door speaker swap how-to

[Venom]

First off, I didn't know whether to put this in the how-to section or in the audio section. Second, it's so easy, I don't know if there's even a need for it.
I just swapped my front doors to Kicker 05KS68 6x8s and the rears to 05KS525 5.25"s. I ordered them from www.crutchfield.com because the prices are decent (they had a buy 1 pr of kickers KS and get another 1/2 price when I bought mine) and mostly because you get any adapters you need free. Speaker adapter plates, wiring harnes adapters, dash kits, whatever is needed. So it saves a few bucks, some fabrication time and you don't have to cut anything. Plus the handy little install sheet they give you with step by step on pulling the door panels, speakers & head unit is a nice touch.

Front doors:
First off, remove the door panel.
start by removing the plastic around the door handle, theres a little slot you can slip a flat blade screwdriver in and pup the front part out then slide it forward. There's a screw behing there you have to remove. see the pic.
You also need to take off the panel with the window controls, carefully lift up on the front, it will unsnap, then moveit forward to remove it, then unplug the wiring harness from it and set it aside. This will reveal the 7mm bolt that has to come out - see pic.
After that, there are 2 more screws on the very bottom of the door panel, remove them then carefully lift the whole panel up and off.

[Venom]

after you get the panel off, you're greeted by this.
4x 6mm bolts and the speaker comes out.

[Venom]

if you have wire adapter harnesses like these, time to plug everything in. If you don't have adapters then you'll have to cut your door speaker wires and install female spade terminals.
Bolt the speaker back into the door.
Door panel reinstallation is the reverse of what you just did.
set the panel down on from the top - make sure you get the door lock up through it's hole, make sure you get all the hooks started, push it down on and in, put the 3 screws & 1 bolt back in. plug in your harness and snap the plastic panels back in.
Done, quick and painless. Now go do the other side.

[Venom]

Back doors.
Mostly the same as the front. Remove the trim piece around the handle - 1 screw behind it, remove the panel with the window controls - 1 7mm bolt behind it, same 2 screws on the bottom of the panel.
There is one difference, you have to remove the plastic trim that runs up the back of the window, simply pull it towards you and it pops off, then there's 1 extra screw hiding behind it.

[Venom]

Once you get the panel off, things are very different.
Looks like the speakers in the back doors were an engineering afterthought. For literally bolted a little plastic box onto the inner door skin to stick a speaker into.

[SoFlaHarley]

Thanks for this Larry, I was checking out my door panels at lunch today to see how they came off.

[Venom]

This is why we have a limited range of rear speakers for our trucks.
Not much mounting depth. Pull the 4 T-20 torx head screws, remove the speaker and ya get something like this.

[Venom]

If you have a drop in 6x8, then either plug in your wire adapters or cut yout door wires and install spade terminals, hook up the speaker and drop it in.
If you are using 5.25"s in back like I did, then you will bolt the speaker into the adapter plate, hook up your wires and bolt the plate into the hole.
Should end up like this.
Reinstall the door panel, be reversing what you did to remove it and you're done.
It's CAKE!
takes all of about 10-15 min per door.

[Venom]

Hope this helps guys!

-V

[britincali]

Damn good post venom well and truly worthy of a sticky, it makes people like me (petrified of taking off interior plastics) confident enough to start ripping into it!

thanks.

[marioec]

Very nice post venom

[Venom]

thanks guys, really this isn't one to be afraid of.
I'm glad the days of those damn plastic clips that are one time use only to hold door panels on seem to be over!
I think the first door took like 15 min, the other 3 took maybe 10 a piece and thats being careful and working in the carport in the middle of a horrendous thunderstorm. Power kept going off inside so I went outside to work on it. I mean, the UPS man had dropped them off over an hour ago, I couldn't let them just sit now could I?

[tonysailor]

adapter plate for 5.5 speakers? Where did you find them?

Thanks,

Tony

[huot5]

Nice write up bro. thanks.

[Venom]

Originally posted by tonysailor
adapter plate for 5.5 speakers? Where did you find them?

Thanks,

Tony

Mine came withthe speakers from Crutchfield, but they shouldn't be hard to find, most shops should have them. Mine were Scosche band.

did a quick search for "5.25 to 5x7 adapter" on google and came up with a few places
$6 from this place...
http://www.audiooutfitter.com/store/825600.html