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So the '93 FD I recently picked up was originally a touring model, and was equipped with the Bose audio system. Currently, the only audio gear that remains in the car to my knowledge are the door speakers, and the OEM wiring harnesses - the Bose head unit in the dash and "Bose hose" speakers in the hatch area are long gone.
On the rear side panel trim behind the seats, there is cubby pocket insert on each side where I believe the rear speakers would have gone in a non-Bose equipped FD. If I remove the cubby pocket insert, all I see underneath is plastic, which appears to be part of the B-pillar trim that the cubby fits into - I can't see any metal speaker brackets or unconnected wiring in there. I assume this normal for a Bose equipped FD?
Anyway, the my plan is to get a aftermarket head unit, new speakers for the doors and if I can figure out how to mount them cleanly, new speakers for the rear panels too. Question is what parts from a base (non-Bose) FD will I need to find to install those rear speakers? Here's what I think I need - can someone confirm/correct my list?
- Metal rear speaker brackets from a non-Bose FD
- Speaker Grills for the rear panel (basically replaces cubby piece I have & covers up the speaker)
- Do I also need the B-pillar/rear panel trim piece (each side) that the speakers sit in? (i.e., is it different in the non-Bose FD's?)
- Run my own speaker wiring harness for the rear speakers since the Bose harness (if it's still there?) is going to the wrong place.
I went through the same thing a few years back. I was having a hard time finding the brackets. I ended up making a set myself by copying an oem set my friend let me borrow. He wouldnt sell them to me lol. Mine are a little crude but I can trim them to fit 6x9's easily. You just have to be careful of your depth on the speakers you choose. Same with the 6x8's for that matter. I may switch to 6x9s in fact when I redo my audio system next year. Anyhow the link is below for what I did.
^That front speaker adapter looks like it will come in handy.
The only adapters I found so far for the rear speakers still require the factory metal brackets - they just adapt the 6x8 factory size to a 6-1/2 round speaker. I did find a thread here where someone made a wood panel that fit a 6-1/2' woofer & a tweeter that just clips into the B-pillar panel. Looks like a good clean install, but I would think it might buzz around & rattle because it's just clipped into the plastic B-pillar, which rattles on its own. Ref to thread: https://www.rx7club.com/interior-ext...ck-out-920445/
Originally Posted by DaleClark
Yep, you really just need the metal bracket to hold the speaker and the speaker grill to cover it up. The B pillar plastic is identical.
I THINK the wiring may be in place or mostly in place for the rear speakers. Worst case you'll need to run some wire.
Finding the rear speaker brackets and grills is the hard part - they are in demand used and I don't think they are available new from Mazda.
Dale
Roger that Dale, seems like all FD parts are made of expensive unobtainium! Fortunately, I just found another thread here with a template so you can fabricate your own copy of the stock bracket out of AL sheet metal. https://www.rx7club.com/interior-ext...plate-1096827/ Doesn't look too hard to do.
I went through the same thing a few years back. I was having a hard time finding the brackets. I ended up making a set myself by copying an oem set my friend let me borrow. He wouldnt sell them to me lol. Mine are a little crude but I can trim them to fit 6x9's easily. You just have to be careful of your depth on the speakers you choose. Same with the 6x8's for that matter. I may switch to 6x9s in fact when I redo my audio system next year. Anyhow the link is below for what I did.
I keep meaning to send photos and potentially a set to LRB for a potential solution (both front and rear) that isn't lame like the layered plastic front replacements. I think that'll go on my 'todo' list for tomorrow.
Here's a quick update. I finally got around to installing those rear speakers. Couldn't see myself spending the $100+ folks are asking for a pair of used rear speaker brackets, so I made a pair myself out of <$20 worth of 1/16" thick sheet aluminum. Started by using the template pattern that SilverTRD posted, and had my local Staples store print it out for me on the 11x17 paper and card stock so I can make a quick template.
Problem # 1 was the printer Staples used scaled it down ever so slightly. I found that out by making a mock-up version of the bracket out of a Cheerios box to test fit the thing. Basically all the proportions were good, but I had to make the oval slightly larger and extend the 3x legs out a bit. I used the oval speaker install template that came with my speakers to get the oval perfect, and overlaid that on an "extended leg" version of SilverTRD's template. With a new template in hand, it was time to cut & bend some AL sheet to my will... Here's the end result:
Just the bracket Bracket with Infinity 6x8" speaker and XTC foam baffle installed
I painted the brackets black so you wouldn't see any shiny AL behind the speaker grills. For the grills, I'm going to have to find used ones, or figure out a way to modify the existing cubby trim bits into speaker grills. Another minor problem I had installing these in the car was the XTC foam speaker baffles I purchased interfered with the seat belt mechanism behind it - I purchased the deeper of the two sizes of XTC baffles available. What I ended up doing is cutting away some of the baffle material, and then stretching what was left around the back of the speaker, forming a lip that got sandwiched between the bracket and speaker frame. I worked well, turning the baffle into the shallow version that didn't interfere with anything behind it.
