Body colour interior trim, rear speakers & headlights!! - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners

PAH · 01-27-2005, 03:44 AM

Has anyone here colour-coded the interior trim of their car themselves? My car is arctic silver, and the rear section of the centre console (which you can hardly see) and the door pull bars are both painted to match the silver colour. However, the main part of the centre console (where the window and heated seats switches are) is just black plastic. I'm really keen to colour this arctic silver, but is it an easy job - I don't want the paint to start flaking off in 6 months?

If so, how do you remove this part of the trim to spray it? I can see a screw under the rubber mat right at the back of the lockable cubby box, and there are 2 more under the ash-tray. Can anyone give me advice on what else is needed to remove this please? Whilst I am doing this, I may do the same to the platic trim around the instruments and the fascia around the climate controls/heater vents etc. Again, any advice?

I would also like to install rear speakers if possible. I have the CDR-32 system installed, but it only has front speakers on top of the dash. I have the windstop installed, so have the cubby with sliding doors behind the seats. Is it possible to install speakers in the gaps either side, just behind the top of the seats? Will additional wiring be required, as I know some cars are fitted with rear speakers, and I'm hoping all cars have the same loom?

Oh, and one other thing (sorry to babble on!) - I'm still after the clear front lenses. Can the projector style lenses used for the Xenon system be purchased for normal halogen bulbs? I like the projector lens style (as opposed to the normal huge headlight), but don't really want to go all the way to Xenons if I can help it!

Thanks in advance.

Paul

Brucelee · 01-27-2005, 04:31 AM

"I would also like to install rear speakers if possible. I have the CDR-32 system installed, but it only has front speakers on top of the dash. I have the windstop installed, so have the cubby with sliding doors behind the seats. Is it possible to install speakers in the gaps either side, just behind the top of the seats? Will additional wiring be required, as I know some cars are fitted with rear speakers, and I'm hoping all cars have the same loom?"

Based on my doing this on a 02 Box S, yes, you will need a wiring harness to be run from the back of the stereo to the back area. It uses a VW harness that any good stereo shop should be able to get for you. This is the cheap part as the harness costs like ten bucks.

Then, you can install speakers in the little cubbies or for that matter, in the center cubby where the doors slide back and forth. The later Bose speaker sits in the center cubby on the Sports Touring model.

You can call a dismantler to see if they have the actual Porsche speakers but I am not sure that will be cost effective. The Porsche speakers sound OK but I am sure you can do better. The upside of the Porsche units is that these would fit perfectly in the openings.

I have done this deal with the Porsche unit and it is worthwhile to have sound coming from the back. I suspect a good stereo shop can do this w/o the hassle of trying to find these Porsche speakers.

Not too expensive a mod if you stay with the stock player and keep a rein on the stereo heads at the shop.

Given the inherent acoustics of the Box, personally, I would not spend tons of money on the speakers. That is just my personal bias.

insite · 01-27-2005, 04:36 AM

On the painting stuff, i did my interior myself and it came out insanely well. to remove the part you're talking about, just take out the ashtray and remove the screw underneath. The whole part (switches included) will now pop out with a little effort. Pop the switches out and prep for paint.

for painting, contact levine automotive. give them your paint code and they will put the paint in a can for you (it has flex additive included). also purchase some transtar sandable primer and some u-pol clear # 1 (it has all kinds of UV protectants in it).

PRIME:
clean the part thouroughly with soap and water. dry it completely. swab it with acetone. dry it completely. swab it with tack cloth. prepare to paint. spray three medium-wet coats of the primer, waiting ten minutes between coats. wait 24 hours for drying (this is important; if you don't wait this long, you will get pinholes in your finish).

PAINT:
wet sand with 600 grit until smooth. wash w/ soapy water, swab w/ acetone, swab w/ tack cloth. spray two medium wet coats of arctic silver, waiting eight minutes between coats. spray four medium wet coats of the u-pol clear coat. wait eight minutes between the first two, wait an hour for the third, eight minutes for the fourth. let dry 48 hours (DO NOT IGNORE THIS; i know the can says it dries in a few hours; not the case when you're doing the kind of finish i'm describing)

FINISH
lightly wet sand w/ 1000 grit. finish sand w/ 1800 grit (sand until completely smooth; you want to get rid of the 'orange peel' texture). rinse w/ soap and water. use 3M imperial microfinishing compound to buff finish. follow up with a high quality wax. enjoy.

as for the rear speakers, there are some made for the car to fit exactly where you're talking about. the wire harness must be run all the way to the head unit, though.

as for the lenses, the short answer is no. all best.

insite · 01-27-2005, 04:37 AM

agree w/ brucelee on the necessity of the rear speakers. spend your money on high quality front speakers / head unit / amp instead. a 2-seat car with an excellent front soundstage has no need for rear speakers at all.

