Who has speakers in the door? - The 1947 - Present Chevrolet & GMC Truck Message Board Network

epashhans · 08-10-2009, 08:02 PM

Can you please post pics. I know I will get some flack for wanting to cut into my lower door panels, but it seems the most logical and straightforward place...plus my truck is a far from original rust bucket.

For those of you out there, how did you wire between the body and the door? Grommets and loom?

**special-K** · 08-10-2009, 09:04 PM

i don`t have a stereo in my current truck.But,I`ve put many a speaker in doors over the years.You`re right,it is the best location.That`s why the factory puts them there now that there are stereos in trucks.The tried in the dash and in the rear corners,but they used odd sized speakers with no good upgrades available.I did plenty just drilling holes and running the wire with a good amount of slack.Never had a problem.Then,I got more rifined and started using rubber grommets.

Sinister · 08-10-2009, 09:15 PM

I have 2 in each side. PO had em cut that way. I used grommets. Someone on here said to run the wires at the door the way I did in the pic to prevent the wires from getting messed up opening and shutting the door. They have rubber wire loom things you can use as well.
Put the speakers towards the front so they don't get blocked by the seat.

Longhorn Man · 08-10-2009, 09:17 PM

i like them towards the back of the door bottom myself. Out of site when the doors are closed.

epashhans · 08-10-2009, 09:54 PM

6x9's look like they fit well....what size are those other ones? I am probably going to go with one speaker in each door and a sub under the seat. That will all change when I move the tank out of the back of the cab, but for now that will work.

Dynomutt · 08-10-2009, 11:27 PM

Don't know what panels you have in your door but PO put speakers in the panel of my truck. I don't like the style of speaker in mine but not a bad spot with the right type speaker.

bubba327 · 08-11-2009, 12:19 AM

Only trouble I had with speakers in the door is getting them wet if your window felts leak . I have seen guys remove the toe kick vents and weld in a plate then cut and install the speakers

**special-K** · 08-11-2009, 06:01 AM

I always put them towards the front.One problem with that is your passengers tend to kick them.
If your window seals are bad the speaker will get wet AND your door will rust out.fix the seals,it`s cheap.There are exterior and marine speakers,too.

dznucks · 08-11-2009, 06:09 AM

I placed my 6x9's in the doors, towards the front of the door.

i saw the water leakage issue coming so i bought these foam covers that the speaker slips into and then the cover and the speaker go into the door. the speaker wire comes up through the bottom of the foam cover. they have been there 11 years and my window felts have always been trash. speaker have never been wet. i think i got them from crutchfield.

Sinister · 08-11-2009, 08:44 AM

I would put the speakers in the kick panels before I cut virgin doors.

70k52wd · 08-11-2009, 09:36 AM

Aren't there kick panels out there with speaker cut outs. I'm sure I've seen them somewhere.
This is what I had a installer make for my Nova. Look at floor, in corners.

If your an audio file, this is the best set up. I'll do this to my Blazer when I re do the stereo.

Beatcoaster · 08-11-2009, 10:24 AM

But they call them kick panels for a reason and you or your passengers will give them a beating...These cabs are so small some tweets placed in the dash or high on the door will give you nearly the same soundstage without the loss of legroom and annoyance of always being worried about kicking them...Kick panels only look good the day you get them installed...

Whatever you do install in your doors, be sure to use eDead, Dynamat or some other product that will dull the resonance your metal door will experience otherwise get ready for some rattles...

Below are some photos of when I was doing my stereo install..

Here are my doors, both interior sides are lined with eDead, speaker grills painted to match...

5-1/4's in dash painted to match dash

Tweets in dash

And some 8" subs to fill out the low end

70k52wd · 08-11-2009, 10:56 AM

Beatcoaster, I agree with kicking the kick panels. For me it's something that is a minor problem. The trade off is a properly directed speaker. I like the in dash set up you have done. I put tweets there also in my truck. I would like to do the center speaks as well. Nice job.

epashhans · 08-11-2009, 12:05 PM

Yeah, I thought about the kick panels, but I just think it gets too crowded...and I really haven't seen any that I like the look of...especially with a clutch and my hi/lo switch down there.

