Front speaker install GUIDE
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Part I
First thing to do is to take off the door panels. There are two screws: one at the bottom of the arm rest pull handle, and another behind a small cover in the door pull release handle. There are then 8 plastic snap along the bottom and sides of the panel. Take a butter knife and cover it with a piece of cloth (to avoid scratches) and wedge it along the edge. Pull the edges straight away from the door. Once you get them all off, remove the trim piece around the door release handle.
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This is done by wedging a flat screwdriver and pushing the trim up to release a tab. There is another at the bottom edge also. Once the tabs are off, you should be able to slide the trim off towards the open edge of the door while pulling the door handle. That's it. The door panel should come off by pulling it away from the door gently while sliding it upwards. Don't pull it completely of becuase you have to unplug wires from the power window, locks, and curtesy light.
First thing to do is to take off the door panels. There are two screws: one at the bottom of the arm rest pull handle, and another behind a small cover in the door pull release handle. There are then 8 plastic snap along the bottom and sides of the panel. Take a butter knife and cover it with a piece of cloth (to avoid scratches) and wedge it along the edge. Pull the edges straight away from the door. Once you get them all off, remove the trim piece around the door release handle.
This is done by wedging a flat screwdriver and pushing the trim up to release a tab. There is another at the bottom edge also. Once the tabs are off, you should be able to slide the trim off towards the open edge of the door while pulling the door handle. That's it. The door panel should come off by pulling it away from the door gently while sliding it upwards. Don't pull it completely of becuase you have to unplug wires from the power window, locks, and curtesy light.
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On 2002-04-03 12:33, pinktri wrote:
where did you get the mesh grill? how did you get it on? If I remember correctly the stock mesh is molded to the door. Please let me know
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That is the stock mesh that is molded to the door...did not change that peice. I believe only the 2002 models have a chrome trim around the grill.
On 2002-04-03 12:33, pinktri wrote:
where did you get the mesh grill? how did you get it on? If I remember correctly the stock mesh is molded to the door. Please let me know
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That is the stock mesh that is molded to the door...did not change that peice. I believe only the 2002 models have a chrome trim around the grill.
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I took a look at the grill again and it looks a bit gray/silverish....
Part 2
Now to remove the stock speaker. Unplug the wire.
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Get a drill drill out the 3 rivets in the door. After the rivet head comes off (including the plastic piece behind it), you should be able to pry out the speaker. The rivets themselves will still take a bit of effort to drill out. Some will pull out and some will be pain...just keep going at it...it'll come out.
Part 2
Now to remove the stock speaker. Unplug the wire.
Get a drill drill out the 3 rivets in the door. After the rivet head comes off (including the plastic piece behind it), you should be able to pry out the speaker. The rivets themselves will still take a bit of effort to drill out. Some will pull out and some will be pain...just keep going at it...it'll come out.
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Part 3
You can choose to make a speaker mount/baffle from 3/4" MDF
-OR-
Believe it or not, the speaker riser mount is an integral part of the speaker basket. :sad: This part really sux because you'll have to totally destroy your stock speaker to recover the baffle/mount. That's unless you choose to make one. If you have the time, 3/4" mdf would work nicely.
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Get a utility nife and cut out the foam speaker cone surround. Then turn the speaker over, get some cutting pliers and cut each basket post. Also, cut the wire lead that goes to the socket. Then the two peices should seperate and now you have a mount/baffle.
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Once that's done, you can pull out the white wire socket with a plier. Next, you'll need to pull off the foam surround. This if necessary because if you just mount the speaker on there, it will be too tall and hit the door panel/grill. Slowly go around the whole thing with a plier and pull it off. Once you have that off, you can mount your new speaker directly to it with some screws. It should screw in there nicely without even drilling any holes. My Infinity Perfect speakers had a 2 3/4" mounting depth and they fit fine. There was a tad more clearance in the rear so you may even be able to get away with 3" speakers.
