Before begging this thread I have to say that I'm a complete beginner when it comes to car stereo equipment but love playing good sounding music loud. I have been meaning to move my speakers from one place in the truck to the other for some time now but I wanted to run it by a few other people before I did.

I bought a pair of Boston Acoustics 5x7's with the intention of putting them in the way back compartment of my 1st gen runner (basically where the pre-drilled out section of plastic already is). After putting them there I'm starting to think that they are too far back to do any good and that a sub should go where they are and the 5x7's should go in the mid-section of the truck. So basically, I want to cut out some speaker holes in the side panels that are found in the back seat region of my truck and mount the 5x7's in there.

I was looking to get some advice before I cut into my panels and possibly ruin them. Is there a method to this other than the obvious of mark where you are going to cut, drill a starter hole, cut...? Any direction of what I should do, things to look out for, websites for info, etc.. is very much appreciated. Thanks.

 

well the first flaw that i see is your plan to put the subs in the back. that's not going to work out to good. they will not sound good, because they will not have the proper amount of space behind them, plus they will try to displace air and cause the plastic to rattle and make all kinds of noise. they should be put into an enclosure, not into panels.

as far as the 5x7s, just make sure you know what is behind the panel before you go cutting away, you need to find a place where the magnet on the back will be held at least 2" away from any metal, and further away if you can. so putting them in a panel where the metal body is right behind it, is not a good idea. when you find a good spot, make sure you can run the wires there, and cut small at first, you can always take more off. hope this is what you where looking for.

 

Hmmm, I'd have to suggest getting some aftermarket speaker mounts or perhaps cutting some spacing rings for putting those 5x7's in the rear passenger doors to hold them out away from the mechanicals of the window actuator as they're bound to require some attention to be given to their "depth", geoduke. Other than that, you could also pick up a pair of magnet "boots" (round, rubber caps that fit over the magnets) if contact with a metal surface is unavoidable.

Additionally, mounting of subs in the rear quater panels is definitely possible, with some attention to detail and a little additional effort to avoid the "rattle" mentioned by rider 1313 and to insure adequate "space" for the "displacement of air" for the sub(s) to have good sound.

 

yeah, don't get me wrong, it is very possible, and do able, but not your best option. you say you are looking for loud, good sounding music, and if you are looking for the higher quality, i just suggest getting a box. but it will work either way.

 

Thanks for the comments so far guys. I wasn't thinking about needing a box for the subs so perhaps a bass tube would be more convenient for the inner panels in the rear. The 1st gen doesn't have rear passenger doors so I don't think I'm going to have to worry about any window mechanics or anything like that (possibly some sort of cross-bar at most). I have located some 5x7 speaker grilles that are front mount which I am planning on using. They also offer rear mount but I think front mount might be easier to install and also offer me a little bit more room inside of the panel for the magnet clearance.

The main thing I'm concerned about is the actual cutting of the panel. It's a plastic type panel with some sort of padding (probably foam) in the middle and fabric enclosing the padding. It is ok to cut a speaker hole into this with a jigsaw?? Which side should the "down" side be while I'm cutting (fabric or plastic facing away from jigsaw). Should I remove the fabric and padding with an exacto knife before cutting the plastic? As you can see, I have never watched anyone cut panels nor have I read a how-to about it. So I'm looking for a little info as to what to do, or perhaps more importantly what not to do, when I start.

 

there is no real science to it, but I would cut the fabric away first, so it does not clog up the saw. you may even want to do it by hand if you are not sure of your cutting skills. this way you do not have to worry about taking too much off, or going off path. like i said before, just look behind it before you cut and make sure you have the room.