WORDS BY RON VENABLE

When custom enclosures for big trucks became popular at Traffic Jams Motorsports, the team began to envision mass-producing their creation. Building an efficient production department meant acquiring the right tools for the job.

Creating custom boxes to fit underneath the rear seat or behind a seat in newer Fords, Chevrolets, Dodge Ram, Nissan, or Toyotas can be tricky. At Traffic Jams Motorsports in Buford, Georgia, we've seen a lot of big trucks over the 28 years we've been installing car stereo equipment. These vehicle owners are always looking for big sound.

After taking extensive time to try to build a custom box that would fit well in these vehicles, we decided it was time to make something special. So, we focused on designing enclosures that would not only function well but would also be an efficient use of the available space.

Designing Rockin' Custom Boxes for Big Trucks

The focus for this project was different from just building a custom box from scratch, which is something we already did for our customers. Now, we were building a box with the intention of reverse-engineering our design in order to mass produce the pieces necessary to complete these boxes.

Yamil Widy and Michael "Biscuit" Bis-choff put their heads together and began designing and building what we now call our Performance Enclosure Subwoofer boxes. These boxes are designed to serve two purposes. The first purpose is to enhance the client's listening experience while they're driving in their new truck. The second purpose is to have a fit, finish and design that adds to the appearance and styling of your truck.

Utilizing Tools to Enhance the Building Process

We purchased a few essential tools to help us out with this new endeavor. We acquired a Camaster Panther CNC Router and a Glowforge laser. Of course, a properly prepared woodshop and all the essential router bits and tools always make creating these enclosures a whole lot easier. We use Vectric Cut2D Desktop to create and design all of the badging and logos we use in the center of our Performance Enclosures. When designing an enclosure that is ordered custom for a specific vehicle, Biscuit likes to include shapes or features in the design of the vehicle.

For example, when it comes to the 2020 Chevy Silverado trucks, there is a design in the headlight that he likes to incorporate into the design of the logo plate. The Vectric Cut2D Desktop is an easy to use vector drawing and editing package with powerful 2D machining strategies for CNC routing, milling or engraving.

Advantages of Cut2D Desktop for Cutting, Design and Editing

Cut2D Desktop provides a powerful but intuitive software solution for cutting parts on a CNC router and includes tools for 2D design and editing and efficient 2D toolpath calculation. The 2D software tool is vital in our design process and has distinct advantages for us. The advantages include the following: We can import 2D designs from other programs and also utilize a full set of drawing and editing tools. Our toolpath options cover all typical 2D routing operations. One of our biggest challenges involved learning how to use the Vectric 2D program. So, we enrolled in the Kingpin University laser training class, led by Christopher McNulty and John Brettle. We learned some tricks and fundamentals from those in the industry who have been using the program for years, and this gave us a head start. Automated production machines require extensive classroom and hands-on training, which is constantly on the docket.

In addition, we are able to preview all designs to our clients to demonstrate just how the part will look when it is cut. This allows us to gain instant feedback so tool paths can be further optimized.

To Create Superior Sound, First Acquire the Right Tools Working in tandem with our Glow-forge laser, this indispensable tool helps our designer and fabricator to break free from conventional ideas and think outside the box when offering custom personal designs for our trim plates on Traffic Jams Performance Enclosures. Once the design is completed and approved, it is sent to the next step in the process which involves cutting the trim panel and laser etching the final design into the plate itself.  Our Glowforge Plus is our in-house laser and one of the key ingredients in the design and creation of our enclosures. We etch any design the client wants-from company names to children's names, gamer names and tags, and also custom artwork chosen by the consumer. So far; the performance enclosures have been doing well. These products are sold across the United States, as well as in Mexico and Canada. Ranging from a single woofer to four woofers, we have been able to build, design, and deliver top-quality sound with superior design all because we made sure to have the right tools at our disposal.  

Traffic Jams Motorsports Performance

Enclosures serves as the company's box-building department, and ships to locations all over the country as well as in Mexico and Canada.