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Old 12-28-2007, 07:18 PM   #1
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1983 34' Excella
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Rivet Speaker Switch & Speaker Replacement

The rear speakers in my ’83 34’ Excella have bush button toggle switches so you can turn off the speakers in the bedroom. One speaker has never worked since I bought the Excella last January. Not a big deal, since I usually listen to music using my Mac and iTunes.

Yesterday I decided to fix the problem since the original Audiovox radio and separate component cassette player (As if I had any of them anymore) work perfectly. The question was, “Is it the switch, the speaker, or all of the above?” As it turned out, the switch was the culprit, but the speaker was terrible. 25 years old and cheap to begin with, go figure.

The local RV dealership didn’t have a switch like the one I needed, but one of the salesmen suggested I go to NAPA. Great suggestion, the one they had was square instead of round, but functioned identically. It’s behind the curtains, so who cares? I have attached a photo of the comparison that also shows the NAPA part number in case anyone wants to find a similar switch.

While I had the speaker apart, I decided it was time to replace the speakers throughout the Airstream. A quick trip to Wal*Mart yielded two pairs of Sony 4-way speakers that fit the AS speaker housings for $39 a pair. I was a little confused because the original speaker I pulled out was an 8-ohm orphan (no brand name, just made in Korea) and auto systems use 4-ohm. As the replacement process progressed, I found that I had three 8-ohm orphans and one 4-ohm Audiovox speakers.

I have attached photos of a comparison of the speakers, a shot of the speakers with a box showing the model numbers (this box had been kicked around a bit), shots with the replacement square switch and the original round switch on the opposite wall in the bedroom, and one in front with the original cover back in place.

The results are terrific! Of course these small speakers don’t have window-thumping bass, but their reproduction of violins and harpsichords from the local classical station are spectacular! A small subwoofer may be in the future, but the difference for now is well worth an afternoon’s effort.
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Old 08-20-2008, 08:57 AM   #2
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It looks like we have the same kind of speakers, mine are brown and square, or at least the cover is. I looked at mine last night and couldn't figure how to take off the cover, it looks like two pieces, a top piece and then that back piece most likely is screwed to the wall. Do you know how to remove the cover?
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Old 08-20-2008, 10:05 AM   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Utahgoldrup View Post
It looks like we have the same kind of speakers, mine are brown and square, or at least the cover is. I looked at mine last night and couldn't figure how to take off the cover, it looks like two pieces, a top piece and then that back piece most likely is screwed to the wall. Do you know how to remove the cover?
I have basically the same speakers in an '87 Excella and I have to use a small screw driver to pry / pop off the lovely brown fabric speaker grille. If I remember correctly I use the screwdriver blade between the fabric grill and the plastic and just pop it off. I know they come off, because I have had mine off. Just be gentle with them. The mounting scres are behind the grille.

I am planning on replacing my speakers and head unit this fall.
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Old 08-20-2008, 10:42 AM   #4
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They are indeed snap on covers, and can be difficult to remove. I used a combination of mini pry bars (http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/...10000003+90113) and small screwdrivers to pop them off. Each one was a little different. And no, I have nothing to do with Vaughan and Bushnell MFG. I do find having a couple is good for a variety of home chores.

Be patient and if one side is putting up resistance, try another. Sometimes if you can get one side started, you can slip a popsicle stick or two to hold that side and move to an adjacent side.

Oh, I was using the mini bars at the back near the wall.

Good luck, and let us know what you choose.
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Old 08-20-2008, 11:34 AM   #5
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Thank you both for the info... I tried to get them off last night and was worried they would break, I'll try again tonight and use some different (smaller) tools and see how it goes. I'll post what I replace them with.
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Old 08-20-2008, 11:43 AM   #6
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Vaughan,
Did the new Sony speakers fit in the square brown plastic speaker boxes without any "modifications"? I can't really tell from your pictures.

Utahgoldrup,
if you can wait until Monday (our '87 is on a pemanent site and we are headed there this weekend), I will take some step by step pictures of the removal and post them here.
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Old 08-20-2008, 01:06 PM   #7
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That would be great!!! I'll wait and check back on Monday and see the photo's. Have you already purchased your speakers? If you did, can you tell me what kind you have?
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Old 08-20-2008, 01:11 PM   #8
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I am curious, I noticed that in my trailer, the two speakers in the rear do not put out as much sound as the two speakers up front, have either of you had the same situation with your current/older speakers? I hope that when I replace all four that the rear speakers will be just as loud as the ones up front.
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Old 08-20-2008, 01:19 PM   #9
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Rivet Perfect Fit

Quote:
Originally Posted by DEITZ645 View Post
Vaughan,
Did the new Sony speakers fit in the square brown plastic speaker boxes without any "modifications"? I can't really tell from your pictures.

Utahgoldrup,
if you can wait until Monday (our '87 is on a pemanent site and we are headed there this weekend), I will take some step by step pictures of the removal and post them here.
They were an exactly perfect fit. No modifications required at all.

I just removed a cover and photographed what I did. Rather than pry up on the outside, I found it simpler to gently finesse the cloth covered metal grill through the front and then use the mini bars to release the tabs in the outer bezel from the notches in the base. This worked so well that I had a hard time getting the photo. You could also remove both pieces as a unit and pry up from the back where you can see the tabs and notches easily. I think that’s what I did the first time. As you can see from the photos, the tabs and notches are located in the center of each side.

After replacing the speaker in the base and remounting on the wall, just drop the grill back in the bezel and snap on.
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Old 08-20-2008, 03:32 PM   #10
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Thanks for the pictures, this is what I will try doing!!
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Old 08-20-2008, 03:40 PM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Utahgoldrup View Post
I am curious, I noticed that in my trailer, the two speakers in the rear do not put out as much sound as the two speakers up front, have either of you had the same situation with your current/older speakers? I hope that when I replace all four that the rear speakers will be just as loud as the ones up front.
If you refer to my first post, the original ones in my Excella didn’t even match.

The 4 Sonys sound the same. I expect whatever you use to do the same.
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Old 01-30-2009, 07:03 AM   #12
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I just came across this and realized I never did come back and mention how this went for me. We did find speakers that would fit from Best Buy and found that on the speaker covers in the trailer, all we had to do is pull out the fabric covering, we did not have to remove anything else which made the job much easier. Our original rear speakers did not put out as much sound as the ones up front but after replacing all four, they all sound the same. This was very easy to do and like vswingfield mentioned earlier, very well worth it!!
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Old 01-30-2009, 01:11 PM   #13
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Glad everything worked well for you. Enjoy!
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Old 03-17-2009, 06:22 AM   #14
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I thought I should post a few pictures of the speakers I replaced, for the particular set up I have, it was very easy, the new speakers fit right into the enclosure, the brown fuzzy covers just pulled off, then the four screws, the old speaker connectors fit onto the new speakers, I did have to tighten them down as one connecter on the speaker was smaller. I bought these at Best Buy, you can see from the picture what brand, model etc.
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Old 03-22-2009, 04:25 PM   #15
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Well late last week I finally got to install my new head unit (Sony CDX-GT330) and new speakers (Fronts -Infinity 6022I / Rears - Infinity 5022I)

The install was uneventful. The only modification that had to be made was to enlarge the opening for the fronts. This was accomplished with the aid of a saber saw and a dremel tool.

I used a close quarter hacksaw and a drywall rasp to create the opening for the new head unit.

Our '87 must have been a 'tween year becuase the rear speaker enclosures were like Vswingfield's, while the fronts were just like Utahgoldrup's.

The sound is much improved, but would be even better if there was a sub-woofer.
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Old 03-23-2009, 08:24 AM   #16
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Good lookin' install, Carl. I have the stereo out of mine right now and need to fabricate a new box for a Blaupunkpt unit I have. I will post photos after that.
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Old 10-01-2011, 01:36 PM   #17
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Why did you use different model spkrs for the rear than from the front? I just installed a new Pioneer, my spkrs are ok I don't think I'm changing them yet but was just curious?
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Old 10-01-2011, 05:48 PM   #18
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Why did you use different model spkrs for the rear than from the front? I just installed a new Pioneer, my spkrs are ok I don't think I'm changing them yet but was just curious?
I didn't. I installed two identical pairs.

A couple of other forum members have posted photos of different brands that they installed in their Airstreams in this thread, so that's where the other models come from.
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