only two types: external and internal.

External ones can be considered podiums that are mounted directly in the car interior - for example, on the rear parcel shelf. However, most often, car enthusiasts use internal podiums in car doors to better fix the speaker and improve the character of the sound.

Traditionally, most cars already have standard speakers or holes for them. Usually their sizes depend on the make of the car. Domestic cars typically have speakers with a diameter of 130 mm. Foreign cars can have built-in podiums of larger sizes - 160, 200 and even 250 mm.

Car door speakers are usually round or oval in shape. Depending on the car model, podiums must take this feature into account. In general, the shape of the podium can be absolutely any, since the main purpose of this element is to securely fix the speaker in order to give volume and clarity to the sound.

Round speakers of different sizes can be installed in the doors of any car

How to make universal podiums for speakers

In most cases, you can do without investing in the purchase of factory podiums and make the element yourself. It's not as difficult as it might seem at first glance.

To successfully make a podium you will need the following materials:

1. plywood 6–8 mm thick;
2. degreaser;
3. cardboard;
4. polyurethane foam;
5. putty;
6. glue;
7. epoxy adhesive;
8. nylon tights;
9. dye;
10. fabric or leather for covering.

In order to put your idea into practice without any difficulties, it is best to prepare the necessary tools in advance:

1. scissors;
2. hacksaw/jigsaw;
3. pencil;
4. stationery knife/blade;
5. sandpaper;
6. putty knife.

Almost all the tools and materials for making podiums are available on the farm of an experienced craftsman

Making podiums for 16th speakers with your own hands

Well, it seems like it turned out well) Don’t judge strictly, I did podiums for the first time. Thank you all for your attention and good luck on the road!)))

Dimensions and shape of the acoustic podium

The technology described below involves the manufacture of podiums for speakers located in the front or rear doors of the car. Most often, there is one speaker with a diameter of 13 centimeters in the door. However, regardless of its size, the podium manufacturing technology will be the same:

• First you need to figure out what kind of podium shape is suitable for the interior of your car.
• It is necessary to measure both the dimensions of the existing speaker and the dimensions of its protective mesh.
• The diameter of the speaker ring will correspond to the diameter of the seat for it in the podium. And the outer diameter of the ring will be equal to the diameter of the protective mesh.
• Once you have approved the form, you need to draw it on a piece of cardboard.
• The resulting template must be carefully cut with scissors.
• Next, we apply the template to a piece of plywood and trace it with a pencil.
• For two doors we will need two plywood blanks that can be cut with a hacksaw or jigsaw.
• It is necessary to cut out the hole in the podium as accurately as possible, since if the proportions are violated, the speaker in the pocket will not be securely fixed.

Photo: correct procedure for making a shelf in a car door

It is recommended to carefully calculate all the parameters of the speaker in order to cut out a ring with the required dimensions

The hole must exactly follow the shape of the podium

Giving the podium volume and the desired shape is an important stage of the procedure

In order to give the plywood podium an attractive appearance, polyurethane foam is usually used. It is applied to the surface of the plywood. Then you need to do the following:

1. when the foam has completely hardened, you need to work on the shape using a stationery knife or blade - you can give the workpiece absolutely any shape;
2. After initial processing, you will need to apply one or two layers of putty to the product. After it has dried, you will need to give the podium the smoothest and most embossed shape possible by treating it with fine-grained sandpaper;
3. the resulting product can be painted in any color, and it is advisable to paint in three layers for deep color saturation;
4. As another design option, reupholstery is also allowed - that is, the use of elastic fabrics that can be attached using adhesives to decorate the podiums. You can cover the podium blanks with almost any type of fabric or artificial leather, but you should take into account the practicality of the material and its durability.

Upholstery with artificial leather is one of the most labor-intensive stages in design.

Video: how to make a podium in a car door with your own hands

The process of creating podiums - from coming up with the shape to cutting the foam and polishing the workpiece - turns into a real art for creative people. Every car enthusiast can feel like a sculptor creating a masterpiece!

Made of plywood and treated with polyurethane foam, this podium is no different from the factory one

Tools and materials

First of all, you will need to stock up on materials and tools with which you can make a shelf. This list includes:

• Sheet of plywood - 2 pieces with a thickness of at least 5 millimeters;
• Cardboard sheet;
• Set of self-tapping screws;
• 2-3 furniture curtains;
• Electric jigsaw;
• Sandpaper;
• Marker;
• Shelf covering material;
• Roulette, ruler, etc.;
• Glue.

The design involves the creation of two main elements. They are combined into a single system - a podium for the speakers and a folding part with which you get access to the luggage compartment.

Manufacturing

The base will consist of two sheets of plywood. Their sizes and shapes are almost the same. But only the bottom sheet will have slightly smaller cutouts for the folding element. In the end, the task is to build a stepped ledge on the base. It will become a support for the folding element.

1. Don't rush to remove the standard shelf. First, make a stencil using a piece of cardboard. The dimensions will be about 1.5 meters wide and at least 1 meter long.
2. Some people find ready-made drawings on the Internet, but they may not always clearly correspond to your specific luggage compartment dimensions. This is due to the fact that even at the assembly stage of VAZ series cars, certain deviations are allowed.

