# 2001 Toyota Tacoma Install



## kchate5 (Aug 1, 2008)

Hi everyone,

I just joined this site a few weeks ago and have acquired a wealth of information that has guided me in my latest installation. The purpose was to make decent sound off of a college students budget and great space constraints.

The vehicle is an '01 double cab with very little space behind the rear seats for subwoofers. The front doors originally had 5X7" speakers, but there is very little room for a magnet, so custom panels/ door panel trimming was necessary.

Here is the gear I previously had/aquired/bought for this installation:

Phoenix Gold RSD's
2 MTX Thunder 282's
Alpine CDA-9856
2 RE 8's (didn't fit, will try JL 8w1's or possibly shallow mount Kickers?)

Here is the start of the build. I used 1/4" MDF as the back plate for the speaker ring. I traced out the factory bracket and made a copy out of MDF.


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## kchate5 (Aug 1, 2008)

Very little space for bass!



I have added fiberglass resin to the rings to prevent water from crumbling the MDF. The inside of the door panels had to be "dremeled" in order to fit the speakers inside and the back of the magnet pretty much rests up against the window track. Very lucky that they fit.

I was not so lucky in the bass department. The RE 8'S were actually a little deeper than their stated 4" mounting depth and will hit the back of the seat if they are installed in my box. Of course rings would have to be added because my box allows for exactly 4" of mounting depth. 

Overall I'm satisfied. I'll just have to get some new subs.


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## ehkewley (Jul 19, 2008)

Hi,

nice work so far.  The resin is a good idea.. My last mdf setup I was not smart enough to use resin on the baffles and they ended up getting soaked and cracked. Have you considered deadening those doors? You'll get a much better response from those speakers, and less road noise as well.


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## johnya84 (Nov 24, 2007)

I used to own a 2001 toyota tacoma but it was a extra cab and it was a nightmare to install aftermarket speakers in the front doors. Toyota sure has weird oem speaker sizes.


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## bri_n_m (Jun 26, 2007)

i gotta watch this one!
i got a tacoma double cab (03') and im trying to find subs too. i was about to get re 8's the other week! good thing i made a template and found it too tight. the truck sucks as far as space. i couldn't even fit the dc unit from my drz9255 under the dash! it had to go under my seat.


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## kchate5 (Aug 1, 2008)

ehkewley said:


> Hi,
> 
> nice work so far.  The resin is a good idea.. My last mdf setup I was not smart enough to use resin on the baffles and they ended up getting soaked and cracked. Have you considered deadening those doors? You'll get a much better response from those speakers, and less road noise as well.


Yeah I'm definitely going to deaden the doors. I really want more midbass, although the RSD's are holding their own w/o any deadening. But I'm sure they'll be that much better with some deadening in the doors.

My previous MDF panels were also destroyed by moisture. The resin seems like it will work great as far as keeping them in one piece. Only thing is my car still has a potent resin smell, haha.


> I used to own a 2001 toyota tacoma but it was a extra cab and it was a nightmare to install aftermarket speakers in the front doors. Toyota sure has weird oem speaker sizes.


Weird sizes and very little depth anywhere. I guess it makes the install all the more interesting!


> i gotta watch this one!
> i got a tacoma double cab (03') and im trying to find subs too. i was about to get re 8's the other week! good thing i made a template and found it too tight. the truck sucks as far as space. i couldn't even fit the dc unit from my drz9255 under the dash! it had to go under my seat.


I officially have no room left for any other add ons, lol. My box takes up the entire area behind the rear seat and its only .35 cu ft per woofer. I had to relocate my trailer lights converter box and rip out the mount for the jack behind the rear seat. But its all good. I couldn't find any JL 8w1's to test fit locally, but I'm moving back to LSU in two days, so I'll have to find some in Baton Rouge. I'll let you know how they fit.


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## mattldm (Apr 27, 2006)

kchate5 said:


> Very little space for bass!
> 
> 
> 
> ...


How do those speakers fit inside the door panels????

I am using the factory plastic mounting brackets with a 5x7 to 6.5" adaptor plate and my speakers barely fit inside the openings in the plastic door panels. In fact, I think the speaker frames hit the sides of the door panels.

I would like to get the speakers to not hit the door panels, I think this might be causing the door panels to vibrate.


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## johnya84 (Nov 24, 2007)

i found this...

http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-TOYOTA-TACO...VQQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp1638Q2em118Q2el1247


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## mattldm (Apr 27, 2006)

Where did you get those MDF rings? I wouldn't mind having a pair of those myself!?


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## t3sn4f2 (Jan 3, 2007)

http://www.diymobileaudio.com/forum/showpost.php?p=538901&postcount=202


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## mattldm (Apr 27, 2006)

t3sn4f2 said:


> http://www.diymobileaudio.com/forum/showpost.php?p=538901&postcount=202


thanks for the link... I cant see the pics at work, will check it out tonight when I get home.


