Biggest speakers you can fit in the doors and where?

[AJMBLAZER]

I have a 4 hour each way drive coming up with Big Ugly over Memorial Day weekend and I'd like to be able to listen to something other than it and myself thinking. I'm contemplating putting a stereo in.

It's a CUCV so it doesn't have any speakers from the factory and the doors are plain with only the plastic/vinyl/whatever upper burgundy interior panels. There are no bottom carpeted panels or anything like that.

I'd like to stick some 6.5's or 6x9's in the doors and was wondering if they could be installed in the upper door panels? It has manual windows.
If so, how deep can they be? They'd be top mounted to the panels, not anything underneath.

 

[sweetk30]

i actualy like non stereo in my new built truck. kind of peacfull with no sound other than the truck .

 

[Blue85]

aren't there slots in the dash, even in a CUCV? This is an easier wiring job, but you can only get MAYBE 4" speakers.

There is info in the audio forum about cutting the doors for speakers and what is possible. The key is to keep them out of the way of the windows.

I have also wondered how those molded headliners with speakers in them would work in a "no-stereo" truck. I think the stereo and the speakers can all be mounted up there.

 

[AJMBLAZER]

i actualy like non stereo in my new built truck. kind of peacfull with no sound other than the truck .

I agree but is it a diesel, does it have sound proofing, and have you ever tried to drive it long distances? I honestly don't mind it for the toodle into town or the occasional daily driving stint...but beyond an hour or so it gets old.

aren't there slots in the dash, even in a CUCV? This is an easier wiring job, but you can only get MAYBE 4" speakers.

There is info in the audio forum about cutting the doors for speakers and what is possible. The key is to keep them out of the way of the windows.

I have also wondered how those molded headliners with speakers in them would work in a "no-stereo" truck. I think the stereo and the speakers can all be mounted up there.

I am installing dash speakers (and yes the spots are there) but the doors will be where the bigger speakers end up. I doubt I'd hear two 3.5" speakers very well with the racket this thing makes.

 

[readymix]

Here is where I put mine. Hard to see in this pic but they are 5 1/4" and they fit perfect there.

 

[lectric80]

In the doors I think you can do 6X9's in the bottom below the door panel, but it is extremely tight to try to fit anything in the door panel itself. There just isn't enough room to get decent sound, the speakers would be basically a cheap stock paper cone speaker, and would have to be very shallow less than 3" IIRC.

 

[Element]

aren't there slots in the dash, even in a CUCV? This is an easier wiring job, but you can only get MAYBE 4" speakers.

There is info in the audio forum about cutting the doors for speakers and what is possible. The key is to keep them out of the way of the windows.

I have also wondered how those molded headliners with speakers in them would work in a "no-stereo" truck. I think the stereo and the speakers can all be mounted up there.

If you're worried about imaging and midbass, the headliner setup is useless. My truck has one in it (there when I bought it) and other than screaming treble from the cheap 4" speakers directly into your ears, it's junk.

6.5" speakers would probably fit decently easily, and there are models out there designed as "slim fit", and neodymium magnet speakers that have a VERY slim profile. 5x7s and 6x9s are junk, primarily because an oval speaker cannot accurately reproduce sound nearly as well as a round speaker. If you don't mind minimal midbass (basically sounds like an old transistor radio), 4" speakers would be pretty damn easy to stick in the door. Hardest part would probably be properly running the wires through the door jamb and into the door itself.

 

[AJMBLAZER]

That echoes what Willyswanter told me a long time ago, stay with round speakers.

So 6.5's it is.

Anyone know if they will definitively fit in the door panel or am I looking at cutting the sheetmetal?

If I have to cut, can anyone recommend a method?

 

[Tominator II]

Wow, I have been using 6x9 speakers forever, D'oh.(not) But whatever, I have 6 6x9s and 2 amps in my Jimmy and it rocks. The last time I cut speaker holes in truck door sheetmetal I used offset tinsnips after drilling a 5/8 starter hole . Metal blades in jigsaws work good too. There is a door baffle brace piece in the door about 10 inches back from the forward edge of the door about 6 inches up but if you are using 6" round speakers you wont hit it if you stay as far forward in the door as you can.

 

[huntingaddict]

6 1/2's

I have 6 1/2's in about the same place as these. Just lower. I could attach a pic if it would help. Definitely have to have the right location and I used Kenwood speakers because they were a little shallower than most. You can see where the bracing runs behind the metal once you have the plastic off. They sound good.

Tom

Here is where I put mine. Hard to see in this pic but they are 5 1/4" and they fit perfect there.

 

[AJMBLAZER]

I ordered the stuff from Crutchfield today. Not cheap but I think I came out better than I used to.

I think they'll end up in the doors or possibly in small boxes at the cab corners. I just can't justify the expense of the kick panel enclosures. I want a radio I can hear, not concert quality sound.

 

[BKinzey]

I was going to suggest Crutchfield. You can find out what fits where. You can purchase the speakers elsewhere but I've found their prices to be competitive.

What did ya buy?

 

[Clod_King]

I put 6.5's in the doors of my last pickup...

I put them in the plastic part of the door, just under the window cranks.

I borrowed my buddy's dremel, and used a "multi directional" cutting blade (think a dril bit, but much more aggressive blades going all the way up the shaft). I used the template that came with the speakers, and marked out the hole and went to cutting it out. The blade zipped through the plastic really easily.

I had to cut away some sheet metal from the door. I again used the dremel only I switched to metal cutting disc and cut a square out of the door big enough to fit my magnet through. I quickly found out that the coil for the handle is located behind that metal though....

I had to cut out some some ply wood to go between the speaker and the door panel still. I used some scrap 1/2" stuff I had in the basement. I painted it black, and threw it all together. I sounded nice, looked alright and I never ever had a problem with the windows working afterwards.

If I could do it again, I wouldn't have cut the metal for the magnet... I only gained maybe another 1/8" of space for the magnet, and i still had to use my home brewed spacers anyways. If you do locate them in the plastic part though, move them as down as possible. It's a tight fit, but the crank still worked. You just had to watch that your hand didn't slip off and hit the speaker as you went about rolling the window up/down.

 

[AJMBLAZER]

I think I'm just going to stick them low in the doors. I've only ever once taken the sound system out of a vehicle I sold and I'm not putting a lot into this one so even if I do eventually sell the truck the speakers wouldn't be worth removing anyways.




Yeah, I've been using Crutchfield for almost ten years now. Good service, excellent customer support, good prices, all the extra stuff they throw in, etc etc etc. I looked around on eBay and some of the forums for stuff but didn't find anything worth my time. I hit the scratch and dent and sale stuff on Crutchfield and think I came out pretty good.

 

[Element]

Ikesound and Etronics are pretty decent for buying stuff rather lower than retail. I picked up some stuff for Christmas there for, oh, about 50% off retail prices