Beatcoaster, I really like the way you did it. Looks very nice. I bet it sounds nice as well. Do you have carpet, deadener behind your tank as well? I had planned on putting deadener in the doors. Did you get a cover on the inside to protect them from any water that gets down in the door? Thats a nice color too...can you post some pics of the entire truck and interior and stuff.

Just out of curiousity, what is the big deal with cutting "virgin doors"? I mean, people are doing all sorts of things to different parts of these trucks. Are there not replacements or something?

**john** · 08-11-2009, 12:40 PM

Fiberglass construction.

70k52wd · 08-11-2009, 12:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by epashhans

Yeah, I thought about the kick panels, but I just think it gets too crowded...and I really haven't seen any that I like the look of...especially with a clutch and my hi/lo switch down there.

Beatcoaster, I really like the way you did it. Looks very nice. I bet it sounds nice as well. Do you have carpet, deadener behind your tank as well? I had planned on putting deadener in the doors. Did you get a cover on the inside to protect them from any water that gets down in the door? Thats a nice color too...can you post some pics of the entire truck and interior and stuff.

Just out of curiousity, what is the big deal with cutting "virgin doors"? I mean, people are doing all sorts of things to different parts of these trucks. Are there not replacements or something?

No big deal to cut. For me, I just don't want to look at speakers. I like it stock appearance. Door holes are repairable.

Quote:

Originally Posted by john

Fiberglass construction.

Where did you get those? Nice.

Beatcoaster · 08-11-2009, 04:40 PM

Epashhans - I have no carpet or deadener around the gas tank - I just couldn't justify the price of the gas tank carpet just to cover what is already hidden by the seat. I did deaden the floor, have a layer of carpet pad, then carpet...With it cranked I have zero rattles and the sound is pretty darn good for the money invested...

The 6x9's are Polk marine grade, so I am not worried about water at all - all the installs I have done over my years have never had water issues, and I don't expect any here either. If you are worried about water, just use some Dynamat or eDead on the top 1/2 of the speaker as a deflector and you won't have problems...just never use baffles, they make your speakers sound like crap...

I have some more pics here with a full write up on what I used and costs:
http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=341839

I don't have any exterior pics yet cause the previous owner had it painted purple and I am in the process of reversing that and painting it the same dark metallic gray seen here!! I just had to get the interior done first as it was truly awful with red seatbelts/ivory seat cover/brown saddle trim panels/steering wheel/dash pad and the original olive green everywhere else!!

unclewatts · 08-11-2009, 11:20 PM

One thing I would like to add is that if you are installing speakers in the doors (6X9 is probably the best) use rubber grommets on the door and door post and I highly recommend using Monster Cable or equivalent because you're flexing that cable every time you open and close that door. Monster (and others) have as many as 256 strands in each conductor which will never break from flexing. If you use cheap Radio S**t wire it will give you nothing but trouble. BTW Get good speakers! I bought cheapo ones and I really hate 'em.

Otsa580 · 08-17-2009, 08:11 AM

I had 6 1/2" speakers in my blazer doors. Water leaking ruined my first pair. I bought new window seal kit and my 2nd pair of JL's were ruined by moisture also. Now I have a speaker holes that I can vacuum all the rust and water out of my doors after it rains!

I never thought of using marine speakers..........I'll have to try that out!

AJLChase · 08-19-2009, 02:56 PM

Any pictures of how you ran the wiring into the cab from the door to the door jamb?

IdahoMan · 11-07-2015, 05:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AJLChase

Any pictures of how you ran the wiring into the cab from the door to the door jamb?

That's what I would sure like to know.

Mine is an 81 and the OEM wiring is squeezed so tight in the dome-shaped grommet on the interior of the truck that I can't get a straightened paperclip through it, let alone an additional 1/4" of wiring.

IM

_Ogre · 11-07-2015, 02:05 PM

holy old thread recovery batman!!!

New_70'C10 · 02-16-2016, 02:44 PM

A little more life into the thread.

