Speakers using factory grills - May have an answer!

SeaDweller · 12-17-2004, 06:59 AM

My '85 Targa is about as stock as you can get........I even sold my beloved 930s wheel to keep the car stock, because as Jeremy964 put it, once you "break the seal," it's done and over!!

Anyway, I've been searching for a pair of front door speakers that would allow me to use the factory grills. I know this has been a topic in the past, and I think I may have found something that fits the bill.

I'm going to try and install them over the weekend, so if anyone's interested in a play-by-play with pictures, let me know.

nhromyak · nhromyak's Garage

I'm interested...

randywebb · 12-17-2004, 09:45 AM

Sure post them.

I think the thing to look for is a long throw design.

There are some hideous attempts to get adequate enclosure volume in the door. Just saw one in this month's Excl. - really ugly -- and looks like it is flexible too. If so, the sound will be pretty ugly to boot.

thabaer · thabaer's Garage

Are the later doors different than '79s ?? I've mounted 5.5" subs as well as 4" mids in the factory door holes with the rolled edges that make for a solid mount (as far as being in a piece of sheet metal). The 5s went on the door metal surface and didn't cause problems or have surround interference underneath the factory panel grills, the 4s I put behind an aluminum plate that then mounted like the 5s. I also used an open-bottom foam rain protection bucket with a flange that doubled as a gasket between the door and the speaker frame(or plate). My car doesn't have power windows or crash beams, do either of those cause problems ?

SeaDweller · 12-17-2004, 12:45 PM

My '78 had aftermarket speakers when I bought it, so I'm not sure what the factory door panels looked like. Don't they have the peforations, rather than grills?

The trouble I've been having is that my '85 has a square plastic grill that was evidently designed specifically around the speaker, which has a flat metal flange. All of the aftermarket stuff causes the grill to set away from the panel, but I'm going to try a pair of speakers this weekend to see if I can get them to work....

thabaer · thabaer's Garage

My car came to me with a factory radio wired to the flimsy stock speakers behind plastic slotted grills that I believe are part of the factory door panels. Perforating the panels was a very popular aftermarket technique (still is?) when I did my install but I didn't want to do that to my doors. As I mentioned, my doors have factory holes that have the lip rolled (towards the inside) that adds some rigidity to the sheet metal, there is also no bare unpainted metal to corrode (or cut hole edges).

It sounds like you need to do what I have now, put the speaker behind a plate and mount the plate to the door. It reduces the speaker diameter sizes you can choose, but there are quite a few smaller drivers than can deliver a good deal of power. In addition to eliminating the bulge caused the the surround frame, it adds strength to the mounting surface due to the adapting plate. I used something on the order of 1/16 or 1/8" aluminum (UK:aluminiuminuminuminum!) plate.

BTW: I used 19" rackmount clips with machine threads to mount to the door instead of sheet metal screws.