LLY: Speaker installation

[TCfishman]

New to the site, have been browsing for a good year while looking for my baby, found a 05 SB crewcab! About 3 weeks ago... Anyway, bought some 6.5 s to put in, stock speakers seem to be blown. Any tips on door panel removal? And did I get the right size speakers? I bought 4 - 6.5s 3 ways. Thank you!

 

[trashygasman]

There are 3 or 4 screw IIRC and the cover around the door handle. Other than that, it just clips in. After you get it loose, just pick it up off the window sill. There is a plastic dust cover on the door underneath you have to pull loose to get the speakers out.

 

[jewelaudio]

You can do this in any order but this is how I do it.
1.Pull mirror triangle trim panel. This is just held in by two clips on the back side. You can pull on the top of it and then the bottom.

2. Pop off the door lock cover. The piece that moves back and forth when you lock the doors. There will be 1 7mm bolt behind there.

3. Remove 1 7mm bolt hiding behind the pull handle/arm rest. Just bend over and look and you will see it hiding in there.

4. Pull the trim piece around the door handle. You can use a screw driver but be careful not to mark up your door panel. Use a putty knife and your fingers if you have one.

5. Now the door panel is free to move. Slide the door panel up about an 1" by lifting straight up on it. Now you will be able to pull the door panel towards you. Do not try to unplug the light in the bottom of the door unless you cant get it out. I always use a pry tool and pop the light out of the door panel from behind. You will see it just have 4 bumps in the light that push through the door panel to hold it in. If you try to unplug it you will end up with the light bulb falling into the light itself and it can be a pain to get out.

6. Now you just need to unplug the switches. I always roll the window down before I unplug it. This way you can make sure your speaker is not to deep and will hit the glass.

This will be much easier if you have a second person to hold the panel while you unplug everything. Now that the panel is off you will see that GM likes to use crazy speaker plates that there speakers are attached to. Technically GM uses a 63/4" speaker. Yes you bought the correct size because no one really makes a 63/4" speaker. So do yourself a favor and get the adapter plates. http://metraonline.com/part/82-3002 These will pop right in the front door and should only cost you about $15.00. Otherwise you will be trying to fit your speaker in the a hole that is to big and end up having a gap all around your speaker and just getting one/two screw sideways to hold your speaker in. This is no good...

Another thing you will want to do...If your truck has the tweeters in the front door leave them unplugged when you put everything back together. Your new speakers have tweeters on them. It will just make is sound bad by having more tweeters hooked up. Reverse to put the door back on.

Rear doors come off pretty much the same way. You wont need the adapter plates for the rear doors. So just get 1 set of the rings they come 2 per bag. I have the rings at the shop if you cant find them I can get them to you.

If you run into anything let me know and Ill help if I can....

 

[ChevyTruck]

You can do this in any order but this is how I do it.
1.Pull mirror triangle trim panel. This is just held in by two clips on the back side. You can pull on the top of it and then the bottom.

2. Pop off the door lock cover. The piece that moves back and forth when you lock the doors. There will be 1 7mm bolt behind there.

3. Remove 1 7mm bolt hiding behind the pull handle/arm rest. Just bend over and look and you will see it hiding in there.

4. Pull the trim piece around the door handle. You can use a screw driver but be careful not to mark up your door panel. Use a putty knife and your fingers if you have one.

5. Now the door panel is free to move. Slide the door panel up about an 1" by lifting straight up on it. Now you will be able to pull the door panel towards you. Do not try to unplug the light in the bottom of the door unless you cant get it out. I always use a pry tool and pop the light out of the door panel from behind. You will see it just have 4 bumps in the light that push through the door panel to hold it in. If you try to unplug it you will end up with the light bulb falling into the light itself and it can be a pain to get out.

6. Now you just need to unplug the switches. I always roll the window down before I unplug it. This way you can make sure your speaker is not to deep and will hit the glass.

