1st gen 4runner rear speakers

[corax]

I'm not a "big stereo" person and see no need for the people next to me to hear what I'm listening to, but with the rear storage box and everything crammed in on the sides, the rear speakers were getting pretty muffled. I was just about to start in on building a thin plywood speaker box to sandwich the rear roll bar and move the speakers higher when I decided to (gasp) SEARCH, and found a thread on another forum (http://www.yotatech.com/f96/1st-gen-4runner-rollbar-pod-speakers-210463/) that gave me some ideas. So instead of the plywood, I decided to hit up my favorite big box store for some plumbing supplies. This is what I built off of - it's a 6" floor drain grate. The inner diameter is 5 3/8" and the outer flange diameter is 6 3/4" so a 6.5" speaker fit perfectly, and the speaker grill is flush with the edge.

http://i280.photobucket.com/albums/kk171/batardsalamano/random%20projects/016inchdraingrill.jpg
grill cut out and ready for a speaker
http://i280.photobucket.com/albums/kk171/batardsalamano/random%20projects/02grillcutout.jpg

All of the mounts are some form of 90 degree bracket. The rear and front bottom use one side of a 2" u-bolt to attach to the roll bar. The upper front uses the back side of the upper shoulder belt attachment. The speaker magnet is flush with the end of the 6" drain grate. Because there's not much room behind that and the trim, I'm leaving it as a "free air" speaker. The marine speakers I picked up have 2 sets of mounting holes, 1 set is on a smaller diameter than the other and this set matched the pipe wall itself. So I carefully predrilled the mounting holes and ran the 1.5" screws down the pipe wall (no sharp screw tips sticking out).

http://i280.photobucket.com/albums/kk171/batardsalamano/random%20projects/03speakerpod.jpg
those are metal straps used to tie lumber together - cheaper than flat stock at the big box store
http://i280.photobucket.com/albums/kk171/batardsalamano/random%20projects/04speakerpod.jpg

http://i280.photobucket.com/albums/kk171/batardsalamano/random%20projects/05.jpg

http://i280.photobucket.com/albums/kk171/batardsalamano/random%20projects/06.jpg
there's less than 1/8" between the hi-lift and the speaker grill, but it fits and is higher than the junk I carry with me every day
http://i280.photobucket.com/albums/kk171/batardsalamano/random%20projects/07.jpg

The rear's sound better but not quite as loud as before since they're just running off the head unit. So now I'm wondering if I should have pulled the mini-amplifiers off of the original speakers and connected them to the new speakers. BTW, the head unit is pushing 52W max to these speakers (speakers rated @ 30W nominal, 160W max) - think I should use the mini-amps?

[corax]

After my first commute I was convinced something wasn't right - the speakers sounded very "tinney" like the tweeter was on overdrive. Turns out, it was just because the speakers didn't have any kind of enclosure to muffler the sound coming off the back of the cone. So I cut a piece of lexan and screwed it to the back side with some silicone to seal it all up. Now it sounds like I expected it to - reasonable bass response with good mids and highs :D

[Osiris]

I was just coming to this thread to suggest putting an endcap on that to seal it. If they aren't "free air" speakers, then they would need some sort of enclosure.

You may also notice a difference in loudness of the speakers vs. the stock ones. Usually people complain that the better, new speakers they just bought aren't as loud as the stock ones and that is because the new ones could be higher ohms and you would need more power to drive them.

Glad you got it sorted.

[04 Rocko Taco]

Keith -
I really like the work you've got into this, but out of curiosity, why not just move them forward? My 4runner (after the body swap) has holes cut 6" round speakers in the panels on either side of the rear seat. Seems like a semi-logical place for them. I am considering re-installing a set in the holes, since they are already there.

[corax]

I thought about that, but didn't want to start cutting holes in a set of otherwise pristine interior panels. Now for the front, as soon as I figure out how I want to seal the wires up, I'll have no problem cutting into the door panels - those tiny 4" speakers in the dash have always been a sore spot for me. I was also thinking that leaving them towards the rear like that might be better for a bit of light music and "ambiance" when we're out camping.

[04 Rocko Taco]

There is nothing "pristine" about my junk, so its fine for me. But thats a good point about the music when OUT of the truck.