How to Refit Speakers that use Rivets

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Jun 17, 2013
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Going to have to replace the front speakers on my parent's 2012 Hyundai Genesis which were originally riveted in. I found a Rivet gun and some rivets in my garage but I couldn't get them to actually hold the speaker onto the door. I'm thinking of going and getting some u-shaped speed nuts and some bolts or screws to replace the speaker. Is that an acceptable method?
 
Can you get your hand around the back of the speaker? The ones I've had to remove I've just used 5mm bolts of the appropriate length with a lock washer and a nut on the back. Easy peasy.
 
This is what I'm working with

543C21E2-09DA-41AE-8552-EC8BBECE2E7A.jpeg
 
We'd need to see good pics to give suggestions, unless someone here has done that vehicle.

Edit: Okay you've posted one since I wrote that. The pic is a bit small but it looks like you have a plastic frame riveted to the door panel metal but the driver itself is a separate piece? Does that plastic need reused with a new driver or do new drivers come with this special frame for this application?

Since you don't have access to the back side, what I'd do is use sheet metal screws with new holes around the perimeter. Drill them to the correct size for the screws, then drill a slightly larger hole in the frame so the screws free spin in it. This assumes that the metal lip behind it, goes around the entire perimeter and not just forming tabs where each rivet was.

Looking at the surround on that, it looks like it can produce a fair amount of extension (thus bass) and you may need a gasket of some sort behind it to eliminate rattling or buzzing between the frame and door metal. I mean even if there was one, it could end up in bad shape from removal or compressed for years. Even single wall cardboard would be better than nothing, but I'd think about a thin layer of already-set RTV sealant too, holding the cardboard on and adding additional cushioning.
 
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Originally Posted by Trav
I have used rivet nuts on some that are blind with great results, no nuts and washers to fiddle with.


I've seen those and they look cool but I don't have the tool to install those and don't really want to buy something I'll probably never use again.

I'm hoping the u shaped speed nuts will work.
 
Make sure you use nylok nuts or thread locker or else you will be pulling them apart looking for the buzzing sound in 6 mos. If you want to use pop rivets you may have to get longer ones and use rivet washers on the back
 
Originally Posted by Dave9
We'd need to see good pics to give suggestions, unless someone here has done that vehicle. Is it possible that your rivets just need some washers added, or are they too short for that? Granted, a hand rivet gun isn't so great for larger rivets like sometimes put on at the factory.

Generally yes, speed nuts, or even standard bolts and nuts w/lock washer (or locknuts) if you have access to the back side to do it. Just make sure there's no play so they don't rattle or buzz, but also make sure that fastening them down does not deform the frame and put tension on the driver cone. If necessary, shim behind any areas that need it in order to keep the speaker frame from deforming, or bend the underlying metal to correct it.


The rivets are too short to go through both the Plastic speaker Surround and the steel panel that the speakers fasten to.
 
Originally Posted by samven
Make sure you use nylok nuts or thread locker or else you will be pulling them apart looking for the buzzing sound in 6 mos. If you want to use pop rivets you may have to get longer ones and use rivet washers on the back


Is it fairly easy to find longer rivets? I only have what came in the kit that you can pick up from oreilly. I don't have much experience using rivets either.
 
Originally Posted by TXCarGeek
The rivets are too short to go through both the Plastic speaker Surround and the steel panel that the speakers fasten to.


I changed my prior post after having seen the pic.
 
Originally Posted by Dave9
Originally Posted by TXCarGeek
The rivets are too short to go through both the Plastic speaker Surround and the steel panel that the speakers fasten to.


I changed my prior post after having seen the pic.


The plastic frame is integral to the entire speaker. It cannot be separated. The backing has a foam gasket to prevent rattles.
 
The home stores or farm stores should have a selection as well as Amazon. You can get the rivets in varying length as well as diameter. Diameters are usually on the small side 1/8", 5/32, 3/16, 7/32. The lengths are listed as ranges of thickness they are designed to tie together. Make sure the diameter is an exact match to the hole size or you will not get a good tight clamp or the rivet will pull through when you tighten it.
 
Is there such a thing as a metric sized pop rivet. Those holes are probably drilled with a metric bit being a Hyundai..
 
VW uses that style and I have done quite a few over the years, they use this style for a reason. You need to see how much clearance there is when the speaker is mounted and the window when its down and it gets the speaker in the door panel itself.
There is a good chance it will hit the speaker in which case you have two options, either a light low clearance speaker which sounds like crap or you modify the OE speaker so you can use the outside shell which is the IMO the best way.

This is one of those times I wish I would have taken some pictures but I will do my best to describe how to do it. First of all Rivet nuts are a must, no special tools needed you only need a nut, bolt and washer if you don't want to buy a tool (the one that looks like a normal rivet gun works best for the small aluminum nuts) that are cheap on Amazon.

The first thing you need to do is cut the guts of the speaker out leaving just the outside of the shell and the cut wires going into the connector so you can solder on to them later.
Once the shell is empty bevel the top edge with a dremel and sanding drum, that is it, time to fit the speaker. Picking the correct speaker is a must, it should be round with no mounting ears so it fits into the door panel but slightly bigger than the original so the mounting bolt holes extend just outside the shell. Usually if the shell is say 6" then a 6" round speaker will fit nicely just make sure the mounting holes are outside of the plastic shell.

A 3/16 rivet nut should work fine install them in the door where the OE rivets were and get machine screws long enough to go through the speaker, down the outside of the shell and into the door. Measure the distance from the door to the underside of the speaker and get some nylon spacers from HD or a hardware store with a hole through them to take up that space, this is to prevent over tightening of the speaker.

Once its all figured out attach the wire to the new speaker using the spade connectors and make a pigtail, solder these to the correct + - wires you cut off the OE terminal on the shell so you can use the OE connector. If you cant get that just hollow the old connector out on the shell and run them through it.
This is a 20 min job per side and easy to do, sorry if I made it sound more complicated than it is.
 
That's a high quality driver. Why replace it ? Somebody go nuts with the volume and toast the VC or the x-over cap?

Just take a bolt or machine screw, and put epoxy on the head and insert it from the back side off the door. and let it set up.

Yes, you can get your hand in that gaping hole where the driver was..

Now you have a stud to use a nut/washer combo from the front side..

Use threadlocker and don't over torque the nut

This is easy I must have missed something along the thread....
 
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