This will be much easier if you have a second person to hold the panel while you unplug everything. Now that the panel is off you will see that GM likes to use crazy speaker plates that there speakers are attached to. Technically GM uses a 63/4" speaker. Yes you bought the correct size because no one really makes a 63/4" speaker. So do yourself a favor and get the adapter plates. http://metraonline.com/part/82-3002 These will pop right in the front door and should only cost you about $15.00. Otherwise you will be trying to fit your speaker in the a hole that is to big and end up having a gap all around your speaker and just getting one/two screw sideways to hold your speaker in. This is no good...

Another thing you will want to do...If your truck has the tweeters in the front door leave them unplugged when you put everything back together. Your new speakers have tweeters on them. It will just make is sound bad by having more tweeters hooked up. Reverse to put the door back on.

Rear doors come off pretty much the same way. You wont need the adapter plates for the rear doors. So just get 1 set of the rings they come 2 per bag. I have the rings at the shop if you cant find them I can get them to you.

If you run into anything let me know and Ill help if I can....

Great info.

For the front I alway remove the door pocket to gain access to the door light much easier.

There is a plastic cap that on the panel closer to the engine bay, pop the cap off and there is a phillips screw. Also a christmas tree push pin and another 7mm bolt, if I remember correctly.

 

[whitetrash21]

Dont forget, theres one screw in the underside of the door panel and one hiding under a plastic snap cap. Be careful lifting the panel up so as not to break any of the plastic clips.

Good info on the adapter, Sean. Didnt realize the fronts werent 6.5's

 

[TCfishman]

Thanks everyone! Everything went smooth, put some Polk 3-ways in, sound great. Thanks again.

 

[MACKIN]

Thats one thing abouts these trucks the interior is the easiest to disassemble then any vehicle I have ever worked on. I've had mine apart and back together so many times.

From audio equipment to putting my ATS Co-Toilet in the cubby to hidden switches in my console,guages in the overhead and hard wiring my Detector. EASY

 

[Sledhead]

Thats one thing abouts these trucks the interior is the easiest to disassemble then any vehicle I have ever worked on. I've had mine apart and back together so many times.

From audio equipment to putting my ATS Co-Toilet in the cubby to hidden switches in my console,guages in the overhead and hard wiring my Detector. EASY

There is one exception; heater cores are a BIATCH!

 

[MACKIN]

There is one exception; heater cores are a BIATCH!

I'll bet they are they're probably a bitch in every vehicle. The one in my 83 CJ which is stripped interior to begin with was no picnic getting to the bolts holding the plenum in.

 

[Sledhead]

My GM Tech buddy and I started (flying fast) at 7:00pm and finished at 1:30 am. Front seats, console, steering wheel & column, A-pillars, dash pad, entire dash hangs in the cab!

 

[jewelaudio]

Dont forget, theres one screw in the underside of the door panel and one hiding under a plastic snap cap. Be careful lifting the panel up so as not to break any of the plastic clips.

Good info on the adapter, Sean. Didnt realize the fronts werent 6.5's

Most trucks dont have the bolt under the panel or under the caps at the front and rear of the door panel. I guess I should have mentioned to check for them but like I said most of the time they arent there. Im not sure why some trucks do and most dont.

Glad it all worked out for you.

 

[MACKIN]

Holey sheep shit! That makes my CJ a true no brainer picnic to do! You have to pull the steering column Guess so if you gotta pull the whole dash!!


F'that!! Hope mine never leaks assuming thats why you did yours. Factory defect?

 

[MACKIN]

Ya most bolts are behind the arm rest and behind a panel at the door handle if I recall. Trying to recall if there is one behind the window door lock switch panel,don't remember.


Once you remove the mirror interior panel, the door switch assembly, the lock assembly just pulls out, the piece behind the door handle two or three screws lift the panel up to access the door light/reflector pop the bulb out ,it's simple. Takes only a few minutes. I have a EXT cab so the rear panels are really simple also.

 

[Sledhead]

They go from time to time at least on everything I've ever owned, but I do keep things a long time. I thought it may have been the hot pipe between turbos (blanket) torquing on the heater core pipe coming out of the firewall but it actually moves away from it. Still on my list to check motor mounts.

Door speakers seem like a cake walk after that PITA though.