What are your thoughts on hacking cars apart for speakers?

[DonovanM]

Hey guys... just looking for some input regarding permanent modification, and what some people's experiences have been while reselling and/or reverting to stock.

I know I'm gonna mess with the factory A-pillars, I'll need stock replacements of those before I sell this thing unless whoever I'm selling it to is really into audio like I am...

I know I'm gonna mess around inside the doors, but I'm not concerned with that from a reselling standpoint, they'll be quieter and have better sounding speakers in there anyway.

The thing I'm wondering about is the kick panels. Midbass does fine, but I haven't been able to get very good midrange from stock locations inside of doors, which makes me want to put a pair of 4" midranges in the kicks. That would take hacking apart 3 things: sheet metal, the plastic kick panel, and the carpet. And it would ALL be visible, and the carpet wouldn't be easy to fix and I'd maybe have to replace it

So, how much do you hack your cars apart? I'm fine with doing it where noone can see and that doesn't jeopardize any of the functionality or the safety systems or anything like that.

Share away!

[azngotskills]

I would do it if you can replace/repair/cover it like it was stock....the only thing that would make me think twice is if the car was bought brand new and i was cutting metal That being said, i have already cut some pieces in my Camry and the floor is still pending LOL

[Fish Chris]

Well hey Donovan, I've never bought a car, while thinking about reselling them. I ususally buy them brand new, then drive the freaking wheels off of them, to the point where by the time I get rid of them, they are only worth $50 from the wrecking yard :-) Or, at the very least, they are so beat down, that nobody is concerned with any mods I did 5 or 8 years earlier for the stereo. They know they are buying a beater, and the $500 price tag won't change.

Put it this way, I just bought a brand new F150 Supercab 6 months ago, and within the first month, I ripped out the rear seats (still trying to sell them on Craigslist). Yes, I know this would hurt the resale value, but again, I didn't buy it, to sell it.
BTW, I didn't do this for a sub box, but rather, I wanted more rear cargo storage space, but NEVER need rear seating.
The high end stereo was totally an afterthought.

Peace,
Fish

[Jimi77]

As long as the modifcation looks OEM, good, then it isn't a problem.

[DonovanM]

Haha... I'm always paranoid about keeping all the stock stuff I rip out around.

I've been working for a few months at a new job making a ton more money than I was when I bought my current car, enough so that I could afford a car that is significantly more expensive (M3 ). Will probably upgrade within a year or 1.5.

I guess I should just do it (mount mids in the kicks) and plan on buying new kick panels and patching up the carpet. They aren't too expensive

[Tambiengabriel]

It depends on what kind of car, how long you plan to keep the car, and what your goals are for the stereo.
I owned a Mercedes Benz E class purchased new, 2 C class purchased new and in the future a porsche or Mercedes CL. I would never cut those cars as they have a high resale value and may ruin the integrity of the car for resale.
However I had an old BMW E30 and since the resale value was not high, I hacked away.
If it were any average car, and I was not planning to compete, I might be hesitant to cut the car unless I was positive I would run that car into the ground as previous people have posted.

[DonovanM]

It's a 2000 BMW 328Ci... bought the car for $12k, could sell it now for probably like 9k. I plan on keeping it probably another year or so like I said.

I might just try it

[Mic10is]

Until Vehicle manufacturers building vehicles where speakers will perform the best, I have no choice but to build the car around the system.

All my cars have been used. made money on 2 of them
94 Eclipse--kick panel metal was removed. Sold with kick panels installed w/ cheaper speakers.
Clutch pedal was also cut and moved over close to the brake to make room for kick panel speaker--which actually made it easier to drive.

backseat was gutted for an amp rack, i restuffed the backseat
part of the tire well was cut out for a sub enclosure, i reglassed it back to sealed. Trim panels cut for processors and other stuff housing. I patched and recovered them.
Car finished 2nd at IASCA World Finals 2years in a row.
Made $500 more than paid for the car

93 Celica was my 1st attempt at a comp install way back in the day. had welded kick panels that had to be cut out. Door panels recovered. and trunk panels recovered, made $1000 more than paid.

oh yeh, all cars were sold " AS IS, No Warranty stated or implied"

[PaulD]

I would never do major mods to a new car, my 20 year old CRX is fair game though.

[dbiegel]

Depends on the car. I've regretted doing it on a collectible car, but on anything else....who cares? I don't see anything "sacred" about the factory design or sheet metal. Resale value is one of my biggest factors when choosing a vehicle, but it's not like a potential future buyer is going to take apart your door panels. And even if they did, a proper install is a great upgrade in sound deadening and audio.

I say go for it! I bought an 8th gen accord right when it came out and had it apart within a couple weeks. No regrets at all. The way I see it, the earlier you make upgrades on a new car, the longer you get to enjoy them!

[FoxPro5]

Originally Posted by DonovanM

I plan on keeping it probably another year or so like I said.

Well if you're going to sell it, then why invest the time and money in the system in the first place?

I knew my car would be a "project car" from the get go and bought it that way on purpose. The car I really wanted at the time (WRX) was $10k more so I decided to buy a cheaper car and then could afford to customize it however I wanted. So far, it has worked out well....and my attic in my garage is full with shit I've take off or replaced on it. Then, of course, there's all that raw metal and plastic that got in my way that hit the trash bin. All this was done with virtually no regard to the future owner....who I don't expect to be anyone other than me.