- Tweeters, grilles, maybe some 1/4 plywood
- Right-angle screwdriver, maybe a jigsaw
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3 minute read
One of the first things I did when I bought this derelict was to upgrade the door speakers. Dash speakers were next, but I had to do some math.
See, the door speaks and dash speaks are wired in parallel. And since you can only buy 4-ohm speakers these days, putting 4-ohm speakers in the dash would result in a 2-ohm load on the amp, which sent it into Protect mode. Ask me how I know. Scavenged some fair-to-middlin' midrange speakers from a home theater setup, and they ohmed out at 11 ohms each, which made for about a 6-ohm load on the amp. That'll do nicely. Had to cut some plywood to make them fit the dash openings.
Then I covered them up with a dash pad cover whose grilles were in the wrong place, because that's what's available and I was thankful to get it. Car is 35 years old and there was never a lot of aftermarket support.
So a couple weeks ago I had the dash top off, chasing a climate-control problem that turned out to be just a vacuum leak, but I noticed how great the speakers sounded without the dash in the way. Off to ebay to get some Chinese no-name 4x6 grilles that would A) cover the cutouts in the dash cover and B) let the speakers actually speak.
The hex cutouts are where the factory speakers were. Still only a partial eclipse, but enough to let the mids out. Yes, I did cut off the screws. Also took the opportunity to re-glue the insulation pad to the dash pad.
Next was the upgrade part. I had some Kicker 6x9s that only kicked the bucket, but salvaged the silk dome tweeters. These were on a post screwed to the magnet, which I Dremeled off, leaving the drivers and crossovers intact.
Blue tape on the windshield marks ideal tweeter placement. Off by a little but still under the grille. Notice the choke coils that give these an actual crossover. Soldered to the terminals on the AV speakers, attached to the dash with ostomy rings (I should get something for dealing with the Mrs' medical problems) which are flexible and sticky. You'll want a right-angle screwdriver to get in here, ideally one that ratchets.
Grilles in place and painted to match.
Then it was just a matter of putting the dash pad back on. Sounds great. I don't hear much over 12kHz these days, but I noticed a large improvement. The door speakers are under the armrests and inside map pockets, and the rear speakers are in the next ZIP code, so having tweeters in the dash adds a lot in the way of clarity and presence.
Total cost $12 because I already had the tweeters. Money well spented.