Alternate Ext Cab speakers

Tucson_02Silverado · April 14, 2003

Looks like plenty of room to install 5x7's if you want to cut the interior door panel. I chose to install 5.25" round speakers, so only the door itself had to be cut. Going with the 5.25's still allows for the stock 4x6's to be put back in.

Wingnut · April 14, 2003

Man, that looks nice! :thumb:

WhiteHorse · April 15, 2003

What kind of speaker is that??

Tucson_02Silverado · April 15, 2003

Kenwood Excelon KFC-X138

cyrylyn · April 16, 2003

what exactly did you have to cut to install that?

Tucson_02Silverado · April 16, 2003

Stock is just a 4x6 oval cutout. Placed 5.25 template just about center. Top and bottom part of the oval is cut for the round.

lrymal · April 16, 2003

I'm curious.... I'm proficient in installing stereo stuff, but have never gone beyond the "standard" install, such as bringing amps on-line, or installing cross-overs.

If one wanted to keep the factory radio, not install an amp, or super swamper speakers, and just wanted to jazz up those back speakers as y'all are doing, and perhaps install a cross-over or some sort of filter at each ext cab speaker, that you could get add some punch to the bass and have those back speakers dedicated just for that?

Not after a traffic nose-bleed thumper. But, just a way to bring up the bass at the low-end frequencies. I know you purists would object do this idea.

And, I do have some B-Quiet left over from trying to kill some exhaust resonance on a Grand Am which I could place in the speaker cavity to kill panel vibrations.

I guess what I'm thinking is that it is so rare for me to have passengers back there, and I could dediate the ext cab speaker area into a poor-man's sub-woofer or something.

Let me know if this is even workable. Again, I have never fooled around with cross-overs, or pass filters, etc. It just seems like to me it would help on the pathetic bass that I know have. Heck, that Grand Am had far superior bass and it had some cheap components.

Tucson_02Silverado · April 16, 2003

The basics of bass is you have to push air. Thus the subs and amps. With the stock unit, you could put in "quality" larger size speakers. Like 5.25 or 5x7 in the rear and 7" in the front. Then adjust the basic eq in the stock HU for more bass as well as adjusting the bass control itself. But this method will still rapidly reach a sound quality limit as you are just over emphasing a fequency range over the other, and the sound starts becoming unacceptable. For some boom with the stock head unit, the simplist and smallest would be a 6" powered Bazooka and the adapter on the head unit to drive it. And adding "BASS BLOCKERS" on the stock speakers, which could be done at the Head Unit end of the harness so you wouldn't have to disturb the door panels.

You could try finding 5.25 subs for the rear partsexpress.com maybe. Bass Blockers on the front, low pass crossover at the blockers settings to the rears. But usually to sound good you would need to build a tuned ported box. You would have to snake the cabinet in the door panel or cut the door in other places.

lrymal · April 16, 2003

Well, shucks... GREAT idea about the bass blockers for the front door speakers. Then the bazooka. I think I was just trying to take advantage of the fact that the extended cab speakers are so ranky dank anyway that I could stick something stronger in that space for the low-end, rather than placing a bazooka unit under the seats, or a box, etc.

I think I need to find some local 16 year old kid in town who does this stuff in his sleep.

cyrylyn · April 17, 2003

Well, shucks... GREAT idea about the bass blockers for the front door speakers. Then the bazooka. I think I was just trying to take advantage of the fact that the extended cab speakers are so ranky dank anyway that I could stick something stronger in that space for the low-end, rather than placing a bazooka unit under the seats, or a box, etc.

I think I need to find some local 16 year old kid in town who does this stuff in his sleep.

you could put component or single mid's in the rear.. there's even room about seat level to put another speaker hole. I'd leave the tweeter/mid combo in the front stock, with bass blockers on the head unit, and put 8's in the rear doors, and 5.25's in the stock door spaces.. but I'd amp the HQ speakers - to accomplish what you want. For me, I think I'm going with a single 10 in a box, and infinity's all around. not sure about amps yet.

kaspar139 · September 22, 2003

Looks good.

What did you use to CUT the opening? I don't have a dremel or a sawzall or anything. I was thinking of using my cordless drill with a metal file bit... That's all I got. Thoughts?

Thanks.

Tucson_02Silverado · September 23, 2003

I used a Dremel with a cutting wheel and remote wand. The only Dremel cutting bits I had at the time was wood. In general, the metal cutting bits from Dremel seem to not last very long. I haven't tried the Rotozip ones. I would think a drill with a metal cutting bit would work fine. Best would be if the drill were variable speed. Starting the edge right into a curve would kinda tough with just high-speed

Worktruck · September 23, 2003

I use a aftermarket head unit with the Kicker 5 1/4 in the back and Infinity's in the front for nice crisp sound. The rear speakers are now pretty much for bass. I know lrymal was looking to keep the stock head unit but I think this would work for ya, I think you'd have enough power.