I went out and did something dumb today. I decided I was fed up with my current stock speakers, and went out to shop around. Instead of looking, I bought a pair of 6x9 to replace the factory 4x10 in the dash. I figured it wouldn't be a very big deal to cutout and make some space but it looks a little more complicated than that.

I want to mount them in the general area the 4x10 were, but be able to put the stock covers on, and mantain a stock appearance on the dash. Any ideas?

You will probably have to pull the dash just to get them under there. The passenger side maybe there is room but the drivers side is pretty packed under there. Pulling a dash is not so bad. You have to pull the radio heater pod but pulling the instrument pod gets really involved. It may take two hours, being carefull, to accomplish that. then you will need to make some kind of adapter or mounting plate. I would take those 6x9 speakers back right now and get some 4x10's that will take you all of 10 minutes to change out. The currntly available 4x10s aren't bad but avoid Pyramid and Jensen, they sound awful. One tip mentioned a while ago was break out the plastic grille under the cloth on the speaker covers to allow the high end to pass through. I haven't done this yet but it sounds like an excellent idea.
Terry

yep - take 'em back! (and get good Pioneer dual cone 4 X 10 speakers!!) -- honestly, the way they are mounted you will be doing a lot of Mickey Mousing under there trying to mount the 6 X 9's and in my opinion, it isn't worth the trouble........

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www.tgowens.com/fiero

I am not going to back down from this job. I had the dash out just a few weeks ago to rewire the alarm system the "correct" way. Surely installing some 6x9 speakers isn't THAT bad. I have seen some bad 6x9 installations in Fieros before(looked horrible). I plan to find a way to make them work. Every 4x10 I have ever listened to has never met my expectaitions for a speaker.
I bought a pair of 6x9 Boston Acoustics for the front(sounded GREAT), and had them hold an Infinity Kappa 4x6 "plate" for the rear. If I actually get this to work, I will post a write up here. Won't happen until this weekend at the earliest, and dash removal will be a necessity.

Drew--Take the 6x9s back and install a good set of 4" or 5 1/4" separates. Either mount the tweeters in the same hole (make a plate) or put them where WT III has his. In case you haven't heard his system in his '87, it sounds awesome. With 5 1/4"ers, you only have to cut away a very small portion of the speaker hole (you can't see it) and you can still use the stock covers.

Today is my only day off work for quite a while, so I decided to start working on my 6x9 speaker installation.

I went out to Lowes and bought a 1/4" thick sheet of plywood. I then cut out a square about 3" larger than the speaker to mount the speaker to. I then cut out an oval that the speaker housing will sit in. The speaker fits perfectly in there and will mount very well to the plywood. The next step is removing the dash, and figuring out the best way to mount the plywood to the underside of the dash without running into any clearance problems. The 6x9 speakers are about 1/2" deeper than the original 4x10.

If I get this to mount well, without very much Mickey Mousing, would anyone be interested in copies of the plywood cutouts for their own Fiero? This installation is designed to look exaclty stock from above, meaning the stock speaker covers will be used, with no upper dash cutting. If there is any interest I will make an extra set for templates to make pairs for others. Speaker installation won't be happening for a while, it looks like I need the car every day for at least the next 1 1/2 - 2 weeks. I will report on how this sounds after the installation and also post some pictures of the process.

Piece of cake! I got Pioneer 6X9's for front speakers and once the grills are on you could never tell...except for SOUND I have info on this at my webpage http://www.fieroproject.com/gokart/

[This message has been edited by Gokart (edited 08-11-2000).]

Hey Gokart, how do the 6x9 speakers sound inside the Fiero compared to the old 4x10? Do they provide very much more bass than those 4x10?

[This message has been edited by fiero56 (edited 08-09-2000).]

I would be very interested. I would like to keep a stock appearence yet have 6x9s, didn't even consider bottom mounting because I don't think there is enough room on the drivers side. BUT, if you can get it to work without too much butchering under the dash, consider me your first sale. Since I have the beechwood interior, cutting the dash is out of the question! Actually, I was thinking doing 6 1/2" components instead of 6x9s. The 6ers are MUCH cleaner sounding then 6x9s, and a lot of bass under the dash will rattle too much, I am building boxes for behind the headrest anyway so I could just throw the 6x9s in there. See if there is enough room for the 6 1/2", if so let me know if you could make me something...

thanks

For the last several months I have been going back and forth trying to decide what speaker setup to use. I couldn't decide wheather to use components and a sub, or use 6x9 in front for bass and lower frequencies, and a 4x6 plate in the sail panels for the highs. I finally went with the 6x9 option, and am hoping these 6x9 are a good replacement for 4x10. The 4x6 plates are bought, but I don't plan to install them until I get the 6x9 in. Hopefully this gives a nice sound.

why spend so much time on speakers when the exhaust note sounds better than any cd i can think of? want music? roll down your windows!

quote Originally posted by fiero56: Hey Gokart, how do the 6x9 speakers sound inside the Fiero compared to the old 4x10? Do they provide very much more bass than those 4x10? ]

There is no comparison! They throw more bass and IMHO Pioneer makes the better 6x9's then ANY 4x10. I'll post pics this weekend to show the cuts under the dash I had to make to get them to fit and how it is TOTALLY unnoticeable once the covers are back on!

