Installation Question

[Exclusiveastheycome Lewis 0]

Ok so im thinking about cuting holes in my door panel for my 6.5s Apline type R's So i can show the grills instead of leavingthem in the factory spot (08 Pont G6) . i plan on using a hole saw, would there be a better tool for that instead? and if i do that then i think the sound and performance of them will og down without some type of addend or extra  install to go with them, especially with that small space between the door panel and the factory location, what could i do to ensure the SQ of them and performance? sound deadening maybe? or what could i put to fill that gap and etc. 

[Quentin Jarrell 671]

The door panel is too flimsy. You want it mounted on a solid baffle.

[Exclusiveastheycome Lewis 0]

so you're saying that it wouldnt be the best idea to do that? and outta the multiple cars ive had/have, that door panel isnt as flimsy as others, but that may be based of the wrong train of thought. although i dont think those type R are installed the best way they could be tho, just in the factory location, it wasnt a perfect fit, the factory speakers were slighty bigger, so theres some loose air flying around down there somehow hehe

[Impious 1,476]

No matter how it compares to your other cars, the door panel is not going to be a good mounting surface for a speaker. 

 

And you need fix those air leaks.  Kind of silly to spend money upgrading your stereo to leave a ton of performance on the table by fouling up the install.

[lithium 358]

so you're saying that it wouldnt be the best idea to do that? and outta the multiple cars ive had/have, that door panel isnt as flimsy as others, but that may be based of the wrong train of thought. although i dont think those type R are installed the best way they could be tho, just in the factory location, it wasnt a perfect fit, the factory speakers were slighty bigger, so theres some loose air flying around down there somehow hehe

 

sounds like you need to make some solid baffle for the speakers 

[Exclusiveastheycome Lewis 0]

And hhow would i do that? im open to any and all suggestions. and at the time i putem in to go on the road because the factory had blown, i didnt have anything to better than install, except some cardboard to try to fill the diameter of the hole but it didnt turn out well.

[///M5 2,833]

Wood, deadener, mlv, ccf are the typical but other things can work

[ParrishElectronics 6]

I would most certainly make a baffle / mounting plate out of wood and mount the wood directly to the door.  Then, of course, mount the speaker to the wood.  I usually use MDF because I always have it lying around.  I do paint it or polyeurethane it because there is always a chance it will see some water.  Sometimes you can use the factory plate for a template or you may have to make your own.

 

I would also definitely use sound deadening and closed cell foam on the door itself.  You will want to take every precaution possible to keep those door rattles down.  It will pay off in the long run.

[Exclusiveastheycome Lewis 0]

last time i built or cut anything it was using mdf, but how thick does it need to be or have to be considering the gap between the door itself and the door panel. i i know the cut out diameter for the speaker (5 3/8) so o can make a template for it & id assume a 5in hole saw should be used, and i have some dynamat somewhere from another car, you're saying deadend the door before putting the  wood on? and is "Gaps and Cracks" the same as closed seal foam? and where would i apply it?

[lithium 358]

use a jig saw 

 

build something like this but make sure to seal the mdf so it doesn't absorb water

 

[lithium 358]

deadener should be used on the flat metal to dampen panel resonance.  you would also want to seal any access holes in the door. most methods use fiberglass, plastic, sheet metal, etc. 

[Exclusiveastheycome Lewis 0]

So for the access holes. Use fiberglass resin instead of some type of foam?

[altoncustomtech 773]

Really, you don't want to permanently seal them, if you ever have to work on the window track or anything like that you (or the mechanic/technicain who's working on it for you) want to be able to access that stuff without too much difficulty.

 

As for the baffle, there's a bunch of different ways you can do it, but as was previously mentioned you will want at a minimum some CLD on the sheet metal where it's going to mount.  I also believe that if you utilize the techniques that Don mentions on the Sound Deadener Showdown website that covering the access holes individually will not be necessary and it will make it very easy to get to the internals if necessary.  The CCF and MLV will block/absorb the back waves and make sealing the access holes only useful as an extra guard measure.

 

As for the door panels and the baffles, depending on how the panel is made you may be able to get by fairly easily on modifying it without much work, like my Jimmy turned out.  Otherwise it may take some custom work to get the baffles and speakers out from behind the panel and still look really good.  

 

Here's some pictures of the process I went through on my Jimmy to help give you some ideas.

 

 

First off, the way the factory grilles were molded into the door it allowed for an EASY way to remove the factory grille and still look good.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then, I built the baffles to hold the speakers and protected them from the elements.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The next step was sound deadening.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then I installed the baffles and the speakers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

While I've only got CLD and CCF on the doors so far (MLV and more CCF is waiting in a box not 3' from my chair), between the sound deadening, baffles and in small part to the quality of the speakers themselves, I get midbass from these 6.5's that I can feel.  The result is the best I've gotten to date and has me looking forward to trying the high end separates in the future, but for a mid-level component set they're surprising.

 

I feel that these relative kinds of installation techniques are the only way to get the full potential from your speakers no matter the brand or quality, this should be the minimum installation performed.  Ideally the better would be more ideal placement, aiming, etc., but not everyone is comfortable or capable of DIYing that much work.

 

Hope this helps.

[Exclusiveastheycome Lewis 0]

Ohhh, so deadend the whole door, and not just the area where the speaker is? and does the baffle have to be that "deep" looking? and my car has an imprint of factory grille, but id still have to cut it out if i wanted to use the aftermarket speaker grills. and what type of wood is that? doesnt look like 3/4mdf.

[altoncustomtech 773]

Ohhh, so deadend the whole door, and not just the area where the speaker is? and does the baffle have to be that "deep" looking? and my car has an imprint of factory grille, but id still have to cut it out if i wanted to use the aftermarket speaker grills. and what type of wood is that? doesnt look like 3/4mdf.

 

I used the CLD tiles on only 25% of each part of the door (inner skin and outer skin) then covered the whole door with CCF (a few layers in certain spots).  

 

The baffle doesn't have to be that deep or thick.  I made it so because I wanted it to peek out just a bit from the surface of the door panel.  However if you were to measure it and build it right you could have the mounting surface of the baffle meet the back of the door panel, then you could cut out the factory grille and mount the speaker.  It would look as though it's mounted to the door panel, but it would have the baffles directly behind it giving the speaker the solid mounting it needs.  It would be a bit tricky to do, but it's definitely doable.

 

It is indeed 3/4" MDF.  The same MDF I built the amp rack from and began building the enclosure with before the parts cleaner in the shop turned it into mush and ruined it.

[Exclusiveastheycome Lewis 0]

so with 3/4 mdf, would that be approximately 2 pieces to fill the gap between the door itself and the door panel? maybe 3at most? and measurements should be to the shape of the factory hole? or something else. ive never made baffles before in the few yrs ive done installs. so that part is new to me, and ive only ever made a deck or done some customing cutting like twice and that abt 6yrs ago, so im pretty much learning and using everybit of info you are giving me