So I bought some MB Quart mid bass speakers for the rear of my integra. But they don't fit in the brackets. Well I F'd one of them all up with the dremel, and was gonna try to save the other one and shave it out to make the speaker fit. Anyone know where I can get some nicer custom MDF mounts, or someone who can make them? Any help would be appreciated.

 

I know of no commercial manufacturer for custom MDF speaker mounting brackets, if all you need is mounting brackets why not just make them yourself, not that hard, just time consuming.

When I make custom MDF speaker mounting plates for 94up Integra HBs I charge $300, [that includes some Dynamating], a lot of that labour is in the R&R of the rear interior trim and seat, all of it.

The mounting plate is nothing more then a 3/4", [maybe 1"] panel, that is as big as it can be, cut into shape so it will slip in behind the quarter panel inside bracing and mounted in at least 3 places, [nuts and bolts, and I always get 4].

Obviously it has to be shaped and bolted into place so the area where the speaker goes, [behind stock grill, in side panel trim] has the edges of the MDF panel far enough away from the edge of the speaker to work properly as a baffle.

Finding two mounting spots is easy, but the panel will "rock" on those two mounting spots, so you need to find at least one more, it can be anyplace that makes the 3rd point of a triangle as long as you can drill through the metal bracing, into and through the MDF, a spacer will be needed between the metal brace and the MDF, I use a stack of diff. thicknesses of 1.5"x1.5" MDF "blocks" to make the spacer I need, glued together and onto the MDF panel with a hole drilled through it all, for the mounting bolt, I use carriage bolts, will make a solidly mounted "speaker bracket"

I will also glue a "spacer ring" or "spacer plate" over the speaker mounting hole if speaker sits too far back from grill, that makes it important that when mounting the speaker mounting plate, it's surface sits "square" or "parallel" with the trim panel where the grill is, but not touching it

The bigger the panel, the better.
The thicker the MDF, the better.
The more mounting points, the better, remembering not to warp the mounting plate.
The farther from the edge of the speaker that is airtight. the better. 94

 

Thanks FCM. Where do I get MDF? I have some spare Plywood lying around I just bought, but I don't think it'll be good. I wanted to try to use the stock mounting points, and would be more than willing to make my own plates. Do you have any pics of the plates you have made? I might be able to isolate off an area in the same general area as where the stock ones go to sort of "box off" and create 5-6 mounting points.

I am just limited on tools (a dremel is about it) with some basic hand tools. I have never done anything really with speakers or speaker boxes, just bolt ons, etc.

Thanks or the detailed response.

 

Your right, plywood is no good for speaker baffles.

MDF can be had at just about any building supply store, [Home Depot].

Sorry, lot of pix, [35mm] no way to get them onto the computer.

You could build them with nothing more then a jig saw, drill and bits and sandpaper, a skill saw would make it easier.

Once the side trim panels are off, it will be obvious what needs to be done.

I now have a template for a rough cut out of the plate.

Don't forget, they don't have to look good, just be functional. 94

 

Thanks. I have been looking at the areas, and there is plenty of room for me to make a plate. It is just gonna take some time!

 

Yea, a lot of room, I have custom MDF and fiberglass cabinets back there for a set of Eclipse, I drove around for 3mo. or so with no interior in my 94LS. 94

 

God well I have spent about 8 hours now crafting and cutting front speaker rings for my MBs to fit and mounting them and the crossovers. I have them in there now and the crossover mounted, but still am dreading running the power wire to the doors. Jesus its gonna be a PITA. I haven't even attempted to do the rears yet, just no time.

 

Getting 16ga speaker wire into the door can be a bit of a pain, but it can be made easier then it looks.

Start by removing the door panels, speakers and speaker housings, remove the kick panel trim.

Now "peel" the rubber wire boot off the plug on the "A" pillar, [in the door jamb], you can now access the locking clip(s) that allow you to unplug the door harness plug from the dash harness plug.
Now push the rubber boot grommet on the door into the door and pull the whole harness and plug into the door, then out the speaker opening, you may have to "release" some harness hangers inside the door so you can get the door harness end out as far as possible.

Now release the dash harness plug from the "A" pillar and pull harness and plug out from under the dash, [harness hangers may also have to be released on the dash harness to get you the slack you need.

If you have done the above properly you will be able to to plug the door harness back into the dash harness right out there where it is easy to work on.

After you get them to that point, you have two ways to go, the easy Jerry rig way or the much harder way it should be done, I actually think the easy way is better in most ways that are importent.

Easy way....
Find 2 - 4 unused pin positions, preferably away from other pins, then drill them out into one big hole, you must be careful not to damage other pins or their mounting holes, unplug the harnesses and clean up any plastic "burrs" on the plugs, confirm that the plugs will plug back together properly.

On a side note, on some Honda/Acura door harness to dash harness plugs you can find areas that can be drilled out that are outside the pin locations but still inside the outer part of plug, use them if you have them.

Once holes are drilled, and you have cleaned up the burrs, feed the speaker wire into the door harness plug, through the rubber boot, [tape may have to be remove] pull enough speaker lead through the rubber boot so it will easily reach the x-over, then add another foot.
Pull the 15 or so feet o speaker wire you should have coming out of the door harness plug through the wire harness hole in the door, along withe the plug and rubber boot, remount the rubber boot grommet in the door and reattach any harness hangers in the door.
Next, feed the speaker wire into the hole in the "A" pillar and out under the dash, feed it through the hole in the dash harness plug, now reinstall the dash harness plug into the hole in the "A" pillar, [obviously when you ran the speaker wire through the hole in the "A" pillar and out under the dash, you didn't wrap/loop it around any other wires under the dash before you ran it through the dash harness plug].

Before moving on reattach the rubber boot to the door harness plug, now replug the door harness plug into the dash harness plug, pulling the excess speaker wire into the car.

Piece of cake, shouldn't take you more then a day. 94

 

Yea thats how the article on TI says to do it. A day is a long time to run some wire. My wire is just rather large, and I have to run it back through half the door to reach the crossover box. Oh more time before I can jam.