z350z

I bought new Infinity REF 6000cs component speakers to replace the stock crap in the doors. I wanted a clean way to mount the new speakers without having to build spacers, drill new holes, etc. The old speakers look like they are mounted in a perfect spacer, until you realize that the speakers are the spacer -- it's all one piece.

My solution was to perform surgery on the old speakers in order to create the perfect spacer/speaker mount. It worked perfectly!

Here is a pic of the new speaker mounted in the door using this method:

z350z

I simply cut the old speaker out of its mount with a dremel tool. The old speaker looked like this afterwards:

(Forget about returning it back to stock now, but why would you ever want to?)

z350z

Here is a pic with the new speaker and crossover. I drilled a couple of holes to mount the crossover, and put carpet underpad between it and the door to prevent any rattles.

I first mounted the new speakers to the old "spacer" (i.e. outer part of the old speakers) by drilling holes into the plastic and screwing it in. I used the foam strip supplied with the speakers to avoid rattle-prone metal-to-plastic contact. I then bolted the completed unit right into the door, which of course fits perfectly because it's made to. (And I didn't even poke a screwdriver or hot soldering iron through my new speaker cone! I'm so proud of myself! :-) )

The tweeter fit in the stock location, glued to the metal bar that the factory tweeter was attached to. It fit perfectly.

There was almost a major glitch to this lovely plan, when I went to put the door panel back on and found that the lip of the grille opening contacted the edge of the movable part of the speaker! Fortunately it just barely touched the edge, so I just had to trim a few millimeters off the plastic lip, which was very easily done with a sharp serrated knife. This trimmed edge is completely hidden by the stock plastic grille cover that snaps over the hole.

The result looks identical to stock, but sounds a helluva lot better!

LS350Z

heh - I did that method and finally found it's downfall. Under single frequency continuous noises (Bass Mechanix CD), the woofers hit the door panels at full excursion . Time to go in and redo the door speakers.

kitkos

iTrader: (1)

z350z...
I did the exact same surgery on my crap also. So far so good.

VandyZ

iTrader: (2)

Same here. Did it in October. No problems yet! Thanks for posting pics thats something I never did.

all_bark

iTrader: (5)

what do you mean?

Mikey Likes It

Mine wound up doing the same thing. I cut new spacers out of 3/4" MDF and no I have no problems...

Mike

z350z

That's why I had to shave a little bit from the inside lip of the grille port to clear the speaker. You can shave off enough clearance without having any visible impact (it's under the grille).

But different speakers might need more clearance. I guess I got lucky with my Infinity's.

Boy, I thought I came up with something original but it looks like this is a very common method! Oh well, I hope the pictures help anyway.

-CZ

Selski12

iTrader: (11)

Heh, you can count me in on that also. Did it awhile ago. I too got lucky with the clearance on my Infinitys

rodH

iTrader: (2)

z350z, is the rest of your system STOCK?? if so, give us more details on the sound improvement

z350z

I am doing it in stages.

Phase 1: Speakers only. Just completed this (did driver door last night, just finished passenger door 5 minutes ago!) Huge improvement! Definitely worth the total $135 I paid (at etronics.com). To improve the sound a lot with a minimum investment, I would recommend starting with speakers only. If you turn the fader from front to rear, it's a joke how cheap and papery the factory rear speakers sound compared to the new fronts.

Phase 2: Head Unit. I already have the HU that I ordered, an Alpine CDA-9807 (plays MP3/WMA files too). It puts out a claimed 23W RMS per channel, so I am going to try this without an amp at first. I'm not one for super loud volume, I just like crisp sound. I bought this at Crutchfield even though they are more expensive than others, because they throw in the Metra dash kit, wiring harness, instructions, tech support, etc. Total price including shipping: $290. I will put this in tomorrow or Saturday and let you know how it sounds.

Phase 3: Sub. Again, I don't want to rock the neighbors' homes, I just want nice tight bass a bit beyond what the 6 1/2s can deliver. This is optional; after the head unit, I may be satisfied. But my pick if I do it (and I am leaning towards it) is an Infinity Basslink because it has a built-in amp and enclosure and it's not big and ugly. Installation shouldn't be too hard. I have seen this online for around $200.

Phase 4: Amp. I may never need to do this, or I may only do it in a year or so. But it's just an option if I want to go further.

Another possibility is rear speakers, but I am happy running fronts only.

So for well under a thousand bucks, I hope to have great sound!

I am doing all the installation myself, not to save money but because I am enjoying it and I know exactly what's going on with my car. I don't trust some 18-year old installer kid at a shop trying to finish up my car and move onto the next job!