Custom Lexan Cabin / Trunk Divider (Ferrari esque), pics inside
 

So, I was inspired by the look of the Ferraris with the glass divider between the engine bay and the cabin. I figured, with some hard sweat and tears I could make something similar for my car.

Lo and behold, the results of my project thus far. The pics below are a custom sized, 3/8" CNC laser cut Lexan MR10 (highly scratch resistant) divider that goes over the 370Z trunk brace to 99% divide the cabin and trunk. Specs will be released soon, but it is heavy duty and coated to ensure protection from scratches and damage. It is also UV resistant. It is a tight fit but leaves some room for air movement (under the trunk brace, around the side windows) so that the doors and trunk still open and close easily. I expect much better sound quality from my speakers (smaller area to fill), perhaps better A/C and most importantly, sound control from the trunk area. I will report back on all of these soon.

Comments are welcome! Note the gaps at the top and the sides are on purpose to allow for some airflow from cabin to trunk.

Installed pics are up!


UPDATE:

1. A/C - I do not notice much difference in A/C but I definitely notice more air circulation within the cabin. When you open the windows, the air sweeps around you more and it is very nice.

2. Interior Sound Levels - A large portion of the rock sounds and higher pitched noises from the back are diminished. Drone is about 60% of what it used to be and you can still hear the exhaust nicely.

3. Audio - This is the kicker, my cabin is now a symphony hall! I used to crank my 6x9's to 10-11 to get a nice beat going but the bass was a bit lost at times into the trunk. Now, turning it to 6-7 is a full symphony and the acoustics are amazing! Bass responsive is enormous in the cabin now from just two speakers with 65W each going to them. I actually had to turn the bass down a bit on the speakers as it was too much.

4. Visibility - Excellent visibility and about 98% light transmission. The piece does not glare in the sunlight or heavily reflect when looking through it. It does show reflection in pictures but you can clearly see through it when driving. I need to find a nice soft cloth to clean it up a bit as it still has my finger prints.

5. Stability - Rock solid but with enough room for flex with temperature differences. I have rubber grommets at all the mounting points and heavy duty rubber edging all around so the interior does not get gouged up. I went over bumps, sharp turns and quick shifting and it did not make a peep or give me any cause for concern.

6. Mounting - There are 6 L-brackets with one small screw each going into the panels to hold the piece in place. It took about 35 min to get everything in place. You basically set the piece in the car, give it a small nudge so its fit nice and tight and then mount your brackets up. The screws easily come out for uninstall.

I am friggin stoked! :tup:


If people are interested in getting these, I need at least 8 purchases to get a set. The Lexan comes in large sheets from the manufacturer I used and they require me to use their material to produce these. Price per unit is $185 + shipping for the Lexan piece, rubber edging and all hardware with instructions (I negotiated a discount on the cutting labor, but only if I get 8 orders to use the full Lexan sheet).

Sales must be conducted elsewhere though as I am not a vendor, so contact me at sanderson.jeffries@gmail.com about if you are interested.

good stuff. was always one of the first things i wanted for my car. cabin - trunk lexan divider. no one ever wanted to make one

I'm a little confused on where this is going. Can you post a pic of a Ferrari with one of these?

Price per unit is $185 + shipping (got a discount on the cutting labor if I get 8 orders).

Intense

basically this is the best way to cut off alot of the road noise we get from our cabin and exhaust.

Glad you found someone to make it. I had given up on it along time ago.

Here's the idea on a 370Z, similar to the setup on a Ferrari in the pic (see the window on the left separating the cabin from the engine bay) except the rear is the engine not the trunk.

but you have no engine in the back... it'll be more like a divider for pets? :D

or road noise...

and I have an engine in the back.

its a tiny 5 volt electric engine.

See above.. road noise, a/c performance, sound quality in the cabin

sub'd!

x2

sub'd x3

Im assuming this will be fastened to the.....? Wouldnt want that thing flying around in an accident!

Cool idea!

subd

Great idea and actually made me go out and check the space. But i wonder how stable it will be no slots on the pannels to place the glass in. Also wont work for people with custom subs in the trunk area

Interesting...in for more. :tup:

Test fitting pics are up, mounting is next..

Neat!

Anybody else interested in these? I can have some more made for about $240 each + shipping, same quality and cut Lexan piece with the rubber grip edge. The first one cost me $375 with mounting hardware.

I am ordering some custom mounting hardware.

Subbed / Repped

Super cool idea, I love when people are innovative and do things I could never ever be bothered to do but potentially improve my Z.

im definitely interested, but lets see the final product first lol

The product is final, I'm just waiting on the bracket I am going to use to bolt it down. I put up pics of the fitment in the car.

You can use whatever method you want to bolt it down, I am using L-brackets that I bought only with some screws. As for the custom laser cut MR10 Lexan piece with the rubber edging and the mounting holes drilled, $240 + shipping is the price per each.

Let me know if you are interested.

whats expected turn around?

looks like an awesome idea.....but wouldn't it be dangerous in case of an accident? how secure will the bolting points be?

I remeber Dai talking about this a year or so ago... I NEVER could quite understand what he was decribing until now.

Did you have this installed the other day when you can out to the shop? I would like to see this and compare it as well.

i said come out to the car and lemme show you!

Looks awesome Chris. I defiantly see how this can help from noise. The rear section is a main reason the cabin noise so high.

The bolts on both sides should secure it plenty, its only 8 pounds total so nothing to be concerned about. I can have them made in 8 business days for those interested. They are custom cut to order.

Isn't the sound just going to travel to the cabin under the harness bar?

Thats a cool idea and its different. I don't think that it would be good if you have a aftermarket sub in the back though. I think my sub would make it vibrate like crazy. Good luck!

It cuts down on a lot of sound, I test drove with it today. You can still hear the exhaust some but the drone is pretty much gone and rock pebble sounds are a lot quieter. Music sounds much better, used a lot less volume for the same full sound in the cabin. I did not notice a difference in a/c but the air circulates better in the cabin with this in place. I dont think this will hurt if you have subs, its pretty thick and the thud from the subs would be more like subs in a bandpass box I bet.

You going to be at Z1 his Saturday?

Definately might, not too much else to do this weekend. I have to put in my Redline MT-85 in the tranny and Amsoil 80W-90 for the differential, all of it showed up this week. I will be bringing the Lexan window this weekend if you are interested in seeing it.

I'm very interested, but I'd liketo see how you've got it mounted and the hardware you ordered. It's a great idea, but I'm a little leary of how to mount it in place to avoid problems.

It's supported by an L-shaped bracket on each side of the Lexan on both sides. This bolts to the cover for the middle chassis brace. The piece is only 8 lbs ish so its not going anywhere. The bracket layout is shown in the highlighted red areas in the pic below.

Hmmm. I'm dense. I scrutinized this for some red highlights but came up empty. However, if it is mounted sturdily in that picture and I can't find the brackets, it's pretty good. I think I'm in for sure if you'll tell me where to get the brackets, etc.

Check the pic again, the brackets are where the red highlights are. I dont have a pic of the brackets installed yet though.

Use simple L-brackets from Home Depot or order some black ones for a cleaner look. Black oxide screws work perfectly.

If you are interested in buying, I can get you the hardware part numbers easily from Home Depot.

Final installed pics are coming soon.

BUMP, full review in first post. :)

Do your windshield now. Weight savings.