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barbel jim

Member Since: 12 Dec 2012
Location: Northants
Posts: 1411

Papa Lazarou wrote:
Yep, speaker wires are there alright. I'm thinking now that I'll have to attempt cutting the holes for speakers in the standard position. Has anybody done this or point me in the general direction of any info on doing it? Will I have to take the whole lower dash out? Obviously don't want to be cutting through wiring on the driver's side behind the dash. Any tips?

I managed to fit 5" in the front. You can take the end cap off passenger side -

Click image to enlarge

When removed looks like this - you can see where I routed new cable and mounted my cross over

Click image to enlarge

Drivers side is harder, and I did in situ just be very careful, I pulled out the clocks too see

Click image to enlarge

Click image to enlarge Then shoul look like this

Click image to enlarge

22nd Sep 2013 3:37pm

custom90

Member Since: 21 Jan 2010
Location: South West, England.
Posts: 19600

Papa Lazarou wrote:
Yep, speaker wires are there alright. I'm thinking now that I'll have to attempt cutting the holes for speakers in the standard position. Has anybody done this or point me in the general direction of any info on doing it? Will I have to take the whole lower dash out? Obviously don't want to be cutting through wiring on the driver's side behind the dash. Any tips?

Use a hole saw of the correct size and measure and check size and position over and over to check its correct. Most speakers or at least Kenwood's do come with a fitting template which will help you no end. Towards the rear you shouldn't have a problem providing you check its clear behind. Take your time and don't push to hard let the drill do the work and once through stop immediately. Then tidy up with a file, if you want to get the centres bang on as out the factory you can do that by measuring from ref points on the dash.
Feel free to drop me a PM if you would like to.

Steve Diesel$ Live$ Matter. â›½ï¸ðŸ›¢ï¸ðŸ‘¨â€ðŸ”§ðŸ§°âš™ï¸ RED, WHITE & BOOST! ðŸ‡¬ðŸ‡§

22nd Sep 2013 3:47pm

custom90

Member Since: 21 Jan 2010
Location: South West, England.
Posts: 19600

Jim - You had to chime in didn't you before I could finish typing.

Diesel$ Live$ Matter. â›½ï¸ðŸ›¢ï¸ðŸ‘¨â€ðŸ”§ðŸ§°âš™ï¸ RED, WHITE & BOOST! ðŸ‡¬ðŸ‡§

22nd Sep 2013 3:49pm

barbel jim

Member Since: 12 Dec 2012
Location: Northants
Posts: 1411

Ps you could easy make templates, and if you don't have a hole saw that big use a stitch drill technique

22nd Sep 2013 4:40pm

Papa Lazarou

Member Since: 11 Sep 2013
Location: West Midlands
Posts: 40

davidwhittaker wrote:
sorry to blab but these [ http://www.mudstuff.co.uk/products/in-car-...-deep.html ] are good for mounting a speaker on a flat surface which you cant cut a big hole in - ie they require only screwing onto a flat surface and obviously a hole for wiring to get to the back, better than canibalising your dash or cubby etc

Cheers David. I hadn't considered surface mounting. I'm not sure where I could use those in the DC though and have pretty much decided to go down the cutting of the dash route now. I've had some bits from Mudstuff in the past and they do have some useful gear

22nd Sep 2013 9:34pm

Papa Lazarou

Member Since: 11 Sep 2013
Location: West Midlands
Posts: 40

barbel jim wrote:
Ps you could easy make templates, and if you don't have a hole saw that big use a stitch drill technique

Jim, many thanks for the advice and especially the photos - very helpful.
Do you reckon it's definitely worth the going for the 5" then? It looks a pretty tight fit! Is there a big difference in quality?

22nd Sep 2013 9:53pm

Papa Lazarou

Member Since: 11 Sep 2013
Location: West Midlands
Posts: 40

Steve, thanks also for your advice. Much appreciated. Been busy today and am just getting around to replying to everybody offering help. My main concern about using a hole saw on the driver's side is that it's going to have to be a pretty big one for the diameter needed and maybe not too easy to control while looking through the back of the dash? Maybe the stitch drilling technique suggested by Jim might be safer? Never had to do this before so I don't know. Thanks for your offer of help via PM - I'll take you up on that. Cheers.

22nd Sep 2013 11:44pm

Papa Lazarou

Member Since: 11 Sep 2013
Location: West Midlands
Posts: 40

Sphere wrote:
I put 4 6x9 speakers behind the rear seats in my dc, have the standard front ones as well sounds great now but wanting to upgrade the fronts now

That sounds interesting! When you say behind the rear seats, do you mean facing upwards or facing out under the seats? I was originally thinking of trying to mount a couple of them (not 4 though

) facing forwards from underneath the rear seats. How did you mount them?

22nd Sep 2013 11:58pm

custom90

Member Since: 21 Jan 2010
Location: South West, England.
Posts: 19600

Jim's idea is indeed probably safer. Just make sure you have your hold diameter marked first then drill just inside it to keep it neat, then open up slightly and neaten up.

