Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums Modifications Audio ? speaker installation ?

I just ordered pioneer 6x8's for front and back and was wondering what I would need to do it myself (install). DO I just need to take off door panel and take old out and plug new in ??? Or do I need kits and stuff to figure what wires go where....
Im new at this but dont want to spend 60 odd bucks at best buy to install

If you bought 6x8's...it should be as easy as pulling out the old and installing the new. Keep in mind that most factory ford speakers have special connectors on them which the factory speaker harness plugs into. You will either have to cut the plastic connector off the speaker harness and crimp on the solderless connectors onto the harness in order to connect it to the aftermarket speaker...or you can buy one of those factory harness adapters that will plug right into the speaker harness plug. Years ago they only had these for the head unit but now they also have them for the speaker connectors. They are a little harder to find. I don't think you can find them at Wal Mart. I have seen them for sale on the web for around $8 a pair. A local car stereo shop might have them as well. I recommend using the adapters if the can find them and you have the $$ for them. No sense in butchering your factory wiring and plugs. Good luck!

Mike

The Pioneer 6x8 speakers have the special tabs in order to mount them directly in place of the factory speakers without any modifications. Your will need the speaker wire adapters though. There is a link for door panel removal located in the car audio mod's section. To get there, open the mod's page and where it say's show last 10 days, click the drop down and then click last years posts and then click page 15...you'll see a post titled door panel with 6 respones. I tried to put the link in here for you but for some reason couldn't. Good Luck!

You can get the speaker wire adapters from Crutchfield. I also highly recommend getting foam speaker baffles from them as well - only about $8 per pair. These will significantly reduce bass rattle and ROAD NOISE coming through the doors. If you really want to go nuts, put some Dyna-Mat along the inside of the outer door panels in the front. Big tip on removing the plastic plugs in the front sail panels - use some tape with tough adhesive to pull them out. Have fun.

For those who put dynamat on the inside of the doors, did you remove the factory insulation or did you replace it after installing the dynamat?

------------------
Louis Wang
Austin (Aug-May)/Sugar Land, TX
1998 Black E0 #3826, lightly modded

I put to foam back on. It's cheap inulation for temp. and noise from the outside. It's also a good anit-squeak barrier. I figure, you've already got it there you may as well use it.

------------------
Brad W.
1998 Silver Frost SE
brantleyiii@earthlink.net
Photopoint Album
------------------
"Good leaders are scarce, so I'm following myself."

I put dyna-mat on the inside of the OUTER door panels, the skin, not on the inner panel, to which everything fastens. So the foam and all the other stuff stays. The foam speaker baffles are much easier to work with than trying to just use dyna-mat for noise-proofing. But the dyna-mat will further deaden the door cavity if you stick it along the inside of the skin.

[This message has been edited by hotshoe (edited February 15, 2001).]

I made my own adapters for the speaker wiring! Just use the supplied speaker wire that comes with the new speakers, cut connector end of the wire to a short length, add flat female connectors to the opposite end, and plug them into the factory plug. The factory speaker is marked showing which is "-" and which is "+" so you don't even need a wiring diagram.

------------------
Ted
Garfield Hts.,OH
'95 SE,Duratec,MTX,fogs w/parks,Ray's THF,rear dome,tranny cocktail,minor stereo mods.