2002 Explorer

your just not trying hard enough //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/biggrin.gif.d71a5d36fcbab170f2364c9f2e3946cb.gif

if you want to give up just put them in the back and run new wires to the speakers, then you have to worry about getting wire through the factory grommet which was a ***** on the drivers side i remember, and i had all the tools at the shop, pass side was easy though

but i did have my pro60 xovers in the doors, and have a big alarm brain and stuff under the drivers dash and had a brain unit for a dvd under the pass side dash, there is room

they would sound alot better if you moved the tweeters from behind the knees and brought them up higher

 
your just not trying hard enough //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/biggrin.gif.d71a5d36fcbab170f2364c9f2e3946cb.gif

And,to that I say...you're right! If I were to be making this a mega project, I could cut & weld the brace in the door to run above & below the access port cover. That way, I could make a recessed box that could accomidate the crossover. That is a big job, though. And, I'm just about out of money, for the moment.

if you want to give up just put them in the back and run new wires to the speakers, then you have to worry about getting wire through the factory grommet which was a ***** on the drivers side i remember, and i had all the tools at the shop, pass side was easy though

Actually, once I found out how to get the wire through the door grommett, it wasn't that bad. You just need to use a piece of #14 ground wire from a 6ft piece of romex. Double it up, and bend it as needed for a wire fish. Worked pretty slick. Again, AFTER I learned what was needed to get the job done.

 

Side note: I heard a lot of systems that had speaker AND tweeters mounted in the kicks.(i.e.) tweeters mounted BELOW the dash. They had incredible staging & imaging, and just sounded great. No need to move the tweets up high, in their case. My case....we'll see.

but i did have my pro60 xovers in the doors, and have a big alarm brain and stuff under the drivers dash and had a brain unit for a dvd under the pass side dash, there is room

Actually, where they are mounted is not a crime. I just couldn't find a better place to put them that wouldn't take days of modification, special tools, and LOADS of cash to accomplish. But, who knows, I might make some changes, yet. Something to do, over the winter. I'm also going by the recommedations from the mfgr, a friend who was an installer, another friend who is an installer, and countless other sources...that you should keep the crossovers as close to the speakers, as possible. So, that's my aim.

they would sound alot better if you moved the tweeters from behind the knees and brought them up higherAnd, on this one...The aforementioned friend who was an installer, always told me to keep the tweeter, as close to the mid as possible. I believe the manufacturers are of this mind set, also. I think that's why the coaxial configuration of component speakers are becoming more common. BUT, BA does make what they call their "imaging system". It allows you to add a second tweeter to mount where ever you like. But, they cross over at 8Khz...I think...instead of at 3Khz, like the main tweeter. Then you can blend in as much, or as little as you need to raise the height of the stage, without smearing the sound. They are touted to improve imaging, as well. But, I have to try them to find out if that's true, or not.

 
Well, here's the bracing that I had to do. It sure made a difference! I think I gained 3 db, just from this, alone.

image093.jpg


And, a closer view.

image092u.jpg


Half inch square stock steel tubing used for brace.

image090k.jpg


Also, some better pics of the underhood wiring.

image095ba.jpg
image097b.jpg


 
Ill have to be stealing this amp rack idea from you and making a baby version in my escape //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

 
Ill have to be stealing this amp rack idea from you and making a baby version in my escape //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif
Steal away. I'd like to see an Escape build. FYI, if the door skins on the Escape flex as much as the Explorer, be sure to include door bracing in your plans. Helped BIG TIME, in my case.

 
not sure why I didnt see your floor build on explorerx?

anyway I am digging your false floor a lot man.

1. I m wondering what did you use for that false floor? list everything if possible so I can steal your idea ha //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

2. any better advice on how to get speaker wires thru the door grommets? Last time I tried, it was a *****, I just simply quit after because at that time it was already a long day.

3. You got 4 fans under that false floor correct? how did you wire them up together if you dont mind explaining?

Nice job, keep it up! I am hoping to finish my explorer with the audio part this spring. along with a new turbo set up! //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/biggrin.gif.d71a5d36fcbab170f2364c9f2e3946cb.gif

 
http://img517.imageshack.us/img517/4761/image075e.jpg[/img]"]

Amps installed... One note: The amp rack frame is secured by bolts that correspond to the factory bolt holes left after removal of the third row seat. You can just see the bolt location on the 2x4 at the far left of the pic.
what are the amps being mounted on? seems like you installed another board under the floor itself correct?

sorry I just cant tell from looking at the pics.

