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!
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.