1990 Ford Ranger

[opivyattack]

Hey everyone,

This is my first choice and I chose to post here because it seems like a pretty friendly place. Anyways I just bought a 1990 Ford Ranger xlt standard cab and I eventually want to upgrade the sound system from the stock stuff that is in there currently.

If anyone is familiar with this vehicle and car audio I would appreciate some feedback on what would be the best possible sound setup. It comes with two 5.25" speakers in each door and behind the seats there are two other 5.25" speakers in boxes that are apparently trying to add some bass to the system. My brother works as a car audio installer and he suggests that I upgrade the two speakers in the doors and then take the two speakers out of the back to make room to put one or two 10" subs back there (I listen to rock so the 10" subs are better suited for me than 12"ers). Is this the best setup?

Also we are a little stuck on where to mount an amp. The best spot it seems is on the back of the passenger seat because there is not enough clearance underneath the seats. Has anyone else mounted an amp in this vehicle? I am curious as to where others have mounted their amps. Thanks for any input!

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[iceteebone 5,000+ posts]

i agree with sub in back, and no speakers. what you could do is fold out the rear seats, and set the box across and mount the amps to the floor underneath the box

 

[wilzyx 5,000+ posts]

well first off, just becuase you listen to rock doesnt mean a smaller sub will be better for you. they dont hit "tighter" than 12's or 15's. as for the amps, maybe agains the back wall of the cab under the window?

 

[JohnnyChuttz 10+ year member]

I recently hepled my brother plan, buy, and install a budget system in his 99 Ranger reg cab. Here are some Ideas.

HU Pioneer 7800mp he got from me for a song

Comps Cadence CVM-6 Mid in the stock location with the tweet mounted on the door panel.

Sub Diamond D3 10 I was pretty impressed with this sub for the price $100 shipped on Ebay.

The amp rack I made by putting two peices of MDF in the shape of an L. I carpeted it and mounted an amp to each side of it. I made the cutout a little large to allow air between the amps to aid in cooling. As you can see I cut out the the rear speakers to allow more room for gear.

Over all I think the install looks and sounds great( but I am biased).

 

[MBrock4u 10+ year member]

Very nice pics. That head unit looks sweet! Anyway, welcome to the forum. You are in the right place. Good luck on putting a system together in your truck.

 

[opivyattack]

That does look awesome. What I am curious about is that you used 6" speakers rights? My brother is an installer at Circuit City and he says that even though my truck uses 5.25" speakers, 6" will probably fit. Does the '99 use 5.25" and you got 6" to fit or does it just use 6"?

Also I am curious about the amp rack you made, it looks very clean and I love the holes you left for cooling. I am not sure what MDF is though so if you could expand the acronym I would appreciate it //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif. Thanks again!

 

[opivyattack]

well first off, just becuase you listen to rock doesnt mean a smaller sub will be better for you. they dont hit "tighter" than 12's or 15's. as for the amps, maybe agains the back wall of the cab under the window?

Oh. I was told when I worked at good guys that they were. The way it was explained to me was that the 10" subs had to push less air than the 12 and 15" which meant that they could move faster without missing beats. This is good because most rock is faster than most hip hop or rap on the beatside. Guess I heard wrong.

 

[JohnnyChuttz 10+ year member]

The stock speakers were 6x8's all around in the 99. I made baffles out of 1/4" MDF

(Medium Density Fiberboard- Available at any Home Depot or Lowes) to fit the 6.5 mid int he stock hole. You can probably cut the metal to allow a 6.5 in your door, but I would just buy a 5.25 Component set and call it a day.

For the sub box and amp rack use 3/4" MDF