door speaker replacement

[Mister 4x4]

I used a Harbor Freight stepper bit on mine. Jacked up the front of the car, took off both front wheels, pulled the rear plastic inserts, and just reached in with the drill to punch the holes through the doors while in their closed positions. I think I also used a headband light, as well. Figure out the right diameter of the holes, locate it on the stepper bit, and count how many steps it takes to get to the right diameter. You can almost do it with your eyes closed (but I wouldn't recommend it... and use appropriate eye protection).

I remember it took me longer to decide which drill was best suited for the project, than it did to actually drill the holes. I wound up using my ancient Skil 3/8" corded drill (still uses a chuck key, even) because the battery pack on my cordless drills kept getting stuck on the hinges - plus it was narrow enough to fit between the fender and A-pillar (which is a fairly tight area as you can see in David's pics above).

With the doors open, figure out where you want the holes, dimple the doors with a nail set/sink tool, then close the doors and punch some holes. When you're done, make sure to suck the shavings out of the bottoms of the doors, lest they rust later.

 

[Carolina_Mountain_Mustangs]

I used a Harbor Freight stepper bit on mine. Jacked up the front of the car, took off both front wheels, pulled the rear plastic inserts, and just reached in with the drill to punch the holes through the doors while in their closed positions. I think I also used a headband light, as well. Figure out the right diameter of the holes, locate it on the stepper bit, and count how many steps it takes to get to the right diameter. You can almost do it with your eyes closed (but I wouldn't recommend it... and use appropriate eye protection).

I remember it took me longer to decide which drill was best suited for the project, than it did to actually drill the holes. I wound up using my ancient Skil 3/8" corded drill (still uses a chuck key, even) because the battery pack on my cordless drills kept getting stuck on the hinges - plus it was narrow enough to fit between the fender and A-pillar (which is a fairly tight area as you can see in David's pics above).

With the doors open, figure out where you want the holes, dimple the doors with a nail set/sink tool, then close the doors and punch some holes. When you're done, make sure to suck the shavings out of the bottoms of the doors, lest they rust later.

Wow I never would have thought could get through the tight space with the fender on. Never had to drill mine they all had them. The factory holes could not have been any rougher so how you do it will probably be better than they did.

David

 

[Mister 4x4]

Oh, it's tight for sure. Being 6'5" and pretty thick has it's pros & cons. Pro: long arms... Con: not a lot of room to stuff my big @ss in there. Pro: the stepper bit really makes short work of getting the holes sized once the 'pilot' hole breaks through... Con: you can't really 'see' the stepper bit working, so it's important to know how deep the right size hole is before you start. Make sure to check progress frequently to ensure you get the right sized holes.

Now that I think about it, I seem to remember there being some dimples on the doors already in the right location. Based on your pictures, my holes wound up in the same spots.

The stepper bit actually did a pretty good job on the holes, but like with any holes you drill through metal, you'll want to clean up the edges inside and out with a small file, to take the jagged flashing off. Brush on some primer or sealer and/or a little bit of body color paint to the exposed edges of the new holes to prevent rust from starting under the grommet after they're installed. A small bottle of touch-up paint works great for this - a spray can is overkill and will have overspray everywhere, of course.

I know someone might think that using a 90-degree drill might work with the doors fully open. I think the biggest issue there is the depth of the bit. Sure, the 90-degree drill head will fit, but you have to consider the overall length from the tip of the bit to the backside of the drill head. I bought a 90-degree drill specifically for that purpose, and have never actually used it as a result of it not fitting. I even swiped a 90-degree air grinder/drill (old school chuck w/key) from the Auto Hobby Shop before it closed (OK - so I forgot it was in my trunk... :whistling: ), and it was just too tight even using the short/fat stepper bit from Harbor Freight.

That's just what worked for me.

 

[Carolina_Mountain_Mustangs]

The dimples should be there that is what the factory used to put the holes in by. They used a hole saw from the looks of the hole and one hell of a burr. He did not see the dimples so maybe the measurements will help him find them.

On my vert where they put the hole for the top switch the slug from the saw was still attached to the dash.

