Aftermarket Component Speakers - Tricks of the Trade

Here's the stock Toyota Tundra... 

   

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Here's the stock Toyota Tundra door panel. This particular truck has the factory JBL amplified system with a midbass and midrange in the bottom of the door along with a tweeter in the top corner.

The doors are by far the most common place to mount brand-new aftermarket component speakers, since the factory probably provided you with a place to put them. If you want to get the most out of your investment, however, you can't just simply swap out your factory cheapies and call it a day. You can do many tricks to your doors to make a huge difference in the sound quality of your system.

In my Tundra I wanted big, up-front midbass impact, so I decided to install dual 6 1/2" drivers in the factory door locations with a lot of power to drive them. The techniques shown here can be used to greatly improve the sound of any speaker upgrade, even a simple swap from factory speakers to aftermarket coaxials. The key is to prevent rattles and air leaks in the door, making the door act like an enclosure. You'll be surprised how much better your overall sound quality will be after this process is complete.

As always, send your questions to sbrown@alpine-usa.com and check out www.stevebrownuniversity.com.

The door panels are removed,...        read full caption The door panels are removed, revealing the speakers and vapor barrier underneath. The door panels are easy to remove by simply taking out three screws and popping off the clips. Here's the factory speaker arrangement with the 7" midbass and 3" midrange.	I decided to go for maximum...        read full caption I decided to go for maximum midbass impact up front, so I went with dual 6 1/2" Alpine Type X drivers in each door. To fit these, it was necessary to cut some metal out of the door, so the area was marked with a permanent marker.	The metal was cut using an...        read full caption The metal was cut using an air saw with a metal blade. Be careful to check behind the spot you are cutting, since window gears and motors are very close to this area.
The area around the speaker...        read full caption The area around the speaker hole is now taped off to ready it for fiberglass. Use good tape - 3M's Super 233+ is great for fiberglass applications.	Aluminum foil is now spray...        read full caption Aluminum foil is now spray glued over the tape to provide a barrier layer for the fiberglass. Use Super 77 spray glue by 3M, as it works well without providing an overly strong hold.	The mounting rings that come...        read full caption The mounting rings that come with the Alpine Type X speakers can be used to make a custom mount for the door. Here, we've taken two of them and attached them with CA glue. The edges are also ground down to promote good fiberglass adhesion.
Now the dual mounting ring...        read full caption Now the dual mounting ring is attached to the foil on the door. CA glue works great for this; use small wood or plastic sticks to hold the rings in the desired location.	Fiberglass mat can now be...        read full caption Fiberglass mat can now be applied to the edges between the rings and the door panel, creating a form-fitting piece. Four layers of thin 1/2-ounce mat are plenty for this application.	Once the fiberglass is dry,...        read full caption Once the fiberglass is dry, the panel can be removed from the door. Notice how the foil comes off with the fiberglass piece. This is why it's important not to use an overly strong glue to hold the foil in place.