door speakers...... I know it's taboo

[no1udknow]

Hey everyone,
I was wondering if anyone make a door panel insert that acts as an enclosure for a speaker. There seems to be plenty of room. If not, I may make one. I think if I were able to mold a bowl like enclosure out of fiberglass and put a 5 1/2 or 6x9 speaker into it, and make it about 1/2 inch bigger than the speaker with a lip to mount the speaker to, then a flange to mount on the door. It would probably be better sounding, and less susceptible to any moisture that gets in the door. Your thoughts?

[michael bustamante]

crutchfield used to have thick foam enclosures for door speakers. look them up online

[mechanicalman]

Originally Posted by no1udknow

Hey everyone,
I was wondering if anyone make a door panel insert that acts as an enclosure for a speaker. There seems to be plenty of room. If not, I may make one. I think if I were able to mold a bowl like enclosure out of fiberglass and put a 5 1/2 or 6x9 speaker into it, and make it about 1/2 inch bigger than the speaker with a lip to mount the speaker to, then a flange to mount on the door. It would probably be better sounding, and less susceptible to any moisture that gets in the door. Your thoughts?

I put 5.5" speakers in my doors on my 72, would NEVER do it again and will not on my 68. Speaker grills get beat up pretty bad when you drag your feet out. OK, maybe I'm clumsy but you'll see!

Like I said, not going to do it again, but if I did....I'd try to get a door jamb connector that dis-connects when the door is open, a contact pad set-up off another vehicle. One of the distractions of putting them in the door is the wires constantly breaking or grounding.

For the 6x9's you can go to the u-pull-it or pick-a-part and find them below what they used to call the "package tray" under the rear window in cars.

For the 5 & 1/2":
http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_odkw...ffles&_sacat=0

6 x 9
http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from...ffles&_sacat=0

[StingRay]

I had a pair of Nakamichi 6.5's and a set of 8" subs in the doors of my 72 way back. It was an exercise in shoe horning. There was no way to keep the doors from rattling, clanking and buzzing. Never did sound very good. I made a custom lower panel that looked pretty good. I used a rubber wire duct from a Ford to run the wires through the door jamb that worked really good. Years later I regretted hacking up the doors. They rusted away and are nothing but a bad memory now.

[Mike C]

I'm going to do the stereo in my short step in a few weeks and will take some pics. I mount the speakers in the door PANEL and not the door. This works with 67-71 trucks quite well. Just need to do some careful measuring to make sure you position the speaker you are going to use carefully. Cut the door panel for the speaker (I use an adjustable hole cutter in a drill press). Then transfer the mark to the door itself and make your clearance cut.

In my '72 Jimmy I have door panels made from 1/4" plywood and covered in black vinyl. I mounted 4" speakers in the lower front portion. I have 6 1/2" in the side panel beyond the front seats and a single 12 in the rear.

The truck will have 5 1/4" in the panel and 4"s in the dash with a single 8" below the seat.

In the last truck I had I did 4" components in the doors and may decide for my '69 that's the better way to go but will find that out. They looked cool with the separate flush mount tweeter enclosure higher up in the front of the door panel.

[leftybass209]

Is there a reason you don't want to use the kick panels with speaker enclosures? I wouldn't hesitate cutting holes in my doors if I knew the sound quality was great but the countless 67 - 72 trucks on the road prove otherwise compared to the kick panel speakers. I understand budget, but it's a lot more money and time to fill the holes. Same problem with the dash speaker: sound waves immediately bounce off the windshield and reflect off numerous other obstacles before it gets to your ears. I'm not saying kick panel speakers are an end all be all, but it's the most efficient location in these trucks for low end sound waves to develop before your ears receive the sound waves. A custom console would also serve a similar purpose.

[DarkFlounder]

The PO of my 72 K2500 hacked 6x9s into the lower door panels. Literally hacked, it looks like he used a pick axe to make the holes.

But not matter, the driver door needs to be outright replaced anyway, and I can patch the hole in the passenger door when I rebuild it later this year.

PO also mounted subwoofers in boxes behind the seat (gas tank was relocated pretty shoddily under the bed). Might build new boxes and put 6x9 + subwoofer back there.

[Pistol Pete]

Originally Posted by leftybass209

Is there a reason you don't want to use the kick panels with speaker enclosures? I wouldn't hesitate cutting holes in my doors if I knew the sound quality was great but the countless 67 - 72 trucks on the road prove otherwise compared to the kick panel speakers. I understand budget, but it's a lot more money and time to fill the holes. Same problem with the dash speaker: sound waves immediately bounce off the windshield and reflect off numerous other obstacles before it gets to your ears. I'm not saying kick panel speakers are an end all be all, but it's the most efficient location in these trucks for low end sound waves to develop before your ears receive the sound waves. A custom console would also serve a similar purpose.

