I want to replace all the factory speakers and I see all four are crummy 6x8's. Has anyone trimmed the door to get 6x9's in the front?

My back doors have custom material over the stock panels. Sounded great.. The depth of the door from the panel is much deeper at 4" and I'm sure I could mount , at least, a 6x9 on top of the panel instead of on the steel. I want the largest 2 or 3 way car speakers in the back. Is 6x9 the largest?


Any suggestions for speakers supplied with 30 watts X 4?

 

I'm also in-process of upgrading my stereo, thinking of adding some 6.5's to the front sometime in the near future---JL Audio no less!

There are a ton of guys doing sound system installs and modifications here: Audio & Video Systems, Navigation, Satellite Radio & Mobile Electronics - Ford Truck Enthusiasts Forums. Just be advise they love to go overboard on most everything---which is a good thing---so be prepared for a lot of ideas how to spend your money!

HTH

 

Ah, thanks.. Are your 6.5's mounted under the front door panels?

 

I put my 6.5 components in the factory location for the speaker and put the tweeter in the upper panel that covers the bolts for the mirrors. I used some mdf I had laying around to make the adapter so it would bolt in, those cheap plastic cutting boards work well for that too.

 

Jeeze.. All I wanted was to replace the junk ford speakers.. And now look what you did JWA.. Now I want this, and that, and , Oh wait will this fit, and since I have that I also must get all of those...

Seriously. You could put allot bigger than 6.5's in front with some custom panels.. Any good threads on how to build enclosure's and door panel mods? I see 4 3/8" deep subs in back doors.

I'm going to need loud speakers to smother the cummins with.

 

Oh, yah---been there, done that fer shure!

I'm in process of installing the JL Audio amp which is turning into a bit more of a project than ever anticipated. I'll use existing Sony receiver with Sony Walkman MP3 player through Polk Audio 5x7's--this is a test of sorts to see what else needs upgrading, if anything.

Next up will be another receiver, possibly Alpine CDE-HD149BT but leaning more towards Kenwood KDC-X997--better A/D processors etc. If things progress as I think/hope they do last will be the 6.5's. Once my Michelin LTX's are mounted I won't need as much audio power to drown out the horrible Firestone cheapo tires that came with my van about a year ago.

My goal is having completely stock door panels with front-only speakers, no satellite mounting of tweeters etc. I've spent some time in the audio forums, have gotten lost in the whizz-bang Uber-Cool things I've seen, Goggling every other name, model number and seriously considering if its something I can live without. Fortunately for the budget I can indeed just step away from the "check out now" button!

Sorry if I led you into temptation Rebar!

 

I decided to go the easy route and just bought four
I noticed they were half the price compared to crutchfield. Now I have to build a enclosure for two 15" subs which supports the bed in back. 15" speakers in a 12" space.. hmm..
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That's a decent price ReBar----be sure to get the suggested wiring harness adapters too unless you'll be running all new heavier wire to feed your new speakers.

 

I keep reading that, but I'm not paying $5 each for a job which requires two crimped spade connectors, or a dab of solder. That adds another connector which could/will fail..

 

Your method is the better route of course. The suggested connectors are most useful in maintaining original wiring and connectors in case you ever want to reverse the installation if the current vehicle is sold etc.

 

Rewire the speakers if you add an amp, the rear and middle are wired together, butting 4 speakers on a pair of leads, you will blow them constantly, I have no idea why, but the voice coils will start getting raspy, just run wires, and unplug the factory, or unplug one set to power the other through the factory wire, run new ones for the other. I have used Jensen and Pioneer 5x7 or 6x8 factory replacements, hooked to a Jensen 400x4 amp, what I have found, speaker companies have a totally different sound through their components, some are absent of highs, even tho they have tweeters. Go to a shop and sample all the different speakers before you order them, or you'll end up with something that the sound is less than what you removed, I know online is cheaper, but buying what you can't hear, or haven't heard, it doesn't give the best results.

 

Middle speakers?
I found two more speakers in the rear doors covered up, to make four total.. But middle?
My interior must be glued in because I don't see screws anywhere except for the the doors making removal impossible unless I gut it which isn't happening.

Id agree. But anyplace you go, don't have all the ones your looking for on display. Back in the day I decided on a concord HU and MB quart speaks in my truck bla bla bla. Im half deaf from that experience, along with all the other incidents my ears have endured, so.. yeah. Great reviews on four speakers for $120.. Like my ears could tell the difference. lol

I still need a sub system to make it barely acceptable, but cant figure out if my 80's 8 ohm black widow 15's can be used.

 

"Middle," they are hooked on the rear, not sure if it's series or parallel, one in the barn door, the other behind the driver. The front barn door panel requires you to pop off the top trim, remove the top screws, bottom screws, then lift off, the one behind the driver required the pocket wall to be popped off, I have a passenger van.
I've looked at their rating, that doesn't give you the pitch of the sound, at the shop wall, you find assorted tuners and speakers, pick a tuner, link it to a speaker, then adjust the setting the way you want, click another speaker, linking it to that same tuner, same settings, the sound and pitch is different. I have Jensen and Pioneer and get 2 different sounds, they are full range speakers, try a Kicker, all the same size, it seems suited for lows, yet is listed as full range and having tweeters. I listen to all different kinds of music, from bass to metal, motown, and countryI don't like it when all you have are lows.

 

If you need a guide to front trim panel removal for the '97's and up check this out: https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...l-removal.html

Your Peavey Black Widow 15" will NOT work in your severely under powered car stereo! They want at least 100 watts of power and plenty of current, typically supplied by a music amp. Subs work best when in an enclosure designed for them----look in the forum I previously mentioned for a few great ideas. Pre-built is another good idea too, especially if you want them to hit hard.

If middle speakers exist and were factory installed they appear to be wired in parallel with the rear speakers. This might may mean they're of different impedance than the fronts OR those found in rear speakers only vans. Heed this value as mismatches can and will damage your head unit, especially if its stock or not accompanied by a separate power amp. The typical radio or receiver, both factory and aftermarket have less than 20 watts RMS per channel at 4 ohms which is rather paltry in audio terms.

When looking for any audio component look for something that will reproduce music "flat", without accentuated portions of the audio spectrum. If you like thumping lows get a three or four channel amp that is bridgeable but make sure it has enough output wattage to handle your entire system. An alternative is a head unit with separate sub sends along with sub amp OR self-powered amp just for the sub(s).

This thing about chasing sounds in a vehicle can be expensive and frustrating as all holy hell! Bad thing is the source material be it digitized files, streaming audio etc etc etc makes this an almost impossible quest since those are extremely limited in their available audio information thanks in great part to "compression" which is used to keep the file size rather small. Trying to play back sound that's essentially half missing ain't gonna work---not very well anyway and not on a budget for sure!

Still with me?

 

I'm a Rockford addict, I have 2 of their old school amps, back when the listed RMS was less than what they were capable of when given unrestricted/full battery output and over 5 volts through the RCA input. Subwoofers require an amp, and to get the clearest sound from your other speakers, install an amp there too, gives you the ability to fine tune the signal, if your radio doesn't have an adjustable equalizer.
My Ford speakers were all 4 ohm, I can't figure out how they pulled that off pairing 4 into 2, but was fine until I added my amp, could be the factory head unit was specially designed for it.
I just realized your subs are not car audio subwoofers, they are home/studio concert style, why would you want to do this, they are designed for a different amp than what you're gonna find to install in your van?