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<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: TeCKis300 on 2002-04-03 18:27 ]</font>
You can choose to make a speaker mount/baffle from 3/4" MDF
-OR-
Believe it or not, the speaker riser mount is an integral part of the speaker basket. :sad: This part really sux because you'll have to totally destroy your stock speaker to recover the baffle/mount. That's unless you choose to make one. If you have the time, 3/4" mdf would work nicely.
Get a utility nife and cut out the foam speaker cone surround. Then turn the speaker over, get some cutting pliers and cut each basket post. Also, cut the wire lead that goes to the socket. Then the two peices should seperate and now you have a mount/baffle.
Once that's done, you can pull out the white wire socket with a plier. Next, you'll need to pull off the foam surround. This if necessary because if you just mount the speaker on there, it will be too tall and hit the door panel/grill. Slowly go around the whole thing with a plier and pull it off. Once you have that off, you can mount your new speaker directly to it with some screws. It should screw in there nicely without even drilling any holes. My Infinity Perfect speakers had a 2 3/4" mounting depth and they fit fine. There was a tad more clearance in the rear so you may even be able to get away with 3" speakers.
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<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: TeCKis300 on 2002-04-03 18:27 ]</font>
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Yup...if you have the time and resourses, 3/4" MDF would be a great option. It shouldn't be too had either since the mounting area is flat. I was pressed for time and did not want to bother with fitment issues so that's the option I took.
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<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: TeCKis300 on 2002-04-03 18:21 ]</font>
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Coming soon: Plasma Booster
<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: TeCKis300 on 2002-04-03 18:21 ]</font>
Actually the depth is dependant on the speakers that you chose. To properly get the mounting as it was factory(Flush against the door panel), you need to use a 3/4" piece and a 3/8" piece coupled together to give you the same build up that the factory speaker gave.
Hey lisnup65, do you think that by using the stock speaker mount I would be able to install an Imgae 6? I have them sitting here and the shop won't be able to take my car in for at least another 2-3 months. If I could do this real quick, I'll install the image 6 and tweeter and run my Butler to it for now.
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On 2002-04-04 04:55, TMR IS300 wrote:
Hey lisnup65, do you think that by using the stock speaker mount I would be able to install an Imgae 6? I have them sitting here and the shop won't be able to take my car in for at least another 2-3 months. If I could do this real quick, I'll install the image 6 and tweeter and run my Butler to it for now.
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It would be close
On 2002-04-04 04:55, TMR IS300 wrote:
Hey lisnup65, do you think that by using the stock speaker mount I would be able to install an Imgae 6? I have them sitting here and the shop won't be able to take my car in for at least another 2-3 months. If I could do this real quick, I'll install the image 6 and tweeter and run my Butler to it for now.
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It would be close
So should I try it? If I do and it don't work, I'm screwed for speakers until I can have a build out made. Oh, wait, I have a set of Clarion sepertes sitting here also....hmmmm, be back, I am going to pull the door panel off.
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Part 4
Wiring up the whole thing.
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Hi Res PDF: http://www.teckkits.com/IS300/Audio/Radio.pdf
This part looks tough initally, but if you follow the wiring digram, everything should make sense. The plug that goes to the tweeter may be confusing initially (as it goes from (4wire=>2wires)...just ignore that whole thing (just a splitter). It will also look like the pair of the wires that goes to the full speaker comes from the wiring bundle when it just comes from the splitter and is tucked into the bundle.
If that part confuses you...ignore it. Main idea is to look for the right colored pair of wires from the main wiring bundle where it feeds into the door. This pair should be obvious by it's larger gauge (refer to diagram above for color label). This pair will go to the 4wire in side of the plug we talked about earlier. Cut it where you want and feed this input into your crossover. The rest should be straitforward.
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Note about the crossover. The crossover that came with my set was relatively large. A good place to locate this is in the door panel itself. If you look at the backside of the panel...there will be a large foam piece. Rip that out and locate the crossover there. The picture above gives a good idea of where that is. I choose to use Velcro to attach it to the door panel. It fits snugly there once the panel is put back.
I'll leave the tweater up to you as each one mounts a bit differently. Some quality glue (Goo) will work wonders there.
