Rear speaker installation

[etlsport]

first... the mission:

I started by removing the top and bottom of the tailgate hatch so that I could remove the panels with storage compartments in them... turns out i didnt need to do that
if i did it again id just remove the panel with the speaker grill in it (it looks like two panels, top and bottom, but they are actually screwed together)

removing the rear grab handle made getting behind the panel much easier, to remove it, i pinched the covers and pulled them towards the outside of the handle, along the panel, then used a small flat screwdriver, slid it under the tip of the cover and twisted the screwdriver, popping the front of the cover off, then slid the cover over the handle, then its just two screws


then start pulling the panel off starting at the joint of the two panels


i used a flathead screwdriver wrapped in electrical tape to pry the bottom of the panels apart, then right below the window they are clipped together with a metal fastner, gently pull it apart, then using a plastic knife i pulled the black fastner that holds the top of the panel just over the side rear window, then the panel just pulls out until you hit the front seat belt, which is a pain to remove and unnecessary imho

i started at the top, pulling the top of the panel at the joint of the two rear panels
along the ceiling away from the window, its just two christmas tree fastners, i have an upholstry/door panel removing tool that came in handy, once it was free over the window i slid my hand around behind the panel and gently pried it off and worked my way down around the window, with that you can access the speaker, pull as few fastners as you need, the more you still have in place, the more will be lined up when you go to put it back together


if you just want to replace the speaker with one the same size, you might not need to remove the speaker mount, since i was modding it, i removed it, just four screws, i used a stubby phillips head screwdriver and reached behind the panel to get the two screws towards the front, but with a little contortion, a normal sized one would work, heres the speaker mount so you can see where the screws are, its upside down in the picture

then there are two 10mm bolts holding it to the rear most panel, i found using a nutdriver was the easiest way to remove those, once the 4 screws and 2 bolts are removed, the mount should pull out, be sure to disconnect the wires going to the speaker

once the rear speaker mount is out, look along the sheet metal of the vx for any fastners that are left in the sheet metal, remove them (i used the upholstry remover tool, but a flathead screwdriver should work too) and put them back onto the panel, they are easy to put back on, just slide them in place on the panel, look at one thats still in the panel for an example if you arent sure

i used a piece of cardboard to make a pattern for the hole needed to mount the new speakers then with a sharpie traced the pattern onto the rear speaker mount, then used an angle grinder to cut the hole, i used the bottom of the stock hole as the very bottom of the new one, so that the magnet of the speaker would be as high as possible, even so the magnet came very close to the wheel well, i used shallow mount door speakers that made it easier
then drilled holes for the new speaker and mounted it

after a test fit in the car, i realized the tweeter stuck out of the speaker too far and was hitting the back of the speaker grill, so i used a pair of dykes to cut off the rear frame that stuck out off the grill, that gave me just enough clearance



once you know the speaker will fit, connect the wires, line it up and attach the four screws, line up the bolts and put them in, once thats all done, pull on the rearmost panel to make sure the bolts caught, it took me a couple times to get them in right

putting the rear panel on took a lot of patience, it was much easier when i didnt remove the seat belt, if you do remove the seat belt, make sure that the front of that panel goes around the door jamb, then starting in the front, gently push the panel back into place, i used the workshop CD from tone to figure out exactly where all of the clips were so id know where to push into place, once i got the middle of the panel in place, i did the top piece that extends over the side rear window, you have to push it upwards towards the ceiling and pulled away from the window to make sure the fastners make it to the bump out where they fasten

dont force the panel too much or you will break the clips, if the panel doesnt want to push back into place, look behind it and see where you are missing, then move the panel to fix the problem

once all the clips were back into place, i put a small strip of insulation tape between the panels where the adhesive was to prevent rattling, then pushed the velcro at the bottom of the panel back into place, put the grab handle back on, making sure to line up the tabs next to the screws with the proper holes then the fastner over the rear window

overall, i didnt think the project was extremely difficult, just took a lot of patience and making sure everything lined up correctly

[ipd]

I put 6.75" Coax in my rears this summer. I will add that if you can remove the rear panels entirely, it makes the process SIGNIFICANTLY easier. The right side was an absolute pain, due to the limited "holes" in the aft cladding panels. The left side has a fairly big hole where the tire-jack fits, but the right side does not.

I experimented with clipping out the webbing on the back of the speaker grilles, and I highly recommend you clip most of it while you're in there. Not all of it, mind you, just the parts that stick out the most. There should be enough "flush-fit" areas left to hold the stock cloth grille cover in place.

I recommend COPIOUS amounts of weather-stripping/padding to help prevent any rattles from a larger speaker being installed. Dynamat will probably accomplish the same thing, if you choose to install it on the sides of the vehicle during a speaker swap. Initial test-fit indicated that the mount depth was too deep, but I managed to compensate for this by stacking two pairs of trim rings under the mount lip of the speaker and sandwiching them with spacers. This raised the mount depth enough to work--and still was shallow enough to clear the grille with the webbing clipped. (I included this info in another thread here).

I'm curious if anyone has done 6x9's in the rear. I'm almost certain that it could be done, but I wasn't 100% sure I had the expertise to do it.

[CowboyErik]

I thought stock rear speakers were 6x8's?

[ipd]

4" if memory serves. 5.5" up front. If you need help/advice, feel free to hit me up.