Engine Cover (Yes again)

Having read many posts about this subject and struggling myself a few times once i sourced a speaker version of the rear bar, i decided on a different approach.

I redesigned the speaker boxes to provide some clearance to access the screws, and to avoid losing any volume of the boxes I extended the boxes into the top of the frame.
 

I printed them out, in two halves and glued them together, the holes for the actual speakers are tapped M4.
         

The original ones are riveted to the steel bar, so i drilled thos out and fitted some M4 Heatserts and screwed them on through the original holes.
 

Even using M6 x 20 bolts, there is now plenty of room to remove and refit the bolts, the boxes are also more rigid than the originals.

        


 

That is excellent work. Kudos!

Nice design, and it looks like you have your print settings dialed in nicely too as the print quality looks great.

What material have you used to print them?

They are printed in PETG and use pretty much all of a roll, and just over 22 hours to print.

I made 6 previous designs before i settled on this one, originally i had cutouts for each bolt, but it was a nightmare to print and looked poo.
 

I did consider ABS,, but I don't think it will get hot enough to require it.

Most impressive, well done!  Never heard of "heatserts" so that's another first - thanks! 
I'd still make the 3 central hood latches removable, they're always in he way.j

I assume that heatserts are threaded & knurled brass inserts, normally cast into a moulding when the plastic is being injected.
These, I guess, are heated with a “”soldering iron”” & melted into place once the plastic has hardened; the holes behind indicate on the item & formed slightly undersize.
With you using 3D printing these are ideal for attachment points.
The entire project is an excellent example of lateral thinking & technology moving faster than the. car for which these pods were made.
We’ll done, I am impressed.
M

I believe Heatserts are a slightly different design to inserts for injection moulding.

you are correct they are heated up using a special tip on a soldering iron and pushed in.

 
 

Thank you for the clarification. I am always interested in new hardware, you never know when such a device might resolve a problem.
M

Amazing 

Very well done

"moving faster than the. car"  Certain bounders may suggest that includes most things!  Disgraceful.

What pretty little things - wonder how they are made.

I have also used heatserts in the petrol cap, which i am refurbishing, i will be using some M4  half head cap screws

 

I wonder, could you make a similar adapted speaker bar but also with greater depth for speakers with larger magnets ? I upgraded my rear speakers last year and almost immediately wished i hadnt as though the speakers were the same size at the front they were much deeper so impossible to fit. Or there would have been except I attacked the boxes with a heat gun and managed to push the plastic of the base and rear out sufficiently to create the extra depth needed for the much larger magnets. The only saving grace is that they are out of normally out of sight as they otherwise would now look pretty dreadful melted things.
I think there could be some market for a modified speaker bar that had both better clearance for the engine cover bolts and space for deeper speakers.