Hey everyone. I am now done with my project and thought I'd post a write-up for those of you who may be interested or could benefit from the information and pictures. If you do a search on the forum you will see that a member by the name of Boggus had already posted some information about doing this back in 2005 but I haven't seen anything recent and I thought I'd go into a little more detail than Boggus did.
So here goes.
For me, this project started with a smokin deal on a Pioneer AVH-P4200DVD head unit and it all went downhill from there. As these projects usually do. Of course, that's what makes them fun though.
Here's the list of stuff that I purchased to get me started:
AVH-P4200DVD - Pioneer Head Unit
GEX-P20HD - HD Radio module
CD-BTB200 - Bluetooth module (for handsfree cell phone use - also plays stereo audio via BT)
CD-IU200V - iPod cable (in my case it is my iPhone)
CD-R55 - Wireless remote control (ended up giving it to a friend since the stereo is within regular reach in the Five Hundred and because I bought the steering wheel control adapter)
C2R-FRD1 - PAC factory wiring harness adapter (just makes it easier)
SWI-PS - PAC steering wheel control adapter
95-5812 - Metra double din install kit
Unfortunately, I don't have pictures of that install because I didn't do it. I paid a local shop to do it because I thought I wouldn't have time for it for a few weeks and I really wanted it installed. Plus, there's a certain amount of warranty that you get from a shop that installs it for you.
Anyhow, I knew that adding an aftermarket head unit would make the stock speakers sound different but I really didn't know what to expect. I have a Limited model which has the "Audiophile" sound system which sounded pretty good to me stock. The front and rear 5x7 door speakers are the same except that the fronts have an integrated tweeter. The two rear deck 6x9 speakers are "subs" run off of a stock two channel amplifier. Most of you already know this, I realize, but I'm just trying to be thorough.
I drove away from the install shop extremely excited about the new toys but became a little disappointed as I drove down the road. I was surprised that, with the supposed extra power from the head unit's amplifier to the door speakers and all the different settings that the unit provides for tweaking the sound, it didn't sound any better than it did. I played around with the settings and even kept track of the both the high and low crossover points along with the different EQ, sub "level", bass boost, and loudness settings. I found a couple variations that seemed to sound alright but I just wasn't ever satisfied.
So, I did the next most likely thing and replaced the door speakers. I replaced them with
JL Audio TR570-CXi 3-way speakers and used the
Metra 72-5600 Ford speaker adapters for an easy hookup.
That was definitely an improvement. Again, I knew it would be better, but I had no idea how much better. I was nicely surprised. They aren't the best speakers on the market by far but they are a vast improvement over the stock speakers.
I again played with the sound settings and found a couple settings that seemed to work well for my ears but now the low end seemed to get overpowered by the highs of the new door speakers.
A co-worker of mine and I were talking about this and he said he had the amp from his car that he just traded in at the house and that he'd sell it to me for $50. I looked it up and figured it shouldn't be too much for the stock subs and if it was then I could just go out and get me a decent 10" in a box and hook it up. That was a
Pioneer GM-5400T 2-channel amp.
I bought a
Rockford Fosgate RFK8I amp install kit from Best Buy thinking that 8 gauge would be sufficient for the power that the GM-5400T was running.
I got that installed the same weekend I pulled the interior to put the
B-Quiet Extreme sound deadener in the car. Very easy install with the interior in but an extremely easy install with it out. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif
That was the best shock of all. I was blown away at how well the stock "subs" handled the extra power. I realized that the stock amp couldn't have been more than 35-50 watts per channel at best (I really have no idea, though). The extra power really sounded great in the car. It was much easier to find some sound settings that I liked with a closer matching low end than before.
That's when I ran across Boggus' post about putting 8" subs in the rear deck. And, of course, that got my brain working. I started doing some research on 8" subs. I started looking for more information on doing it myself. I found some decent priced subs on
eBay and ordered a pair. Turns out they only had one in stock and they had to wait to get the other one in from their supplier. I had no problem with that. It happens.
Then I was contacted by a guy on another forum that he had a pair of used but in perfect condition 8" Eclipse subs for the same price I paid for the two JL Audio subs on
eBay. I'm not sure why I couldn't find much on the internet about the model number of the Eclipse subs but I found some really good reviews, both professional and personal, about them so I contacted the sellers on
eBay to see if they would give me a refund on my purchase since I had this other opportunity to have something sooner. They agreed and refunded my money the same day. I then sent the money to the guy via PayPal and had the subs within a few days.
That brings me to the project pictures.
As with any write-up, please realize that this is just how I did it so even though you may have the same car as I do that doesn't mean that it will be exactly the way the same project would go for you. Logic says it should be at least similar but...
Step 1: Remove the rear seat cushion. Boggus didn't mention this but it's not hard and I found it easier to get to the bolt that the side bolsters are attached to before you can remove those.
Step 2: Remove the side bolsters (red arrows) by popping the lower plastic tab off of the bolt at the bottom (white arrow in second picture). Disregard the white arrows in the first picture. Also, the second picture shows the top of the rear seats removed but you do not have to remove them for this project.
Step 3: Lower the upper seats.
Step 4: Remove the LH and RH trim pieces shown. There are two pieces per side. I've highlighted what areas go to each piece. There are two star head screws that you have to remove behind some plastic cover pieces. Then each area pops off with a little bit of force. If you've ever removed trim from this car you know what I'm talking about. It's not hard.
Step 5: Pop the three plastic retaining "screws" from the panel (see picture in Step 6 - blue arrow shows one of these)
Step 6: Pull the rear deck cover backwards while lifting up slightly. You have to unclip a connector on the right side near the window (white arrow in picture) before pulling it out completely. The rear deck tail light comes out along with the panel. If you want to remove this panel completely you will have to unscrew the safety belt from the floor but you can just move the panel to the back of the front seats and you will have plenty of room to work.
The next few pictures just show the rear panel with all the trim and the panel removed for reference.
