Drilling into the kickpanels??

[Steve Cole]

I want to install some speaker pods on the kick panels, how much room is there between the skins for screws? Anything to be careful of? Thanks!

[Lou Boffa]

subbed

[hugger6933]

Now where your thinking of you need to be careful a good bit of that is single walled there and if you cut a hole in the wrong place well your speaker will be out side the cab for the most part. I think the best idea would be to get some of the speaker pods even though they aren't real cost effective they will put the speaker inside the cab. Jim

[Fitz]

Originally Posted by Steve Cole

I want to install some speaker pods on the kick panels, how much room is there between the skins for screws? Anything to be careful of? Thanks!

Steve:
as you can see from the scan of the assembly manual, the distance between the skins is exactly the thickness of the door jamb or about 3 inches IF you stay below and to the door jamb side of the vent opening.

Fitz

[Steve Cole]

Cool! Thanks Fitz! That is just what I needed!

[original-71]

which speaker pods are you trying to put in ? the little corner pods or the kick panel speakers ? I see speaker pods on the kick panel so trying to figure out which one ?

[hugger6933]

I'm sorry I misread the post,it was early. The room for screws is there just dont put 6 inch screws or something wild like that. Place the pods up there and add1/2 inch to that figure for the screws and you'll be golden

[Gromit]

Just my opinion; and I know these are just screw holes you're talking about; but

No No No No NO! (someone will recognize where I got that quote; and honestly, I'm surprised at you! :-))..

Don't create a new, custom rust, water, dirt and vapor passage from inside the cab to the outside!

All kinds of crap collects in that space, and it is already really hard to keep clean. I would no more put a bare metal hole with screws in my truck there in that blind space than I would put a hole in my own head, just above the ears, on each side

I know, I'm just one guy. And I'm not the smartest guy in THIS room as I've learned now many times over..

Just being selfish - as in - someday I might buy that truck that the previous owner molested; and I'd have to weld up those holes and fix all the rust that followed - and way back up in there.

Subwoofer speakers can go under the seat with no drilling; and tweeters glued on at ear level somewhere - trust me, it will be good enough.

[Steve Cole]

Hugger- no worries, thanks for the reply! I agree, a half inch extra on the screws should be fine.

Gromit- thanks for the warning but my truck never sees water, trash, or inclement weather . I don't even have wipers installed! I only drive it on nice, sunny days so I don't think a couple of 8/32" holes on either side will make a big difference either way.

[Gromit]

OK; of course please know that I'm not trying to tell you what to do with your own project - but I would feel bad if I didn't speak up in this case - I'll try one last effort - how about attaching the pods with epoxy instead of perforating that most difficult to access cavity?

You can always remove the epoxy with a heat gun; and if you prep the surface right (320 grit & 90%+ isopropyl alcohol ) and use the right epoxy mix the pod should stick just fine and 20 years from now someone can put it back original with no trauma.

Living in Cali we have a good climate and no salt on the roads; so our cars last a long time - easily decades - but close to the coast we do have salt air; so I've learned the hard way - never drill into factory sheet metal - especially into a blind cavity with limited access - if there is a reasonable alternative; so that is just one average joe's opinion - there will be as many against that idea as for I suppose..

But you did ask us right? :-)