[W126 Coupe] Rear speaker replacement, recabling and new head unit

[Matt Petersen]

Fitting the rear speakers is acheived by tearing the speaker inner out
on the old rear, then prying the old ring off the top. The new speakers
install with the use of three screws and clips that secure the speaker
to a lip on the pod. They fit very well.

-----Original Message-----
From: mbcoupes-bounces at mbcoupes.com
[mailto:mbcoupes-bounces at mbcoupes.com] On Behalf Of Matt Petersen
Sent: Sunday, 30 January 2005 8:33 p.m.
To: mbcoupes at mbcoupes.com
Subject: [W126 Coupe] Rear speaker replacement, recabling and new head
unit


I have just finished rewiring the car front and rear with new quality
cabling bypassing the fader switch. Removal of the under dash panels,
the passenger side door trims and kick panel, the rear seat and the B
pillar bases was necessary.
 
I used the existing rear cabling as a draw wire to pull my new wiring
through in the stock location. If you do this your join must be very
very strong and as flat as possible to prevent the two being pulled
apart when fed through, it gets tight and a bit of force was needed -
nothing excessive though.
 
I installed a JVC stealth head unit which has a flat black face when not
in use which looks very factory looking. Whilst operating it remains
flush with a modest graphical display visible. Highly recommend this
unit if anyone is looking for a low key factory look.
 
For now I have kept the factory front speakers and replaced the rears
with the Eclipse 8363SE 6.5in unit. I will definitely be replacing the
fronts with the SE8463E 6x4in units, I should have got them at the same
time as the rears but the factory rears were torn and the fronts seemed
okay so I thought I would try a new head unit.
 
Removing the rear speaker covers is easiest if the rear seat is out as
the grills come towards the front of the car and you need to push them
into the top edge of the seat before they will come up and away. Along
the side and rear of the covers are interlocking tabs that sit in slots
which when pushed into place hold the cover. At the front is a lug that
locks horizontally into a connector. One of my covers had a broken
connector when I removed it and I was extremely careful and had already
removed the first cover without a problem so these things get brittle
over time. 
 
The foam inside the grill is very dry and as soon as you touch it falls
apart. I removed all the foam and refitted both speaker covers. The
second speaker cover lug broke on refitting but they are held in place
and can't move around without the lug anyway.
 
The rear speakers have an integral pod that they sit on. The rear deck
has very little depth to it for mounting speakers and the pod is
necessary to lift the speaker clear of the gear just underneath the rear
deck. By my measurements a depth of no more than 2in is about all you
will get which limits speaker choice. The speakers have two screws at
the front and then must be pried clear on the rear deck. Be careful with
the deck covering here. The speakers have a double sided foam on them
securing them plus there is a rubberised froam filling all available
space around them. Push this out of the way and undo the screws, lever
the speaker up at the front and then bring it towards you. There is a
tounge at the back so don't twist the unit much before pulling it
forward.
 
The cabling from the rear runs through the factory grommet on the seat
back and through to the speaker openings. If necessary you can run the
speaker wire across the rear deck from the underneath inside the
boot/trunk. The cable then runs down the seat and out the base and under
the rear door plastic trim, through the B pillar bases and under the
front door plastic trim, up the kick panel and into the rear of the head
unit.
 
As a large part of the car has to be removed to do this it's worth
looking at any other jobs that could be done at the same time,
illuminated sills, vacuum elements, first gear start etc.
 
The sound difference is amazing, the Eclipse speakers are very good for
the price and size.
 
If anyone's interested, here are links to the gear I am using. The
control panel and volume knob fold up and away into the deck when not in
use.
 
http://www.jvc.com/product.jsp?modelId=MODL026839
<http://www.jvc.com/product.jsp?modelId=MODL026839&pathId=52&page=2&arch
ive=true> &pathId=52&page=2&archive=true
 
http://www.eclipse-web.com/products/speaker/integrated/se8363.html
 
http://www.eclipse-web.com/products/speaker/integrated/se8463e.html
 
Cheers
Matt.

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