Casual Cruiser

[Turbopowered68]

2015 Caprice Rear Speaker Upgrade/Install 5

So you did NOT use a LOC?
You went straight from the high output (speaker feeds) of the head unit straight to the amp's onboard high inputs .

Them rear door panels are VERY impressive .

[JUNKYARD_JACK]

This is a killer write up!

Thank you very much!

I think this is exactly what I was looking for, I've been wanting to do an audio upgrade and this might be exactly the route I go in although I believe that I'll be replacing the door speakers with something aftermarket.

[tvallaro]

Tim,

Have you thought about mass-producing a test quantity of those grills for resale? Looks a hell of a lot better then the 4-inch grills from EBAY that most of us have used to date.

Thanks for the detailed tutorial, awaiting the rest with eager anticipation!

Eric

Eric,

If anyone wants these, then I can 3D print them. Also, of anyone is going for an after market speaker and wants to mount them in the same location, then I can work with them to design and print a speaker grill to fit their needs. Just send me a private message either way.

Thanks for the feedback.

Tim

[tvallaro]

2015 Caprice Rear Speaker Upgrade/Install 5

So you did NOT use a LOC?
You went straight from the high output (speaker feeds) of the head unit straight to the amp's onboard high inputs .

Them rear door panels are VERY impressive .

Turbopowered68,

I did not use LOC. The amp I purchased, Sony XMS400D, came with both bare wire for speaker-level inputs and RCA cables for if you have RCAs on your head unit or a LOC. The rear signal out of the factory head unit is very low (if you fade all the way to rear to just the rear door speaker, then you can barely hear any audio coming from those speakers), but works extremely well with this amp installed. I can control front and rear speakers with the factory head unit fader and it is balanced. I have full control of tone through the head unit too.

The install worked very well. Having full audio out of front and rear, with the 8" deck subs, sounds amazing.

Tim

[tvallaro]

2015 Caprice Rear Speaker Upgrade/Install 6
Adding some details on the speaker grill install........

After 3D printing the speakers I applied a bit of 5-minute epoxy to strengthen the base of the screw bosses. Not sure if needed, but added to be safe (these are 3D printed after all).

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For drilling the holes into the door panel I used a 140mm (~5.5") hole saw. You will also need to drill 3 5/16" holes.
Hole saw shown below for size comparison to the speaker grill.

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I made a template for drilling the holes.

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After drilling all the holes in your door panel, install the speaker grill, then attach the speakers to the backside using screws.
Screws used were Number 6 thread forming screws for plastic, 1/2" long. McMaster 90380A148



If you would like to buy the speaker grills from me, then just PM me on this forum. I'll send 2 grills, 2 templates, and 6 thread-forming screws

[tvallaro]

2015 Caprice Rear Speaker Upgrade/Install 7
....and a few more details on the speaker relocation.

After drilling the 5.5"(140mm) and 5/16" holes you can push the grill through the 5/16 holes. Turn the panel over and cut away some insulation, place the speaker on the screw bosses, then apply the screws.

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NOTE: I did not realize how much room I had behind the door panel to the metal door frame. I could have shifted the grill to the left more in the above picture to get an even better placement and look. If anyone does this, please post pictures.

[tvallaro]

2015 Caprice Rear Speaker Upgrade/Install 8
Some details on the amp wiring, specifically the remote wire.

As mentioned in an earlier post, the amp is hidden behind the trunk liner near the primary battery and fuse panel (driver side). The main 12V+ power for the amp is connected directly to the battery (fused) and I used an existing ground. I was able to locate a 12V+ key-on fuse location for the remote wire (also fused).

Unfortunately my Alldata-diy subscription is expired so I cannot tell you the exact 12V+ key on fuse location, but the picture below is what I used. A fuse was already in the location so I used a Littelfuse Mini Add-A-Circuit Card. You can buy these at any auto parts store or on amazon.

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littlefuse.jpg (41.39 KiB) Viewed 1946 times

[KookyKoala]

Thank you for the part numbers for the SS speakers and grills, I didn’t think about picking up the speakers at the B pillars I really like this idea.

Your rear door speakers look really clean, excited to see your build progress.

[Turbopowered68]

What gauge wire did you use from the B pikllars to the Amp?

2015 Caprice Rear Speaker Upgrade/Install 1

I purchased a 4-channel Sony amp (XMS400D) and have successfully powered the rear door speakers as well as a set of Chevy SS 8” BOSE rear deck subwoofers. I used 2-channel high-level inputs from the rear door speakers and am outputting 4 channels (2 door stock speakers using high pass filter, 2 rear deck chevy ss subwoofers using low pass filter). The sound in the car is great and the bass from the dual 8” rear deck subs really adds a ton to any music. Without this upgrade, this car’s stereo was sub-par.

Interior Removal
The first step is to rip out the interior to gain access to the rear deck, the hidden rear door speakers, and the wire harnesses along the inside of the rocker panels on each side of the car. To install the factory Chevy SS subwoofers you will also need to pop out the metal blanks on the rear deck

Interior items removed:
Rear door panels, rear seat, trim around seat, trim below both rear doors, lower B-pillar trim (both side), and rear deck pad.
nointeriora.jpg
IMG_2359a.JPEG



Wiring Door and Deck Speakers
For rear door speaker wiring you will need locate and cut the rear door speaker wires on each side of the car at the base of the B pillars. One cut end will be wired to feed the high-level input on the amp (signal from head unit to amp). The other cut end will be wired to the amplifier output using a high pass filter (signal from amp to speaker).

Wiring:
Left Rear Speaker Negative……………GN/BK
Left Rear Speaker Positive……………GN
Right Rear Speaker Negative……………BU/BK
Right Rear Speaker Positive……………WH

doorlefta.jpg
doorrighta.jpg