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Hi Erick,
>Thanks for all the additional great info -- especially the part numbers for the harness connectors!
Yeah, getting those was a trick. I had to place two preliminary orders to verify the terminals before proceeding...that after pouring over their computer database graphics for about a half hour trying to find them...the parts counter dude was not terribly motivated. I ordered the 14-pin connector bits in case I want to accomodate a new headunit someday.
The terminals actually come in two wire sizes...I got the ones for the larger worst-case wiring, 2.5mm2 max.
A footnote to the grinding...the female terminals solder and insert directly without difficulty. The male terminals needed just the tip of their metalwork removed sloping back from their opening that serves the recepticle retainage thingy. Normally, crimping the terminal smashes this metalwork down out of the way, but soldering leaves it up in the interference zone. The 1/16"+ wide Dremel grinding wheel kissed it off nicely!
Before I soldered, I closed the terminal metalwork around the wire, but I did not smash it. This leaves room for a good solder joint.
Another tip, a very small jeweler's screwdriver can be used to remove terminals from the connector housing. Just insert blade horizontally to back-bottom of T-opening and then see-saw upward...terminal will then slip out the back.
>Can you go into a bit more detail about how you fabricated the wood/plastic tweeter mounts?
I used the flush mounts that came with the tweeters and mounted these in an 1/8" PVC plate shaped exactly like the footprint of the old Volvo dash speakers (except no underdash hook tab). The plate pattern is basically a square with two mounting tabs at the hole locations. I then applied a 1/16"+ soft rubber gasket-type material to the bottom surface to cushion the plate against the dash. I then re-used the two existing push-pin fasteners and pinned the tweeter plate to the dash via the two existing holes. The compression fit afforded by the gasket material holds the plate very tightly. Before compression, the PVC-gasket thickness exceeded the existing speaker mount thickness; after compression, the combination thickness is within the requirements of the Volvo pin fastener. Worked great!
Also, some sound tests on the bench convinced me that directing the tweeters straight up into the windshield provided better dispersion and imaging from various listening angles than trying to angle the tweeters toward one non-reflecting listening point. That is, when directed into the windshield, you hear them equally well from different points in the car. When angled directly into the car, you hear them better at that listening angle than from elsewhere in the car.
I salvaged the adheasive-backed gasket material from a previous employer. It was used as a beezel gasket for an industrial control touch screen. The supplier would send us the beezel gasket and leave the huge interior region scrap in place. We'd only use the skinny perimeter on the product and the rest was headed for the trash. I grabbed a stack!
I produced the white 1/8" PVC plate stock from 6" lightweight drain pipe. Take a piece of pipe, cut it lengthwise with a scroll saw, stick it in the oven on a cookie sheet at 300f for about 4-5 minutes...when it goes LIMP, lay it out on a flat surface (use gloves!) and place another flat surface on top, press until cool...about 2 minutes...and now you have white 1/8" PVC plate stock. Overheating and uneven heating can be destructive to the PVC. For the press, I used a couple of 24" square smooth laminated particle board shelves which don't experience that much heat for too long a period. If you use a textured surface press like plywood or your kitchen flooring, you'll get that texture embossed on the PVC plate, sort of.
This PVC material is easily fabricated with a scroll or band saw, drill, file, and sandpaper. I have made forms and pressed it into 3 dimensions, but it is only suitable for simple bends. Otherwise, it should be used for basic applications that respect its limits...it is stiff yet soft and not high strength, and it degrades under exposure to excessive heat or sunlight. But it will hold a couple tweeters, no problem!
The existing front door speaker mount was a plastic ring-beam with three feet. My new speaker was smaller in diameter such that the mounting holes fell within the ring's inside diameter. And I didn't want to cut/drill this fragile ring. So, I clamped on to it. I fabricated an 1/8" PVC reducer plate/ring for the top to mate the speaker to the ring, and I fabricated a 1/2" plywood plate/ring for the bottom to screw into and clamp the whole assembly to the ring. The screws extend through the back of the plywood to insure maximum thread grip, and are tipped with hot glue to cover the point. It's rock solid and serves to strenghten the original Volvo ring. I can provide dimensions if anyone needs 'em.
The back speakers were easier. The mounting holes matched the angle of the Volvo mounting holes but did not match the diameter. Instead, the outside diameter of the speaker matched the diameter of the Volvo mounting holes. So, I used the Dremel to remove the speaker metalwork lip at the mounting holes to allow the existing Volvo mounting screws to pin the speaker in place. Worked great! You'll need a shop vac to get all the metal shavings off the magnet!
>Did the silicone sealant actually stop the nylon door panel mounting pins from rattling? How exactly did you apply the sealant? Did you just squirt a dot between the nylon and the sheet metal?
I used GE Household Glue Clear Silicone II Sealant 2.8 Fl. Oz. $2.94 (Home Depot). Yes, it stopped the rattles as far as I can tell. I applied it sparingly just enough to insure it stayed attached to the parts I wanted dampened. The speaker pins were chronic so I gobbed it over the top of them (can be picked off if ever necessary). I also used it more permanently as a thin gasket seat on the speaker assemblies. On the door panel pins, I slid the pins outward, put a dab below/between pin and plastic mount, and pushed the pins back into place, making sure not to get any on the door panel side. Then I mounted the door panels right away so that the pins floated to their mounted postions while the sealant was still wet. Most of these pins were fairly factory tight but the few loose ones can easily chatter like crazy in their plastic mounts... DUMB!, Volvo!
Upon first removing one door panel, I found one of the plastic door panel pin mounts to be loose, like not glued! I found some *great* stuff for re-gluing that...Elmer’s Probond Polyurethane Glue 8 Fl. Oz (Home Depot). This stuff expands into ROCK!
Another tip, I wanted the CD changer fixed squarely in the glovebox and decided a couple wood blocks would do the job. But, the molded glovebox is hardly a square beast so the wood blocks needed odd cuts. My tip, make the edges against the CD changer square and straight, and determine the other cuts required by laying out the changer and blocking on the outside of the glovebox bottom. Actually, each block only required one side cut at a slight angle.
Last night I hooked up the old Volvo rear door coaxials on my workbench to see if they could extend my office tunes into my workroom. They sounded so BAD! I threw them across the room into the trash without another thought. Today, I think I'll pull them out just to slash their woofers to make sure they never assault another person's hearing!
Glenn
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