I took my door panels off of my truck to replace both speakers, but not sure what kind to put in it...... I know what size they are, but all the ones I have found involve sodering..... Any Idea on where I can get speakers that I can just plug into the factory speaker plugs? I have a few crown victorias and grand marquis layin around, Will those speakers work?

 

Find some female spade terminals that fit the speakers (aftermarket). Then clip off the factory connectors and crimp on the new terminals. Plug into the speakers. No soldering involved.

 

Crimping connections that are exposed to moisture and/or the elements is never a good idea, the connections corrode pretty easily. Solder and heat-shrink tubing is by far the best way to go.

 

Or... You can use the crimp connections with the heat shrink tube on them.

I'm an A&P mechanic and soldering is frowned upon in the aviation world because the vibrations can cause it to crack. If crimps are good enough for airplanes they're good enough for my cars.

As for being exposed to moisture and the elements... it's been 8 years or so since I dropped speakers into the doors of my 86 and it doesn't have the best window seals if you know what I mean. There are ZERO problems with the speakers.

I'm not disagreeing about corrosion concerns but in the real world I don't think it's that big of a deal.

 

Something I would recommend for the door speakers on older vehicles with not so great of seals on the glass is those foam "cups" that go around the back of the speaker. I put them in my truck and I've had zero problems with the speakers or connections.
Something like these:
XTC 6-1/2" Speaker Baffles (3-1/4" depth) Protect your speakers at Crutchfield.com

When you wire them up, just make a small slit to feed the wires through, then dab a little sealer around where the wire passes through.

 

I've heard that too, but have never had any problems with a solder joint going bad in a vehicle. Maybe for where a loose wire hangs from a fixed connector? Does that sound right?

 

The problem is cold joints. They've flip flopped on the solder vs crimp issue. At one time solder was preferred.

Done properly I don't think there's anything wrong with a solder joint and when I was in electronics class in votech my instructor would yank test our solder connections from time to time. He was ex-military... You didn't want your joint to fail... It wasn't pretty.

My point is that many people feel that a crimped joint is far inferior than a solder joint or that the only way to do it right is to solder. I'm not taking my solder station apart, moving it outside, waiting for it to warm up, etc, just to join a couple wires.

Now, I am a BIG fan of the heat shrink connectors and that's all I buy. You crimp, then heat and the tubing shrinks and there is a heat activated glue that oozes out and seals everything. Add a dab of dielectric grease at the connection and you're good to go.

 

Yes it sounds like sloppy soldering practices are the cause of the rule change you are talking about. A old school guy who taught me how to solder taught me to always mechanically twist or hook the wires first, and then solder them. I am guilty myself sometimes, but I guess too many people tin both wires and then just "stick" them together with the solder.

 

One of the problems is that soldering causes the attached wire to stiffen. If unsupported in an environment where there is a lot of vibration the point where all the flex is will be the end of the stiffening, and it will eventually break. But, if you put shrink tubing over it that provides support and you won't have cracks.

If you have the correct crimping tool, a ratcheting one and not the cheap ones most people have, a crimp can be very effective. But, that is not true, IMO, of the cheap crimp tools. I've seen many, many of the connections from those tools pull apart.

I have a good crimping tool for smaller connectors, but not the larger ones used on the power circuits on our trucks. Given that, I always solder and use shrink tubing and have never had a failure on one of those joints. But, I guess I should admit that, having been an amateur radio operator from age 16 and built dozens of Heath and other kits, I know how to solder and am pretty good at it.

 

It's sloppy practices but also thermal expansion, vibration and changing pressures that really can really put a solder joint to the test. Mechanically connecting the joint will usually ensure that it doesn't completely fail but a failed solder joint can allow corrosion to enter and significantly raise the resistance of the joint. If there is a lot of current that also raises the heat which could have bad effects too.

I rarely mechanically connect my joints. Most of the soldering I do now is changing pickups in guitars and it's a PITA to desolder and unhook everything. If you have a good joint you can give it one hell of a yank and it won't break. Properly done, solder joints are very strong.

The two parts being connected have to be cleaned and prepped, then tinned. Then you make you connection and you flow in more solder. Then, this is the important part and where most joints fail, you need to keep in still until the solder solidifies. There are different solders out there and some have a very short paste time and some have a very long paste time. Standard 60/40 solder has a pretty good window between liquid and solid where it's in a paste like consistency. You'll have problems if you disturb the joint at this point.

My favorite solder is 62/36/2 which is 62% tin, 36% lead and 2% silver. It had a lower melting point than 60/40 and a shorter window between liquid and solid. Also the silver improves the electrical connection between the parts. This is my all around go to solder, except on gold plated stuff. There I'd either use standard 60/40 or, if I was worried about disturbing the joint I'd use 63/37 as it has a quicker solidifying window.

Now they have lead free solder because they are worried about all the lead in landfills. So despite no proof that lead is leaching out and that only 0.5% of all lead used in the US goes into electronics and electronics only account for 1% of landfill material... Those in power felt it was a good idea to change things.

