Speakers in doors

[TDot 10+ year member]

A few questions.

1/ I got some mdf spacers for my door speakers, should I coat them in something like Thompsons waterseal?

2/ The magnet portion and speaker terminals are exposed where the window comes down. Should I be worried about this? Can't this get wet and destroy the speakers? I haven't seen any mention about this possible problem here. How can I protect them?

Thanks.

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[Iosias 10+ year member]

Simple, cheap, and effective door treatments - DIYMA Car Audio Forum

That will answer alot of questions, Personally id use plasti dip if not using deadner and some butyl rope above the back side of the speaker to create a shield for the speaker.

 

[butterMilk 10+ year member]

Anytime you use mdf you should paint or treat it. Because it can absorb moisture and expand, and possibly get mouldy.

 

[TDot 10+ year member]

You're right about not using the weatherseal, because at the end of the day it will be absorbed as well. I don't know about the plasti dip, but I'm thinking of going with rubberized undercoating from 3M 3M/16 oz. professional grade rubberized undercoating (3584) | Top and Under Coating | AutoZone.com

I'm not understanding the use of the butyl rope for protectiom, could you explain that in a little more detail please? I was thinking of cutting out the back of boom mat and using that as a protector.

 

[TDot 10+ year member]

Also what do I use to fill the space between the spacer and door.

1/ I read non hardening clay - but this can melt somewhere around 110°

2/ I read foam - I don't know if this is supposed to be foam chemical that once you spray it will round and be semi hard or foam stuffing material.

3/ I read wrap dynamat or similar around the open space - this doesn't make too much sense to me...but if it is good it is what it is.

4/ I read silicone - but there are soooooo many rules for different purposes, so which one.

5/ I read leave it open - don't really want to do this unless there is a REAL good reason.

6/ I read butyl rubber - don't really know what this is or how to work with it, so I can't imagine the outcome.

So which is the best route please.

 

[Joe89 10+ year member]

taken from http://www.caraudio.com/forums/car-audio-build-logs-cars-trucks-suvs/558709-03-crv-custom-box-alpine-type-r-more.html

This is what I did, because I had the weatherstripping on hand. For sealing the MDF I went with two coats of a high particle count primer, Shop B-I-N 13 OZ ZINSSER BIN SPRAY at Lowes.com

The weather stripping was an excellent solution for me as it compresses pretty well, and allows you to work with some degree of flexibility within tight clearances. For example, if the window clearance is tight toward the top of the ring and the door trim clearance is tight at the bottom, you can adjust the two areas' compression accordingly and not have to worry about sanding the ring itself for clearance.

 

[Joe89 10+ year member]

A few questions.1/ I got some mdf spacers for my door speakers, should I coat them in something like Thompsons waterseal?

2/ The magnet portion and speaker terminals are exposed where the window comes down. Should I be worried about this? Can't this get wet and destroy the speakers? I haven't seen any mention about this possible problem here. How can I protect them?

Thanks.

Sorry I missed your second question... I personally would not do anything with the magnet. For the terminals you can use heat shrink tubing or otherwise a rubber terminal cover. I suppose a good tape job would last long enough to make that a viable last resort.

 

[maylar 10+ year member]

There are also foam "cups" that keep water off your speakers:

XTC 5-1/4" Speaker Baffles (3-3/4" depth) Protect your speakers at Crutchfield.com

I've used them with success.

 

[TDot 10+ year member]

The weather strip does look like a good option.

As far as heat shrinking the terminals, how hard is it to get that stuff off if I need to?

I ordered the boom mat yesterday and planned on cutting out the back. I was just a little worried about hat it may be made out of and if flapping around due to the speakers would cause noise.

 

[Joe89 10+ year member]

This is the same brand/thickness that I used in the picture above: 5/16 in. x 17 ft. All Climate Auto and Marine D-Profile Weatherstrip-01025 at The Home Depot

Cheap, extremely quick to apply (took me about 2 minutes), and the adhesive is strong enough to work with the rings and not have to worry about it coming off (plus, it will be sandwiched between the ring and the door when installed).

Heat shrink is easy to remove, just cut it lengthwise with a razor blade. No adhesive, no residue.

 

[webmaster]

Hello,

Speakers in the doors of car i think this is not good idea.

 

[keep_hope_alive Premium Member]

i use thicker weatherstripping foam (CCF) to create a half circle above the opening. basically, you just need a channel for water to run around the speaker opening. water doesn't pour into the door, it leaks in and runs down the interior surfaces.

foam weatherstripping is also needed around the front of the speaker to seal against the door panel. that seal is vital to midbass performance. the factory speaker has that seal. recreate all factory seals.

 

[matt_bennett05 10+ year member]

i use thicker weatherstripping foam (CCF) to create a half circle above the opening. basically, you just need a channel for water to run around the speaker opening. water doesn't pour into the door, it leaks in and runs down the interior surfaces.
foam weatherstripping is also needed around the front of the speaker to seal against the door panel. that seal is vital to midbass performance. the factory speaker has that seal. recreate all factory seals.

You actually just pointed out something I haven't taken into consideration... I know what is happening to my rear doors first thing tomorrow... //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/thumbsup.gif.3287b36ca96645a13a43aff531f37f02.gif