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adding subwoofers to rear doors ??

Discussion in '1st Gen Tundras (2000-2006)' started by chester, Aug 13, 2020.

  1. Aug 13, 2020 at 2:46 PM
    #1
    chester

    chester [OP] best member

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    I've done many stereo installs in my years, and they're usually a wild overkill. This time, I want to experiment with a low budget, stealth install. If this ends up not working, it's not a big deal. I like tinkering, and modifying it later is half the fun.

    I have a Double Cab with JBL, but I won't be reusing any of it. I've already purchased a head unit, and I have a bunch of old amps laying around that I'll reuse.

    I'm brainstorming my plan at work, so I don't have the truck in front of me. Crutchfield has this photo of a rear door speaker, so I'm going off that. They also say 6-3/4" speakers will fit, but not the subwoofers that I'm considering using. I'm sure I can make them fit though. A little dremeling and possibly a spacer ring should do it.

    Has anyone tried something like this? It won't shake the windows, but will it be decent? The subs are rated for free air installs, so I should be able to seal the door panel and create an infinite baffle. That's my plan for now. It may change when I pull the door panel off.
     
  2. Aug 13, 2020 at 3:17 PM
    #2
    Darkness

    Darkness Allergic to white

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    I have thought that over several times but with an access cab I think it will just rattle or reverb a lot. Double cab doors are held in place a bit more solid I think.

    There are a lot of 6.5 options that provide surprisingly good bass, or if there is room you could probably squeeze a pair of 8s in there. 6.5 might be better for weight savings.

    I've never seen it done on these trucks. My buddy did something like this in his 91 extra cab but he used 8s. Those trucks don't have rear doors though, its solid body.

    image_c266f1841966bf85e751ac4f2d6b99a5e6adbe96.jpg
     
    Last edited: Aug 13, 2020
  3. Aug 20, 2020 at 4:25 PM
    #3
    chester

    chester [OP] best member

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    I ordered a pair of those 6-3/4" subwoofers today. I'm hoping to get the install done next weekend. I decided it can't hurt to try. Either this will work great on its own, or they will end up being some good mid-base support for a sub I'll add later.
     
    bmf4069 likes this.
  4. Aug 20, 2020 at 6:41 PM
    #4
    biebs96

    biebs96 my other truck is a big brown truck

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    me and my dad did this back in 94 on his 94 xtra cab pickup!
     
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  5. Aug 21, 2020 at 3:11 PM
    #5
    rock climber

    rock climber New Member

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    I'm excited to hear your report! I've just got a sub box sitting in the back seat, but my kids hate climbing over it.
     
  6. Aug 24, 2020 at 3:03 PM
    #6
    chester

    chester [OP] best member

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    Crutchfield delivered today. Here are some pics. The first shows the two 6-3/4" speakers I bought. The left is the sub for the rear door. The right is part of a component set for the front door. The second pic shows the sub in the rear door. Once the quick connect for the factory speaker is removed from the mounting ring, the sub slides right in. This will be an easy install. Well, except that the previous owner hacked up the factory harness during the head unit install.

    As I was opening these boxes, the sub is obviously small compared to what I'm used to. I started thinking though. To play music in my shop, I use a soundbar like you would use in a home theater. It's small and delivers great sound. It's all I need. I just checked and it uses a single 5" woofer. This should be fine.

    side by side_small.jpg door_small.jpg
     
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  7. Aug 24, 2020 at 3:15 PM
    #7
    DSLKSL

    DSLKSL New Member

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    Try a 6x9 single cone like :
    Rockford Fosgate R169X2
    Or any other single cone. With the right cap it will sound great.
     
    abcinv likes this.
  8. Aug 24, 2020 at 3:30 PM
    #8
    rock climber

    rock climber New Member

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    I'm super exited to hear what you think of the sound!
     
  9. Sep 22, 2020 at 8:00 AM
    #9
    chester

    chester [OP] best member

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    I've had these installed for a few weeks, and I've been playing with the EQ and crossover settings to try and get them dialed in. Here's what I've found:

    Rock - they sound great, it's barely noticeable that the low end response is lacking
    Rap - they are definitely missing the low end

    For background - My last audio system I built had 5 amps, 4 12" image dynamic subs, Oz audio 8" woofers in the front doors, and a set of Boston Pro components in the kick panels. I also had center and rear channel speakers along with a 5.1 processor for watching movies. So that's what I have for a benchmark.

    Overall, the system sounds very similar to the stock Bose system in my Audi. It's definitely good enough. Most people would be very happy with this setup. But I'll be super picky for this post...

    The sound quality of the component speakers is okay. They are absolutely not Boston Pros, but they are only $150. I'd say they're a decent speaker for the money.

    The sound quality of the subs are really good. Door panels are a really poor enclosure, and I think there are some improvements to be made there. I blocked off the inner door skin openings with hard panel and installed sound deadener on the inner and outer door skins. I did a better than average install, but not pro level. To me, this was a test of a moderate effort install, so that's what I did.

    I played Intergalactic in my truck and then on my shop stereo (Vizio soundbar with a 5-1/4" woofer). The shop stereo definitely played a much lower frequency. I need to figure this out. To do this, I'm going to build some small ported and/or sealed boxes and put the subs in those. It will be temporary, so I'll just set the boxes on the rear seat. That will show me what these subs can do in an optimum setting.

    But first, I've got two cars, a motorcycle, and a go kart that need repairs. I may not get back to this for a few weeks.
     
    bmf4069, rock climber and Darkness like this.

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