QporscheQ · 01-27-2005, 04:40 AM

That speaker kit is on sale at Suncoast right now. I only know this, because I ordered it yesterday. HAHA. Nice timing.

http://e-partssales.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=pna986kit&Category_Code=WS

Brucelee · 01-27-2005, 05:02 AM

"That speaker kit is on sale at Suncoast right now. I only know this, because I ordered it yesterday. HAHA. Nice timing.

http://e-partssales.com/Merchant2/m...ategory_Code=WS"

Great info. If you are handy with electronics, you can do this one yourself.

Ronzi · 01-27-2005, 08:31 AM

Suncoast almost always has the factory rear speaker kit for sale on E-bay; current bid is $205 vs $215 on their web site. I think the list price is like $325 for the kit.
There is also another vendor on E-bay, selling a kit with supposedly better speakers, and a "Buy-It-Now" price of $235, including the factory speaker grilles.

donv · 01-27-2005, 02:37 PM

I wrote up an enhanced guide to installing the rear speaker kit, it is posted on the Boxster hacks site at http://www.iq.dynip.com/~gary/hacks/speaker/speaker.html .

QporscheQ · 01-28-2005, 05:21 AM

Donv, thanks for the info. I’m not sure when I will actually get around to doing this. It’s been way too cold here lately to do anything like this. Maybe we will get one of those random 70 degree weekends we have here during the winter and Ill be able to get em in.

donv · 01-28-2005, 03:09 PM

A great amount of the real work is actually off-car. So long as you can drop the top for a few moments, take out the storage box. Then you can do the surgery for the storage bin-ectomies & grilles/speakers install indoors and you'll be ready to make the "better weather" on-car work go that much faster...

QporscheQ · 02-12-2005, 02:26 PM

I took the storage bin out this afternoon and started cuting out that glue. Wish me luck :dance:

donv · 02-12-2005, 05:41 PM

Good luck!

You can also test the speakers in the storage compartment before it is installed in the car using your home stereo, just to eliminate another possibility for head scratching, once you've got it all in the car...

QporscheQ · 02-13-2005, 10:23 AM

Good idea.

A few quick questions:

Per the instructions

1)
"While depressing the side tabs, carefully move the storage bin to the rear and lift out of the storage compartment"

Where exactly are those tabs? Its not obvious to me.

2)
Also, did you have glue down the sides of the boxes? I have no idea how to get that out.

QporscheQ · 02-13-2005, 11:18 AM

I took a nap, then went back and looked at it. I think I understand now. All that glue is on the outside of the tabs, and is not holding the bins in place. At least thats what I hope.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brucelee

"That speaker kit is on sale at Suncoast right now. I only know this, because I ordered it yesterday. HAHA. Nice timing.

http://e-partssales.com/Merchant2/m...ategory_Code=WS"

Great info. If you are handy with electronics, you can do this one yourself.

the electronics look like the easy part, the Dremel part is a total pain

QporscheQ · 02-16-2005, 07:05 PM

Well, I got the speakers into the storage bin today finally!!!! It took forever because I only have the weak hobby battery powered Dremel. It actually took 5 rechargings of the batteries to finish cutting all the glue.

I tested the speakers along the lines of what was suggested, however I used my iPod. I had a mini stereo wire with dual male ends. I plugged one into the iPod and then held the two ends of each speaker wire to the proper part of the leads on the mini stereo plug. . . and everything works just fine. Now I just need to find the time to get everything hooked up in the car.

Thanks again guys!

Brucelee · 02-17-2005, 05:17 AM

Good stuff! Keep us posted.

donv · 02-17-2005, 03:28 PM

Glad you figured out the glue on the sides. I just used an X-Acto knife on it at the time, no way I was going to get the Dremel in there...

How did you retain the harness in the channel at the back of the storage compartment? If you did the hot melt glue instead of the clips from the kit, I suggest you rethink that. I know my procedure suggested the hot melt - but I later found out the heat in the summer back there was enough to melt the glue! It then wicks into the engine cover carpeting... not what was intended.

I've meant to update that information posted, but haven't got around to it yet...

QporscheQ · 02-17-2005, 05:20 PM

I just stuck with the clips. The wire seemed to be held in there pretty well with the clips, so I just left it alone. Thanks.

QporscheQ · 03-08-2005, 03:31 PM

Done and Done. Thanks for the help guys

aglsteven · 04-03-2005, 10:46 PM

I'm interested in the rear speaker kit too.

However, my boxster has the soft leather/plastic zipped up cubby, not the hard plastic casing beneath the rollbar. I've just been on suncoast, and it looks as if their rear speaker kit only has what goes inside the cubby box, not the actual cubby box itself.

Do you guys know where I can get one? Cheers