Manufacturing process

1. Place a sheet of cardboard on the factory shelf and make the necessary cuts. Pay special attention to the corners near the rear pillars.
2. According to the markings, mark the areas through which the seat belts will extend.
3. Creating a stencil will allow you to clearly determine the dimensions, dimensions and shapes of the future shelf.
4. Based on the results obtained on the stencil, cut out the elements from plywood.
5. Immediately check to ensure that the cut out elements comply with the dimensions of the vehicle’s interior. This way you can find mismatches, trim and fit the workpieces.
6. Now you can dismantle the standard shelf, but leave the sides in place.
7. On blanks from a sheet of plywood, make a cutout of the folding part, and cut holes for your speakers. Here it all depends on what kind of speakers you plan to install on your VAZ 2114.
8. Using an electric jigsaw, a folding element of the podium is cut out on one of the blanks. To do this, you need to make a C-shaped base. The cut plywood element will become your folding element.

Holes for speakers

1. On the second piece, make the same cutout, only slightly smaller. So, when installing the first sheet of plywood on the second, a protrusion will be created at the cut site.
2. In the upper part, a connection is made with the cut out elements left on the folding element. This is done using furniture curtains.
3. Lay the top piece of plywood, where the folding part is already screwed, onto the bottom one. The two structural components are connected with self-tapping screws.
4. The resulting podium is covered with fabric or any selected material. Carpet, carpet and other similar materials are excellent.
5. The do-it-yourself podium is mounted on standard sidewalls. Check how firmly your shelf fits.
6. Now you need to fix the podium on the sides using self-tapping screws.
7. Don’t forget to first check how tightly the sidewall fasteners are tightened so that they don’t start creating unnecessary noise immediately after the work has been completed.

Even on standard sidewalls, a homemade thick shelf provides excellent sound quality for music, and also eliminates the noise that is familiar to VAZ 2114 owners, which comes from a standard podium.

Enjoying the result

A high-quality audio system is one of the main elements that owners want to see in their own car. This is especially true for the younger generation of drivers, some of whom are investing huge amounts of money in acoustics. Is it possible to trust the most powerful audio system on standard podiums? Of course no.

Making a podium in machine racks

The option of placing shelves in racks is more complicated due to the fact that they will need to be dismantled. However, it is quite possible for a neat car enthusiast to independently manufacture podiums on racks.

So, the work consists of performing the following steps:

• Dismantling the racks.
• The position of the speakers and their height on the stand should be carefully calculated so that they do not obstruct the driver’s view.
• In the right place you will need to screw the speaker cup with self-tapping screws.
• After this, you can use nylon to give the stand the desired shape.
• Next, the product is treated with epoxy glue to give it greater strength.
• To make the stand look smooth and even, you can lightly sand its surface with sandpaper, and then apply epoxy glue again.
• Then a layer of putty is applied, and after it dries, the final sanding of the stand is carried out.

Further, at the request of the car enthusiast, you can either paint the rack or reupholster it.

Video: how to make your own shelf in racks for tweeters and tweeters

DIY podiums for VAZ 2114 useful tips

I have long wanted to buy podiums for 16″ speakers for the front doors, but I couldn’t find a suitable option. And it was decided to do it myself. And so, let's go.

(VERY IMPORTANT! “MAKE SURE TO PLACE THE NEWSPAPER BETWEEN THE CELLOPHANE AND THE PODIUM!”) Newspaper breathes, but cellophane does not. As a result, the foam does not harden exactly to the shape of the door card. That’s how it was for me, after which I picked out the snot (uncured foam with glue) and foamed it with new foam, then adjusted it with sandpaper. And we foam.)

Algorithm for making a podium for a car ceiling

The podium on the ceiling of the car is characterized by large dimensions, since the largest speakers are usually located in this place.

Despite this, any car owner can make a podium on the ceiling - you just need to very carefully install the structure:

• It will be necessary to dismantle the headliner so as not to damage it during operation.
• The shape and appearance of the podium are selected based on the size of the speaker.
• Usually plywood and polyurethane foam are also used.

Obviously, the procedure for manufacturing ceiling podiums is similar to the similar process in the production of door podiums.

It is noteworthy that these schemes for the manufacture and further design of podiums are suitable for any type of speakers - both round and oval. Regardless of the available speaker dimensions (13, 16, 20 and 25, as well as oval 6*9), the podium will fulfill its main purpose - to improve the sound quality of the acoustics in the cabin and securely fix the speaker in the desired position.

Photo: step-by-step production of a plywood shelf

The procedure requires caution, as it is easy to damage the interior trim.

It is necessary to accurately calculate the dimensions of the podium based on the size of the speaker

The workpiece must be treated with polyurethane foam, sanded and painted

Podiums for VAZ 2114 under 16 and horn

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Main stages of the procedure

The process of installing and fixing any podium in any part of the car is as follows:

• Take a ready-made podium with a speaker built into it.
• The podium is screwed on the inside of the casing with self-tapping screws.
• However, to achieve truly clear sound, you will need to experiment with the installation - some screws will be tightened all the way, and some will not. That is, you need to give the podium such a position so that the speaker can reveal its sound to the maximum.
• It is recommended to soundproof the doors and ceiling (in this case you can achieve even clearer sound).
• After completing all the work, reassemble the ceiling, racks or doors (depending on where exactly the podium was mounted).

To enjoy clear and powerful sound in your car, there is no need to overpay for expensive speakers and factory-made podium elements. Most car enthusiasts are able to assemble a podium for the speakers in the car on their own from available means.

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