Check out my "smuggler's box" 10-disc CD player rack

[DarrylD]

Enough playing with animating engines, how about some sheetmetal fabrication for today's actiivity!

Check out the rack I fabricated to hold my 10-disk CD changer in that wasted space called the "smuggler's box:"



The idea is to suspend the deck in the opening of the "smuggler's box" lid depression.

The "bezel" (the part shaped like the lid of the "smuggler's box" is made of 14-gauge steel, the box is 22-gauge. 14-gauge should be stout enough to bear the weight of the deck without flexing when the road gets rough.

The box in the rack will be water-tight and the seal around the "smuggler's box" lid will seal it from dust. I'll add some adheasive foam weatherstrip to the bottom edge of the "bezel" of the rack to seal dust and moisture out of the trunk.

All that is required to remove the rack to get at the steering linkage is lift it out and unplug the CD deck. The latch of the lid will hold the rack in place when it's closed.

[DarrylD]

Here's the front view, prepped for paint...



A coat of semi-gloss black paint is drying on it as I type...

[doozer]

Looks Awsome!!!

Good job!

[azasadny]

Darryl,
How much? I'd love to put one of those in my '74 but I'm not nearly as talented as you! Great work! My CD changer is a Pioneer and is probably the same size as your Kenwood. I'm serious, I'd buy one if you sold them!

[al lkosmal]

Darryl,
That looks nice and functional. Good job.

Al

looks great, i cant wait to see the finished product.

[bigrubberjeep]

Looks great, actually fantastic.

But.........you could just buy a cd player that plays MP3's and burn a single disk that could hold as many songs as the heavy cd changer with 10 cd's in it.

I know, technology suck$.

[DarrylD]

Holy cow Art! You think I have the skills to make two exactly the same? My metalworking skills are "organic" and the design evolves as I put it together!

I appreciate the positive feedback!

Ok, did I forget to mention my 911 came with the 10-disk deck and in-dash controller? Oh, yeah, and my 20-year collection of CDs that are already paid for? The total cost of the sheetmetal was $13.

[MAS]

Nice work. My amp is in my smuggler's box. But it's mounted on a diagonal board.

-MAS

[bigrubberjeep]

Originally posted by DarrylD

Ok, did I forget to mention my 911 came with the 10-disk deck and in-dash controller? Oh, yeah, and my 20-year collection of CDs that are already paid for? The total cost of the sheetmetal was $13.

You could make a compilation of all your favorites in to one.

Just a thought.

[doozer]

Make a box to hold one of these and you could have all the MP3's you would ever want! ( on 80gb hard drive!)
Hmmm... also email and internet..... $500

[Craig 930 RS]

Really well done!
Makes more sense - IMO - than putting a battery in there and moving the weight distribution further backwards......

[Az911]

Good job I like it

[js1099]

Would somebody mind telling this newbie where the smuggler's box is and how to open it. Thanks in advance.

[Rich76_911s]

The smugglers box is in the front trunk. To find it simply pull up the carpet, and to your surpise there will be a little door on the passengers side near where the cars black plastic stamped serial numbers are. When you look inside it hopefully you don't find mice, I did, what you should see is part of the steering mechanism.

[Moses]

Originally posted by DarrylD

Check out the rack I fabricated to hold my 10-disk CD changer in that wasted space called the "smuggler's box:"

Great work, but where do you put your weed now?

[DarrylD]

Ok, it's done and installed this morning!

I painted the entire box semi-gloss black, silicone caulked all the seams and then painted the "bezel" with black "wrinkle" paint like that used on electronic component cases.



The threaded mounting bracket holes in the CD-player line up with the holes in the rack so I "bolted" it in to place, hooked-up the 12-pin plug through the case and sealed it with 3M strip caulk (aka "monkey *****" in the industry) so it's water-tight from the bottom. I also put foam adhesive weatherstrip around the underside of the "bezel" to seal the trunk from dust and moisture.

I thought the "wrinkle" paint looked more industrial and wouldn't show fingerprints or scratches like the semi-gloss paint would.

You like?

[js1099]

Originally posted by Rich76_911s
The smugglers box is in the front trunk. To find it simply pull up the carpet, and to your surpise there will be a little door on the passengers side near where the cars black plastic stamped serial numbers are. When you look inside it hopefully you don't find mice, I did, what you should see is part of the steering mechanism.

Thanks Rich, I will go look for weed in it tonight!

[Bobboloo]

Make a box to hold one of these and you could have all the MP3's you would ever want! ( on 80gb hard drive!)

That's the idea. You think Apple did well with the Ipod. How about run your music, internet, GPS, DVD's and if you were so inclined you could run different maps for your EFI. One for street. One for the track.

"On your mark, get set, go."

[doozer]

Originally posted by Moses
Great work, but where do you put your weed now?

He is having his weed pressed into discs, Disk 7-10, find that copper!