I'm about to begin my audio install this weekend. I've done a lot of searching in this forum and have gotten some great info to help me with my install.

I just wanted to get some final thoughts before I begin. I'd like to know the following:

- Any special tools needed for removing door panels? Any other special tools.
- Best way to go about removing tweeter and center channel grilles/covers
- Special tools needed to remove floor panels to run speaker and power wires
- Any mods needed to speaker mounts front and/or rear to accommodate Focal 165A1 components and 165CA1 Coaxial 6.5" speakers.

I'll add any other questions I have to this post. Hopefully all will go smoothly. Wish me luck!

 

-For the center channel, pop the top vents out first and then you can push up from underneath. The first time I pulled the vents was the hardest, but now it's not too bad since they've come out a few times. I start by grabbing the top edge with my fingers and pulling, then you can get it from the sides a little bit.

-Floor panels? What panels? It's carpet. The trim pieces around the door near the floor should pop right up.

-Nice speaker setup. How much did those run you? What amp, how much power, and where are you mounting it?

Good luck!

 

Good luck on your install and share some pixs when your done.

You may have to enlarge the opening for your speakers. Stock size is smaller. I installed CDTs 6.5 and had to cut the holes bigger. I used tin snips. Check depth for clearence before you cut.

Dynamat the doors and the rear deck.

How are you connecting the amps?

No special tools for the floor panels, just a gentle tug to pull them off.

 

The Focal Components cost me $229 and the Coaxials $189.

Here's my setup:

- Focal 165A1 Components
- Focal 165CA1 Coaxials
- Focal 100CA1 4" Coaxials
- JL Audio 12W6V2 12" Subwoofer
- Custom fiberglass subwoofer enclosure. (Making it sure is fun! )
- JL Audio e6450 6-Channel Amp
- JL Audio e1400D mono amp
- Dynamat Extreme
- Dom's Navi to Video converter PNP
- David Navone NE-774V and NE-7V LOCs
- JL Audio 2 Amp wiring kit
- Stinger RCA cables and speaker wire
- Custom beauty panel

Can you give me more details on the tin snips? I'm thinking of using a dremel tool to enlarge the holes.

I'm following the advice of you and kyle-wdp. I'm going to install the LOCs by taking the outputs from the amps. Does that answer your question?

 

any pics of your sub enclosure? Where will it be located?

 

Depending on what you're cutting and how powerful your Dremel is, you might have some problems. Dremels don't do great cutting through some thicker sheet metal. If you're going to try, make sure you pick up some extra spiral cutting bits - you will likely snap a few.

 

Yes, answering all the questions was fun to!!!!!

 

i used cutters from home depot.. get the curved cutters and they will cut the metal very easily.. you will be surprised how easy it is to cut with these clippers..

 

I don't have any pics of the completed enclosure. I'm waiting on the sub to arrive so that I can draw my cutout and make sure lines up correctly. If you want to see pics of the mold I'll post it when I arrive home from work.


Man, I owe you big time! Thanks for all of the great info and guidance you've provided!

Thanks for the heads up. I'll pick one up.

 

It will be located in the left trunk well, directly opposite the Navi DVD drive.

Anyone have any suggestions for removing the tweeters. Are there any tools that I can use to pry them out without damaging the dash?

 

Thanks bklynpanman. These are the ones I was refering to. They cut in curves. They make a right handed and left handed cutter

When you pull the door panel off you'll notice that the metal near the door hinges is thicker and may take you longer to cut.

 

There is a tool you can buy at Home Depot called a "feeler gauge". It's a bunch of pieces of thin flat metal on a keychain like apparatus that you use to measure tolerances / gaps in something. It so happens that they work very well to slip into the edges around the tweeters and center channel speakers to pry the clips open so they pop up as well, a lot better than a screwdriver would work.

As far as which tool you should use to pry off the door panels, why not get the ones Honda recommends to do the job in the service manual? (I just ordered a set of these and the clip puller pliers from this site, they work great).
http://www.thetoolnetwork.com/panel_...l_company.html

While you have the panels off, and the carpet all pulled out of the trunk so you can dynamat the doors, rear deck, and trunk for that new killer sub (you're definitely going to want to do this).... you could go here and buy yourself some edead and some teklite (cheaper solution than dynamat and the same thing basically).
http://www.edesignaudio.com/us.php

Finally, the last thing I would add inside your doors (and the rear shelf too if possible..I havent' checked that out though)...is some deflex pads, a very effective means of improving any speaker setup (including stock) pretty inexpensively. (Dynamat makes a similar higher priced item).
http://www.mmxpress.com/cascade/deflex.htm

 

It will look something like this but with a different sub setup. This is mine and where he got the idea. I love it and will be changing mine up this summer. My amp is in the spare tire well.

 

I like the look of that.... I have thought about changing mine to show a little better but I have changed so many components in and out that I think I will leave it.