Part 1: Rear Door Speaker Replacement - How To

[Guest bcobo]

Well folks, here it is. Part 1 of the series which will ultimately include:

• Replacement of All door Speakers
  
• JL Audio Stealthbox Center Console Sub
  
• 2 Fosgate Amps
  
• LED lighting upgrades
  

Instead of posting all the pics here, I have put together a .pdf showing each step of the install. I hope you find it useful.

 

Click Here: Part 1: Rear Door Speaker Replacement

 

I'm working on this project all week. Check back for more install guides.

[y2kz71]

Thanks

[AthensGaZO6]

looks good.....I did mine a few months back. You mounting your amps behind the rear seat? Here are some pics of my install.

http://www.gm-trucks.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=68729

[jrrod2004]

good information, especially with pics

[Guest bcobo]

looks good.....I did mine a few months back. You mounting your amps behind the rear seat? Here are some pics of my install.

http://www.gm-trucks.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=68729

 

I remember reading your post. The pics gave me a good idea of what to expect. I did get the amps mounted today. There's not much room to work with and it took quite a while to figure out exactly where to mount them so the seats don't hit. I did manage to find just the right spot and I'm happy to say the seats don't touch at all. I wished I could have mounted a plywood board to the back wall and then screwed my amps to that, but there just wasn't room. I had to put a few screws through the back wall, but that was the only option I had. I took a bunch of pics and I'll be putting them together in a report just like I did before. Hopefully, I'll get it posted in the morning.

 

Tomorrow, it's off to the dealer for the fifth time to pickup some parts. I added the auxillary battery and bought all the factory stuff to wire it in. That was a mistake. The dealer didn't order the right parts first time around. And his estimate of $300 is now approaching $450. And, the kicker is that the factory harness contains a plug that has no mate. I STILL have to splice into the factory harnesses to get the signals I need. My original thinking was that if I did it "per the factory" I wouldn't have any warranty issues later on. Looking back, I think I would be better off taking my chances.

 

I'm not too impressed with the JL Audio sub box at the moment. I need some more time to get all the levels/crossovers set right, but so far, it seems awful resonant kind of like a bandpass box. When the music hits a certain frequency, the box comes alive and sounds very muddy (not the kind of tight bass we like). At other freqs, it's inaudible or barely noticeable. If it doesn't improve, I'll be getting a box like yours with (2) 10's.

[Hootowl]

looks good.....I did mine a few months back. You mounting your amps behind the rear seat? Here are some pics of my install.

http://www.gm-trucks.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=68729

 

I remember reading your post. The pics gave me a good idea of what to expect. I did get the amps mounted today. There's not much room to work with and it took quite a while to figure out exactly where to mount them so the seats don't hit. I did manage to find just the right spot and I'm happy to say the seats don't touch at all. I wished I could have mounted a plywood board to the back wall and then screwed my amps to that, but there just wasn't room. I had to put a few screws through the back wall, but that was the only option I had. I took a bunch of pics and I'll be putting them together in a report just like I did before. Hopefully, I'll get it posted in the morning.

 

Tomorrow, it's off to the dealer for the fifth time to pickup some parts. I added the auxillary battery and bought all the factory stuff to wire it in. That was a mistake. The dealer didn't order the right parts first time around. And his estimate of $300 is now approaching $450. And, the kicker is that the factory harness contains a plug that has no mate. I STILL have to splice into the factory harnesses to get the signals I need. My original thinking was that if I did it "per the factory" I wouldn't have any warranty issues later on. Looking back, I think I would be better off taking my chances.

 

I'm not too impressed with the JL Audio sub box at the moment. I need some more time to get all the levels/crossovers set right, but so far, it seems awful resonant kind of like a bandpass box. When the music hits a certain frequency, the box comes alive and sounds very muddy (not the kind of tight bass we like). At other freqs, it's inaudible or barely noticeable. If it doesn't improve, I'll be getting a box like yours with (2) 10's.

 

 

i was wondering did the bass improve?

[Guest bcobo]

I tweaked the gains, crossover freqs, etc. but never got it to sound good. One big problem is that the head unit varies the bass output as you increase volume. This means that you are always chasing that "sweet spot" with the sub amp's level control.

 

They have devices (sound processors of varying sophistication) that will put the bass back where it should be, but that's not really a good solution, imo. For example, the processors by Fosgate and JL really require you to use their volume control. If you don't, the compensation provided by the processor is no longer accurate and it sounds like crap again.

 

I've been messing with it for about two months now. Last week I bought a subthump box and 2 10's. I haven't installed them yet, but I'll post an update if there's interest.