Diesel$ Live$ Matter. â›½ï¸ðŸ›¢ï¸ðŸ‘¨â€ðŸ”§ðŸ§°âš™ï¸ RED, WHITE & BOOST! ðŸ‡¬ðŸ‡§

23rd Sep 2013 9:10am

barbel jim

Member Since: 12 Dec 2012
Location: Northants
Posts: 1411

As a general rule its about movement of air, so a bigger speaker moves more which has the added benefit of moving the frequency range of the speaker. A 5" speaker should sound nicer to most people as it will cover a bigger range of frequencies. IMHO I would fit 5" over 4" every time. The biggest improvement you can make in a TD5 is the addition of tweeters. This lifts the sound stage and makes a huge difference. There is more of a choice of 5" components compared to 4"'s and next to no difference in price. The speakers pointing at your knees is far from ideal, and the tweeters alleviate alot of the problems occurred. Fitting wise a 5" sits just on the flat of the 2 areas in the front. I fitted without spacers, and found it tighter on the drivers side, the wiper motor was not a problem. I focal poly shallow mounts which IIRC are 55mm deep. You could fit deeper speakers but would probably need spacers- available at halfrauds/audio shop etc not just MUD. I personally would (and did) use the stitch drill technique, but I would put a 30-40mm hole saw through in the middle first, so I could at least poke a finger through to check there was nothing resting behind when i was drilling

It is only pretty thin tin

Ultimately though what do you want to achieve ,- a noise whilst driving or a mobile club ??? You could end up spending a fortune

As Steve , any questions just ask here or pm me

23rd Sep 2013 1:34pm

Papa Lazarou

Member Since: 11 Sep 2013
Location: West Midlands
Posts: 40

Cheers Jim, I'll be following your advice when I come to cut the dash. You make it sound easy

I just need to decide on speakers now then. Out of interest, where did you mount your tweeters? In the top of the dash like the Pumas? And how difficult were they to fit. My last 2 Defenders have just had the 'facing your knees' speakers and the sound wasn't great, as you say.

I'm not looking for a top of the range, full power, blow your windows out type of system. Just something that sounds half decent for a reasonable amount of money.

And then I'll probably spend a fortune upgrading it all

23rd Sep 2013 8:44pm

custom90

Member Since: 21 Jan 2010
Location: South West, England.
Posts: 19600

I'm not looking for a top of the range, full power, blow your windows out type of system. Just something that sounds half decent for a reasonable amount of money.

It's a slippery slope

once you start you can't stop believe me ask Jim. Also have you got sound proofing? Diesel$ Live$ Matter. â›½ï¸ðŸ›¢ï¸ðŸ‘¨â€ðŸ”§ðŸ§°âš™ï¸ RED, WHITE & BOOST! ðŸ‡¬ðŸ‡§

23rd Sep 2013 8:53pm

Papa Lazarou

Member Since: 11 Sep 2013
Location: West Midlands
Posts: 40

Yeah. I can see the bank balance taking a hammering over time

No soundproofing as yet but that'll be a job for the future. I've read that it can make quite a difference?

23rd Sep 2013 9:01pm

barbel jim

Member Since: 12 Dec 2012
Location: Northants
Posts: 1411

Click image to enlarge

Again relatively easy to do in situ, but used a hole saw this time,. you are hampered by the screen, but mark up both sides center point. Drill a 3.5mm pilot hole,(it will be at a slight angle), then dill through with just your arbour pilot bit. Then add your hole saw, but take out the drill and set it on top of the dash. I then pressed an turned by hand to cut through the vinyl on top of the dash nice neat and square. once through, I then put hole saw in drill and drilled at an angle. A bit of a fettle with a file and

Alternatively nearly all come with holders that can be mounted on dash top and angled.
Speaker wise I'd probably have 5" components up front and 6"co-axials/6x9 in the rear. I think you have room under the rear seats, and would make enclosures for them. I'm sure someone made a large enclosure behind the seats and fitted 6x9's in that, and mounted amps on the front. You might want a active sub at some point, but wait and see what it sounds like first. I like many here am a big fan of Focal and have 130VRS in the front, they will cost you around the £200 mark

well worth the money and as they are closest your ear will provide clarity. They have a 3 stage crossover, which I have set to minimum which gets around the pointing at your knee mid range.

24th Sep 2013 2:12pm

Papa Lazarou

Member Since: 11 Sep 2013
Location: West Midlands
Posts: 40

Thanks Jim, the way you describe the installation sounds fairly straight forward and what you've done looks great

I reckon I'm going to follow your fitting advice and have a go at putting tweeters in there too. My original budget has gone out of the window now so I might aswell

I want to get the front sorted first and worry about rear speakers and amps etc afterwards, or rather when funds allow! Yes, there appears to be room under the rear seats - I hope so anyway as it's pretty much the only place I could put them.

24th Sep 2013 6:51pm

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