Ok, the last thing I want to do is mess up my new Stang in any way, so any tips on installing upper door and rear deck speakers would be greatly appreciated.

I just received my Pioneer TS-A6780R speakers, harnesses, and install guide from Crutchfield today. I looked over the guide, and the install, especially for the front door, looks like a lot more disassembly than I thought, with a lot of "pry this off" instructions. Naturally, I am a bit worried, because the more things I have to pry off, the greater chance I am going to destroy something. Now I am not mechanically inept, but I am worried about breaking delicate clips and the like. The guide says a "panel tool" is required for the install, and the guide does show them using it to pry a few things off. If it's really necessary, does anyone know where I can get one of these? Would Pep Boys have it? Can an audio newbie do this install without screwing something up?

Thanks in advance.

 

You don't need any Panel Tools the only specialty tool is a large torx bit 25 or 30 i don't remember.
First you have to remove all of the 9mm screws around the edge of the door, then you have to remove the little plastic insert behind the handle that you use to open the door I believe it is a torx bit and then you have to remove the panel behind the handle you use to close the door and again with the torx bit. Then I would remove the plastic corner piece where the mirror is and then you just have to pull up the panel. You will then need a pair of needlenose pliers to remove the cable from the door latch, then diconnect all of the quick connects.

 

Try these:

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The hardest part I had was getting the plastic cover behind the door handle to come out.

 

You don't even need to remove the door latch, the cable is long enough that you can just put the door panel on the ground next to the door. the front doors are easy, espically if you use the quick harness installs. The rear speakers are a pain in the hiney, due to the rear window.

 

I installed the same speakers in my doors and rear window area. I didn’t get any special harnesses as I purchased them on eBay. What I did find is that you can easily swap the connectors from your stock speakers to the Pioneers and not have to deal with kluge connections.

1. Unsolder the connector and remove it from the stock speaker wires.
2. Bend the tabs on the connector that the stock speaker wires were connected to down slightly.
3. Position the connector over the spacer between the two spade lugs on the Pioneers.
4. Carefully bend the ends of the speaker spade lugs up and around the tabs on the connector.
5. Liberally solder each side of the clipped connector and tabs together

Now you’ve got a Ford-customized Pioneer speaker!! Doing it way this also insures that the wiring polarity is maintained consistently on all the speakers. The TS-A6780R speakers really do make a difference and were well worth the money.

 

Thanks for the tips guys! Wish I would have read these before I started last night, but I figured it out and got the job done. I must say that the trim puller tool I got at Pep Boys last night made the job much easier. It basically looks like a forked weed puller, but with wider, flatter forks. This lets you pull up the trim panels with more even distribution then a screwdriver, and thus does not scratch or ding your trim. For a few bucks, it was worth it. I also picked up a 1/4" drive hex kit for a few bucks at pep boys while I was there, so the tough ones in the back weren't quite as bad - except for one closest to the outside of the car in the back. For these tough ones, I used a swivelling extension and was able to get enough torque on it to break it lose. Then I just backed them out by hand. As someone else recommended, I popped out the plastic screw inserts and used 3/4" long 3/16" bolts with lock washers and nuts to secure the back speakers. This took a while but I think it was worth it as I have no vibration back there.

I'll post some pics later tonight of the 4 hour ordeal. It was a bit unnerving to completely disassemble the doors, but I got it done without screwing anything up. And man, does it sound great! I had to turn down the treble because it was so piercing! It's like a different and much better system now. Definitely a worthwhile upgrade.

 

Here are some pics comparing the new to the old. At least the fronts had a seperate woofer and tweeter, but the rears were real pieces of crap paper speakers with a "Made in China" stamp on them. I am very pleased with the results.

 

Pic of back of rear speakers and the door disassembled: