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(Using an EX rear tray)
See the separate postings for instructions for removing the back seat cushions, rear tray and top shield.
No photographs are included in this post because there is a 6-photo limit. See my album “Joe’s 2009 GX Photos” for all the photos. Note that they are displayed in the album in reverse order. 135 is at top left, 112 is at bottom right.
The EX rear tray comes with the third brake-light assembly, all mounting clips and both speaker grilles. Cost is about $50 from a discount parts supplier, but the shipping cost can be prohibitive ($45-80), so it may be cheaper to buy from your local Honda dealer for $64 retail.
Remove each speaker grille (from the underside) by pressing on the three tabs toward the front of the tray, then push the four tabs on the outside edge and back edge of the grille. Photo 112.
There is some interference at the center child-seat attachment loop. Trim some material from the back slide of the opening in the tray. Photo 113. I used a Dremel tool with a cut-off blade, though a sharp knife will work.
Remove the clip on the driver’s side of the tray between the center of the tray and the speaker opening. This clip is not used on the GX tray. Photo 114.
On a workbench (or the floor), place the rear tray on the top shield. The three child-seat attachment loops will help with alignment. Push the four forward clips into the corresponding holes. Put masking tape on the shield approximately where the speaker will go. Place a speaker-mounting ring on the top shield with one edge close to the curved depression at the outer back part of the shield. Photo 115. Place the speaker grille loosely in place. Look through the grille and align the speaker mounting ring to the opening in the grille. Photo 116. A flashlight will make it easier to see the ring. Remove the grille and on the shield, mark the inner circle of the ring. This will indicate the metal to be removed for magnet clearance. Repeat this process for the second speaker.
Remove the rear tray from the top shield. With the speaker mounting rings in place, mark on the top shield where to drill the holes to install the rings. Note that any holes at the rear of the shield and toward the center of the driver’s side may also have to be drilled through the body sheet metal. I recommend avoiding drilling holes in these locations. Photos 117, 118.
Drill the speaker mounting-ring holes. Using a 5-inch holesaw ($50), cut out the two speaker-magnet clearance holes. The clip hole that is in the driver’s side of the shield can be used to guide the hole saw, but the blade will tend to wander, since the hole is larger than drill bit. This is why the hole I cut on the driver’s side is not round. The clip hole on the passenger side is not centered in the hole, so I made it larger and used a block of wood screwed to the shield to guide the drill bit. Also, since the area to be cut is not flat, I used a cut-off wheel and a Dremel tool to finish the cutting. Photo 119. Sand the edges smooth. To prevent rust, paint the edges. Photos 120, 121.
Install the mounting rings. I used #6 machine screws with flat washers and lock nuts to install the rings. Photo 122. Test fit the speakers. Photo 123.
Prepare the speaker wires. The factory wires are in the harness behind the rear driver’s side door, under the upper cushion. Remove the tape covering. Photo 124, 125. Splice the wires and install connectors. I decided to cut the factory wires, since I know there is no OEM harness for the speaker connections. Photo 126. I used the wiring adapters that came with the speakers.
Reinstall the shield. Photo 127. Because I cut through one mounting hole, only 20 bolts go back in. Install the speakers. I had an interference problem with the driver’s-side speaker and the body sheet metal. This is visible at the left side of the cutout in the photograph. Photo 128. I can think of three possible solutions--move the cutout closer to the door, cut off the sheet metal or bend the sheet metal down. I took the easy route and bent the sheet metal with pliers. Connect the wires to the speakers, noting the correct polarity.
The rear tray needs trimming, since the EX tray is longer in the front by about 4 inches. This creates interference with the GX seat-cushion mounting tabs. I cut off the lower part of the tray, 1 3/8 inches below the bottom of the openings of the child-seat attachment covers. Photo 129, 130, 131. I used an air saw. A jigsaw or a hacksaw will also work. It may be possible to cut around the areas of interference instead of cutting all the way across, but there are all kinds of tabs sticking out the back, and these would have to be cut off, too.
The center child-seat attachment sticks up higher in the GX than in the EX, so the cover will not close. Photo 132. For now, I will live with it. I can think of four fixes—remove the cover, cut a hole in the cover, modify the cover by heating it and forming it over the loop or cutting a hole in the cover and fabricating a patch.
Slide the rear tray in place. Note that there is a hook behind the 3rd brake light that fits into a slot in the sheet metal under the back the window. Slide the shoulder harnesses into the slots in the tray. Align the clips with the holes, and then push them in place. A fist works well. Photos 133, 134.
I added some insulation under the floor carpet, seat lower cushion and the rear tray and in the trunk area and behind the seat upper cushion. Photo 135.
Reinstall the seat cushions.
Total expenditures for the speakers, rear tray, tools, hardware, wire and connectors were about $180. The speakers I used are Infinity Reference 6001 si, with shallow magnets. Being last year’s model, they were $67, with shipping, from Crutchfield.
How do they sound? Having the rear speakers fills the interior with sound. With only front-door speakers, the sound was directional. Fading to the rear speakers only, they don’t sound as good as the front speakers. They do have more bass, so coupled with the front speakers the sound is much improved. Good enough that I don’t see a reason to replace the front speakers.
Parts list
Rear tray, atlas gray 84505-SNZ-A21ZA $49.77
C-pillar garnish clip 91561-SJD-003 $1.50
Wiring
Driver’s side positive, gray
Driver’s side negative, brown
Passenger’s side positive, blue
Passenger side, negative, orange
See the separate postings for instructions for removing the back seat cushions, rear tray and top shield.