If you already have holes in the door that's one thing but the kick panels are actually the best most efficient place to install your speakers. Take a look at the competition vehicles and see where theirs are at. The closer your speakers are to being the exact same distance from the listener's ears the better it sounds. It doesn't sound like you're building a competition vehicle so in this case the doors will be the easiest.

08-10-2009, 08:02 PM	#1
epashhans Registered User Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: MT Posts: 319	Who has speakers in the door? Can you please post pics. I know I will get some flack for wanting to cut into my lower door panels, but it seems the most logical and straightforward place...plus my truck is a far from original rust bucket. For those of you out there, how did you wire between the body and the door? Grommets and loom? __________________ '67 C-10 Shorty - 454, 5spd, and speed holes!

08-10-2009, 09:04 PM	#2
special-K Special Order Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Mt Airy, MD Posts: 85,851	Re: Who has speakers in the door? i don`t have a stereo in my current truck.But,I`ve put many a speaker in doors over the years.You`re right,it is the best location.That`s why the factory puts them there now that there are stereos in trucks.The tried in the dash and in the rear corners,but they used odd sized speakers with no good upgrades available.I did plenty just drilling holes and running the wire with a good amount of slack.Never had a problem.Then,I got more rifined and started using rubber grommets. __________________ "BUILDING A BETTER WAY TO SERVE THE USA"......67/72......"The New Breed" GMC '67 C1500 Wideside Super Custom SWB: 327/M22/3.42 posi.........."The '67" (project) GMC '72 K2500 Wideside Sierra Custom Camper: 350/TH350/4.10 Power-Lok..."The '72" (rolling) Tim "Don't call me a redneck. I'm a rough cut country gentleman" R.I.P. ~ East Side Low Life ~ El Jay ~ 72BLUZ ~ Fasteddie69 ~ Ron586 ~ 67ChevyRedneck ~ Grumpy Old Man ~

08-10-2009, 09:15 PM	#3
Sinister Between Trucks... Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Los Angeles, CA. Posts: 3,830	Re: Who has speakers in the door? I have 2 in each side. PO had em cut that way. I used grommets. Someone on here said to run the wires at the door the way I did in the pic to prevent the wires from getting messed up opening and shutting the door. They have rubber wire loom things you can use as well. Put the speakers towards the front so they don't get blocked by the seat. __________________ Beat it to fit, Paint it to match... Last edited by Sinister; 08-10-2009 at 09:18 PM.

08-10-2009, 09:17 PM	#4
Longhorn Man its all about the +6 inches Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: Hilliard Ohio Posts: 2,690	Re: Who has speakers in the door? i like them towards the back of the door bottom myself. Out of site when the doors are closed.

08-10-2009, 09:54 PM	#5
epashhans Registered User Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: MT Posts: 319	Re: Who has speakers in the door? 6x9's look like they fit well....what size are those other ones? I am probably going to go with one speaker in each door and a sub under the seat. That will all change when I move the tank out of the back of the cab, but for now that will work. __________________ '67 C-10 Shorty - 454, 5spd, and speed holes!

08-10-2009, 11:27 PM	#6
Dynomutt Registered User Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: North Texas Posts: 440	Re: Who has speakers in the door? Don't know what panels you have in your door but PO put speakers in the panel of my truck. I don't like the style of speaker in mine but not a bad spot with the right type speaker. Attached Images __________________ MARQ Build Thread http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=446194

08-11-2009, 12:19 AM	#7
bubba327 HOW long until spring?? Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Star Idaho Posts: 1,413	Re: Who has speakers in the door? Only trouble I had with speakers in the door is getting them wet if your window felts leak . I have seen guys remove the toe kick vents and weld in a plate then cut and install the speakers __________________ 69 chevelle convertible 71-C-10 short-wide and low 64 C-10 custom shortbox "Bubba"s Recycling project"

