2007/2008 350Z Maximum depth of door speaker?

Lots of threads with lots of info on using the stock speaker plastic housing to make a spacer, and many have shared making custom MDF spacers.

Was wondering if anybody actually measured to see what maximum depth would be during an install?

I guess I would mean the max depth including a spacer, but wanted to know the maximum thickness of a custom spacer, that would still allow the door panel to go back on with no mods, or kick pods, or aftermarket grilles.

Thanks for any input!

looking for max depth for a 6.5 woofer (part of component set), I am thinking Polk Audio MM6501 (2 9/16 depth). Big Polk fan here, my home system is all Polk, and my other car has a 12" Polk sub in a custom enclosure.

 

i don't think that should be an issue. just try installing what you have. if it does not work, just get a thicker spacer. no need for someone to document the exact deph anywhere

 

Thanks for the reply Beezee.

I guess I'm worried that if I have to put too thick of a spacer in to make sure the woofer magnet clears the window, that the stock panel will not fit back on.

I almost had that issue on an install on my 95 Toyota Celica GT back in the day, I was able to get around it by shaving/ cutting away some of the plastic on the inside of the door panel where it stuck out in a circle around the speaker grill.
The problem was that my new aftermarket speaker was not centered on the grill, and where the plastic stuck out rubbed the rubber surrounds on the speaker.

So I guess a more accurate question would be: "How thick of a spacer has anybody ever mounted with the stock door panel, with no rubbing?"

 

NismoDude, I just installed a set of Polk DB6501s in my 04. Here is my input:

- the stock speak housing will not work well/too much modifications necessary
- if you purchased the 6501s new, they will come with a 1/4 spacer, you will use this as your base
- add another 1/2 or 5/8" spacer on top of the Polk spacer and you'll be fine

Check out my thread and you'll see how the 6501s look like inside the front doors. There was even enough room for me to mount the cross-overs above the 6.5 driver.

 

zcspec,

Your install looks great so far!

The stock panel being off center from the speaker is exactly what I remember from my old Toyota install. WTF is up with that? Why can't manufacturers place the grill OVER the hole???

Questions:

I am looking at the Polk MM series, which is about 9/16 inch thicker top mount depth than the DB series you mounted - can you tell from where you are in your install, if there would be room for that extra just over 1/2 inch? either with the amount of spacer you have, will the magnet clear the window? or if not, is there room for more spacer? it looks like the outside surround of your speaker is pretty darn close to the door panel - any rubbing?

Any problems removing all those panels? did any clips or panel edges crack or break?

Still undecided if I want to tackle the install myself, or pay a professional to do it. I have done 3 complete installs over the years in 3 cars, but none of the cars were as nice condition/price wise as my Z, and I'm a little worried about scratching up the panels and/or cracking something.

Thanks for your input, really appreciate it.

 

I hope this helps a little. I don't have an exact measurement but you get the idea.









Where I saw this method

 

Honestly i feel more comfortable doing installs like this myself. It pretty easy imho. And if you do it you know it's done right. Kickers sound amazing btw!!!

 

Morphius,

Thanks for the great photos! Kickers are nice, my first set of "nice" speakers were kickers (meaning the first time I didn't get my speakers at Autozone or WalMart, lol!). This was 20 years ago and I was blown away by how much better they sounded than factory, and than the cheap Kenwoods I had put in another car. My first sub was one of the original 10" Solobarics. I had friends with big ported boxes but I hated giving up that much space, the Solobaric was a great sub for a small sealed box, I think it was the sub that started that whole concept.

it looks like the speaker surround is awful close to the door panel cover - any rubbing? how much clearance once the door panel is snapped back in place?

I hate the way the manufacturers holes don't line up with the speakers! After spending a few hours last night searching and reading tons of threads on this forum, I am starting to lean towards getting a set of Wicked CAS door pods.

I usually lean strongly towards a stock/stealth look, but I can see based on the grill hole alignment covering a good part of the driver, and with the pods it appears the speakers will be aimed back towards the driver a bit.

Anybody with the pods? On the photos on this forum they appear very well made. Is the vinyl covering the pods high quality? do they appear "factory" grade in appearance? any problems with gaps, or with pods breaking off over time? is the fiberglass strong enough to hold the speakers firmly with repeated door opening and closing?

Thanks!

 

I'm thinking about making an under-strut box to fit a solo L7 12" because I got it for dirt cheap and don't want it to go to waste. I have an alpine type-r right now mounted in the stock location and it rattles like crazy even though I sealed it as best I could.

No touching at all. The angle makes it appear closer then it is. I'd say about an 1/8" gap.

Door pods are nice and from what i've seen fit awesome. If I didn't have a nismo I would go with something like that but I want to maintain my factory look.

I picked up a set of eclipse speakers for my rears speakers but haven't had a chance to put those in.

 

my advise is don't waste install time on making an understrut box yourself. Zenclosures understrut boxes are so well priced and perfectly made. do not buy from their website. buy from his ebay listing. very cheap.

 

This link has info to help you take out the panels. working on the Z is easy. since you have done installs before do not bring it to an installer. if you get stuck, ask for help

https://my350z.com/forum/maintenance...dow-motor.html

 

+1

The doors are easy to do. I just made it more challenging because I ran new speaker wires through the door's connection plug. This was to route them to an amp.

 

running the wires through the molex in the door is what scares people the most. I did run a 12 awg wire so i had very little blank space to deal with.

 

06+ door panel removal if it's any different http://liljerk.morpheus.net/350Z/front_speakers/

Zenclosures doesn't make a square sub box cutout. And I don't mind making it myself as I used to do it as a side business with a friend of mine. Material only cost about $30 and if you get all your cuts setup you can have home depot or lowes do them for about $5. All I need is a jigsaw for the face and speaker cutout.

I was a little nervous about running thru the doors but it is not that bad. Just take your time like everything else.

 

with your skill level you should'nt have any problem making the door pods either. ther savings is far bigger than savings from making the enclosure. and it is not hard except it is time consuming. good thing is you get to make it to the shape you want. i made a set myself, very huge improvement in sound quality.