Replace REAR Speakers

[Mark413]

Hello,

I am trying to replace the rear speakers in my Delorean. The only way I am able to do it is if I cut the lining where the door is. Does anyone have any helpful hints or suggestions?

[DMC-81]

Hello,

I am trying to replace the rear speakers in my Delorean. The only way I am able to do it is if I cut the lining where the door is. Does anyone have any helpful hints or suggestions?

Hi there,

Welcome to the forum! Sure, many of us have done this. First tip is please do not cut the lining. That helps attach the panel to the car. That area is glued on to the fiberglass tub with contact cement. You can essentially soften the glue with a heat gun and then reapply when done. I have some steps and pictures on page 9 and 10 in my Interior Restoration album on my profile if it helps any. Here are a few and the basic process:








To replace the rear speakers, I removed the passenger rear side panel using a heat gun on the leading edge under the door seal. It required patience and attention to avoid melting the brittle plastic.

Here are some tips I learned:
1) It works fast! You need wave the gun, and keep it 8-10 inches away from the plastic.
2) Move it away from the area being heated after 3-5 seconds.
3) Use the blade of the screwdriver as your guide on how much heat to apply.
4) Too little heat is better than too much. You can always apply more to get the plastic to move/release.
5) The plastic/ vinyl will continue to heat for a few seconds after removing the heat source.
6) You need to do a few inches at a time to roll the plastic up and over the fiberglass edge. If you try to do one small area, you can rip the plastic
6) Watch for plastic that becomes shiny or worse, forms bubbles. That is too hot.

I had to repair a section of the plastic liner as well, and that's detailed as well.

Good luck and let us know if you have any questions.

[dmcnc]

DO NOT cut the panels off. That liner is the only thing holding them flush against the door frame. I had a stereo car install crew cut through mine years ago. Those panels are no longer available so I ended up redoing them with just dashes (over 1,000 USD for both). It's a great thing that you ask the community before jumping on the project as a lot of new buyers follow that how-to that tells you to cut them with a blade. Damn thing should be pulled off the internet.

[Mark413]

Thank you,

I really appreciate the help. I will take my time with the heat gun.

[NorthEastJBD]

Thank you,

I really appreciate the help. I will take my time with the heat gun.

I need to replace the speakers in my car. I have the front dash off but then just looked up to see how the best way to take off the rear panels.

Everything else is removed, after seeing this post it helps considerable & verifies what was observed. I thought I might have to remove the rivets holding the glued section.

How did you make out with your heating/ removing?

Looks like we are not far from each other since I just live north of Spfld.

Any extra thoughts after you accomplished yours?

Mine is a 1983 car, so some of the assembly is sometimes a little different.

Thanks for any thoughts.