08-11-2009, 06:01 AM	#8
special-K Special Order Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Mt Airy, MD Posts: 85,851	Re: Who has speakers in the door? I always put them towards the front.One problem with that is your passengers tend to kick them. If your window seals are bad the speaker will get wet AND your door will rust out.fix the seals,it`s cheap.There are exterior and marine speakers,too. __________________ "BUILDING A BETTER WAY TO SERVE THE USA"......67/72......"The New Breed" GMC '67 C1500 Wideside Super Custom SWB: 327/M22/3.42 posi.........."The '67" (project) GMC '72 K2500 Wideside Sierra Custom Camper: 350/TH350/4.10 Power-Lok..."The '72" (rolling) Tim "Don't call me a redneck. I'm a rough cut country gentleman" R.I.P. ~ East Side Low Life ~ El Jay ~ 72BLUZ ~ Fasteddie69 ~ Ron586 ~ 67ChevyRedneck ~ Grumpy Old Man ~

08-11-2009, 06:09 AM	#9
dznucks Registered User Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Smyrna, Ga Posts: 1,647	Re: Who has speakers in the door? I placed my 6x9's in the doors, towards the front of the door. i saw the water leakage issue coming so i bought these foam covers that the speaker slips into and then the cover and the speaker go into the door. the speaker wire comes up through the bottom of the foam cover. they have been there 11 years and my window felts have always been trash. speaker have never been wet. i think i got them from crutchfield.

08-11-2009, 08:44 AM	#10
Sinister Between Trucks... Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Los Angeles, CA. Posts: 3,830	Re: Who has speakers in the door? I would put the speakers in the kick panels before I cut virgin doors. __________________ Beat it to fit, Paint it to match... Last edited by Sinister; 08-11-2009 at 09:59 AM.

08-11-2009, 09:36 AM	#11
70k52wd Blaze-Air Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Virginia Posts: 1,117	Re: Who has speakers in the door? Aren't there kick panels out there with speaker cut outs. I'm sure I've seen them somewhere. This is what I had a installer make for my Nova. Look at floor, in corners. If your an audio file, this is the best set up. I'll do this to my Blazer when I re do the stereo.

08-11-2009, 10:24 AM	#12
Beatcoaster 69 Fleetside Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Lake Stevens, WA Posts: 333	Re: Who has speakers in the door? But they call them kick panels for a reason and you or your passengers will give them a beating...These cabs are so small some tweets placed in the dash or high on the door will give you nearly the same soundstage without the loss of legroom and annoyance of always being worried about kicking them...Kick panels only look good the day you get them installed... Whatever you do install in your doors, be sure to use eDead, Dynamat or some other product that will dull the resonance your metal door will experience otherwise get ready for some rattles... Below are some photos of when I was doing my stereo install.. Here are my doors, both interior sides are lined with eDead, speaker grills painted to match... 5-1/4's in dash painted to match dash Tweets in dash And some 8" subs to fill out the low end

08-11-2009, 10:56 AM	#13
70k52wd Blaze-Air Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Virginia Posts: 1,117	Re: Who has speakers in the door? Beatcoaster, I agree with kicking the kick panels. For me it's something that is a minor problem. The trade off is a properly directed speaker. I like the in dash set up you have done. I put tweets there also in my truck. I would like to do the center speaks as well. Nice job.

08-11-2009, 12:05 PM	#14
epashhans Registered User Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: MT Posts: 319	Re: Who has speakers in the door? Yeah, I thought about the kick panels, but I just think it gets too crowded...and I really haven't seen any that I like the look of...especially with a clutch and my hi/lo switch down there. Beatcoaster, I really like the way you did it. Looks very nice. I bet it sounds nice as well. Do you have carpet, deadener behind your tank as well? I had planned on putting deadener in the doors. Did you get a cover on the inside to protect them from any water that gets down in the door? Thats a nice color too...can you post some pics of the entire truck and interior and stuff. Just out of curiousity, what is the big deal with cutting "virgin doors"? I mean, people are doing all sorts of things to different parts of these trucks. Are there not replacements or something? __________________ '67 C-10 Shorty - 454, 5spd, and speed holes!

