Need pics of custom front/rear speaker conversions
 

Hiya. I'm going to put speakers in the front and rear of my '89 944. I plan to put in 6.5" speakers in the front and rear by cutting into the panels and making my own mouting garbage. I've seen a couple pics here and there but I was hoping those that have converted their front and rear speakers from the lame 4x6's could post up some pics of their finished product. Thanks a million.

CPR (From the "other forum") makes some adapters that allow for larger speakers up front. Look at his site www.944-951parts.com and has them buried in there under "Aero parts" or something like that.

I have not used them, but I have seen pics that look pretty good.

For the rears, you have cutouts already for the larger speakers in back (For the 10 speaker option). You could even get the tweeters/grilles for the rears from a dealer if you wanted to go that way.

Here is a write up on installing the 10 speaker option in an '88: http://forums.pelicanparts.com/showthread.php?t=416756&highlight=component+speake r

Good luck, Keith

I'm not sure what you mean by "lame" with the 4x6's. There are plenty of 4x6 speakers that sound rather nice that fit in the 944. However, if you aren't happy with 4x6's:

Here is another thread regarding this:

Rear Speaker Install

It is helpful to search forums, or at least browse through a couple pages, before posting. It not only puts items where they belong, but stops clutter.

It will be hard to go much bigger up front due to depth issues....

From my experience 4x6 speakers almost never have the bass response of a 6.5" round speaker. I read in article a while back about how round speakers are better at producing sounds than oddly shaped oval speakers. Regardless, I'm going with 6.5" speakers in the front and rear side panels. I like the idea of going with the 10 speaker set up but christ, $900? I'll stick with the speakers I have and make spacers to fit everything. It won't be fancy but it will work just fine. I will mount the speakers on the outside of the panels, cutting into the interior and body panels when required. I purchased some parts from a local 944 guy that did the same and it came out nice actually and he said it was pretty easy to do. I'll post some pics when I finally get around to installing everything. Oh, and I like the idea of the pods, maybe I'll give those a shot if I decide not to chop up the fronts the way I was thinking. Thanks fellas.

It's all about what the end goal is. A 6.5" will produce more bass than a 4x6, but a good 10-speaker setup wouldn't have dual-range speakers. Instead it would be full of component speakers where each speaker has a specific purpose. I can't see how a 6.5 will go in the front doors without spacing them out, unless they are a special shallow-depth speaker. The Infinity's we have in the front doors are almost too deep the way it is.

Let us know how it goes...wish you luck.

VII: As you've likely discovered, there's next to no room for flush-mounted speakers in the factory 4x6" position at the front of the door. I'm working on a 10-speaker panel fabrication job right now (I've ditched the plastic pods, and am really just using the grilles to hide MDF baffles).

If I weren't trying so hard to make it look stock, I would almost certainly have opted for a pod-type set up with shallow-mount 5.25" components in the 4x6 location at the front of the door. Focal makes a nice set, and 5" midbass speakers are nearly indistinguishable from 6" if you also have bigger speakers in the mix.

One limiting factor for large speakers in that factory location, though: even if you build the pod deep enough that the speaker magnet doesn't need to protrude into the door, you'll still have some awkward reflections from the 4x6 cutout in the door's inner skin.

Optimally, you would enlarge the hole the 4x6s stuck through, since having an odd-shaped metal cutout right behind your painstakingly mounted speaker is sure to undercut your hard work by causing distortion at even moderate volume and making the driver sound weak and thin.

Heya. I decided to go ahead and mount the rear 6.5" speakers under the panels as there was plenty of room. Later I may play around with the idea of mounting them on top of the rear side panels but for the sake of having some music this moment I'll stick with the way it is. I found that the 6.5" Sony speakers I have are pretty shallow and would only need a fairly thin spacer of maybe 1/4". I'll cut the spacer and cover it with vinyl so that it covers up the 4x6 hole. I plan to mount them on the low end of the 4x6 hole but I will have to cut it out a little of course. Going on vacation so I'll get to the fronts next week. I would happily go for the 10 speaker set up but money has forsaken me.

Ah, and I forgot to mention that the thread superxray suggested is about mounting the speakers in the rear hatch arear, which does not apply to my situation whatsoever. I want to mount speakers on the rear sides and front (the stock locations). I was hoping for pictures of installations but happily take the advice of others. Find a thread that matches my question and I'll gladly look it over.

Thanks again. :0)

I have a pair of adapter plates to put 4 inch speakers in the front. They work great if you dont like oval speakers.

VII, did you have any trouble getting the rear panels off?

Tk, thanks for the offer. I'm still aiming for putting the 6 1/2" speakers in next week when I get back from my vacation. I thought about going with 5.25 or smaller at first as I likely would not have to cut the hole any bigger but decided to go with the 6 1/2 sonys all around.