Im trying to collect as much info as possible so I can do this this winter or spring.

 
not sure why I didnt see your floor build on explorerx?
anyway I am digging your false floor a lot man.

1. I m wondering what did you use for that false floor? list everything if possible so I can steal your idea ha //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

2. any better advice on how to get speaker wires thru the door grommets? Last time I tried, it was a *****, I just simply quit after because at that time it was already a long day.

3. You got 4 fans under that false floor correct? how did you wire them up together if you dont mind explaining?

Nice job, keep it up! I am hoping to finish my explorer with the audio part this spring. along with a new turbo set up! //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/biggrin.gif.d71a5d36fcbab170f2364c9f2e3946cb.gif

what are the amps being mounted on? seems like you installed another board under the floor itself correct?

sorry I just cant tell from looking at the pics.

Im trying to collect as much info as possible so I can do this this winter or spring.
1.) I guess I did forget to show the false floor panel.
image051r.jpg


In this pic you can see that there is a hump in the front, near the back seats. The axle runs directly underneath. This is a bit of a problem, because any, and all wires have to run under the amp rack. There are a pair of securement pads, that used to hold the third row seat in place. It rests on them, and there is juuust enough room for wiring to pass between it and the body.

I cut the amp rack pattern out of cardboard, first, and them transferred that to 1/2" birch. I used a jig saw, and sander until I got the shape right. After several fittings, I planned the placement of the amps. You have to allow for wiring to come through the rack, but not be sandwiched against the body, near the hump. I brought the power wire into the frame on the driver's side, and across the face of the 2x8 frame. It is under the amp rack, but because of the hump, I had to bring it in through from the underside in front of the hump, and into the fuse block. Then, with the wires coming out from the fuses, and returning to beneath the amp rack, I cleared the hump, by going over it.

The rear most portion of the amp rack, was blocked by a pair of threaded studs used to hold the third row seat in place. I just drilled a couple holes to clear the studs, and carpeted over them. The SS Luxury Liner is about a 1/2" thick, so the studs stay below the carpeted surface. I also used spray glue to attach a bit of the same carpet on top of the visible Luxury Liner, between the rack & the frame. The carpeted frame, and rack cover the rest.

2.) I used a 5 ft piece of 14 guage ground wire from 14/2 Romex. Pop the grommet loose from the door, and feed the doubled up wire through to the interior, by the kick panel. It was a little more difficult on the driver's side, but if you feed it down to the bottom of the kick panel, there is a 2" square hole to feed the wire through. I used a pair of needle nose to grab the wire, and pull it through the rest of the way, After you get the fish through, insert the speaker wire, and pull it back through the door boot. This all, of course, presumes that you have the plastic kick panel trim off.

3.) I have 2 fans on the face of the frame, behind the rear seats. The same relay that turns on the amps, turns on the fans. I ran a wire from the fuse block to power the relay.

 
****. real clean install man. good job.how are those jbls by the way?!

ive been wanting to hear some good opinions about them for YEARS now!

i always wanted the, but ended up with some jls. then i was finally going to get the wgti's but i couldnt find ANYTHING online about how good they are. so i ended up with a re mx. really debated between the wgti and the mx though. get some good videos up if you can when its all up and going.

good job
After a few months of playing/tuning, I like the sound of the subs, but they are lacking a bit, for the amount of power I'm feeding them. Hence, I should have listened to the guy I bought one of them off of. He loved sealed enclosures, for all applications, but said that these sounded best PORTED. I went sealed. I think that, because of the Dual Differential Design, they will not over excurd easily in a ported enclosure. But, for my desire to keep the enclosure small, I went sealed. They still sound good, but I know that if ported, they would sound as good, but have more output.

I'm thinking of trying the Boston SPG 555 subs that I wanted from the start. I just want to keep the enclosure size as small as possible, because I use my cargo area... A LOT! No sense in eating up all of the cargo area.