The lead free silver solder is mostly Tin, some Silver and a touch of Copper. It melts at a higher point than lead solder but is said to flow better and be stronger. Dunno... Haven't worked with it long enough but I tend to be resistant to change, especially for pointless reasons. It's like the idiots that want to ban guns because of all the accidental deaths of children while pools and cars claim many more children each year. But they'd look at you like you were nuts if you suggested we ban pools or cars to save children...

Off my soapbox...

Anyway, either way you have to protect the connection from the environment. If the solder joint goes bad, even mechanically connected, it can have the same problems with the environment as a crimp connection.

It's not hard to learn to solder but you do need to know what you're doing. So for speed and simplicity I'm still a fan of crimp joints. If there are any doubts, crimp joints are the preferred method by the FAA for electrical connections. Just use suitable connectors and a little dab of dialectic grease to prevent oxidation and you'll be good.

Or solder...

Do whatever you want, I just want to dispel the myth that crimp joints are bad.


EDIT* @ Gary Lewis - Regardless of the connection method, you should always yank test the joint. Give it a good tug and see what happens. Yes, I've had wires on crimp connectors slide right out... But I've also seen solder joints pop right off too. So, good point to bring up.

 

Reps to you for this post. The above explains well the issues and procedures with soldering. And, I fully agree that most solder joints fail due to movement during the solidification stage. Soooo many times I've gotten a burn holding the wire until the solder set, but it just cannot be moved and have a good joint.

Thanks, but I'm still not sold on crimping with cheap tools. That's because a large portion of the "connections" I've seen others make with those tools have come apart with just a bit of tugging. However, I worked sorta as an apprentice to radio & metering systems electricians for a power company and their joints, done with high-dollar ratcheting crimpers, were rock solid. But, those crimpers are specific to a particular wire size/connector and once you start the crimp you cannot get the connector out until you finish the crimp. IOW, the results are consistent and the connector is crimped into a die that collapses it uniformly onto the wire. Nothing at all similar to what the cheap crimpers give.

 

Yes, I have some ratcheting crimpers. Damn expensive... And yes, you can not release them until you've completed the crimp.

I think if everyone learned to simply give their connections a good tug we'd have a lot more good connections out there. I had a friend get PO'd at me because I kept tugging at every connection he made and pulling the wires out...

You don't need a ratcheting crimper, they're nice but not necessary. You do need a decent crimper though. For the most part, pass on the ones that come in the kits with all the terminals in a case...

Amazon.com: Irwin Industrial Tools 2078309 8-Inch Multi Tool Stripper, Cutter and Crimper with ProTouch Grips: Home Improvement

I have this one and it's pretty good. There are others that are similar and also good. There are also a lot of junk ones out there.

Klien tools also makes some nice ones and you can get them at Home Depot and probably Lowes.

 

F100 - I have a crimper very similar to that one, but it mainly gets used as a stripper or cutter. I have several of the ratcheting crimpers and prefer those over the others. I even have a couple for the oem terminals, like the Ford Wedgelock. Yes, they get expensive, but well worth it.
I have seen the way some of the people I know do wiring and can't believe they would do it the way they do and risk having a fire in a vehicle. For me, it's done the right way or not at all.

 

81, I have a ratcheting crimper for GM weatherpac connectors. I also have one for ethernet and phone cables but that's a little off topic.

They are well worth the money to anyone doing more than just an occasional fix here and there.

Whether soldered or crimped you're right, it has to be done right and having the correct tools goes a long way toward that. A friend of mine I just ran into used to work at a Pep Boys and one of the other mechanics there DID set a car on fire because of shotty wiring.

For some unknown reason he cut the charge wire off the alternator on a Chevy Lumina or something like that. He then unbolted the other end on the bench and crimped the two together. Why he didn't unbolt it on the car is beyond my ability to comprehend. Anyway, a week later the crimp failed and the charge wire contacted the fuel rail and POOF! Instant fireball. Fortunately no one was hurt...

- A proper solder joint is a great connection.
- A proper crimp joint is also a great connection.
- You want good tools here but they don't necessarily have to be ratcheting crimpers, although they are very nice and take the guesswork out.
- Test all your connections with a good tug. They shouldn't come apart.
- Protect all exposed connections against the elements.

I think that about covers it and maybe we can let this poor horse die...

 

To the original poster... Factory Speakers 1980-1988 F-series Bronco are exact replacement, or any Ford, Lincolin or Mercury car with round speakers from that year range.

1971-1997 F-series etc... will also work but they changed the connectors from time to time. 1989 and newer use a different connector. Use Ford premium speakers for best results.

If you can also get the Factory speaker baffles. These were used on a select Cars/Trucks either made out of hard plastic or foam, and will keep the water out of the speaker and also increase your base responce a little.

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As for wiring repairs. I use the original terminals if at all possible. You can still buy most of them. Remove the broken wire and terminal from the connector, crimp on a new factory terminal, and reinsert it into the connector.

As for splice repairs. I prefere solder as that is what my teacher prefered.

This is how he taught me and works exceptionally well.