Happy listening
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<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: TeCKis300 on 2002-04-04 22:34 ]</font>
Wiring up the whole thing.
Hi Res PDF: http://www.teckkits.com/IS300/Audio/Radio.pdf
This part looks tough initally, but if you follow the wiring digram, everything should make sense. The plug that goes to the tweeter may be confusing initially (as it goes from (4wire=>2wires)...just ignore that whole thing (just a splitter). It will also look like the pair of the wires that goes to the full speaker comes from the wiring bundle when it just comes from the splitter and is tucked into the bundle.
If that part confuses you...ignore it. Main idea is to look for the right colored pair of wires from the main wiring bundle where it feeds into the door. This pair should be obvious by it's larger gauge (refer to diagram above for color label). This pair will go to the 4wire in side of the plug we talked about earlier. Cut it where you want and feed this input into your crossover. The rest should be straitforward.
Note about the crossover. The crossover that came with my set was relatively large. A good place to locate this is in the door panel itself. If you look at the backside of the panel...there will be a large foam piece. Rip that out and locate the crossover there. The picture above gives a good idea of where that is. I choose to use Velcro to attach it to the door panel. It fits snugly there once the panel is put back.
I'll leave the tweater up to you as each one mounts a bit differently. Some quality glue (Goo) will work wonders there.
Happy listening
_________________
Black on Black M/T Fully loaded with NAV
HKS Dragger II, Tien HA Coilovers, Cusco Rear Strut Bar, Llumar tint
Coming soon: Plasma Booster
<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: TeCKis300 on 2002-04-04 22:34 ]</font>
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How they sound:
SQ wise, the Perfects are quite a bit better. Granted, they take some power to perform optimally. I have a 100W/ch amp waiting to be installed. With the stock amp giving about 15-20rms power, the Perfects are definitely more attenutated then the stock speakers at a given volume setting. I had to fade the rears by -2 to compensate for the attenuated fronts. I now have to have the volume up to around 12 o'clock to get the same volume I got at 10 o'clock w/ the stocks. Sound wise, they are pretty incredible. With the stock setup, I had the bass upped to 2 or 3 and treble up 2. Now I play these speakers with the bass/treble gains completely flat and they still rival the stock setups detail! With the treble up 1, they are way to bright, but at 0, they play nice and smooth. With 0 bass gain, they still hit harder and cleaner. I was quite suprised with the bass presence these had on such little power. At higher volumes, the sound is more natural and composed and vocals/bass do not have the flutter that the stock setup had. All in all, a great setup and improvement, although the stocks can hardly be considered bad.
SQ wise, the Perfects are quite a bit better. Granted, they take some power to perform optimally. I have a 100W/ch amp waiting to be installed. With the stock amp giving about 15-20rms power, the Perfects are definitely more attenutated then the stock speakers at a given volume setting. I had to fade the rears by -2 to compensate for the attenuated fronts. I now have to have the volume up to around 12 o'clock to get the same volume I got at 10 o'clock w/ the stocks. Sound wise, they are pretty incredible. With the stock setup, I had the bass upped to 2 or 3 and treble up 2. Now I play these speakers with the bass/treble gains completely flat and they still rival the stock setups detail! With the treble up 1, they are way to bright, but at 0, they play nice and smooth. With 0 bass gain, they still hit harder and cleaner. I was quite suprised with the bass presence these had on such little power. At higher volumes, the sound is more natural and composed and vocals/bass do not have the flutter that the stock setup had. All in all, a great setup and improvement, although the stocks can hardly be considered bad.
After all the speaker changing I've been doing, I've started to realize how much you have to pay to surpass the quality of the original speakers. I've used Blautpunkt, Pioneer, Optimus and others but from what I remember, the stock speakers surpass them all. My next set are the Infinity Perfects, but in my bud's Mini Cooper they don't sound how you described it Teck. The midrange is somewhat drowned out by the powerful tweeter. Granted, he runs almost 250rms watts to each speaker, but they are designed to take that much power. I'm still going to try them out, but with only 100 watts. I hope to accquire the sound performance that you're describing Teck, wish me luck.
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