97 Camry Front Speaker install

[xfactor]

Howdy,

I replaced my 97 Camry front door factory speakers with a couple of Pioneer 6.5/6.75 4 ways. I removed the stock speakers and the plastic baffle with them. I was able to mount my new speakers right to the door suing the far outside tabs on the speakers. I also used a couple of the Dynamat door speaker sheets. I believe there is about 1/2" clearance between the window (when down) and the back of the speaker.

I didn't think much about it when I removed them but noticed the plastic baffle which was removed had a half-circle cap on it to protect the back of the speaker from (I'm assuming) water. One of the baffles had what looked like water spots on that "cap"

Now I'm wondering if I should try to mount the speakers to that baffle or get a new baffle to help protect the speakers.

Any thoughts or experiences on that?

Thanks!

[Delay_FTB]

New Baffles would be preferable, provided you don't require that "water protection". However, what you could do, is create a baffle for the plastic baffle. I just started making baffles for my 99 Cam, so I'm up to date on what things look like, and from what I gathered, you might be able to create a baffle that would affix itself to the four screw holes that protrude from the stock baffle, then mount your speaker to that wood baffle, mount the wood to the plastic, then the plastic to the door, allowing for adequate hold for the speaker (I tried rigging a direct speaker-to-stock-baffle setup by forcing screws into the plastic, and while it worked, it wasn't the greatest thing ever) and still providing that protection.

[xfactor]

So, do people worry about protecting the door speakers from moisture or is it not really a big issue if the weather seals are in place?

Thanks!

[nobitanobi]

how did you guys remove the stock speaker bracket? They are mounted on my stock speakers like b@#$%! With that said, I have to make my own baffle. Thanks

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Originally Posted by nobitanobi

how did you guys remove the stock speaker bracket? They are mounted on my stock speakers like b@#$%! With that said, I have to make my own baffle. Thanks

I thought I already told you, once you get the three botls off, you just have to pry/pull it off.

[Delay_FTB]

Originally Posted by xfactor

So, do people worry about protecting the door speakers from moisture or is it not really a big issue if the weather seals are in place?

Thanks!

And I would say not really. Certainly water can get inside your door, but it shouldn't be a big deal. I have mine uncovered as of right now with my new baffles...but I live in AZ and it doesn't rain here.

[xfactor]

Originally Posted by nobitanobi

how did you guys remove the stock speaker bracket? They are mounted on my stock speakers like b@#$%! With that said, I have to make my own baffle. Thanks

I removed the small bolts holding the speaker to the bracket using a small socket. Then I used a small flat screwdriver to pry the speaker from the bracket. It's glued on with some kind of rubbery sealant but I was able to get them apart.

Here is what the bracket looked like after taking the speaker out:

[img=http://img228.imageshack.us/img228/7559/img10251116rw.th.jpg]

Here's a shot of what it looked like in the bracket. You can see the "cap" covering the back part (plus some water spots):

[img=http://img232.imageshack.us/img232/1091/img1027215it.th.jpg]

Hope this was helpful.

Thanks!

[nobitanobi]

can't thank you more for those pictures. However I think the bracket on mine speaker is different from yours. I will post a picture shortly.

btw, can i connect my new front speakers directly to an aftermarket hu without going through toyota's oem harness ? thanks alot !!!

[Convert]

Originally Posted by xfactor

So, do people worry about protecting the door speakers from moisture or is it not really a big issue if the weather seals are in place?

Thanks!

I was wondering the same things recently. All I can say is water definitely gets in there even with the weather seals in place. This is why it is recommended to mount crossovers not in the door. When I was trialing tweeter placement on my recently installed comps, I drove around with the door panels off in my 02 Camry, and one day it was raining. When I pulled the speaker out to move the tweeter on that day, I did notice some rain water on the back of the woofer - water get's in there. I didn't notice any distortion or negative performance, so I can't say what consequence it has on the speaker. However, installation of speakers in doors is a given, as well as water getting in the door, hence there are drain holes in the bottom of doors - so quality speakers must must constructed with that in mind.

[nobitanobi]

can i connect my new front speakers directly to an aftermarket hu without going through toyota's oem harness (oem front speaker wires are fried) ? thanks alot !!!

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Originally Posted by nobitanobi

can i connect my new front speakers directly to an aftermarket hu without going through toyota's oem harness (oem front speaker wires are fried) ? thanks alot !!!

Yeah, but it would involve running parallel wire (for the most part) from the speaker, through the door's wire loom, and either behind the dash or under the carpet to get to the HU.

[xfactor]

Originally Posted by nobitanobi

can't thank you more for those pictures. However I think the bracket on mine speaker is different from yours. I will post a picture shortly.

Not sure if it makes a difference, my car originally had a "premium" stereo with the tape/cd player and tweeters in the door.