Goakart,
What did you use to mount the drivers sie speaker?

Nothing! Once you get it into the recess area all the way, it stays there. I guess I could've used cable ties for it like I did on the passengers side but it doesn't move.

I must have a tin ear. I replaced my stock speakers with Pioneer 6x10s. They dropped right in the current hole. The hardest thing was hook the wires up maybe 1 minute per speaker. The stock covers went right back in place.

The Fiero exhaust rumble is music to my ear.

Yah, I had to cut the plugs and crimp connectors to the wires for the 6X9 install and agree....the exhaust note is quite exhilarating when I'm not in the mood for music! Plus one should always know what his/her engine is saying to them! Could be saying "I need some work" and you'd never know it with the bass thumping

Marc 87GT

I'm not flaming, but I would think that the installation would not be the best for sound quality. 1st, the speakers aren't solidly mounted which, I would think, would lead to vibration. And 3rd, even though you can't see the speakers, I would still know that the installation looked crappy. I understand that there probably isn't any other way to install 6x9s, but... 4th, I'd think you'd lose a little bit of the sound since part of the speaker is "hidden" by the dash. The less you have in the way of the sound waves, the cleaner the sound. Just my 2 cents. Flame away.

I see a flaming Monkey in your Future MNKYMN j/k. I plan to mount my speaker a little differently than gokart has his. I will be using a plywood mount. This mount will house the speaker, and install to the dash. Yeah, it won't sound as good as a component setup, but I don't have to go out and buy a sub, might be able to get away without an amp, and will still have the "plate" speakers in back to produce the highs. I'm just looking for something that lets me feel the bass a little more without cramping the interior with a sub. When I have it installed, I'll be sure to let you hear it the next time we meet.

I didn't know you were planning on using plywood. (Maybe I didn't read the earlier posts well???) I'll be looking forward to hearing it.

No flames from me Monkey...EVERYONE is entitled to their own OPINION and the ONLY thing that matters is "it works for me" Any ways you should know me well enough by now that it would take quite alot for me to dis ANYONE here! I have to much respect for Cliff to start flames at his site. Plus it just ain't me

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Marc 87GT

Last week I picked up a spare dash WT III had lying around. Today was the first day I got a chance to look things over with the speakers. This is looking like a VERY do-able project. If everything hooks up the way I think it will, there will be NO DASH CUTTING or modifying. It does look like there will be some minor HVAC ducting modifications necessary(two spots), but for those wanting to stay as original as possible, it is very easy to pick up a spare ducting to cut up and use with the larger speakers, and keep the original ducting in case you ever want it back in.

I still plan to use the plywood mounts, I just need to get out the old jigsaw, a marker, and cut the plywood to fit perfectly. The better a speaker is sealed on its mount, the more bass there will be, since the air has to travel around the dash, rather than around the speaker. I plan to mount the speaker to the plywood, then mount the plywood to the bottom of the dash, completely "sealing" the speaker to the dash.
After I make these plywood cut-outs, I will make a template for anyone who would like to use the same setup. The hardest part is, dash removal will still be a necessity.

Everyone wants clear sounding, great bass 6x9's?
Anyone thought of putting them in the doors?
I have.
I had to do a little cutting of the metal in the doors for the magnet. Then i bulit a wooden enclosure to keep the speaker in there solidly and it still sticks out some so i recarpeted the doors in porsche black. I have tons of pics but i'm completely computer illiterate so i don't know if I can post them.

By the way, they are Alpine 3-way 6x9's and they kick ass! I have 2-way JBL 4x10's and 4x6's in the stock locations. Also a 5 1/4 in the center console and tweeter on the dash. Kenwood 4 channell amp behind my seat and the sound will kick the crap out of any bassmobile. I hear sounds that i didn't even know were on the discs. Anyways, sorry to ramble but if anyone wants tips or pics, send me an e-mail.

[This message has been edited by RiceCooker (edited 08-15-2000).]

