putting speakers in the doors?
 

Just wondering where exactly you would put them and how. Anyone do this to their S4?

there are mounts for 6.5's in the doors. The GXL's had them stock, and the gtu's didn't. The mounts should be there. you might need some adapter piece if you want to go bigger/smaller than 6.5

I have my door customised with a 4" mid range and a 6.5" mid woofer within the door.

I guess its about seeing your panels being cut that may hurt.

ive done this, not too difficult. i used sony explode 5-1/2". they are mounted right above the armrest. all i didt was remove the door panel and cut the hole out. you may want to make a template out of 1/8 or 1/4" stock of some sort so that you have a good base to mount the speakers to. thats about it, looks good and sounds a lot better too!!

As covered quite a few times, in a number of threads:

actually the stock S4 door location (above the arm rest) is a 6" location taking a 150mm/6" speaker.

Although most speaker manufactures (with the exception of some of the better manufactures like JL Audio and MB Quart) call a 150mm speaker a 6 1/2 when marketing, there is still a radical size difference.

On some 88 coupes there will also be the front lower door location, as Mazda started phasing in the newer sheetmetal design for the doors early 88. the other option if you don't have an 88 with the factory holes low, is to place a metal plate (like aluminum) and pop rivet it in, then cut out a 6" or 6.5" speaker hole in the lower door location.

Any idea how deep the speaker can be mounted?

I mounted 6 1/2" speakers in the front lower door area on my old 87 I used to have. I made my own speaker pod by making a template out of cardboard and then cutting the pattern out of 3/4" MDF. I glued and stacked the MDF to get the thickness I needed. A little sanding and body filler to smooth it out, top it off with some paint of your choice(or fabric).

thought about doing some MDF, did you just use the stuff you get a t home depot like for shelves or whatever? Also does it sand down to shape quicker that wood?

John

Yep, you should be able to find it at Home Depot or any lumber supply place. MDF is great for speaker boxes and pods. Its easy to cut, sand, and paint because it has no grain. Best of all it is very dense so it helps to cancel out any unwanted vibrations caused by the speaker.

I have speakers mounted in the lower front corner of the doors. About an inch or two from the bottom, and a few inches from the front. All I did was cut the hole out of the inner door panel using the templates that came with the speakers. Note that my car is a base model, which doesn't have the fancy large armrest, so this may not apply to GXLs or TIIs. There was plenty of space in the door, but I had to replace my speakers last year which required cutting a small notch in the inner door bracing.

Overall, mounting the speakers is not hard at all. Wiring is a bitch though. Pulling speaker wire through the accordian hose that goes from the sill to the door is a pain. A thin electricians fish helps greatly.

It helps if unplug the door harness in the kick panel, and then unsnap the door harness tube.

Then you can smush the accordian tube down, and in a straight line, so that it is easier to push wires through.

Ditto to that Icemark, I used to work as a stereo installer and those damn door jambs were always a bitch to run through. On many newer cars the door harness just unplugs for easy door removal, but that makes sending a new wire through even harder since you have to drill out a plug, What I used to do is use a rubber "shock cover" looking piece that came on door lock actuators and add my own new accordian hose that I would strap to the original with a black tywrap.

Although great for interior forms and enclosures where weight is not an issue, actually MDF is less than recommended for doors, unless it is very well sealed (such as with an expoxy paint or fiberglass/polyester resin, or a good aquatic safe polyurathane).

Just using MDF in a lower door location without it being properly sealed will have the MDF dissolving as soon as it gets wet.

MDF is just really particle board with really fine particles. Everyone has seen a hunk of particle board after it has been left out in the rain. MDF does the same exact thing.

True, and since I have a vert. anything I do HAS to be water resistant. Not to get off subject, but speaking of water worries, my car came with "Okole" neoprene seat covers, and I would recommend them to anyone since they feel great, water won't hurt them, and they clean up real easy since nothing can penetrate them unlike cloth seats that soak up water, soda, etc..


just my .02