 

[digithead]

Has anyone used these replacement speakers for the doors. I don't want to cut anything. They claim they will excising openings. Here the link.

http://www.cjponyparts.com/ken-harrison-door-speaker-pair-1969-1973/p/SPK10/

John J

For whats its worth I just got a pair of these. THey did not fit well without trimming some metal in door to get them in. Then when I got them in one was buzzy and rattley as all hell. Pretty crappy sounding. I guess at $42 you cant expect Bose Audio here. I'd pass on them.

 

[73pony]

Thanks David for the measurements and help. Was able to locate all the dimples with those measurements. My eyes are not that great anymore so that helped. Got the holes drilled using a close quarter right angle attachment on my drill and a step bit. The door were not bad but the a pillars were tight. Got the passenger side speaker in and mounted. Went with aftermarket boots so I only needed an 11/16 hole. Was able to fit some nice 5x7 Alpines into the doors. Not doing grills though. I used a meat jaccard to perforate the lower carpet to let the sound through.

 

[73pony]

Here are some pics. The first is the RAD I used to drill holes without removing anything.

 

[73pony]

The second is the boot.

 

[73pony]

This is the speaker in the door.

 

[Carolina_Mountain_Mustangs]

This is the speaker in the door.

Great that it worked out not having to pull anything off. Great job I bet it sounds much better.

 

[digithead]

This is the speaker in the door.

Nice work! What model Alpine is that? Are they 6x9 or 4x6"?

 

[73pony]

This is the speaker in the door.

Nice work! What model Alpine is that? Are they 6x9 or 4x6"?

The door speakers are Alpine 5x7. I can grab the model number off the bad later this am. It is out in the garage.

 

[73pony]

Alpine SPS-517.

 

[rocket366]

+1

Nice write-up on the install!

Paul

 

[ScooterV]

Sorry to resurrect an old thread, but I'm so confused

When I use search most responses say the door speakers should be 4x6. This one, along with a very few others, mention 5x7. So, I'm only more confused on what will fit without any modifications. Mounting depth would of course be a concern regardless.

 

[Carolina_Mountain_Mustangs]

Sorry to resurrect an old thread, but I'm so confused

When I use search most responses say the door speakers should be 4x6.  This one, along with a very few others, mention 5x7.  So, I'm only more confused on what will fit without any modifications.  Mounting depth would of course be a concern regardless.

I have a couple pair of NOS Ford speakers. I will get you some pics and dimensions later today. They are not that large.

 

[Don C]

The Ford parts manual (1971 & 1972 Mustangs) lists the door speakers as 4x8, the dash speaker as 5x7, and the rear deck speakers as 6x9. The 4x8 speaker part number is shown as D2ZZ-18808-C.

If you look at the speakers that CJ Pony sells you will see that they are 4x6 with an adapter plate to fill up the opening

https://www.cjponyparts.com/ken-harrison-door-speaker-pair-1969-1973/p/SPK10/

 

[Carolina_Mountain_Mustangs]

Here are some pics of the speakers. The big thing is they are only 2" deep. Overall length right at 8 3/4" Height little under 4 3/4" and only 2" thick.

 

[dfayette]

The Ford parts manual (1971 & 1972 Mustangs) lists the door speakers as 4x8, the dash speaker as 5x7, and the rear deck speakers as 6x9. The 4x8 speaker part number is shown as D2ZZ-18808-C.

If you look at the speakers that CJ Pony sells you will see that they are 4x6 with an adapter plate to fill up the opening

https://www.cjponyparts.com/ken-harrison-door-speaker-pair-1969-1973/p/SPK10/

Don't buy the speakers from CJP.  I bought a set a few years ago and they sound like crap.

Meanwhile, is there any set of door speakers out there that anyone has found that fit without cutting?

 

[tony-muscle]

I just installed 6x8 Kickers, which are basically a large 5x7. This fit well in regards to depth but I had to make a larger opening than factory. Well, my door had no openings so I cut just what I needed. Basically less length and more width. I don't have pictures right now, but I can post later this weekend.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07NSFDDJL/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1