Well, I couldn't stand it anymore and finally broke down and bought some stereo bits for the bus. Installing the CD player was pretty easy. DIN mount is cool... Installing the rear speakers wasn't too bad. I removed the upper rear cabinet (where the AC used to be) and opened up the stock speaker holes to take 5-1/4" speakers and also cut some particle board pieces and boxed up an area on each side so the speakers have a fixed rear volume to work into and also to keep junk that's stored up there out of the back of the speakers. The amp for the rear speakers was easy, it lives under the back seat where my 2nd battery is. (Everything is wired up to the house battery, not the main battery) Now I'm ready to do the front speakers.... I picked up some Eclipse 5-1/4" speakers that have a relatively thin grill cover and it looks like they'll clear the Ford window cranks nicely, and probably even have enough room to clear the corner of the dash when the door is closed. (it's very close) I got the door panel off, and there's plenty of room for the speakers without cutting any metal. Cool... So, my question now is what to do about the plastic moisture shield that's glued to the door. It has a small "pocket" for the stock speaker to nestle into, and although the new speaker will also fit into the pocket, I'm concerned because it gives almost no working volume on the back side of the speaker, and I'm also concerned that the plastic pouch may buzz and rattle when the volume is cranked up... A photo of the door innards and the plastic speaker pocket are here: <http://www.weirdstuffwemake.com/automotive/vanagon/pics/doorguts.jpg> If I just cut the plastic out, am I inviting a lot of wind leakage into the van and/or possibly inviting water damage to the speakers and door panels? Does anyone have any experience or suggestions they'd like to share before I do something stupid? Thanks, Steve EJ22 -> '86 Westy "Escape Pod" |
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