 

The more I think about it, it looks like I'm going to have to go with an aftermarket head unit. I'm not looking forward to this due to all of the other things involved: chimes, Onstar, speed controlled volume, handsfree phone, steering wheel controls, etc. It seems like everything that makes noise in the truck is tied to it. I don't want to lose any of it if possible.

 

If anybody wants a JL stealthbox, I have one for cheap...

[neto1978]

Well folks, here it is. Part 1 of the series which will ultimately include:

• Replacement of All door Speakers

   

• JL Audio Stealthbox Center Console Sub

   

• 2 Fosgate Amps

   

• LED lighting upgrades

   

Instead of posting all the pics here, I have put together a .pdf showing each step of the install. I hope you find it useful.

 

Click Here: Part 1: Rear Door Speaker Replacement

 

I'm working on this project all week. Check back for more install guides.

 

 

tks bcobo ,i have some noise comming from the front door panel ,do you have the pics of how to remove them?

tks

[Hootowl]

I tweaked the gains, crossover freqs, etc. but never got it to sound good. One big problem is that the head unit varies the bass output as you increase volume. This means that you are always chasing that "sweet spot" with the sub amp's level control.

 

They have devices (sound processors of varying sophistication) that will put the bass back where it should be, but that's not really a good solution, imo. For example, the processors by Fosgate and JL really require you to use their volume control. If you don't, the compensation provided by the processor is no longer accurate and it sounds like crap again.

 

I've been messing with it for about two months now. Last week I bought a subthump box and 2 10's. I haven't installed them yet, but I'll post an update if there's interest.

 

The more I think about it, it looks like I'm going to have to go with an aftermarket head unit. I'm not looking forward to this due to all of the other things involved: chimes, Onstar, speed controlled volume, handsfree phone, steering wheel controls, etc. It seems like everything that makes noise in the truck is tied to it. I don't want to lose any of it if possible.

 

If anybody wants a JL stealthbox, I have one for cheap...

 

You still trying to sale the stealthbox?

[timmerk]

Any estimate when part 2 will be complete? Part 1 was great! Thanks!

[Guest bcobo]

Any estimate when part 2 will be complete? Part 1 was great! Thanks!

 

 

I've done several parts. See if you can find a place to view "all posts by bcobo". I posted all of them back in Dec/Jan.

 

Thanks for the comments! You should see it now!

 

Brad

[rbiggers277]

Well folks, here it is. Part 1 of the series which will ultimately include:

• Replacement of All door Speakers

   

• JL Audio Stealthbox Center Console Sub

   

• 2 Fosgate Amps

   

• LED lighting upgrades

   

Instead of posting all the pics here, I have put together a .pdf showing each step of the install. I hope you find it useful.

 

Click Here: Part 1: Rear Door Speaker Replacement

 

I'm working on this project all week. Check back for more install guides.

 

 

 

WOW! Great job. I have a 2008 Silverado ext cab LT and I went to a local car audio shop this past weekend to have a pair of Infinity Reference 6.5s put in my rear doors. They told me it could not be done because there was not enough room, the speakers would not sit flat on the mount, etc. They just basically said there was no way to put 6.5s in the rear doors and I would have to get 5.25s. But it looks like they are not right. I'm tempted to take it down to the Best Buy car audio department and see if they can do it, but I'm a little worried about the quality with them. I wish I could do the install myself, but I am super obsessive about quality and I have never done any of my car audio installs before. Maybe I should just go with the 5.25 size. Any suggestions for me? And again, great job on yours.

[Guest bcobo]

Thanks for the compliments. I know what you mean about demanding top quality. It's hard to find a car audio shop that will take the time to make sure things are right. Taking it to one of the big chain stores is probably the last place I would look. The best installers usually work for the smaller mom and pop type stores. You might also ask to see some pictures of their past work. Any installer who is proud of their work will be glad to show you.

 

If you haven't done any installs yourself, I would say that there's no better place to start than the speakers. Replacing the rear door speakers is really pretty easy since GM has given us the mounting plates already. The most difficult part is modifying the plates. I used a benchtop belt sander, but I'm sure there are other tools that would do a similar job. A steady hand and a dremel tool come to mind. I'd say go with the 6.5's and give it a try. You'll save yourself some money and get the satisfaction that only comes from doing the job yourself and knowing that it is right.

 

I'd also stay away from the Infinity Kappa 3-way 6.5" speakers. I think the model number I used was 63.7i? I've had a few pairs of the cheaper "Reference" series and they sounded much better.

 

Good Luck,

Brad