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## kchate5 (Aug 1, 2008)

mattldm said:


> How do those speakers fit inside the door panels????
> 
> I am using the factory plastic mounting brackets with a 5x7 to 6.5" adaptor plate and my speakers barely fit inside the openings in the plastic door panels. In fact, I think the speaker frames hit the sides of the door panels.
> 
> I would like to get the speakers to not hit the door panels, I think this might be causing the door panels to vibrate.


Sorry for the late response, I just got my power and internet back since that damn hurricane. 

I think it kind of depends on the speaker as to whether or not it will clear the plastic panel. If you go the custom route, however, you should be able to make just about any 6.5" speaker fit assuming it doesn't have a huge magnet on the back. 

To make the panels above, I traced out the original plastic speaker baffle and cut out a 1/4" MDF version. I then cut out some rings of 3/4" MDF and glued them to the 1/4" baffle. I then accented the panels with fiberglass resin to add structural integrity and to avoid damage due to moisture. 

After all this, my speakers were a very tight fit. Since the PG rsds are fairly deep, the back of the magnet is basically resting against the window track. If you are trying to fit a speaker with this kind of depth, I'd recommend using thicker MDF.

Just realized you were probably talking about the speaker not clearing the inside of the door panel. To solve any clearance issues i may have had, I just "dremeled" out the excess plastic on the part of the panel where the speaker fits. The pieces that stick up and get in the way in there are not completely necessary to hold the panel together, however, after cutting them I lost a good bit of rigidity right there. Totally worth it in my opinion.


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## mattldm (Apr 27, 2006)

kchate5 said:


> Sorry for the late response, I just got my power and internet back since that damn hurricane.
> 
> I think it kind of depends on the speaker as to whether or not it will clear the plastic panel. If you go the custom route, however, you should be able to make just about any 6.5" speaker fit assuming it doesn't have a huge magnet on the back.
> 
> ...


I have already had to cut some plastic from the door panels - I might have to cut out some more.

I ended up buying a pair of Metra speaker adapters...
http://www.audiooutfitter.com/828140/metra/p70450.html

If these dont work then I will try the MDF route. I just want to get rid of the factory 5x7 bracket and 5x7 to 6.5" adapter plate... The speaker just doesnt seem solid in this arrangement.


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## kchate5 (Aug 1, 2008)

mattldm said:


> I have already had to cut some plastic from the door panels - I might have to cut out some more.
> 
> I ended up buying a pair of Metra speaker adapters...
> http://www.audiooutfitter.com/828140/metra/p70450.html
> ...


Those look like they would work just fine. Do you know how much depth they will allow? What speakers are you putting in?


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## mattldm (Apr 27, 2006)

kchate5 said:


> Those look like they would work just fine. Do you know how much depth they will allow? What speakers are you putting in?


I dont know much about them... Even on the Metra website there is no dimension information. I just figured I would give them a shot (for $20 its not the end of the world if they dont work)

I am using DLS Up6i speakers which are 2.5" deep. They use a Neodymium magnet so the diameter of the mag. is only about 2" which means that in the stock location the magnet will clear the window track even if the speaker sits a bit further back. (It barely clears though)


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## kchate5 (Aug 1, 2008)

mattldm said:


> I dont know much about them... Even on the Metra website there is no dimension information. I just figured I would give them a shot (for $20 its not the end of the world if they dont work)
> 
> I am using DLS Up6i speakers which are 2.5" deep. They use a Neodymium magnet so the diameter of the mag. is only about 2" which means that in the stock location the magnet will clear the window track even if the speaker sits a bit further back. (It barely clears though)


Yeah at $20, you really can't beat those. I paid more than that in materials to make mine.

Good luck and I hope they work out for you.


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## mattldm (Apr 27, 2006)

kchate5 said:


> Yeah at $20, you really can't beat those. I paid more than that in materials to make mine.
> 
> Good luck and I hope they work out for you.


I will post some pics and opinions on them when I get them. They just shipped today so hopefully by next week I will be able to start fitting them!


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## mattldm (Apr 27, 2006)

kchate5 said:


> Yeah at $20, you really can't beat those. I paid more than that in materials to make mine.
> 
> Good luck and I hope they work out for you.


Update: I received the Metra speaker adapters and they look pretty good. I havent had a chance to pull a door panel and see how they fit yet (my life has been busy).

One thing about them is the speaker mounting hole is actually angled upwards slightly. The stock 5x7 bracket has the speaker straight, but the Metra adapters are angled!? 
It looks like it should still fit behind the door panel though. 

The second thing that I noticed is that It appears that the speaker will actually sit further back so speakers with bigger magnets will be even harder to fit.



























After looking at these and the specs for my speakers... It doesnt look like they are going to work. THe mounting hole in the bracket is only slightly more than 5". The mounting diameter for my DLS UP6i is 5.5".... Damn!


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## kchate5 (Aug 1, 2008)

Man, its crazy for Metra to think that you could actually fit a 6.5" speaker in a bracket with a diameter of only slightly more than 5." 

The last cutout I did for a 6.5" speaker was around 5.6."


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