I have a 2001 Ram 1500 with the factory stereo and four speakers. Only one of the four speakers is currently working. I took off the door panel on the drivers' side and disconnected the speaker wire harness and tested the stereo and wire leading to this location by attaching a new speaker at this point. And, where it had not worked before, sound came out of the new speaker. I concluded that the drivers' side speaker is dead. I couldn't see anything wrong with it.

In any case, I've decided to replace the front speakers, and have done some exploring at Crutchfield. Their recommended solution is to install 5-1/4" speakers with an adapter. Or, to install a 6x9 speaker made for Crutchfield by Sound Ordinance, which fits the Ram without modification (the ONLY speaker which fits without modification!!). Others have posted that Crutchfield offers tips on modifications, but I couldn't find them.

After looking at various threads on this site, I see that speaker depth limits the speakers that can be installed at this location. Some have apparently chosen to mount their speakers above the door panel. Is there a nice looking way to do this? I'd prefer to install 6x9 speakers both because of better sound, but I'd rather not do this and have to hack the interior of the vehicle.

Any tips?

 

Well I personally used the spacer idea. I have 2 pioneer 6x9's in my doors. 220watts each. I went to Ace hardware and got a couple of 1/2 inch nuts. Just big enough to space the speaker out. then got longer screws like the mounting ones. My setup fits right behind the factory door panel with about a 1/4inch to spare. So you could use just about an 6x9 that you wanted. I got mine from craigslist. But where you get it from is up to you. there is a DIY in the FAQ section that will help you out.

 

Thanks for that suggestion! I will check out the DIY tip.

 

Had the same issue with my 99, I ordered Alpine SP2's (I think) from crutchfield and used the spacer that came with them meant to be used when putting them in the back dash, to extend them out from the door panel basically same thing Bigtman did.. A year ago when I did mine all they recommended were 5-1/4". The Alpine's were the most shallow.
I have heard alot of people say some Pioneer's work also.. I decided to do Alpine's front & rear along with a JVC head unit... No Regrets..

 

OK so you've got the door frame, then the nuts used as spacers, then the speaker, then the longer screws holding it all together, and then on top of all that you've got the door cover paner, and it all fits? That sounds OK with me! I was imagining that the speakers would end up being on the outside of the door panel cover, but maybe not!

 

I have the spacer and the long screws that came with the new speakers on mine there is no issues with my panel going right back on.

 

i installed rockford p4 6x9 and used a 1/4 inch nut as a spacer. they were 3 inches deep and sit just off the window frame. they have a fairly shallow height, so the door panel just "barely" bulges a little, not much. see my picture thread over in the audio section.
https://dodgeforum.com/forum/audio-v...-speakers.html

edit. i looked at some pioneer speakers that had less depth, but a lot more height, and they would have bulged out more.

 

That series of photos is immensely helpful dhvaughan. Thanks.

By the way, if the back of the speaker touches the window guide rail, will that affect sound quality? I just did a similar installation on another vehicle, and while the speaker as installed did not interfere with the window movement, it probably touches the guide rail, and so I wondered about that.

 

i don't think having the magnet touch the frame will affect sound, however, it might rattle, so i would try and avoid it. if you can't avoid it, glue in a thin piece of high density foam to prevent rattle.

 

This is all news to me...

I installed a set of 5 way Kenwoods without any issues or spacers. I dunno