I was having a hard time finding a DIY for doing a speaker retro fit for my front doors. Apparently I'm the only person who has ever had issues with speakers. I said "The hell with it, I'll make it work and do a DIY thread while I'm at it." This is also my first DIY so please don't be too critical.
This fix was a little time consuming but I think better audio quality is worth the hassle.
Please forgive the crappy photos. My camera batteries were dying and I could only turn it on for a few seconds at a time to snap a quick pic.
Needed stuff:
Jigsaw
Drill and various drill bits
Circle drawing compass
StarBoard (I used some 3/8" that I had left over from some boat work.)
5 1/4" component speakers
Foam insulation tape
8 - #8-32 x 1" screws with nuts
16 - #8 washers
8 - #8 lock washers
First line of business, take off your door panel. The man in this video shows you how it's done if you don't already know how to. [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aD4ehMW2Gfw"]Video[/ame]
Now, remove the offending speaker with the assed up mounting system.
Pull the trim ring off of the door too.
I then used the removed speaker as a tracing template on my starboard. After getting a good outline, I cut out the piece with the jigsaw.
Test fitting
I then used the speaker dimensions that were included with the speakers to get the correct size of the mounting hole. You want to have your speaker set in the center of the mount so, get your compass as close to center as possible, draw your circle, and cut it out with the jigsaw.
The cut out ring should look something like this.
Test fit the speaker to the ring and then make any adjustment that are needed. Once the fit is right, drill the holes to mount the speaker to the ring and the ones to attach the ring to the door panel.
Once you have that done, start fitting the insulation to the ring.
After putting on one layer, mount the speaker with the #8-32 screws and washers.
Now put another layer of insulation around the outside of the speaker.
Another angle.
If you wish, you can add more insulation tape to get a tighter fit to the door panel.
And finally, install your new speaker and rock out.
Great write up.
Can you provide some additional information to help the DIYer?
Did you remove the stock speaker/was the challenge with the stock speaker mounts?
What was the replacement and how did you select a replacement? Did you select it because it was a replacement for stock bmw speakers or for another reason?
I removed the stock speaker because I can be an audiophile at times. The whole issue of how it mounts is the three point mounting system. That makes it hard to find a speaker to fit. At first, I was hoping that I could use the piece that the stock speaker was mounted to but it wouldn't work with the speakers I had on hand. I would have purchased closer sized speakers if I could have gotten better info or had the money to do so. I used a set of 5 1/4" Memphis Power Reference mid-bass drivers that I had from my previous car.
Thanks again for the additional information and DIY. The pictures will really help those of us that are diving into our door panels unknowingly.
I guess if I would've been viewing the pictures on my laptop instead of my blackberry, I might have been able to see the Memphis logo.
I don't know that I would call myself an audiophile (as I have suffered without "quality" audio for years now), but the last setup I had I really enjoyed... Eclipse Point Source speakers all around with crossovers powered by a matched Eclipse amp for mids/highs and a 12" kicker comp powered by a separate amp for the lows.
I was asking because on my first BMW (1990 325 iS), everything I read warned of issues with the common ground and aftermarket car audio equipment. So I just never installed anything. I'm sure if I would've done more research and poked around here on the forums, I could've gotten the answers to my questions.
Last edited by billschusteriv; 12-14-2010 at 11:51 PM.
How did you decide what speaker to use as a replacement. I bought the BSW replacements for my tweeter/ mid-range at the top of the door. But it was my understanding that aftermarket speakers might not sound right because of the setup of our stock amp. What should I look for when buying replacement speakers?
Last edited by 328ci906; 01-05-2011 at 03:10 PM. Reason: Automerged Doublepost
I did some creative replacement with the stock mid and the tweeter that came with the component set. The tweeter fit ever so nicely into the mid's place and I just hooked it into the stock tweeter's wiring. I have plans to change out the stock amp and placing crossovers inline to get better sound quality out of the system.
Thank you for the quality how-to. I used it as a reference as I replaced the front bass speakers in my 2002 325ci. I used a pair of 6.5" Rockford Fosgate speakers for the replacement. I made my adapter plate from 7/16" plywood that I had laying around, and I placed it between the door and my speaker. Sandwiching the speaker between the adapter plate and the door panel would have been a problem for the new speakers; the 3 BMW mount holes would have gone through the edge of the new speaker mounts.
I also managed to saw off the original speaker wire clip from the old speakers, and attach them to the new speakers via solder and epoxy.
At the end of the day it was satisfying to do the speaker replacement for less than $50, but it took most of my Sunday. The BSW solution would probably have taken 5 or 6 hours less time, and that would have been worth the $100 extra.
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