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Front speakers finished... pics here.

9K views 41 replies 24 participants last post by  ron21 
#1 · (Edited)
So it was very easy to do... the speaker grills pop off (with care) and a set of 3.5" speakers fit right in... with a few little adjustments :) I didn't want to drag out the Canon20D so I just used my wife's little Elph.. so excuse the photo quality - but you get the idea.

First image... I used a flathead screwdriver in the grill to pry the grill upwards and pop the first retainer clip up. The panel needs to come straight up. Actually when I really used the force to pop it up I wrapped the screwdriver in a paper towel to prevent damage.


So here is a shot of the retainer clips...


And the 2.6" speaker within (Note that the brass colored metal speaker holder is to be removed completely to make room for the larger speaker. It comes out easily with two screws)


Top shot of the speaker I plan on installing vs factory. The factory dash speaker isn't NEARLY as cheesy as the door 6x9s... but it still has plenty of room for improvement!


And the magnet differences.


Now when you pull the cover from the speaker, you'll see this little horn kinda thing that directs the sound towards the driver. I guess those cheap speakers needed all the help they could get! Well with any 'real' speakers the plastic sound director will be in the way. Luckily if you put your fingers between it and the grill, it pops right off from its 3 plastic rivets.


So clip the wires from the factory speaker, unplug the wires from the harness connection just out of view in the early shots, and solder it to the new speaker. Red is positive black is negative! This way you simply click the connector back together when you mount the new speaker. Notice that I was able to use ONE of the factory screw locations. I predrilled a small hole and used a threaded self tapping screw to attach the other end. It went in snuggly and firmly and the plastic holds the screw very well.


Before you put the grill on, if you want to keep the little mesh fabric that comes on it, put some tape on the rivet ends. The mesh is held in by being pressed between the little sound redirector and the grill. It falls free when you pull the plastic horn off. Simple step if you want to keep the mesh.


So here it is installed from within the truck... can't really tell anything


And here it is from the outside looking in the windshield with a flash.


The grills pop right back on without any resistence and do not touch the speaker at all. Sound is VERY good (though you might need to turn the highs / treble down a little after this.

I'll warn you that after you do the front dash and door speakers, the roof speakers are pretty much non-existant anymore. They still play, but you won't really hear them. Doesn't matter since they don't sound that great anyways!
 
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#2 ·
looks real simple to do,my list of improvements is growing so fast.are you going to replace all of the speakers with the exception of the ceiling spkrs?your next step should be the radio right.do you have the upgraded radio or the stock unit?
 
#7 ·
adam12hicks said:
ETP... I already did the radio. See my post on the Avic-D1 Pioneer Double DIN Nav / DVD / MP3 / XM Sat radio/traffic.

Adam
i remember now,saw the post and pics the other day.
 
#8 ·
adam12hicks said:
ETP... I already did the radio. See my post on the Avic-D1 Pioneer Double DIN Nav / DVD / MP3 / XM Sat radio/traffic.

Adam
Just curious why you didn't do the Z1.....was it just because of cost? I think the z1 adds (at least, maybe more) voice commands for the GPS and bluetooth to integrate a cell phone.
 
#9 ·
The D1 is more easily modded for in motion video / GPS, and I just couldn't convince myself that voice input (which I have on my Acura TL and rarely use) was worth $950. That's a LOT of money for voice recognition! Bluetooth is pretty cool, but I don't spend a lot of time driving and talking on the phone. I have movies to watch ;) J/K

The Z1 is a nice unit... but not worth the price difference to me. Now if it were $1700 I would have sprung for it, but not $2200+.

Adam
 
#10 ·
adam12hicks said:
ETP... I already did the radio. See my post on the Avic-D1 Pioneer Double DIN Nav / DVD / MP3 / XM Sat radio/traffic.

Adam
Adam,

Thanks in advance for doing all of my homework for me. Plus it will help the guys doing my install. I'm pretty sure that I will be their first FJ customer. If all goes well, the rig should arrive on 4/20 ;0)

Great pictures and helpful advice.
 
#13 ·
Glad I could help... if any of you guys are in the Dallas F/W area I'd be happy to help. If we do some door speakers I'll get pictures this time and do the same thing for the doors.

The doors are a little bit trickier, as the 6x9s in the doors are on these spacers / risers that you must break the old speaker free from and mount the new 6x9 to the spacer for proper clearance / sound.

Adam
 
#14 ·
Adam, great tips and pics. One thing to mention...the "horn kinda thing" as you described it most likely to prevent sound cancellation more so then direct the sound (through reflection). If the sound waves from the front of the speaker combine with those from the rear, it will result in cancellation and a loss of fidelity. Try using a couple of pieces of Dynamat or other self adhesive sound deadening material to "seal" up the surrounding space. Try using one layer from the bottom (if you have access) and one from the top. This a pretty cheap fix and it will make your added speakers sound much better. I was an installer by trade for of 10 years and I have been a little lazy since getting the FJ...you have inspired me to get off my kiester and start upgrading my system. Thanks for the tip on the AVIC-D1, saves a lot of c-notes.
 
#15 ·
Well that would be more of a problem if my FJ HAD rear speakers :) And also, the 'horns' were on top of the speaker, actually directing sound towards the rear of the truck, so you'd think it would be more of a problem. Without them everything sounds really great. I'm a big fan of the Dynamat products though, and certainly agree with that point.

Take care,
Adam
 
#16 ·
adam12hicks said:
Well that would be more of a problem if my FJ HAD rear speakers :) And also, the 'horns' were on top of the speaker, actually directing sound towards the rear of the truck, so you'd think it would be more of a problem. Without them everything sounds really great. I'm a big fan of the Dynamat products though, and certainly agree with that point.

Take care,
Adam
Adam, do you have speakers on the rear pillars? Also, I've seen others install speakers in the plastic pillars behind the rear doors. I know that some owners want to make it as stock as possible. This is understandable. The way I calc. it out now, I'm gonna have 12 speakers plus a sub. I wasn't even aware of the dash speakers until you brought it up. Thanks again for being a "pioneering" spirit. I'll post the results with pictures once I have a chance to tinker with my rig.
 
#17 ·
No I don't have the rear pillar speakers. I didn't buy the upgaded stereo since I was going to rip it out anyways. I've thought about putting some in back there, but they're so far back and so small that I don't think they're the right fit for what the car needs. I will probably out some 5-1/4" or 4" mids somewhere though...

Adam
 
#18 ·
Nice work, I wouldn't bother with the rear pillars. I had some 5.25 installed next to the rear seat, they completely fill the rear with all of the sound you need, well and a sub
See below.
 
#20 ·
JimmyHoops said:
Sweet placement. That's where my Boston Pro's will go. Does any one know the size of the speakers on the rear pillars?
The stocks are 2.5"
 
#24 ·
Are you guys (or gals) keeping the stock head unit?
I was thinking of doing the speakers but keeping the head unit the same for now.
 
#26 ·
I was thinking of doing the speakers but keeping the head unit the same for now
That's what I did. I added an Alpine 2 channel amp and went with Diamond Audio 6 ½" rounds in the front door panels, 2" (or was it 2 ½") rounds in the dash, and 3 ½" rounds in the rear. The front 4 speakers were connected to the amp with the rest (including the new rear speakers) staying on the existing system. The improvement in sound quality was dramatic. I suppose a new head unit might have improved the sound somewhat, but I can't imagine that it would make enough of a difference to justify the cost.

Jim
 
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