My stock speakers are 6x8 (taurus) can I make an mdf mounting plate for 6.5s/6.75s?

[cad_3326 10+ year member]

So, I already have my components and I was wondering if I can cut an mdf ring that will place my speakers in the factory mounts. I mean, I'm almost certain that I can get the speaker to fit the opening, but I'm scared that the depth between the door panel itself (the outside panel under the plastic cover) and the cover for the door panel may be too small to allow me to mount like that. If so, I have two real options, I can cut the plastic covers and glue in a piece that will allow for the depth I need (but I'm scared that I won't be able to get this to look clean). Or OF COURSE I can cut the outer door panel (the metal) and mount my speakers away from the factory location, but I'm thinking that even if I do it this way I'm going to run into the first problem, cause I'm gonna need a mounting bracket of some kind. The problem will be worse for the rear speakers, cause my RE xxx 6.5s are much deeper than normal speakers, so I need a way to tackle the problem intelligently or I'm going to fuk something up (or make it look retarded take your pick)! I don't want to do kick panels because I want to keep the car looking as factory as possible (people don't break into factoy taurus's to steal anything.) Do I have any other options for mounting my speakers and what would you do?

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[Exploder 97 10+ year member]

you can order an adapter plate off ebay for mucho cheap0-

 

[cad_3326 10+ year member]

Well, I'd done a search for them before, and I looked again, but I can't find a plate that changes a 6x8 to a 6.5... there are plates for 6x8 to 5.25 all over, and there are 6x9 to 5x7 but I haven't found the 6x8 to 6.5>>>What should the e-vay search be I did "adapter plate" and looked at all of the results.

 

[SHOemup233 10+ year member]

What year taurus do you have? I have a 94 and will probably be running into the same problem soon, along with where to install the tweeters.

 

[RAM_Designs 5,000+ posts]

order some 3/4" MDF 6.5" speaker rings off of ebay....should be just fine.

 

[explorer2 10+ year member]

I have the same issue installing 6.75 in a 5x7 opening in my truck. I think What I am going to do is take out the stock mount that screws into the door itself, then make a new one out of mdf rings probably, then cut the metal stock speaker grilles and mount the woofer on top of that. That should give me the extra depth I need as well as tighten up the door panel some.

 

[cad_3326 10+ year member]

I've got a 2002, and I don't mind cutting a hole for the tweeters; no biggie. However, cutting a hole in my door panels or my door panel covers is a little more risky buisness, and if I can avoid it by cutting some custom mounting adapter, then great... I think that I'm probably going to have to cut one or the other (the cover or the panel) no matter how I go about this, but before I take the time to remove my door panels I want to know how I'm going to get'er'done. If you're not too concerned about the kick panels inviting thieves, then that will be the easy way to do it... I live in Nashville, in a section that has a serious crime rate, and I DO NOT want to give people ANY reason to think that my car has ANYTHING special inside... I may even mount my cd player in the console, and run controls to my steerin wheel or use a remote JUST so I can leave a worthless cd player in the dash, so that my junk looks totally factory and useless. I swear to GOD I'm going to flush mount my amplifiers and the skinnier half of my sub box, so that I can put brackets and chains, and all sorts of retarded crap between my stuff and someones desire to steal it... It may look awful, but I want to make it so that I couldn't get my own stuff out of my own car with a crowbar in 30 minutes... I'm kinda paranoid if you didn't notice, and I don't give a G-****... I'm gonna be a paranoid SOB with my system intact every time I get in the car!

 

[cad_3326 10+ year member]

So you're going to mount your speakers on the grilles! Maybe I heard that wrong, but I can't visualize how that would work... But pulling out the factory mounts and adding a ring makes sense. If that gives you the depth you need, then why bother with the grille buisness, just for stability? I'm not exactly following, if the new mounting bracket is sturdy enough then having something behind the mounting position shouldn't really be necessary right? Please explain.

 

[cad_3326 10+ year member]

oh and ryanm923 should I plan on pulling the entire mounting bracket out?

 

[cad_3326 10+ year member]

What about on the XXXs, do you think that I'll have enough depth after mounting the 3/4 mdf ring... the depth for mounting those pups is going to be about 3.6 inches

 

[explorer2 10+ year member]

So you're going to mount your speakers on the grilles! Maybe I heard that wrong, but I can't visualize how that would work... But pulling out the factory mounts and adding a ring makes sense. If that gives you the depth you need, then why bother with the grille buisness, just for stability? I'm not exactly following, if the new mounting bracket is sturdy enough then having something behind the mounting position shouldn't really be necessary right? Please explain.

The new woofers are way to deep to fit in the stock holder things, so Im going to use the mdf rings and then dimple the stock grille out very slightly to get a little more depth and sandwhich it between the woofer and the rings. There just isnt enough room, with out cutting into the door itself, and this should look almost stock with the new grilles on.

 

[cad_3326 10+ year member]

dimple the stock grille out very slightly to get a little more depth and sandwhich it between the woofer and the rings. .

Ok, "sandwich it between the woofer and the rings... I'm having a hard time with that when you say grille are you talking about the speaker grille that covers the woofer to protect it... Then the grille is going to be used to increase the space between the rings and the woofer? but why...I may not be able to understand this, so if you give up on me, just post pics of the install process, so I'll know what you mean. I'm planning on doing exactly what you're saying, but I have no idea why you would want the factory grille between the speaker anth the rings. Sorry.//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/crazy.gif.c13912c32de98515d3142759a824dae7.gif

 

[explorer2 10+ year member]

Ok, "sandwich it between the woofer and the rings... I'm having a hard time with that when you say grille are you talking about the speaker grille that covers the woofer to protect it... Then the grille is going to be used to increase the space between the rings and the woofer? but why...I may not be able to understand this, so if you give up on me, just post pics of the install process, so I'll know what you mean. I'm planning on doing exactly what you're saying, but I have no idea why you would want the factory grille between the speaker anth the rings. Sorry.//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/crazy.gif.c13912c32de98515d3142759a824dae7.gif

I should have explained better, old explorers (my beater truck) have weird triangular shaped metal mesh inserts molded into the door panel for speaker grilles. I could just knock them out but that would leave a big gap around the driver as the grilles a much bigger than the woofer, and they are not round at all. Theres just barely enough room for the woofer behind the grille, and I dont want the surrounds rubbing on the metal mesh, so im cutting a hole for them, I cannot just mount these drivers in the door panel they would flop all over the place as they are relatively heavy (polk momo mm6).

edit: the woofers are a full 3" deep so I need all the room I can get.

 

[bamaboy 5,000+ posts]

bought a set for my explorer cause i was too lazy to make some, they work great

http://www.mjmautoinnovations.com/speakeradapters.htm

lots of dfferent ones