+1 for kick panels.

Here's a couple things to think about. Unless you are spending a ton of cash on dynomat (or other sound deadening material) the stereo isn't gonna sound that good. Seriously. So... When it comes to cost... To get decent (not good) sound it would be more economical to either fab or buy some kick panel speaker pods... At least they won't rattle like in the doors, but still won't sound like a 2015 silverado...

Personally I never even listen to my radio unless my kids are in the truck... Single chamber dumped 40 flowmasters are my music

[mechanicalman]

Originally Posted by Mike C

I'm going to do the stereo in my short step in a few weeks and will take some pics. I mount the speakers in the door PANEL and not the door. This works with 67-71 trucks quite well. Just need to do some careful measuring to make sure you position the speaker you are going to use carefully. Cut the door panel for the speaker (I use an adjustable hole cutter in a drill press). Then transfer the mark to the door itself and make your clearance cut.

[texasld]

Originally Posted by mechanicalman

I put 5.5" speakers in my doors on my 72, would NEVER do it again and will not on my 68. Speaker grills get beat up pretty bad when you drag your feet out. OK, maybe I'm clumsy but you'll see!

Like I said, not going to do it again, but if I did....I'd try to get a door jamb connector that dis-connects when the door is open, a contact pad set-up off another vehicle. One of the distractions of putting them in the door is the wires constantly breaking or grounding.

For the 6x9's you can go to the u-pull-it or pick-a-part and find them below what they used to call the "package tray" under the rear window in cars.

For the 5 & 1/2":
http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_odkw...ffles&_sacat=0

6 x 9
http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from...ffles&_sacat=0

As far as connectors go, Painless and many others make a connector for the rod industry. Something like this.


Member vic1947 has done some really awesome door "boxes" on his project CRLS. http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...=563833&page=3 Page 3 and 4.

[mechanicalman]

Originally Posted by texasld

As far as connectors go, Painless and many others make a connector for the rod industry. Something like this.


Member vic1947 has done some really awesome door "boxes" on his project CRLS. http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...=563833&page=3 Page 3 and 4.

Wow those are perfect and easier than a trip to the yard.

[mechanicalman]

Originally Posted by no1udknow

Hey everyone,
I was wondering if anyone make a door panel insert that acts as an enclosure for a speaker. There seems to be plenty of room. If not, I may make one. I think if I were able to mold a bowl like enclosure out of fiberglass and put a 5 1/2 or 6x9 speaker into it, and make it about 1/2 inch bigger than the speaker with a lip to mount the speaker to, then a flange to mount on the door. It would probably be better sounding, and less susceptible to any moisture that gets in the door. Your thoughts?

OK after Mike C. and texasld have have chimed in, I'm now down with their type of door speaker installations.

Go for it.

[drillrod]

I had speakers in my 72 and hated it. Constantly shutting the doors is rough on the speakers. I replaced them several times over the years. Truck is in body shop right now getting painted and I had him to weld up the speaker holes, but thats just my 2 cents!

[no1udknow]

ok, well here's where I'm at with it. I have 4 doors for my truck. 1 is on my truck and is complete crap and is getting tossed it has a hole cut in it for a 5 1/2" , 2 are off the truck, fairly new and have been stripped of every piece of hardware and are ready to be sand blasted and painted, one of them has a hole cut in it for a 5 1/2", it is gold with white top and botom. the other is pristine... and hugger orange. The last door that is on my truck is a little shotty outside, but the inside is pristine, it is not cut. I really don't feel like cutting and welding on the doors at all. My dad had a 72 with speakers in the doors forever. He lined the doors with hard foam insulation and the speakers sounded great. I'm probably not going to try and get a lot of bass out of a 5 1/2" but I am after mids, I will put some small molded tweeters on the dash, and some 6x9s in the rear corners after I get a new tank. Then a sub.I really just wanted to know if anyone had used any kind of 5 1/2" enclosure and how they sounded?

[Pistol Pete]

I can post what is in my truck tonight... But again, they are kick panel pods

[Mike C]

I did the panels in my truck today. Here is a link to the thread.

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...83#post7042983

[Pistol Pete]

Every time I try to load a pic... The screen goes white...I'll try again in a bit...

[Pistol Pete]

Kick panels...

[Pistol Pete]

Another angle...

[AirSpeed]

I used empty antifreeze jugs stuffed with foam for my 6" mids, made grills out of aluminum and some spacers, kicked them many times with no issue. I mounted the tweets above the AC vents and mounted two 10" subs under the seat in ported boxes.