 
1.) I guess I did forget to show the false floor panel.
image051r.jpg
In this pic you can see that there is a hump in the front, near the back seats. The axle runs directly underneath. This is a bit of a problem, because any, and all wires have to run under the amp rack. There are a pair of securement pads, that used to hold the third row seat in place. It rests on them, and there is juuust enough room for wiring to pass between it and the body.

I cut the amp rack pattern out of cardboard, first, and them transferred that to 1/2" birch. I used a jig saw, and sander until I got the shape right. After several fittings, I planned the placement of the amps. You have to allow for wiring to come through the rack, but not be sandwiched against the body, near the hump. I brought the power wire into the frame on the driver's side, and across the face of the 2x8 frame. It is under the amp rack, but because of the hump, I had to bring it in through from the underside in front of the hump, and into the fuse block. Then, with the wires coming out from the fuses, and returning to beneath the amp rack, I cleared the hump, by going over it.

The rear most portion of the amp rack, was blocked by a pair of threaded studs used to hold the third row seat in place. I just drilled a couple holes to clear the studs, and carpeted over them. The SS Luxury Liner is about a 1/2" thick, so the studs stay below the carpeted surface. I also used spray glue to attach a bit of the same carpet on top of the visible Luxury Liner, between the rack & the frame. The carpeted frame, and rack cover the rest.

2.) I used a 5 ft piece of 14 guage ground wire from 14/2 Romex. Pop the grommet loose from the door, and feed the doubled up wire through to the interior, by the kick panel. It was a little more difficult on the driver's side, but if you feed it down to the bottom of the kick panel, there is a 2" square hole to feed the wire through. I used a pair of needle nose to grab the wire, and pull it through the rest of the way, After you get the fish through, insert the speaker wire, and pull it back through the door boot. This all, of course, presumes that you have the plastic kick panel trim off.

3.) I have 2 fans on the face of the frame, behind the rear seats. The same relay that turns on the amps, turns on the fans. I ran a wire from the fuse block to power the relay.
sorry, never got back to this thread until just now as I want to work on my floor asap.

I think I understand you for the most part. I am still a bit unclear with what do you mean about the hump, are you speaking of the hump in the middle of the hatch area? There is like a plastic crossmember in the middle of the hatch area for the stock floor flaps to rest on, which is removable.

I am thinking that after I remove that crossmember then I should have plenty of space, and then I will make an elevated panel that goes to the very bottom(I want to elevate it by half inch or so so that way the wires can go thru underneath without any problem.

and then I will just follow what you did to construct the actual false floor. I m going to use studs as frame and cut them up accordingly to the shape and form of the floor. and then get a birch panel to cover up everything. I ll probably add hinge like yours.

And I dont have the threaded bolts that you were speaking of because my explorer does not have the 3rd row seating option

 
sorry, never got back to this thread until just now as I want to work on my floor asap.
I think I understand you for the most part. I am still a bit unclear with what do you mean about the hump, are you speaking of the hump in the middle of the hatch area? There is like a plastic crossmember in the middle of the hatch area for the stock floor flaps to rest on, which is removable.

If you look a the pic, and you see where the tan carpet stops; that is where the "hump" is. It will limit how deep you can set your amp rack. Further toward the rear of the vehicle, it gets about 5" deeper (relative to the top of the hump). If you have a plastic crossmember, after you remove it, you will still have the same dimensions as every other 3rd gen Explorer.

I am thinking that after I remove that crossmember then I should have plenty of space, and then I will make an elevated panel that goes to the very bottom(I want to elevate it by half inch or so so that way the wires can go thru underneath without any problem. You have to be careful about elevating your amp rack too far, as the 2x4's will give you just enough clearance above your amps, IF they are resting about 1/2" above the hump.

and then I will just follow what you did to construct the actual false floor. I m going to use studs as frame and cut them up accordingly to the shape and form of the floor. and then get a birch panel to cover up everything. I ll probably add hinge like yours.

And I dont have the threaded bolts that you were speaking of because my explorer does not have the 3rd row seating option

Count your blessings for not having those studs. I just allowed for them being there. I would have removed them, if it weren't as much trouble as it was. Most of the seat belt bolts were rusted so tight, that I snapped off a torx head driver trying to break one of them free. These had a funky head to them, that I thought would strip them off if they were rusted as bad.
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