No photographs are included in this post because there is a 6-photo limit. See my album “Joe’s 2009 GX Photos” for all the photos. Note that they are displayed in the album in reverse order. 135 is at top left, 112 is at bottom right.
The EX rear tray comes with the third brake-light assembly, all mounting clips and both speaker grilles. Cost is about $50 from a discount parts supplier, but the shipping cost can be prohibitive ($45-80), so it may be cheaper to buy from your local Honda dealer for $64 retail.
Remove each speaker grille (from the underside) by pressing on the three tabs toward the front of the tray, then push the four tabs on the outside edge and back edge of the grille. Photo 112.
There is some interference at the center child-seat attachment loop. Trim some material from the back slide of the opening in the tray. Photo 113. I used a Dremel tool with a cut-off blade, though a sharp knife will work.
Remove the clip on the driver’s side of the tray between the center of the tray and the speaker opening. This clip is not used on the GX tray. Photo 114.
On a workbench (or the floor), place the rear tray on the top shield. The three child-seat attachment loops will help with alignment. Push the four forward clips into the corresponding holes. Put masking tape on the shield approximately where the speaker will go. Place a speaker-mounting ring on the top shield with one edge close to the curved depression at the outer back part of the shield. Photo 115. Place the speaker grille loosely in place. Look through the grille and align the speaker mounting ring to the opening in the grille. Photo 116. A flashlight will make it easier to see the ring. Remove the grille and on the shield, mark the inner circle of the ring. This will indicate the metal to be removed for magnet clearance. Repeat this process for the second speaker.
Remove the rear tray from the top shield. With the speaker mounting rings in place, mark on the top shield where to drill the holes to install the rings. Note that any holes at the rear of the shield and toward the center of the driver’s side may also have to be drilled through the body sheet metal. I recommend avoiding drilling holes in these locations. Photos 117, 118.
Drill the speaker mounting-ring holes. Using a 5-inch holesaw ($50), cut out the two speaker-magnet clearance holes. The clip hole that is in the driver’s side of the shield can be used to guide the hole saw, but the blade will tend to wander, since the hole is larger than drill bit. This is why the hole I cut on the driver’s side is not round. The clip hole on the passenger side is not centered in the hole, so I made it larger and used a block of wood screwed to the shield to guide the drill bit. Also, since the area to be cut is not flat, I used a cut-off wheel and a Dremel tool to finish the cutting. Photo 119. Sand the edges smooth. To prevent rust, paint the edges. Photos 120, 121.
Install the mounting rings. I used #6 machine screws with flat washers and lock nuts to install the rings. Photo 122. Test fit the speakers. Photo 123.
Prepare the speaker wires. The factory wires are in the harness behind the rear driver’s side door, under the upper cushion. Remove the tape covering. Photo 124, 125. Splice the wires and install connectors. I decided to cut the factory wires, since I know there is no OEM harness for the speaker connections. Photo 126. I used the wiring adapters that came with the speakers.
Reinstall the shield. Photo 127. Because I cut through one mounting hole, only 20 bolts go back in. Install the speakers. I had an interference problem with the driver’s-side speaker and the body sheet metal. This is visible at the left side of the cutout in the photograph. Photo 128. I can think of three possible solutions--move the cutout closer to the door, cut off the sheet metal or bend the sheet metal down. I took the easy route and bent the sheet metal with pliers. Connect the wires to the speakers, noting the correct polarity.
The rear tray needs trimming, since the EX tray is longer in the front by about 4 inches. This creates interference with the GX seat-cushion mounting tabs. I cut off the lower part of the tray, 1 3/8 inches below the bottom of the openings of the child-seat attachment covers. Photo 129, 130, 131. I used an air saw. A jigsaw or a hacksaw will also work. It may be possible to cut around the areas of interference instead of cutting all the way across, but there are all kinds of tabs sticking out the back, and these would have to be cut off, too.
The center child-seat attachment sticks up higher in the GX than in the EX, so the cover will not close. Photo 132. For now, I will live with it. I can think of four fixes—remove the cover, cut a hole in the cover, modify the cover by heating it and forming it over the loop or cutting a hole in the cover and fabricating a patch.
Slide the rear tray in place. Note that there is a hook behind the 3rd brake light that fits into a slot in the sheet metal under the back the window. Slide the shoulder harnesses into the slots in the tray. Align the clips with the holes, and then push them in place. A fist works well. Photos 133, 134.
I added some insulation under the floor carpet, seat lower cushion and the rear tray and in the trunk area and behind the seat upper cushion. Photo 135.
Reinstall the seat cushions.
Total expenditures for the speakers, rear tray, tools, hardware, wire and connectors were about $180. The speakers I used are Infinity Reference 6001 si, with shallow magnets. Being last year’s model, they were $67, with shipping, from Crutchfield.
How do they sound? Having the rear speakers fills the interior with sound. With only front-door speakers, the sound was directional. Fading to the rear speakers only, they don’t sound as good as the front speakers. They do have more bass, so coupled with the front speakers the sound is much improved. Good enough that I don’t see a reason to replace the front speakers.
Parts list
Rear tray, atlas gray 84505-SNZ-A21ZA $49.77
C-pillar garnish clip 91561-SJD-003 $1.50
Wiring
Driver’s side positive, gray
Driver’s side negative, brown
Passenger’s side positive, blue
Passenger side, negative, orange
This is soooo cool! Thank-you for your hard work and perseverance in getting the writing done! Nice pictures as well 
With all this info, it looks like 2 hours, tops!
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