Since I just upgraded my front speakers from some 10+ year older Polk 2-way speakers to new Polk/Crutchfield 2-way 5" DB501's, I thought I'd make a little tutorial. There wont be any pictures because it's so damn easy. Tutorials for this job can be found in other forums but many contain needless steps so lets dispel some myths right now...
Things one absolutely does not need to do. The time it takes to do these steps greatly outweighs any benefit(although the anally retentive might enjoy these steps so there you go :roll: ), so I won't be going over these.
1. Remove the seat
2. Remove the center console
3. Remove the windshield
So here is the way I did it:
1. Remove the plastic air dams under both sides of the upper and center console
2. Remove the headlight adjustment knob(1 retaining screw) and the nylon nut that holds the assembly behind tight to the dash.
3. Remove both storage pockets(at first I thought this might be needless step but it isn't and I'll explain later).
4. Remove the the little round plastic dewhicky from around the ignition and the upper console(gently lift up at the bottom and pull back and away from the dash).
5. Remove the vent elements(a small flat screwdriver and gentle persuasion does the trick).
6. Remove the vent frames from the dash using the same technique as #5 only it's 2 of 4 tabs top or bottom you chose. When you do this the vent tubes behind will fall out of place but fear not they are easy to put back later.
7. Remove both side mirrors, when you do this you will be removing the 4 screws that hold the dash in place. The mirrors are held in place by 3 screws in a triangle pattern. I recommend removing the top screw first as it is the hardest to get to. Peal back the rubber boot and gently push the mirror back until you have good straight access to the screw with a long Phillips screwdriver, then remove the bottom screws also while pulling the rubber boot back(don't worry they are tough and remember their shape).
8. Remove the thin collars behind the mirrors/boots with that small screwdriver on the metal retaining flange at the bottom(these are a bit flimsy so be gentle).
9. Okay you're ready to remove the dash. Got your small screwdriver? Right away you'll notice that the ends of the dash only have only 2 screws on both sides that also hold the mirrors in place(removed in step 7). The sides of the dash are sandwiched between the windshield lever things and their lever things. Remember we are working with 20+ year old ABS so gently use that little screw driver to lift the sides of the dash up and over the mirror screw holes. Now lift the dash from the bottom up and back. The dash might be a little hesitant to come out at the top mostly I guess because it's been pinched by the windshield for so long but it does break free. Set it aside and proceed to replace your speakers.
*As for the model I used, the hole slots aren't long enough so I trimmed mine easily with regular cheapo tin snips, and used washers with the screws to hold the speakers in place. I also had to crimp the factory wire ends slightly so they would fit the speaker posts securely.
Putting it all back together is almost the same as tearing it all down only backwards with a few differences, the steps are the same but I changed things up a little in a couple steps.
1. Replacing the dash. If you get one side on perfect and the other won't line up it's because the front edge of the dash isn't in place under the windshield right. Start over and try again, this step took me about ten minutes to get right.
2. Replace the 2 bottom screws on the mirrors first, then do the harder one at the top last(don't forget to put those thin mirror collars on first! :? ). *NOTE: This step is a lot easier if you have have a helper like I did, it would have been doable by myself but a PITA.
3. Remember I said I'd tell you why the storage pockets had to come out? It's time to replace the vent collars from step 6. You need to hold the vent tubes back in place from behind through those pocket access points so when you replace those collars they hold the vent tubes in place.
The rest is pretty much doing everything in reverse. I hope this tutorial helps, it really is easy. The new speakers up front really make the rear speakers sound great now. I'm really very happy with the way it all turned out. :yahoo: :rocks: :thank_you:
~O~
Things one absolutely does not need to do. The time it takes to do these steps greatly outweighs any benefit(although the anally retentive might enjoy these steps so there you go :roll: ), so I won't be going over these.
1. Remove the seat
2. Remove the center console
3. Remove the windshield
So here is the way I did it:
1. Remove the plastic air dams under both sides of the upper and center console
2. Remove the headlight adjustment knob(1 retaining screw) and the nylon nut that holds the assembly behind tight to the dash.
3. Remove both storage pockets(at first I thought this might be needless step but it isn't and I'll explain later).
4. Remove the the little round plastic dewhicky from around the ignition and the upper console(gently lift up at the bottom and pull back and away from the dash).
5. Remove the vent elements(a small flat screwdriver and gentle persuasion does the trick).
6. Remove the vent frames from the dash using the same technique as #5 only it's 2 of 4 tabs top or bottom you chose. When you do this the vent tubes behind will fall out of place but fear not they are easy to put back later.
7. Remove both side mirrors, when you do this you will be removing the 4 screws that hold the dash in place. The mirrors are held in place by 3 screws in a triangle pattern. I recommend removing the top screw first as it is the hardest to get to. Peal back the rubber boot and gently push the mirror back until you have good straight access to the screw with a long Phillips screwdriver, then remove the bottom screws also while pulling the rubber boot back(don't worry they are tough and remember their shape).
8. Remove the thin collars behind the mirrors/boots with that small screwdriver on the metal retaining flange at the bottom(these are a bit flimsy so be gentle).
9. Okay you're ready to remove the dash. Got your small screwdriver? Right away you'll notice that the ends of the dash only have only 2 screws on both sides that also hold the mirrors in place(removed in step 7). The sides of the dash are sandwiched between the windshield lever things and their lever things. Remember we are working with 20+ year old ABS so gently use that little screw driver to lift the sides of the dash up and over the mirror screw holes. Now lift the dash from the bottom up and back. The dash might be a little hesitant to come out at the top mostly I guess because it's been pinched by the windshield for so long but it does break free. Set it aside and proceed to replace your speakers.
*As for the model I used, the hole slots aren't long enough so I trimmed mine easily with regular cheapo tin snips, and used washers with the screws to hold the speakers in place. I also had to crimp the factory wire ends slightly so they would fit the speaker posts securely.
Putting it all back together is almost the same as tearing it all down only backwards with a few differences, the steps are the same but I changed things up a little in a couple steps.
1. Replacing the dash. If you get one side on perfect and the other won't line up it's because the front edge of the dash isn't in place under the windshield right. Start over and try again, this step took me about ten minutes to get right.
2. Replace the 2 bottom screws on the mirrors first, then do the harder one at the top last(don't forget to put those thin mirror collars on first! :? ). *NOTE: This step is a lot easier if you have have a helper like I did, it would have been doable by myself but a PITA.
3. Remember I said I'd tell you why the storage pockets had to come out? It's time to replace the vent collars from step 6. You need to hold the vent tubes back in place from behind through those pocket access points so when you replace those collars they hold the vent tubes in place.
The rest is pretty much doing everything in reverse. I hope this tutorial helps, it really is easy. The new speakers up front really make the rear speakers sound great now. I'm really very happy with the way it all turned out. :yahoo: :rocks: :thank_you:
~O~
