4 x 10 - rear speaker replacement

["Robert Moseley" <videobob@xxxx>]

Surely I am not the only one who thinks that the factory Craig
speakers SUCK. Maybe I am being a little harsh on these 22 year old
speakers,
but they sound like crap and have zero bass.
Something HAD to be done.
I found a decent set of no-name replacements for $25.00.
I had a hard time finding any decent name brand versions of these
so I had to settle for the cheapies.

I checked my manual and it is very vaugue.
But basically it braks down like this:
I guess the folks at DeLorean figured no one would ever want to change
those fantastic Craig / Sparkomatic 25 WATT speakers so they sealed 
them in real good.
The rear panel is not only attached by a few screws, but the edges
are folded over the inside of the door trim and glued and held in 
by the actual door trim. The lower panels are RIVETED IN.
So, to completely remove the panel you would have to CUT it off,
and drill out the rivets.

For me this was not an option but I was determined to replace thos
speakers!

So here is how I did it:

(1) First, pull out the rear carpet, back wall and the two wooden
electrical covers on each side, and pull off the door trim around
the entire top / rear of the inside of the door.
You will want to try to loosen as much of the panel wrapping
around the edge as you can.

(2) At the tops of each rear panel you will find a phillips screw 
and remove it. 

(3) Now simply pull off the covers over the seat belt loops.

(4) Use a wrench or a socket to remove the seat belt loop and 
set it aside. Take the bolts and spacers out so you don't loose them.

(5) Now it is down to simple muscle and destruction.
The rear panels are made of fiberboard and then wrapped in vinyl.
Basically, you will need to muscle them back away from the wall
and BREAK them in half - yes, I actually bent them back that way.
The board will bend or even snap, but the material covering it
will simply pull away a little, so when you push the board back
and smooth it out you can't even tell that anything ever happened.
You need to pull it back just enough to get to the speaker.

(6) The speaker is held in place by a clamp that is mounted
to the side of the car and cradles the speaker in a 3-prong holder.
The speaker attaches to that using a simple hose clamp around the
magnet. Use a STUBBY FLAT HEAD SCREW DRIVER to loosen the screw
and the speaker can be pulled right out.
There is plenty of cable to work with.

(7) Before putting everything back make sure to hook up your
new speakers and try them out and make sure it is working.
I used a pair of pliers to pinch the connections tight first.
Wrap the hose clamp loosely around the mount and set the speaker
in it and tighted the screw up.

(8) Push everything back into it's place. 

OK, ok, I know I will catch some flack about this one because
it is not the correct way to do this, and it does cause some damage
even if it can't be seen.
However it worked for me.
Be advised, if you pull to hard you could go to far and cause a 
rip in your material or etc... I am not responsible for your actions
so don't complain to me if you damage your panel.
This is just the method I used to do it and now I have new
speakers in the back.

So how does it sound?
It still sounds like crap.
4 inch speakers in the front, with 4x10's in the back... SUCKS.
There is no doubt that I will be pulling out the console and running
some power and audio cables to the rear where I will be building a 
custom made to fit speaker box.
More on that to come.

In the meantime, good luck with your speakers!

- Videobob
VIN# 5278