Rear Speakers : DIY Guide

[BMAN_986]

From start to finish this project took about 2-3hrs. I've included the template I created to make the speaker panels. Print this exactly on the correct paper size and you shouldn't go wrong. Please note: These speakers do nothing more than "fill" in rear sound. I get no bass out of them. By far the best upgrade I did was to get rid of that CDR-220 and put in my USB Kenwood unit (even with stock front the car sounds alot better). I also have fiited a Bazzoka Tube for extra bass. I will document that in another thread.

Overview
The rear compartment has two "boxes" on the two ends. The idea is to remove these and replace with some speakers.

Template Paper Size
US Letter Size (8.5" x 11")

Materials
3.5" Polk Speakers - $50
40ft Oxygen Free Cable - $20
Cable Connector - $5
Insulation Tape/Wire Tape - $5

Instructions to image

0. Remove rear compartment and flip. Remove the 3 screws from the panel.

1. Carefully use a sharp blade to cut along the glue line. For me this was very easy. Do not cut into (black) plastic.

2. Prize apart the "box" from the main unit.

(part 2 up next)

[BMAN_986]

3. Remove the box. Throw the large part away, keep the facia.

4. Indentify the groove in the plastic. This is where the speaker panel will mount.

5. Groove in detail

6. Take two copies of the template (or one flipped). Use some backing board (5mm) and cut two panels out using a jigsaw.

7. Cut out the speaker holes ensuring a tight fit. Dry fit to make sure hole is right size. Remember you can take material away but you can't add it back!

(part 3 up next)

[BMAN_986]

8. Image of dry fit speaker from underneath

9. Make a very small shaving of the backing board ~ half inch in. This will help slot the panel in the groove.

10. Spray the panel the desired color. You won't notice it too much so don't worry if it looks patchy.

11. Secure speaker to panel and slot into groove. Apply a small amount of glue into some points in the groove (epox is good). Don't over do it.

12. Wider image of a panel fitted with speaker.

(part 4 up next)

[BMAN_986]

13. Image of opposite side panel

14. Image of front view of speaker panel

15. Run the speaker wire along the top part of the box and secure. You want to ensure the connection is passenger side. Leave at least 30 inches of cable the end of the box.

16. Image of connector which will allow easy removal of the compartment for access to the engine.

17. Wire up speaker. Use bass blockers on postive terminal. This will filter any bass frequencies going to the speaker. You really don't want bass going to a 3.5" driver. There isn't any point!

(part 5 up next)

[BMAN_986]

18. Secure the connector end of the cable to the box. Take the cable from both speakers and create a loom using the insulation tape.

19. Wire up the connector. The other end of the connector is wired to the head unit. I didn't take any pictures here but you can easily run the cable from the box to the stereo down the channel on the passenger side. You run it down the side of the car, along the bottom of where the glove box is and then into the stereo space.

20. Final picture of everything in place. Even though the speaker are pointing out you still get the desired effect of having balanced sound. If you want to hide the speaker completely. Use the facia (that you kept earlier) and surface it with speaker cloth. Then "pop" it back into the same location.

That's it. Sorry if instructions are vague. If you need pics of detail or where I ran the cable please ask!

Hope this helps people out. Just my way of giving something back after all the great advice I've been given.

[KevinH1990]

Nice write up. I have to admit I bought the Harvey PNP kit. Your approach looks like it would take more time and require a higher skill level. You also probably experienced a greater feeling of accomplishment.

I forget what I paid for my Harvey kit. (Harvey lives in my area and I didn't have to pay shipping or eBay fees.) I estimate that you using your approach would probably save someone around $100 over purchasing a kit. You would also be able to use the speakers you prefer. Harvey includes the Porsche grills in his kit and has a nice metal mounting plate. However, you really can't look at the speaker grills unless you make a special effort.

One question - Do you thing you could have found a 5.5 inch speaker that would fit in the box? Harvey's kit includes two 3.5 inch speakers on each side, but I wondered if somehow a 5.5 could be made to fit.

[madmods]

cool stuff mate! thx for sharing nice one

[BMAN_986]

Yep I think all in all I spent ~$100. Harvey's kit would have come to about ~$225 for me so I saved half my money. Saving money wasn't the point though. It was really about doing it myself.

I don't think you'll get anything bigger than 3.5". It really is a tight space. Having two drivers per side would have been nice but I find a single set does the job well enough.

[Parrot356]

Bringing back an old thread.

Anyone know where to get the plug for the back for the Becker CDR220 for rear speaker connection other than Becker directly? They want close to $70 including shipping for the wire harness. Seems a bit excessive for 20' of wire and a plug connector.
Thanks.

[Nimbus117]

Sorry this is the UK ebay site:

Female ISO plug lead adapter with 16 pins for car radio | eBay

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Male-ISO-Connector-Plug-with-16-Pin-Replacemet-Part-/280594885809?pt=UK_In_Car_Technology&hash=item4154c22cb1

You will need to wire them up yourself, you can buy them individually but cant remember which is the right plug.

[Ckrikos]

Does anyone have the part number for the speaker grills?

[ferrytrip1]

Originally Posted by Ckrikos

Does anyone have the part number for the speaker grills?

I used a mesh trash can from IKEA - cut to shape - looks great

Simon

[Ckrikos]

Also what thickness is the mounting board?

[mikesz]

anyone know where I can get the plugs for the locally in the states? I see the listing for the UK ebay site. did a search and cannot seem to find them on-line in the USA.

[mikesz]

I used gutter guard from lowes for the speaker grills and cut to size.

[Pdwight]

I used a black wire wast basket from Bed Bath and Beyond...8 Bucks....still have enough for more grills