spearker upgrade

1582 Views 6 Replies 3 Participants Last post by fourthmeal, Nov 19, 2009

Hex

Discussion Starter · Nov 17, 2009

Now that I have updated my deck and added tweeters too the A panels on my 05 it's time to
upgrade the 4 door speakers.
I know they are OEM 5x7's, my question is will 6.5 fit in the OEM openings or will I have to do some mods to the cut outs?

Thanks!!
Hex

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fourthmeal

· #5 · Nov 18, 2009

Hex said:
Now that I have updated my deck and added tweeters too the A panels on my 05 it's time to
upgrade the 4 door speakers.
I know they are OEM 5x7's, my question is will 6.5 fit in the OEM openings or will I have to do some mods to the cut outs?

Thanks!!
Hex

Hey there,

Make your own with 1/4" cutting board plastic if available. It will hold up better than MDF or other wood in a wet environment like the door can get. The metal itself requires no cutting.

Don't forget to deaden and seal the doors so your new speakers play like a true infinite baffle setup should.

Cut the door panel skin's plastic oval that sticks out where the speaker opening is. It is soft plastic and trims with a sharp razor blade. Then, gasket off the speaker from the door panel using closed-cell foam (the same stuff we deaden and seal with) so errant sound waves don't get trapped in the door, which makes for some horrible frequency response.

If you can, drill out the blank holes in the door skin so your new larger better speakers can play properly out to the cabin. Try to find the exact same size as the factory holes, and drill the skin so it looks stock.

The Tribute is gone but I'm still here for you guys. Full photo album of all past and current builds of the Tribute on my Shutterfly account http://2008tributepics.shutterfly.com/

I build car audio systems as a hobby and as a side business. Tribute's last configuration - Pioneer F900BT navi head unit running 3.0 software from the X910BT, with Diaftia mods (see avic411.com) - Alpine SPX-17PRO tweeters in door panel, H-Audio Ebony woofers in factory location - 4 x array of Tangband 6.5" subs in slim ported box - Kenwood eXcelon X1R and X4R amps w/ built-in DSP - Phoenix Gold 1/0 wiring - fully deadened and sealed with RAAMmat and Sounddeadenershowdown.com products.

Current vehicle is a 2010 Ford Flex SEL, Dark Ink Blue. MS8 Processor, Exile Audio Xtec 10 x 2 subs in spare tire well, Fountek FR89EX mids left, right, and center, Dayton tweeters, Exodus Neo 6.5" midbass, RAAMmat BXTII and Ensolite deadening

Want to learn how to do car audio right? http://www.bcae1.com the Bible of car audio

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fourthmeal

· #7 · Nov 19, 2009

Hex said:
Where does one buy the 1/4" cutting board plastic?
Once I cut out the door panel skin's plastic oval what do I cover the speaker up?
Sorry for all these questions. I have never done anything like this before.
Pictures would sure help for the adapter cut out.
Thanks!! Really appreciate this.

1/4" cutting board plastic? Why, at the general store, or walmart, or any place you find high-density-polyethylene (HDPE), cutting boards basically. Or you can use wood but it will degrade over time.

You don't cut the door panel's skin, you just trim that little lip that makes an oval so it doesn't contact the speaker on the other side.

I tell ya what, I'm redoing my doors to practice more of what I preach when all my new deadening materials from SDS and my new woofers from H-Audio come in. They are slated to arrive just before Thanksgiving weekend. I'll do my best to document the job w/ pictures.

However to make an adapter, all I do is cut slightly oversized piece of the hole I'm wanting to cover. In this case, that is a 5x7 speaker hole. Then, in the center of this oval I cut a circle out that will allow my 6.5" speaker to slip right in. Start with small circles and work your way slightly bigger and bigger until the speaker fits perfectly. Then, wire up the speaker, install the baffle you made by using the factory 5x7 mounting holes to lock it down, and install your 6.5" woofer to your baffle with screws. Make sure to properly deaden the panel you are installing to, and make sure to seal any holes off so the speaker's back wave doesn't contact the front wave inadvertently.

Quite a few other guys on here have documented their installs with pics, to demonstrate possible ways to do it.

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