Ok, like many other members on here I was totally underwhelmed by the stock sound system. I started out by replacing all the door speakers with some nice JBL components I got on sale. This didn't have much of an effect. A little bit more clarity, but still definitely limited by the stock amp.
I wanted to maintain OEM functionality and not give up any storage space. With those considerations in mind, I went with an LC6i, outputting to a Rockford Fosgate R600-5 amp. Hooking up the LC6i was a snap (Besides running the power cable). I used the speaker connector from a metra 71-9003 harness for the inputs and utilized the auto-turn-on feature to spare me the hassle of running a remote. The amp was similarily pretty easy. I was able to fit it in right above and forward of the spare tire. As you can see from the photos, it pushed the carpet/foam piece just behind the rear seats forward a bit, but it isn't noticeable. Further, it doesn't seem to get too hot down there, there's a small air gap between it and the spare tire cover, and it is sitting on metal, which should help a bit. The speaker wires were connected to a 70-9003, and from there hooked back into the factory connector to the speakers. Hooking this up was a bit tricky, there isn't much slack in the output to the speakers. I ziptied the connectors together to keep things from getting pulled/vibrated loose.
Finally, I built a fiberglass enclosure for a 10" sub. This was inspired by JayinMI's fine work on another thread. Now, I've never built anything from fiberglass before, and despite the fact that (as the picture below shows) it looked like a hot mess for most of the build process, liberal application of body filler, tons of sanding, and lots of patience resulted in a final product that, while not beautiful or perfect by any stretch, at least doesn't embarass me when I'm getting groceries out of the trunk. The fiberglass was bolted to the body panel with 4 12mmX25mm bolts w/neoprene washers and lock nuts. It's nice and solid and sounds great. No buzzing or other weird sounds, so I'm calling it a success. Until the thing implodes, which is probably a real danger considering my horrible fiberglass job.
Anyway, a lot of words, and not very many pictures. My hands were too covered in resin to use the camera much. If anyone has questions feel free to hit me up.
I wanted to maintain OEM functionality and not give up any storage space. With those considerations in mind, I went with an LC6i, outputting to a Rockford Fosgate R600-5 amp. Hooking up the LC6i was a snap (Besides running the power cable). I used the speaker connector from a metra 71-9003 harness for the inputs and utilized the auto-turn-on feature to spare me the hassle of running a remote. The amp was similarily pretty easy. I was able to fit it in right above and forward of the spare tire. As you can see from the photos, it pushed the carpet/foam piece just behind the rear seats forward a bit, but it isn't noticeable. Further, it doesn't seem to get too hot down there, there's a small air gap between it and the spare tire cover, and it is sitting on metal, which should help a bit. The speaker wires were connected to a 70-9003, and from there hooked back into the factory connector to the speakers. Hooking this up was a bit tricky, there isn't much slack in the output to the speakers. I ziptied the connectors together to keep things from getting pulled/vibrated loose.
Finally, I built a fiberglass enclosure for a 10" sub. This was inspired by JayinMI's fine work on another thread. Now, I've never built anything from fiberglass before, and despite the fact that (as the picture below shows) it looked like a hot mess for most of the build process, liberal application of body filler, tons of sanding, and lots of patience resulted in a final product that, while not beautiful or perfect by any stretch, at least doesn't embarass me when I'm getting groceries out of the trunk. The fiberglass was bolted to the body panel with 4 12mmX25mm bolts w/neoprene washers and lock nuts. It's nice and solid and sounds great. No buzzing or other weird sounds, so I'm calling it a success. Until the thing implodes, which is probably a real danger considering my horrible fiberglass job.
Anyway, a lot of words, and not very many pictures. My hands were too covered in resin to use the camera much. If anyone has questions feel free to hit me up.