Headrest Speaker Project

[Mr Half of Me]

I recently picked up a used set of headrests for the Roadster. They're in pretty rough shape, with lots of rust. I'll clean them up, paint them, put new black covers on them and install them on the car. But I also wanted to install speakers. I have not found it possible to hear the radio at higher speeds or RPMs in the roadster. Lately, I've been using a portable XM unit with ear buds, but that's a lot of wires and kind of a hassle to put the earbuds in, not to mention probably illegal. Not the ideal solution. We'll see how the headrest speakers work out.

I went to Al & Ed's Autosound to get their input and options on speakers. They said it couldn't be done and "they don't even make 3 1/2" speakers anymore". BS. I expected the next line out of their mouth to be "would you like french fries with that?" A&E used to be well known for their custom installations. What happened? I picked up 2 pair of Clarion 3 1/2" speakers (not the greatest I'm sure, but cheap) at Fry's Electronics.

So here is my efforts so far. Obviously, I will clean up and paint the headrest frames, and put on new black headrest covers. I'll probably update this thread as progress continues.

What I got from EBay (seller photo).


I drilled 3 1/4" holes in the headrest frames to take the 3 1/2" speakers.


Drilled the same 3 1/4" hole through the back of the headrest frames through the foam padding.


Test fit of the old covers. The holes I drilled cut out 3 of the upolstery tabs, but I don't think this will be an issue.


You can see some indentations in the covers where the speakers are. I may see about bolstering this with metal speaker grille or somthing to maintain the shape. I also may do cut outs in the new covers for better sound. We'll see.


Test fit of the back panel. I think this will hold the covers on pretty well.

[duff me]

Are you sure that's a set of speakers in a headrest and not Wall-E?



Looks like a fun project.

[DnCrs13]

Does look a lot like wall-E. Good luck on the project. Really cool idea. Hope it works out.

[mraitch]

I did the Mazda conversion and I found that with lowish grade speakers, typically the head rest is far enough away from your head, unless you lean way back, that you still need at least front speakers under dash speakers to complement, if not some mounted behind the front seats and typically you get lousy bass. Corse, then spent $200 to upgrade the mazda speakers - MAJOR Difference.

[notoptoy]

I love this project! Great idea, Please keep posting, let us know how it sounds. I love the original look with a modern adaptation - good job!

[Mr Half of Me]

Posts will be exposed above the seat back. Many hours removing rust, grinding out pitting, and gradually buffing to a fine finish. I then Zinc Plated the posts, and buffed them to a mirror finish. They look almost new. The headrest frame will be painted gloss black (will be covered by padding and headrest cover). The headrests should look almost new. Not bad for $26 off EBay (well, + shipping, + new covers, + speakers, + hours of work).

[notoptoy]

The posts look practically perfect! Nice work.

[mraitch]

Great job - I love the way we improve our cars - especially when it remains stock in appearance - and thanks for sharing in such detail

[SLOroadster]

Rather than using the original vinyl over the speakers, use something cloth so the sound won't be muffled. If you look at any speaker, you never find the grills with any sort of vinyl over them.

Will

[exit64]

You want an acoustically transparent cloth. Think guitar amp. There are tons of different styles out there. Try Musicians Friend and see if they have anything on their website.