The speaker grille can be easily installed at any time so you can just drive the car with the speakers installed without the covers until you find a set. They are cosmetic and do protect the speakers if you have something sitting on top of the storage bins.
The speaker grille can be easily installed at any time so you can just drive the car with the speakers installed without the covers until you find a set. They are cosmetic and do protect the speakers if you have something sitting on top of the storage bins.
Dale
Yup, I'm going to try to find OEM grills, but I figured out a way to convert the cubby's into grills that I might test. If you look at the cubby from the front where it has that opening, and use the inside edge of the opening as a guide to trace a line around the circumference where you'll cut, you'll end up with an oval-ish ring approx. 1/2" thick that will snap right back into the B-pillar quarter trim. You can then wrap the ring in speaker grill fabric, stretch it around and glue the fabric on the backside where it won't be seen.
Originally Posted by ItalynStylion
How does it sound now?
Sounds great in the garage, though I haven't tested it on the road yet.
I’m glad to have finally see someone use it, or post their results at least. They do look good Pete!
I’m also curious to hear how your speakers sound when you road test. I ran some what I thought were decent Rockford fosgates but they don’t sound great tbh. I think a new sound system is in order this year or next. One of the last things the car needs.
I think short of going with a subwoofer, bass is hard to get out of this car in the stock mounting locations. I'm running a set of nicer Audiofrog 6.5" coaxials in the front doors and a set of Boston Acoustics coaxials in the rear and I have almost no bass. Some extra cone area would really help so I was hoping to fit a 6x9 in the rear but it was clear it wasn't going to happen without significant modification. I suspect this is why the Bose setups had the snake setup in the rear (it's a transmission line enclosure) for a bit of extra thump. Truth be told, it's a great idea. Especially how it empties into the cabin by way of having the TL mouth exit the top of the hatch cabin. I've never played with one before but it would be cool to retrofit one with some modern speaker drivers and an amp that's worth a damn. Only reason I never tried it is because it takes up a fair amount of trunk room.
I got a chance to road test the sound system for a short ride around the neighborhood. The sound imaging/staging and highs/midrange is great, but the bass is lacking a bit. I expected the bass to be lackluster without a subwoofer, but I was pleasantly surprised at how much better the sound stage is in the FD as compared to my FC. I'm running Infinity Reference REF-6532IX 6-1/2" round 2-way speakers in the doors, and Infinity Reference REF-8632CFX 6X8's in the rear B-pillars. Head unit is a Kenwood Excelon DMX706S, which is a double-DIN format touch screen with Android Auto/Car play and all the typical modern features. Amp is MFG rated at 25W/channel, and 14W/channel per the relevant consumer electronics independent testing standard (forget the name of that). It has a 13 band equalizer and a shitload of speaker location & cross over adjustments, but I've barely messed with those yet to see if I could improve the bass response.
Originally Posted by ItalynStylion
I think short of going with a subwoofer, bass is hard to get out of this car in the stock mounting locations. I'm running a set of nicer Audiofrog 6.5" coaxials in the front doors and a set of Boston Acoustics coaxials in the rear and I have almost no bass. Some extra cone area would really help so I was hoping to fit a 6x9 in the rear but it was clear it wasn't going to happen without significant modification. I suspect this is why the Bose setups had the snake setup in the rear (it's a transmission line enclosure) for a bit of extra thump. Truth be told, it's a great idea. Especially how it empties into the cabin by way of having the TL mouth exit the top of the hatch cabin. I've never played with one before but it would be cool to retrofit one with some modern speaker drivers and an amp that's worth a damn. Only reason I never tried it is because it takes up a fair amount of trunk room.
^Actually I think if you can fabricate your own brackets, fitting 6x9's should not be a problem. The space is there for the diameter, you'll just have to watch the depth as I found out mounting my 6x8's with the foam baffles.
^Actually I think if you can fabricate your own brackets, fitting 6x9's should not be a problem. The space is there for the diameter, you'll just have to watch the depth as I found out mounting my 6x8's with the foam baffles.
Yes, that's what I was referring to. You'd have to fab up your own mount and even then it couldn't be a deep 6x9. It's just hard to justify that sort of effort when in my case I already had the OEM brackets because mine was an R2. The reality is the Boston Acoustics 5x7 drivers came with the car too so I just sort of left them. I thought for sure the Audio Frog drivers would be enough after sealing up the doors and deadening but I think I need more EQ than my headunit offers. I'm putting off running a full DSP but we will see what happens. Just trying to get the car back on the road first. Then, if it's deserving, I'll really have a go at the stereo. I've always kinda wanted to fab up a little ported 8" sub box to go under the rear strut bar. Pretty sure I could manage that with almost no loss of space.