08-11-2009, 12:40 PM	#15
john member #16 Join Date: Dec 1999 Location: Yuba City Ca. Posts: 3,618	Re: Who has speakers in the door? Fiberglass construction. Attached Images __________________ john http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/showgroups.php board vendors http://www.flickr.com/photos/1745471...7602865984234/



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08-11-2009, 04:40 PM	#17
Beatcoaster 69 Fleetside Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Lake Stevens, WA Posts: 333	Re: Who has speakers in the door? Epashhans - I have no carpet or deadener around the gas tank - I just couldn't justify the price of the gas tank carpet just to cover what is already hidden by the seat. I did deaden the floor, have a layer of carpet pad, then carpet...With it cranked I have zero rattles and the sound is pretty darn good for the money invested... The 6x9's are Polk marine grade, so I am not worried about water at all - all the installs I have done over my years have never had water issues, and I don't expect any here either. If you are worried about water, just use some Dynamat or eDead on the top 1/2 of the speaker as a deflector and you won't have problems...just never use baffles, they make your speakers sound like crap... I have some more pics here with a full write up on what I used and costs: http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=341839 I don't have any exterior pics yet cause the previous owner had it painted purple and I am in the process of reversing that and painting it the same dark metallic gray seen here!! I just had to get the interior done first as it was truly awful with red seatbelts/ivory seat cover/brown saddle trim panels/steering wheel/dash pad and the original olive green everywhere else!!

08-11-2009, 11:20 PM	#18
unclewatts 70 Chevrolet=Obsession Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: nice ca Posts: 1,067	Re: Who has speakers in the door? One thing I would like to add is that if you are installing speakers in the doors (6X9 is probably the best) use rubber grommets on the door and door post and I highly recommend using Monster Cable or equivalent because you're flexing that cable every time you open and close that door. Monster (and others) have as many as 256 strands in each conductor which will never break from flexing. If you use cheap Radio S**t wire it will give you nothing but trouble. BTW Get good speakers! I bought cheapo ones and I really hate 'em. __________________ I'm Just like my truck. Old, Ugly and Grouchy. Except my truck starts easily in the morning and doesn't smoke! IT'S NOT EASY BEING GREEN! -Kermit the frog 1970 Chevrolet C-10 Longbed Stepside : 350, Muncie M20, 3.08 GM corp. positraction Forest green exterior/light green interior(Where all my money goes) 1996 Toyota Corolla (Parts runner)

08-17-2009, 08:11 AM	#19
Otsa580 I Love Rusty Chevys Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Omaha, NE Posts: 617	Re: Who has speakers in the door? I had 6 1/2" speakers in my blazer doors. Water leaking ruined my first pair. I bought new window seal kit and my 2nd pair of JL's were ruined by moisture also. Now I have a speaker holes that I can vacuum all the rust and water out of my doors after it rains! I never thought of using marine speakers..........I'll have to try that out! __________________ 1969 K5 Blazer 1997 1500 Silverado Ext Cab Z71 2010 1500 Silverado Ext Cab Z71 Last edited by Otsa580; 08-17-2009 at 08:13 AM. Reason: I'm a retard

08-19-2009, 02:56 PM	#20
AJLChase Registered User Join Date: May 2009 Location: Lincoln, NE Posts: 322	Re: Who has speakers in the door? Any pictures of how you ran the wiring into the cab from the door to the door jamb?

11-07-2015, 02:05 PM	#22
_Ogre Registered User Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Motown Posts: 7,680	Re: Who has speakers in the door? holy old thread recovery batman!!! __________________ cool, an ogre smiley Ogre's 58 Truk build how to put your truck year and build thread into your signature shop air compressor timer

02-16-2016, 02:44 PM	#23
New_70'C10 Registered User Join Date: Nov 2015 Location: Edmond, OK Posts: 146	Re: Who has speakers in the door? A little more life into the thread. If you already have holes in the door that's one thing but the kick panels are actually the best most efficient place to install your speakers. Take a look at the competition vehicles and see where theirs are at. The closer your speakers are to being the exact same distance from the listener's ears the better it sounds. It doesn't sound like you're building a competition vehicle so in this case the doors will be the easiest. __________________ 1970 SWB CST; 307ci, 200-4R, (Slow Motion)

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