SteveThing

Wall of text. Sorry, million questions.

Just bought my first Civic (99 EX)! Pretty stoked. She's got some issues, but nothing I can't handle. One of the issues I've run into is that the passenger side front door has a leaky window. After taking the door panel off, I finally figured out that the seal at the bottom of the window (when rolled up) has shrunk/disintegrated. Now water just pours into the door. The OEM speaker turned into paper mache. It looks like I'm going to have to do some cutting on the door panel and make a spacer for new speakers. I don't think Honda can measure properly, cuz those are not 6.5" speakers holes...

The dealership I bought it from said the door had been replaced. The plastic that is normally behind the door panel is gone (and they painted over the goo left behind! lazy...). I was going to Dynamat the door, but with water getting in, it seems to be a bad idea. The inside of the door is filthy and has a nice layer of dirt/grime. I plan on taking it in to get the seals replaced and the doors adjusted (they aren't aligned properly).

So new plan. I was considering building a speaker box to mount to the door or find some other way to protect the speaker. Suggestions? I need to run new speaker wire too, which looks like it's going to be a challenge. I will try to upload some pictures when the sun comes up.

Here's what I've bought so far:
Alpine UTE-32 Head Unit
Alpine KTP-455U 4-channel amp (not going big on this build)
Hertz 6.5" and 6x9 speakers
Dynamat 40sqft (not installed yet)

I just pulled out most of the interior. I think a little old lady owned it because all I found under the seats was coins and hair pins. Since I've got it all out, it is a prime opportunity to run new cabling. I want to put the dynamat in, but there are black pads that look like Honda's attempt at sound deadening. Should I leave it there or remove it? Are there some key spots I should focus on matting? Double up anywhere?

Is the headliner glued onto a foam mat? If I remove it, will I be able to put it back in easily?

Thank you for your time,
Steve

ezone

Water is allowed to do this.
This is what was supposed to keep water OUT of the interior as it passes through the middle of the door.

I'd probably send this to the bodyshop.

Some manufacturers have plastic shields that cover the top half of their door speakers.
Others use plastic sheet as the waterproofing and just stuff the speaker into it from inside.

Look into some marine speakers (boat shop? JC Whitney? IDK) I'm gonna look there when I need new ones for the fairing on my bike.

Fabric, glued to a thin layer of foam, glued to a sort of fiberboard.
If it is a regular car, I think it goes out the passenger door. If it is a hatch, you are home free.
I wouldn't pull the headliner out unless it is absolutely necessary. (I have replaced roof wiring harnesses with just dropping the headliner as far as possible)
They fall apart over time too, the fabric sags as the foam rots.

SteveThing

Oh wow. Thank you for all the info. I don't much about cars, obviously, but I assumed water was bad. So is it a bad idea to dynamat the inside of the door? I will be doing just behind the door panel still methinks.

ezone

Not really, the door is designed to allow water to pass through. That's why there are drain holes in the bottom of almost any door.

If they made a totally sealed door, there would not be a roll-down window. (Most of the the tailgates have drain holes too, no matter if the glass opens or not.)


No, many people do just that. (IDK if they mat the outer sheetmetal though or just the interior panel side.)

I'd want to fix the vapor barrier (plastic liner) first.







You DID at least break it into paragraphs for those of us that are reading impaired!

HTH

Kennykid2002

iTrader: (1)

Water is allowed to pass through the door, that's why there's drain holes.

Honda's speaker woofers are 6.5". The holes cut into the door panels are merely to fit the tiny magnets on the stock speakers. The hole is in no way to fit a regular aftermarket sized 6.5" speaker. You'll either need to build your own or purchase speaker brackets to install them.
If you purchase a Metra speaker bracket, you won't have to cut into your panel. You'll only need to drill 3 or 4 holes and use some self tapping screws to set it in place.

If your main concern is water damage to the speakers, my #1 suggestion is to buy Marine grade speakers, like ezone said. But looking as you've already purchased your speakers, that probably isn't an option. But even so, the biggest problem regardless of speaker is corrosion of the connection points.
This can be prevented by several options including heat shrink wrapping the connection points, applying hot glue to protect the connection points, or purchasing of a speaker baffle; which will protect the speaker in it's entirety.

If you are running speaker wire through the doors, I would pull them through the stock grommet in the doors. That would be your best bet.
Also, remember if you're running power cable for the amplifier, run the analog RCA cables on the opposite side of your power cable to reduce interference. (IE. If you're running your power cable through the passenger side, run your RCA cables on the driver side)