My car is a touring and I went through this a few years ago. I swapped to the larger door speakers several years ago but I still couldn't really hear them while driving. Once I found the brackets (what a pain in the ***, I wish I'd had that template myself), I installed some 6x9 Pioneers if I remember right and I've been so happy being able to hear the stereo so much better now. I'm not an audiophile and I'm not really into bass anymore, so my setup works just fine for me. I have a box that fits perfectly under the rear strut bar that holds two 8" subs, but I can't bring myself to install it and run the wiring when I really don't care and I'd rather listen to the car lol, plus I'd have to remove it for every track day.
Those brackets turned out great! Way better option than trying to find the stock ones and paying through the nose for them.
Solid thread. Thanks for posting the bracket fab and consolidating external links.
Has anyone seen any write ups or fitment issues with custom tweeter component speakers in the sail panel? I have seen photos of them but haven’t found any concrete info.
Also curious if anyone has done a shallow mount subwoofer custom fiberglass or wood box in the spare tire area?
Solid thread. Thanks for posting the bracket fab and consolidating external links.
Has anyone seen any write ups or fitment issues with custom tweeter component speakers in the sail panel? I have seen photos of them but haven’t found any concrete info.
Also curious if anyone has done a shallow mount subwoofer custom fiberglass or wood box in the spare tire area?
Thanks in advance
-milly
The sail panels are absurdly shallow. There's basically no internal space. So don't think you'll just be cutting a hole in them and sliding in a tweeter. You'll need to fiberglass them for sure.
I really think fitting 6x9s instead of 6x8s will make a big difference in sound. They move a whole lot more air l, even with a shallow magnet. I had the cheapest set of 6x9s in my old Camaro and they sounded way better than my more expensive 6x8s. I believe 6x8s are on a 5x7 frane if I’m not mistaken.
I really think fitting 6x9s instead of 6x8s will make a big difference in sound. They move a whole lot more air l, even with a shallow magnet. I had the cheapest set of 6x9s in my old Camaro and they sounded way better than my more expensive 6x8s. I believe 6x8s are on a 5x7 frane if I’m not mistaken.
It's about 20% more cone area. It certainly helps.
Yep, you really just need the metal bracket to hold the speaker and the speaker grill to cover it up. The B pillar plastic is identical.
I THINK the wiring may be in place or mostly in place for the rear speakers. Worst case you'll need to run some wire.
Finding the rear speaker brackets and grills is the hard part - they are in demand used and I don't think they are available new from Mazda.
Dale
Definitely will need to run the wire. They used different Rear harnesses for Bose or Non-Bose. It's all in the Rear harness too, floor harness is almost entirely just ABS wiring, the overheat exhaust sensor and the door switch. An entire ground is present for Bose that doesn't exist for non-Bose.
Curious if anyone has been able to get the template of the speaker bracket photo to save at full size? When I save it it defaults to a very small size. Bracket thread said the total height of the bracket is 12 15/16 “, anyone know the total width so I can manually alter the template? Looking for any tricks on getting it to print full size.
Hey so what’s the verdict on wiring up the rear speakers. Is there a way to use the wiring from the Bose wave system or did you run new wires for the rear? Im in the process of putting a full system in my touring also. Running basic focal 6.5 components up front and rf punch 6x8s in the back. Here’s a mock up of my tweeter install I’m waiting for fabric to glass it
Hey so what’s the verdict on wiring up the rear speakers. Is there a way to use the wiring from the Bose wave system or did you run new wires for the rear? Im in the process of putting a full system in my touring also. Running basic focal 6.5 components up front and rf punch 6x8s in the back. Here’s a mock up of my tweeter install I’m waiting for fabric to glass it
Yes there is, and it may be significantly easier than how I ended up doing mine (more on that later). My FD also started life as a touring model that had the Bose system. You'll obviously need the FSM wiring diagram as reference for this. What I ended up doing is finding connector J2-04, which is a black 6-pin connector that plugs into the Bose amp/wave guide assembly in the back. You'll find J2-04 under the rear quarter hatch trim, driver's side. Then I de-pinned the 4x speaker wires going into J2-04 and instead used them to create my own speaker wiring harness to bring each speaker wire pair forward to the B-pillar locations.
Now here's the fun part - after building that harness and getting the speakers working, some time later I started to tackle some interior restoration work, and after removing the bins, I found a small white 2 pin connector dangling down on each side that was connected to nothing. A quick ohm meter test later, and I discovered that these dangling connectors were in fact speaker connectors that I could have used! Apparently at least that part of the wiring harness.is common between Bose & standard RX7 audio systems, but if you go by the FSM for the Bose model, the wiring diagram does NOT show the existence of the unused wires that are there as a NC (no connection).
11-22-19, 11:24 AM
