Hey all, new here and had no clue there was a forum like this until I searched for this question and couldnt find it. So now i have something to occupy my spare time lol.
Last august I bought my 99 Dodge Dakota SLT off my dad, and its radio was never used unless it was me or my brother driving it. My brother blew most of the speakers when he took it to prom, and I am just now getting around to fixing it.
Basically, I replaced the stock stereo and after helping a friend who needed a truck got a sub and amp out of it. Now that I got that all wired up, I want to replace the stock speakers and finish the job I started (plus it sounds like crap playing rock with just the bass and barely any mid or treble). I know I have the infinity audio system, so there is a tweeter on the top of each door, then a larger speaker on the bottom of each door then the two in the back. I am not going to assume that the speakers are the same size as the slots on the door (for lack of the correct term for them) and really do not see the point in taking the door panels off and the entire rear panel to check sizes, replacing them to drive to the audio store and then taking them back off to install them. So basically, I just need to know what to buy for aftermarket replacements.

Also, should I check the stock amp? If so, could anyone tell me where to find it?


Thanks in advance!

 

Not sure about that model year- but check on crutchfield.com and it will tell you everything you need to know about your truck.

 

Not sure if you have a club cab or not but I know for them you can fit 6 1/2 front and rear.

 

crutchfield is a way easy place to get speakers from, you type in the make model year and even ext cab or quad cab and it gives you the dimensions of every speaker in your vehicle and shows you what speakers will fit

 

The factory Infinity amplifier is in the passenger's kick panel. You can leave it in place and interface your new radio to the amplifier, it will work fine and should have decent volume, or if you want it louder with less distortion you can disconnect it and install a good aftermarket amp for your front and rear full range speakers.

Your front speakers in the lower part of the door are a 6 1/2", and if you have a club cab it's a 6 1/2" in the rear side panels too. If it's a regular cab you need a 5 1/4" for the rear side panels. I think Crutchfield sends these flimsy little plastic speaker mounting adapters with the speakers they sell, and some speaker manufacturers include them with the new speakers too, but it will sound better and be a more reliable mounting method to make your own speaker mounting plates out of medium density fiberboard. You can buy a sheet of mdf for 5 bucks in the lumber/shelving section at Home Depot. Use 3/4" for the front and if you have a club cab, use 1/2" for the rear. On a regular cab a 5 1/4" should fit right in with no need for a mounting plate. Use one of the factory speakers as a template and cut it out with a jigsaw. Paint the mdf panels with black spray paint before installing them.

Crutchfield may also sell or provide speaker harness adapters you can use to take the guesswork out of identifying the positive and negative speaker wires. They also provide a free dash installation kit and wire harness to make it easy to install the new deck. Best Buy sells them too. You can find wire color codes and a lot of stereo system info for your truck at www.the12volt.com. Registration is free, it's a good site and they don't spam you.

Jimmy

 

Same cab as the Dakota in your "signature" pic, so the club.

Ok, thanks for the info. Very detailed help, I appreciate it. Ive got the deck all mounted and installed, its just the speakers need replaced now and I figured I should finish my project. I was pretty sure that if the stock amp was blown I would have no sound whatsoever, but thought Id ask to be sure. Ill have to bookmark those sites for future reference, and get on to get as much info as I can before I dive in. I am so used to working on earlier model cars and trucks that are extremely simple to hook up, and found that this truck isnt nearly as easy.


I appreciate everyones help, Ill let everyone know how it sounds when I get it all hooked up!

 

Hi just got my 05 club cab....(a ST 4x4) would 6,75inches fit in place of the 6.5 in the back? thanks!

 

madmax; you can make anything fit with a little diy & elbow grease (and a nice metal cutter in your situation), all you need to do is get the speakers you want, disassemble your panels, take your old speakers out and if the ones you buy dont fit just cut out some metal until they do!