Step by step door speaker instal
 

I just installed some Kicker KS series 5 1/4 components in the doors of my '85 GSL-SE. I have had the car for over a year now and it has been without any sound so it was time to change that. I wanted a good set of speakers and didn't want to go with 4's in the front. I decided on 6 1/2 in the rear and 5 1/4 for the front. I initially wanted to install the 5 1/4s in the kick panels but there wasn't much room on the driver's side. Then I started thinking about making door pods. I decided the easiest and quickest way to do it would be to mount them flush in the doors. Many people have said in posts that speakers in the door don't sound good but mine sound great. I am not a professional though, so take that into consideration. Below shows how I did it. It was very simple and only took one afternoon.

First think about the location in the doors you want the speaker. I decided on the upper portion for the speakers and tweeters. I removed the door panels and cut the holes. This is what it looked like.

http://i682.photobucket.com/albums/v...E/HPIM1078.jpg
http://i682.photobucket.com/albums/v...E/HPIM1079.jpg

I put the door panels back on the door and traced a line on the door where I needed to cut. This is the hole for the speaker.

http://i682.photobucket.com/albums/v...E/HPIM1080.jpg
http://i682.photobucket.com/albums/v...E/HPIM1081.jpg

I used tin snips to cut the metal out of the door. Then a grinder and file to make the cuts smooth. After i cut the hole I held the speaker against the door panel to check the fit around the speakers magnet. You want to make sure you have plenty of clearance so the magnet doesn't come into contact with any metal. After I was satisfied with the clearance I strengthened the door panel where the speaker will mount up.

I cut a piece of .25 inch oak plywood that looks like this.

http://i682.photobucket.com/albums/v...E/HPIM1082.jpg

I screwed this into the back side of the door panel and screwed the speaker into this. That way it will be a lot stronger then simply mounting the speaker into the door panel. Then I ran all my wires through the door grommets. Each speaker has a crossover and tweeter. Right now the crossovers are laying in the floor board, but I am thinking about mounting them in the original speaker holes and covering them with a new kick panel.

This is the final product.

http://i682.photobucket.com/albums/v...E/HPIM1084.jpg
http://i682.photobucket.com/albums/v...E/HPIM1085.jpg

I am not going into how to mount the 6 1/2 speakers in the rear. That was pretty simple but if anyone has any questions you can pm me. I am not a professional, but there are some things I can do and make look good. I will be happy to answer anyone's questions or offer advice.

not bad looking .. i wonder about the rattle though...

No rattle, so I guess there is nothing to wonder about there.

Any clearance issues when you roll down the windows?

don't take it personal . i think it looks great but yes you will have rattle. i did the same thing to my fb and the door insides will rattle a bit . i am going to make fiberglass pods for mine now as i am in the proses of restoring it.

tapdatmac, there are no clearance issues with the windows. I still have about one inch of clearance. If you are using larger speakers you may need to use spacers though. Before you screw things in just hold the speakers in place and operate the windows to insure there are no clearance issues.

19 red 79. I have had the speakers in for a week. This isn't usually my daily driver but I have been driving it every day since. I don't have any rattle and I'm not sure what is rattling in yours. Maybe we did it differently. Did you reinforce the area where you mounted the speakers? Maybe it needs reinforcement. Did yours rattle right away or is it something that was developed over time? How long did it take to start rattling? Maybe you just need to add some sound proofing stuff to stop the rattle.

I will agree the fiberglass door pods would be the best option for component speakers. It would sound better and definitely wouldn't rattle. I think this looks better and was way easier for me. I will try my hand in fiberglass one day but the time hasn't arrived yet.