Jarg1

Hi all, I have ordered a pair of the RS-look door panels from Appbiz. The company owner Bob has been very helpful during the process, and I think the price represents a great value.

Anyway, in preparation for the installation, I have removed the passenger side door panel (HiFi option) and started contemplating what I want to do with sound. Bob has perforated the new panels for speakers, and I hope to mount new speakers in the existing cutouts. I don't want to use grills, and Bob recommended mounting the speakers directly to the door, and not the the panels, which seems like a good idea. However, what I am trying to determine is what speakers if any can mount into the existing holes without major modifications, or even better, no changes. I am guessing that a 6.5" 2 way might be the best solution? Also, I would prefer to keep the existing wiring in case I should ever decide to change back to the original panels. Does anyone know if this is possible? I would be most grateful for any tips on this project.

JPP

Perforated speaker areas in the panels is a great way to go. Does Appbiz back the leather/vinyl with some kind of doubler material to make that work?

Jarg1

I don't yet have the replacements in hand, was too lazy to run to the office to grab them, plus I still have some prep work to do before the installation. But I will post a picture when I do have them. Also, I bet Bob at Appbiz would be happy to answer any questions. He was very quick to answer my calls and emails.

http://appbiz.com/contact-us.aspx

Jarg1

On a related note, I just listened to the stereo using only the back speakers, and boy does it suck. I think a replacement for them might also be in order.

Roche993

I think that you will be surprised at how good your hi-fi was. Not sure what can be done with RS cards as far as volume and power with your stereo. I was in the same situation as you when I did mine. Replaced rear speakers-same thing. Went from 5 1/2 to 6 1/2 fronts, a little better. Still not the same as it used to be. I can't answer your exact question about which speaker to get that would fit without modification, but a 6.5 inch will fit in the existing hole just fine.

JPP

Great, thanks ...

Jarg1

My expectations for sound quality are low, and I certainly don't expect it to improve during the transition to the RS panels. Thanks for confirming that the 6.5" will fit. If I don't get any specific recommendations, I will probably order something like these, which seem to have very flexible mounting options:

Jarg1

Glad to do it - and please don't make me pass you on the right

JPP

I can say from experience, that a decent, modern amplifier makes ALL the difference in the world and there have been several recent threads here talking about new, smaller amps that will fit under the passenger seat in the same place as the factory Nokia equipment.

Busta Rib

Thinking of doing this in my car and am curious to see how it looks. I have the stock door panels with the honking big speakers mounted on them. Wondering if I can remount the stock speaker onto the RS panel. Please post pics when you complete the install. Thanks.

Quadcammer

plug and play or is it more complicated than that?

thanks

DrFraserCrane

Im watching this thread for the same information

JPP

Amazingly fast at 8:30 a.m. on a Monday!



I believe there's ways to do it by incorporating the old Nokia plug and wires without modifying the in-car harness. Here's a recent thread that was VERY informative .. I'd give Rod Birch a call at Audio Innovations and see what the newest possibilities are .. he seems to be more than willing to share his knowledge and experience:
https://rennlist.com/forums/showthre...ferrerid=66492

http://www.caraudioinnovations.com/

Jarg1

While removing the rear seats and seat belts, I also took out the rear cover and speakers and can now see why the sound might not be so great (1st photo). The upside is that this looks like it would be much easier to replace while using the factory wiring. I wonder what might work with the factory grill? And I need to locate a plug to use with the factory clip (photo 2). Or I could just delete the rear speakers - weight off the back is a good thing, right?

Jarg1

As requested, here are some photos of the back of the Appbiz RS panels with perforations for the speakers. On a related note, when I was researching this installation I saw some info in a thread, I think it was here, regarding a way to prep the nylon door straps in order to prevent them from falling apart over time, but I can't seem to locate it again. Does this ring a bell for anyone?