In a 2007 exactly how much door trimming is going to be necessary for the 6.5 drivers to fit in the stock 6x8 location? I plan to use an adapter plate but want to know up front the best way to trim the opening and how you guys have accomplished it?

I realize it's behind the door grill but want to keep modification as minimal as possible. I wish I could just go with 5.25" components but I don't think they can give me the mid-bass I'm looking for.

Thanks in advance guys!

 

I have never done this but I would assume that it depends on the speaker. I was looking at some Alpine SPX-17REF 6.5 comps and crutchfields website says they fit the front doors (02 Screw) w/ no modifications mentioned. They also come w/ the adapter plate.

 

I was hoping some folks that had added 6.5s to the front door of their 04-08 would post their experiences. Anything is possible and likely easy. That said, there is a right/easy way and a wrong/hard way to do everything. It would be great if some of you that have done it the right/easy way could share some insight. Thanks!

 

Well, this will sound wierd but... Every 6.5" is a bit different. Some you will find will be closer to 6" and others closer to 7".

So, you will have to figure out what works best for you... Sorry...

 

I put some DLS 6" components in my truck. I'll try to post some pics...

 

Well, I went with 5.25 because I really didn't want to create a rattle or take a chance of creating one. I did look at what it would take and at a minimum you would need to remove a couple inches of the "cup" that recedes into the door. You could probably remove the whole cup if you wanted to.

 

I was thinking the same thing. Dremel off the entire "cup" and put an MDF plate in it's place. I really hate to mod it but I really doubt the 5.25s can offer anything resembling midbass. How do yours sound? Currently I have a gap between the doors and the single 10" sub I'm running. I want seamless sound but with a reasonable solution. I'm definitely torn. To date every mod I've made is reversable. To completely hack the door panel isn't. Decisions decisions....

 

I'm actually pretty satisfied. Some songs I feel could use a little more midbass but not to a point of dissatisfaction. I have a tendency to change my mind so I just bought a set of cheap components. I'm actually impressed for the most part. Probably the best $68 I've ever spent on car audio. I have a set of MB Quart PSDs from a previous ride so I may end up putting them in at some point. I even have the PSC(I think that's the newer model) tweeters and crossovers from a warranty claim.

I tried the under-seat box and it just didn't do it for me. I am used to pretty heavy duty bass but I'm over that now. I just need a bit more than the under-seat box can provide. So, I removed the passenger rear seat bottom (for now) and put my ported Kicker 12L5 box in it's place. It sounds just about perfect for me. I had to face the port toward the rear and the speaker itself faces the passenger rear door. This was the only way to fit the box without making a new one. Between the components and the L5 I really don't hear anything missing. If anything maybe a set of speaker baffles would improve the midbass enough.

Ultimately, I want to get another passenger seat bottom and put the box in the middle. There was another guy on one of these forums who did that.

I still have the 2 12W7s from my Explorer but one had the magnet and voice coil come out the bottom of it. My Explorer was totalled by my best friend in May of last year. The truck was flipped 12 times. I'm not sure if I can get it fixed yet or not. I also really don't want that much bass anymore but it would be fun to see how they sounded in such a small cabin. I'd imagine removal of the entire backseat would be necessary and that's another reason I'm not really planning on doing it.

 

TWELVE TIMES! I hope your friend was ok, certainly doesn't sound like the Explorer was!

But good info on the 5.25s, thanks. My system sounds "ok" currently and truthfully that was my goal before I started. But I have a hard time roping myself in so I'm trying to be strong. Maybe I'll go with the 5.25" components and see how it works out. Thanks again.

 

Yes, it was a freak one vehicle accident. Unfortunately he did not survive. Needless to say 2007 was one of the worst years of my life. He was the only occupant as well. He was struggling with his life for a few years prior to this. It was a battle with depression and he turned to narcotics toward the end. He was really trying but I have to believe that God decided he suffered enough and brought him home. The investigators say he never new what hit him. I still have nightmares thinking about what was going through his mind.

Sorry for bring this up in your thread.

How much power are you planning on running to the components? That may help with the decision.

These are the cheap components I installed (in case your curious):
http://www.savinglots.com/lotprod.asp?item=L5C

I didn't buy them from that site, just the first hit of a search.

 

Ok, here are some quick pics of my 6.5 DLS speakers. Only minimal cutting/trimming was required.

















The white patches that you see are pieces of Eternabond tape to seal off the areas that needed to be trimmed.

 

God now thats a BADD Dude. I kinda like him...

Im glad hes elsewhere.

 

Bamorris, thanks for the pics! That's certainly doable but I'm hesitant. It appears as if your top cutout isn't sealed and air in front of and behind the woofer sharing space is never a good thing. I may get ballsy and give it a shot. So many decision!

Naples, sorry to hear about your friend bro, damn.

To answer your question on wattage I plan to put between 60-80 watts RMS to each, haven't pulled the trigger on the exact amp yet. I'm kinda waiting to make my speaker selection so I can match them up as well as possible.

 

True, but I have a foam baffle installed around the back of the speakers. Plus, although it looks like it, the top cutout doesn't directly penetrate the area behind the speaker. There's actually a peice of plastic that seperates the area in back of the speaker from the area where the cutout is. Kinda hard to explain...