helikyler

Hey people. I'm new to YotaTech so don't yell at me if this has been already covered. I've been reading through the forums and haven't been able to make a solid decision.

I'm wanting to install some Pioneer 5.25" speakers in front and Jensen 6x9 3-ways in the rear. I read that somebody mounted 6x9's under the paneling in the rear and it still looks stock. I'm thinking of going that route but I think I want them exposed for the best amount of sound flow. I'm thinking of covering a cut piece of plywood with speaker box carpet and mounting that on top of the aged paneling with the 6x9 in it.

The big puzzle is the front. Here are my questions:

1. I'm thinking I'll mount the 5.25's in the doors, but is there a better spot in the door than another for fitting the magnets in the door?

2. Can I fit the whole thing into the door panel so it looks cleaner than being half on the panel and half in the metal below? I DO have the triangular vent windows, so I think the window clearance is not a problem.

3. Also, there are no stock speakers that came in my doors but there are wires going into the doors which I saw behind the paneling. Are those for optional speakers? If so, can I use them instead of the wires that go to the stock 4 inchers?

Any help, photos, etc. would be much appreciated. Also, buying pricey mounts isn't an option for me. It's me, a sawzall, some wire crimpers and a low budget!

82yota

You don't have power windows do you? That would explain the wires going into the doors. I'm pretty sure Toyota never put speakers in the doors in the trucks. The front ones went in the dash and the back ones went in the removeable little panels back there. And to see where you could put the speakers in the doors I would take the panel off to be absolutely sure that they would not hit anything. I wouldn't trust what others say as once you make a cut there is no going back. Not saying others would be bad advise but cheak for yourself too.

helikyler

No, I don't have power windows but I definitely do have wires going into the doors. Maybe somebody else was getting it ready to have speakers in the doors and then didn't. Thanks for your reply man.

Does anybody have experience mounting speakers in the doors or in the rear panels of the 2nd Gen 4Runner (86-89)?

Djlarroc

I have a Runner similar to yours w/the vent window. Here's my 2 cents: Put 6 1/2's in the front doors and 6 1/2's right by the back seat. I put 6 1/2's in my front doors and am really happy w/that. The front imaging is nice. I put 6x9's in the panels near the roll bar in the back. Bad mistake! It was a huge PITA to cut into that plastic nicely so the weird 6x9's would fit. My speakers were all crooked and hanging off either the top or bottom. It was ugly.

Finally I took the time and got a piece 1/2" piece of wood and made some better templates for the 6x9's. They are in there nice and tight now, and I painted the wood black. It looks ok, but I still can't hear the damn speakers. They are too far back.

Speakers should be round. Get yourself 1 pair of 6 1/2's for the front and some by the back seat. YOU WILL BE HAPPY. Toyota didn't put door speakers in until late I think, most if not all 1st gen trucks/Runners only came w/the 4" dash speakers. You can get a nice set of 6 1/2s from walmart for like $34 a pair, or there lot's of deals onilne. That's what I would do.

helikyler

Hey man thanks for the input. I'm going to take the 5 1/4" speakers back that I bought because I thought they would fit in the dash and they don't, plus they aren't the type with shields on front to protect them since they're for behind a panel. So I'll try and trade in for 6's or so. I think for the back I'm going to go with speaker boxes for the 6x9's so I can move them around. I was really worried about cutting the paneling in the back and messing it up, figuring wood was eventually going to come into the equation.

Is there a way to get to the rear speaker wires without taking the whole panel off? Also, do you know anything about this rear speaker stock amp people are talking about? Where is it at, etc? I'm on AIM as helikyler, MSN as SBKyler2@hotmail.com and Yahoo Messenger as SBKyler2, helikyler on iChat and kylerburke on Gmail chat at the same time if you're able to chat about it.

Thanks dood. By the way, your Runner in the pic looks awesome. I want to paint mine, red maybe. Do you have any pics of the speaker installs?

Blurr

i'm going to put 5 1/4" component speakers in my front doors and either a small sub box behind the rear seat or 6 1/2" components in the rear panels plus an amp to drive them all under the passenger seat. just waiting on some ebay auctions to end so i can fund this project

Djlarroc

Sorry man, I don't. It's pretty simple though. When you do your 6.5", just make sure you put them forward enough on the door so they don't interfere w/your window rolling down (Not as critical as the 1 piece windows). I didn't have a problem running speaker wire to the back. I ran it from the stereo, under the carpet, under the door sill, under the carpet again, under the back seats, then routed them behind the panel. Since you are doing 6x9 boxes, it just depends on where you'll put them.

helikyler

I actually just came up with a better idea for the rear speakers while sitting in the truck brainstorming. I'm going to take out those little cubbies by the back seat and use that cavity for the magnets of the 6x9s. Then I'm going to get some thin particle board or ply wood and cover it with speaker box covering. After I mount the 6x9s to the rectangular boards, I'll screw those into the paneling. This way I don't have to cut any frame and I can already see the rear speaker wires laying in there easily within an arm's reach. The only catch is that I have to make it low enough profile that the seats can still fold forward but I rarely do that anyway.