My version of the dash speaker upgrade

[yfs200p]

I did a lot of searching on here for what people have done to upgrade the center dash speaker. The options are fairly limited due to the obvious lack of space. I have personally never seen a set of kick panel speakers that I liked; many of them are well done, but I think its the lack of originality that kept me from doing them. For top notch audio quality, a set of 6"ish kick panel speakers coupled with another set in the cab corners or behind the seat would provide the best sound. Since this truck will be mostly a garage queen and I wont be traveling long distances requiring a nice stereo, I decided to use the stock dash speaker location.

I am using the RetroSound Zuma head unit. I chose the Alpine SPS-410 4" shallow mount 2-way speakers. I picked these for their good reviews and shallow 1- 11/16" mounting depth.


I then cut a piece of sheet metal I had laying around to mount the speakers into. I placed them on it as close as possible and traced how much was needed to cut out.


I found the center and mounted the factory speaker bracket to it. This screws into the firewall, and originally the 4x10" speaker bracket was attached.


Then I used a small 90* die grinder with a cutting wheel to cut out the holes. Not sure of what tool would have worked any better, I had to cut it out like a stop sign and then round off the corners. (They aren't the prettiest, but once the speakers are mounted you'll never notice)




Then mounted the speakers in the holes. I had to bend the steel a bit so the speakers would point towards the dash more, and leave more clearance for the top of the radio when it is installed.


This has got to be one of the most difficult areas to work on in these trucks. There is no easy way to get your hands in there. Here are some pics of the speakers mounted. There looks to be plenty of room for the radio head unit. The only thing that i may need to add is an extra support from this speaker bracket to either the firewall or perhaps the top of the radio. These speakers are fairly heavy for their size and i think the bracket may bounce a little too much in this leaf-sprung 4x4 short bed. Anyone who has driven one knows what I mean!









This last pic is taken with the camera sitting on the seat, it makes it look like the speakers are hanging down but they are not. This setup has yet to be road tested, so comments and suggestions are welcome!! I am about 6 months away from completion on this thing and cant wait. Let me know what you all think!