OK here's what I did. I put a 10 inch sub in the "stock" location (read--> I built a custom box that fits away underneither the passanger dash where GM put the little on) and the took a pair of Hi-Fi home audio 4 inch speakers (audax htm1oo or something like that) and a pair of 3.75 inch Piezo tweerter and mounted them on a plate. It sounds amazing. I am thinking about selling a kit to out the sub in as it took me about a week to get everything right and it would be EZer to throw in a kit than try to fab a new one up.

I am trying to get pics.

Brian

I am finally able to get back to this project. I spent about an hour the other day with the spare dash, using a dremel, grinding away at the HVAC ducting. I now know how the ducting will need to be altered. Very little work required. I am going to mount the speakers to the plywood mounts tommorrow, decide how to mount the plywood to the dash, and then hopefully get the speakers installed.

Oh boy, here we go on a stereo tangent. Well, I might as well jump right in and help light the flames. In my Formula, I am running Pyle Driver 4x10's and Bostwick 4x6's. These have been "capped off" (use of capacitors to filter out the low frequencies) so they are highs and mids, respectively. (Sorry - I forgot the value of the capacitors) I am running a Lanzar LP12 dual voice coil in a 1.3 cubic foot box, electronicly crossed at 80hz, ported at 40hz. This box is mounted behind the passenger seat. The head unit is an Alpine 7618 (haven't found anything better than that from Alpine yet ..), an Alpine 6 disc CD player behind the drivers seat, and an Alpine 3342 digital sound processor mounted above the dash pocket (on the right side). The 3 amps are mounted in the trunk. 2 of them are crap, being replaced by a Lanzar 600W, while the other - dedicated to the bass box - is a Rockford Fosgate Punch 150. The speaker wiring is all 100% oxygen free 12 guage cable, with Phoenix Gold patch cords connecting the vitals. Does it kick? Yes. Can I roll down the windows and hear the stereo while driving down the highway at 65 mph ('cuz we all don't speed, right? )? Yes. And for those that love the Fiero's exhaust note, my 2.8 has been completely reworked (bored .060 over, cammed, etc.), so I *still* get a healthy sound from it.

[This message has been edited by Boomtastic (edited 09-03-2000).]

Where would you install an amp at in a Fiero?
LMK...
Oh and if you were to install an amp in your fiero in the factory spot how would you make it look orignal?
FieroAlex2004@aol.com

Updating this thread too. I have had the speakers installed for almost two months. They have not revealed any rattles in the dash or the rest of the car. I really like the sound these speakers produce(highs and lows)and would never go back to the stock 4x10 setup. I have decided they produce more than enough bass for my taste, so I will not be adding a sub. Only thing left to do is install a new pair of 4x6s in the rear. Definite improvement over the stock setup, and would recommend to anyone looking for better than stock sound.

Ricecooker, you must not have power windows because I had my door apart today replacing the lock cylinder and I don't see anywhere to put a 6x9. I could see maybe a 4" mid or something similar.

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Jeff
85GT

I've seen pictures of speakers in the Fiero door before. They look pretty good in there too.

Actually, manual window regulators are acutally larger and take up more space than the power window regulators. Plus, the speakers would be in the way of operation of the manual window crank.

I'd like to see pics of that.

If anyone has pics of door mounted speakers in a Fiero please email them to me or post them here!!
If I could do it I'd love to, door spaekers just seem to sound awesome.

Thanks,

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Jeff
85GT

Ok I guess I'll show of too.The first pic is my entire system layout.
Thats an Alpine 7835 CD Headunit, Alpine F306 75X4 Watts per channel running my Pioneer 6X9's in my dash and 4X6's in back. This amp has built in high/low pass filters set to high. The second amp is a Rockford Fosgate Punch 40 running my Kicker Substation 8" SUB.

Ive got more info on my website.

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GKozlovs Fiero Site

Just thought I would post my system. As most know I am rebuilding my car this December-February. I am planning on making some minor changes to my system at that time. I currently have 6x9's in my dash, they are Pioneer 4-way and sound amazing. I am going to replace they with some 4" mids and Tweeters. I will be selling the 6x9's at that time so let me know if anyone is interested in them. You do have to remove the dash to install them in the Fiero. I am also selling one Premier PRS-X320 Amp. Spec's can be found at http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/premier/prs-x320.htm Email me if your interested or want so more info. Hears the new system going to be installed in December using most of the current equipment. Oops. Just a little big.

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Sean Heberly
Silver 86 GT 2.8
Killer Stereo System

[This message has been edited by Seanh (edited 09-27-2000).]

[This message has been edited by Seanh (edited 09-27-2000).]