is it at all possible to take the 5.25's out of the rear and fitting in a pair of 6x9's? has anyone tried this atleast?

 

Anything is possible, really. If you have a dremel tool, you can just simply cut away any metal in the way. I haven't tried that myself, tho...i just got the same size.

 

I have never done it but I would say yes it can be done. You can remove the panel and cut out the steel behind it in the speaker location for the 6x9's, then use a piece of 1/2" mdf and cut out a spacer for the 6x9. Mount the spacer to the metal surface and then mount the 6x9 to the spacer. Paint the spacer black so you don't see any of it through the speaker grille and also to protect it from any moisture that may be present due to the speaker being below the rear side window. Or you can cut out a 6x9 mounting hole in the plastic side panel itself and screw the speaker in from the front, if the speaker will mount that way. Most 6x9's nowadays do. You may have to move the speaker down some due to the curvature of the side panel and that means you will likely have to cut out even more metal behind it. Pay close attention to the location of the seat belt tensioner and the travel area of the seat belt so you don't cause any obstruction with the new speaker. But there is plenty of clearance and depth behind and to each side the factory speaker location.

I am assuming this is on a club cab Dakota. If you have a regular cab, I doubt this would be possible. Really, you would get about the same sound performance from a really good 6 1/2" speaker just using the factory mounting provisions as you would from going to all the work to do a 6x9 there. But a 6x9 firing through the factory grille or mounted to the side panel would still sound good, given enough power. It would be a lot of work, but it should be possible to do.

A guy I once worked with built 2 small enclosures, one for each side panel in a full size 99 or 2000 Ram, and mounted them in behind each side panel for a pair of 8" subs in the stock rear speaker locations. It sounded pretty good that way.

 

I have an opinion about speaker shapes...don't know what it is worth, but I am gonna throw it out there...

What shape are are the speakers at, say a concert? How about at your house on your surround sound system? What shape are car subs?

They are all round.

Round speakers distort less than oval speakers. They sound better. But, by going to a 6x9, you have the potential to move more air (more surface area). Really, though, if you want bass, there are better options than a set of 6x9s. And, don't underestimate the bass you will get out of a quality set of round speakers that will fit your truck, if you power them adequately.

Just saying, for the time you will spend hacking up the truck, you might be just as well served by getting a set of 6 1/2 round speakers.

 

What cab you got? I dont have any in the rear and I cant tell...

Oh and round speakers are better sound quality and the 6x9's are just gonna be bassy. If you want bass get a sub and do it right

 

I just found a pair of old Alpine 6x9s at a yard sale, $2 for the pair. I pulled out the factory speakers and just placed the 6x9s in the hole and pushed the interior flashing back on. This held them in place! No problems so far, no rattles, sounds great! I was really flying by the seat of my pants on the install because I knew the factory mounting area would be too small, but this worked for me

 

are you using the factory deck or an aftermarket unit? Too many times people replace just the speakers leaving an underpowered OEM deck to try and power them. Ill likely be doing a budget sound upgrade build on my 03. Not as extreme as my 07 Honda Element SC thats running over 1200 watts RMS, stealth sub set up in the spare tire cavity....

 

Rob makes a good point. Before I installed my new system I started with just a deck and wow what an improvement.

In my opinion the stock deck limits the stock speakers by quite a bit.

As per mounting 6x9 just make a bracket out of 1/2 or 3/4 plywood and trim the plastic door panel on the inside to fit the speaker. Better than cutting the metal, and your speakers may not be rattling now but I imagine they will if you only have the door trim holding it on. Do it right the first time... probably the most rewarding lesson I've learned.

Oh and make sure you solder those connections! Crimping doesn't do it justice it'll fail if you have decent bass to it