Pontifex4, I didnt have any trouble whatsoever. Fairly easy to take off and put on even though I had never removed them before. There is a lot of talk about removing the rear side windows but i just pried the weatherstriping up a little and pulled out the rear side cover fabric when removing then lifted it up again and pushed the fabric under when installing. You'd never be able to tell I removed the side windows. You only need a phillips head to remove like 6 screws I think then a large socket to remove the seat belt attatchment bolts and something flat and skinny to lift up the window molding (or just remove entirely if you're adventurous).

Thought I would provide an update of the speaker install. I bought a set of Sony Xplod XS-R1643 a while ago for my other car and decided to just put them in the Porsche because there was nothing (PO removed the stereo stuff). Sure there are much better speakers and some douche will feel the need to comment but that is not the point. The point is that it is easy to install these speakers flush mounted to the door skin with little work. The window rolls up and down perfectly and the speakers could even mount under the skin with no window clearance problems. The speakers cost about $38 for a set after tax at any walmart. I will eventually create a filler for the 4x6" hole, I just have not decided how exactly I will do it yet.

About $38 at walmart. Sound just fine.
http://i564.photobucket.com/albums/s...4/DSC05635.jpg

Could even mount them to the metal door frame without clearance problems if you were so inclined. Of course you could not use the grills.
http://i564.photobucket.com/albums/s...4/DSC05614.jpg

Does not touch the bottom dash when the door is closed. I could still move them a little lower if I needed.
http://i564.photobucket.com/albums/s...4/DSC05620.jpg

4x6 hole still needs to be filled. I'll get to it eventually, too many things to do to the car.
http://i564.photobucket.com/albums/s...4/DSC05623.jpg

For the price and the little work involved I would happily do it again. I can eventually upgrade to a different speaker (though likely with a spacer) if needed but these are good enough for me.
http://i564.photobucket.com/albums/s...4/DSC05624.jpg

I've never heard the stock speakers so I cannot compare the sound quality. All you need for the install is a grinder or something to cut the door metal, a knife to cut away the wood door skin, a screwdriver and some screws. I'm no pro by any stetch of the imagination. I just grab the tools I have and see what I can do. This is an easy install that could probably be done with a rotary tool, snips or whatever else. Again, I'm not interested in comments by purists who think I should leave it as is or go with the best quality speakers and blah blah. If you feel the urge to be a douche then go hit your kids or something.

Not to be "that douche" :D, but Eclipse makes excellent-sounding speakers with a pretty shallow mounting depth. Definitely more expensive than the Sonys, but for those of us that are obsessive about our audio, they may be a great choice.

Now that's a breakthrough!

Many Questions?

What exact tools did you use to make the 4x6 whole bigger? basically what did you do to make the door paneling and speaker fit with speaker grills installed together? did you have to move speakers all the way to bottom of the 4x6 hole to make it work? is it the same on both sides?

VII: I'm impressed that those fit, depth-wise. I think you're breaking new ground, here, since all the information I could get on that area indicated that you couldn't mount a modern speaker there.

As for the metal you ground/cut off, is there any chance you could give us a simple illustration of where you cut, and how much?

The biggest single limitation you'll have with the speakers at higher volumes now will be that they have an irregular baffle (the surface to which the speaker is mounted). The baffle does a lot to shape the sound produced, so I think patching the remainder of the 4x6 opening is a good idea.

There are two fairly easy ways, which I'm sure you've already thought of:

1.) Tape a few layers of some stiff cardboard over the area of the 4x6 hole you aren't using. While you're in there, add a thin layer of modeling clay (the stuff you buy in bright colours at an art store) around the back mounting surface of the speaker so that it seals tightly against the door. I'm not kidding about this. Modeling clay is a favourite trick of high-end car audio installers!

2.) If you really want to go all-out, you can get a bit of 1/2" or even 3/8" MDF (medium-density fiberboard) from a hardware store, cut out a shape which is a little bigger than the new speaker, then cut a hole in the MDF for the new speaker. Finally, bolt your new MDF spacer ring/filler to the door and seal the gaps under it with construction sealant or modeling clay. When you screw the speaker into it (it's wood, after all) you'll get a nice, tight seal which won't vibrate, even at high volumes.

Thanks for the update!

Charlie.

924S: I don't mind respectful douches. :0) There is a tactful way to approach someone you disagree with and I have come across too many on the various porsche boards that do not understand that. Perhaps I'll eventually get some eclipse speakers, I'll look into that. I just happen to have these and lucked out that they were a shallow depth.

