Headrest Speaker Installation
By: Rick 

Having free time, and frustration with no noise coming from behind my head, I decided to put in my first step to gain rear imaging from my stereo- headrest speakers. Keep in mind that I used a pair of 4 inch speakers for mine, but that you may use a pair of smaller speakers in each headrest if you like (this is the more common method). I chose a pair of 4” coaxials as I will be installing a pair of tweeters at a later date (an article will come on that too).

Seat and seat cover removal

Step 1 - Remove the seats (easier with top down) - 4 bolts, 2 per rail. 1 is under a plastic cover- just pop it off. Bolts are: 14 mm and come off with a socket easily.  Lean the seat full forward (as if you were getting in your storage bin) then lean the ENTIRE seat (unbolted) back - this will allow you to take off the wiring harness- only disconnect where the wire from the floor attaches to the seat - there is a tab you must push in.

Step 2- Take the seat inside, have someone vacuum out under the seat (you know what I mean ;-)  ) Remove the seat cover. Start from the back, under the flap that covers a metal rod. You will see 3 copper rings holding things together. Remove these and SAVE ALL PARTS. Continue doing this until you have removed everything (there are 2 green elastic tension bands (per seat) that must be removed as well) This is the hardest part- dealing with the seat cover. Pry the copper things off (I just bent mine until they popped off) but DON'T BREAK THEM.

NOTE the top-front has 3 that require you to pull the cover over the top of the headrest completely so you can get to the copper rings
 
Speaker Installation

Now, look at the back of the seat- you will notice the foam already has a cut out which gives you access to the inside of the seat:
From the back, raise the upper part of the foam to see the 2 support rails- which you will mount your speakers on to:

*Can’t remember exactly, but the distance from the 2 braces from where the bottom is CLOSER to the top is 4 ¾ in – I think the length of the raised lower brace was 4 ¼ in*

Put the speaker in the middle- center using the bottom bracket. put all the way to the top rail, and draw outline :
Drill holes (Yes I used a drill) within the outline to allow sound to travel more freely. I started with a pattern, but then just went wild ;-) NOTE the foam tape I used on the top rail- both for tackiness and to prevent vibrations from the metal :
Speaker, mounted with double sided tape and 4 nylon pull type ties- PULL THESE PRETTY TIGHT but DON'T warp the metal:
Lower the flap and guess where you will need to cut to allow the speaker to fit.  Cut a small guesstimate hole in the center to be safe.
Here is the beginning of the cut out- to allow the speaker to sit flush in the foam:
Cut as necessary to fit speaker. Here is my el cheapo Pioneer speaker, shown from the rear, foam cut out to hold it steady :
Speaker in foam, wire ran under the foam, and a channel and notch cut out for air movement (Note I left the backing of the foam, just cut the foam. The channel is around 3/4 inch wide, and the notch stops around 3/4 inch from the speaker (Where the backing is gone too)
Wire routing down the back of the seat (Drivers side). This is before I soldered them. You can use crimp style connectors if you want, but it is always better to solder then cover with heat shrink tubing. (Of course put the heat shrink over the wire BEFORE you solder them…)
Speaker wire routing, through this little flap on the side of the seat (shares this with the seat sensor wire) NOTE- LEAVE ENOUGH TO ROUTE UNDER THE CARPET AND TO YOUR STEREO!!!

This is where the camera died- very sorry!

Reassembly

OK now comes the hard part. Now you must re-install the little copper rings to put your seat cushion back on. I used 2 pair of pliers (1 needle nose) and brute force.  Professional upholsterers have special pliers to do this.  Enjoy your time cursing at the seat while doing this I left myself PLENTY of speaker wire so that I could thread the wire under the carpet and leave the seat outside the car. Waste? Yes, but saved me some 4 letter words. Initially thread the wire through the same hole that the seat sensor wire comes out of (under the seat- you will see the cutout in the carpet), then over to the hole near the center console where the seat bolts down. Now, use you finger to pop up the carpet up (because it is molded to the car) toward the radio, and slide in a coat hanger (I recommend plastic coated hanger to keep from pulling the carpet and scratching paint). Reach down to grab the coat hanger, tape wire to the other end and pull through the opened velcro wire hole behind the radio (on top of the hump- you will see it). Then wire them in. BE SURE WHEN DOING THIS THAT YOU DON'T PUT THE SPEAKER WIRE WHERE THE SEAT WILL PINCH IT WHEN BOLTED DOWN!

As for under the seat routing, I went through the coils, then used small split tubing. I wrapped the speaker wire with an under seat coil (the little metal braces just under the foam), and left the same amount of split tubing as the seat sensor wire loose to allow seat movement. This wire is all in the tubing.

Overall, pretty easy stuff. The split tubing and foam tape I got from Wal-Mart in the Auto section.

I must say that the sound of the car has been DEFINITELY improved. I am very happy with the results- now I can’t wait to get those tweeters in to finish the job! Oh yeah, and the Amazing Underdash Sub Jr (thanks to Ed Black for spearheading these by the way) whenever I have more time and money…

 

UPDATE 1/7/02

Well, I went to get the tweeters and, unfortunately, my experiment for these to give the surround effect that I wanted was unsuccessful. For that reason, I am putting another pair of speakers in the headrest to give me the imaging I wanted. I should have done this in the first place, but decided to listen to "an expert" who apparently knows not of what he speaks. If anything install wise changes after I do this, I will let you know.