PHillary: Stuff I used:
-Red dry erase marker
-old disc grinder
-screws that came with the speakers and a few extra I had laying around
-Phillips screwdriver
-a couple washers
-A little cleaner to get things looking nice while I was in the area (the door becomes filthy over the years) and to wipe off the dry erase
-Black permanent marker (for drawing the template on the door frame)
-something sharp to cut away the wood of the door skin.
->I think that is about it. A marker to draw the template on, something to cut the door frame and a screwdriver to take the door apart, put it back together and install the screws for the speakers are all you really need.

I installed the speakers near the low end of the 4x6 hole. You could not mount them much farther back then I did because the window motor (I think that is what it is) is mounted about where the edge of the larger circle is. I might have mounted them a little lower if I did it again but I could still move them down if I wanted to because the 4x6 filler panel I use will likely cover up any mistakes.


pontifex4: Thanks for the ideas on how to seal it up. I'll have to give that modeling clay a shot. Because I mouted the speakers to the slightly foam filled door skin it seems they may have a good seal. For the rear speakers I used some old garage door weatherstriping to keep vibrations down on the speaker metal to body metal but dont plan for that to be my final approach. I was thinking of buying some thin MDF and then covering the hole thing with black vinyl (the same I used to recover the center console lid last week and will use to do the shift boot within a couple days) and then cutting the speaker hole out and mouting the whole gizmo to the door. I may go with a bigger shape that extends to the handle so it looks more stock. If I did that then I should have a good seal against the vinyl if there is a little foam behind it as well. I still need to seal up the rear speakers in a similar fashion though they're mounted under the interior panels. Meh, sounds fine for now. After I do the rack and belts I'll get around to filling the holes.


Here is a picture of the template traced to the door skin with the dry erase marker. The inside of the smaller circle is what needs to be cut away for the speaker to fit.
http://i564.photobucket.com/albums/s...4/DSC05629.jpg


Here is the smaller circle traced to the metal of the door. You do not cut away too much. The speaker has 3 good mounting spots but the fourth up top is in the middle of where the 4x6 hole is. The 3 mounts are enough and the 4th will help hold the 4x6 hole filler in place once it is made. I think I ended up cutting the hole a little more towards the left of this picture just to even both doors out. This gives you a general idea though.
http://i564.photobucket.com/albums/s...4/DSC05630.jpg


This pictures shows the rough amount I cut away from the door skin wood. I pulled the black material from the door then used a karambit (sharp curved blade knife) to cut the wood behind the material to the desired shape. Anything sharp should do the trick but a curved blade makes the job much quicker. You can see that I am pushing on the material to show how much I cut away from the wood behind it. Doing this allowed me to now have material edges showing and gave me the option to reverse the procedure if I just did a simple wood repair on the door skin wood. By putting a little metal in the door by either screwing it in or welding this process is reversable.
http://i564.photobucket.com/albums/s...4/DSC05633.jpg

Just to clarify; I am not a pro in any way shape or form. I have messed with a couple cars in the past and fixed up a couple motorcycles to my cheap budget and needs. My projects are inexpensive, roughly reliable for the money put in and fun. While I would love to put in the 10 speaker setup for $900 I only had about $100 to spend on speakers and the total for these was under $80 so I have plenty of money left over for 4x6 hole filler materials. Also know that if you cut into your car, you may regret it. If you are inventive then the whole process is reversable for the most part but I am not responsible if you mess something up. I have screwed up many things with my projects but eventually got them right still saving quite a bit of money and learning something along the way. I was never taught how to do anything, I just grab my tools when I have an idea and go at it. Best of luck. :)

There are speaker baffles that you can buy from places like Crutchfield just for this purpose. However, I've had decent luck, depending on the speaker, just wrapping the frame with craft foam. It's cheap enough that a trial might be in order. Sometimes it provides better bass response. I doubt you will need the cooling of the open air if you are using only a head unit to provide power.

I think you made a good choice on speakers (never had a problem with the XPlode line). For anyone else looking to buy speakers, it is possible to get the Infinity Reference series for $140, which would include two 4x6 split speakers (woofer separate from tweeter) and two 6.5" dual-range speakers, which I mounted where the original back seat speakers were after minor modifications.

I think bigger speakers on the front doors would be in my way, getting in and out of the car. I have to watch myself as it is to not damage the already brittle factory speaker grills.

As the song goes. "You get more mileage from a cheap pair of speakers, All you need are looks and a whole lot of money."

That infinity setup doesnt seem like a bad deal at all. I think I'll give that craft foam a shot, what a great idea. I figure that unless brutal engine garbage, there is always an inexpensive alternative that performs just fine. I'm giving my 944 the ratrod exterior treatment anyway so I'm not winning any contests I'm sure. Thanks again for the advice.

Can't go wrong with the piano man.