Friday, April 20, 2018

2017 Ford Raptor rear door 6.5" and Dynamat

Recently I replaced the front door speakers and applied dynamat to the doors - HUGE difference!  I got some time to do the rear doors - just as amazing difference.  Now that all the doors are timbre matched the truck sounds EVEN better!  The Dynamat Sound Dampening really reduces extra noises as well...

Here are some quick tips in case you haven't done this before!
Here are the tools I used: (turn off your ad blocker to see!)

  
 

Welcome to the rear doors - very much like the front but only 6 x 7mm screws



he tools that were used...


flat screwdriver slot at the bottom front to help you pry off the handle...


simply pull outward, keeping in mind the tab at the rear of the handle


use your tool to pop open the panel under the handle...


now you can remove the 4 7mm screws in the handle area


 and 2 7mm underneath the door

I didnt do this on the fronts, but removing the door handle clip is really easy - just pry down on the tab at the bottom of the clip, it pops right out!

remember to unplug the connectors - I had 2 behind the handle and of course, the wire clip going to the speaker itself...  naked door!!!


You will still use your 7mm socket, remove the 3 screws from the speaker - there are 2 pegs in the speaker mount - don't worry the speaker won't fall out :)

ok - NOW the door is really naked :)


look at the stock unit... yikes!  makes you think WHAT ARE THOSE!!!?!?!?


Slowly peel back the sealant on the vapor barrier, use a utility knife carefully - you'll re-use the stuff.

Oops - forgot this tool!  



Also - this is the Dynamat Extreme pack I used, 9 sheets - and I've used 2 sheets per door!
try to get as much inside the door panel as you can...



Here's how I do the speaker holes - start at the center and cut radially to the edges, I usually do 8 slices (like cutting a pizza)


another pic slicing...


next - put each slice behind the door and tuck it in tightly against the back of the panel - this acts as a good seal for the speaker mount and also adds sound deadening right at the speaker


now you can see the finished speaker opening - be sure you use a utility knife to poke the Dynamat where the speaker mount screws are...


keep working on the door panel with dynamat and rolling it out


here you can see the new speaker next to the OEM one...



note that there is no 'hole' in the mouting bracket for the wiring harness so I chose to pinch the wires in between the dynamat and bracket





The dynamat is soft enough to allow some play in the wiring so I'm not worried they'll wear much...


Put it all back together again, and you're done!

The sound of these Pioneer speakers is lightyears better than the stock speakers!
Hope you enjoy!


Sunday, April 15, 2018

Dynamat and Pioneer 6x9 upgrades in the doors - finally!

Yes, a year ago I posted a blog about installing an audio upgrade in the Raptor for < $600.   I finally got around to doing the front doors today!

Here are some quick tips in case you haven't done this before!
Here are the tools I used: (turn off your ad blocker to see!)

  
 

I used the bike tire levers because the softer plastic edges won't mar the paint...


Under the door handle is a little slot just for a flat screwdriver to help pry it out!


Then you can use the clip remover for more leverage - pry the front first, the back will just pull forward and come off...


see how it separates?  easy!


just a gentle pull and it comes right off...


notice the two screws - you'll use the 7mm socket on these soon...


Now use the same technique to pry DOWN the tab under the handle... there are 2 more 7mm screws


I used my power drill with a socket extension to make quick work of the 4 screws...


2 more 8mm screws on the bottom of the door


and finally - one 7mm screw behind the pillar you first removed... that's all the screws!


I laid out all the screws in the order they came out for easy re-install later...
7 x 7mm screws altogether!


use the pry tool to start popping the door skin away from the metal door...


there are 3 electrical connectors on my door, unclip each one - you can also unclip the door handle but I chose to let it hang...


you can see there is some noise abatement already in the lower door...


here you can see the whole door skin suspended by the handle cable and the OEM speaker (blech!)


You just unclip the speaker and undo all 4 8mm bolts - it's a measly speaker eh?


the front of the speaker... ugh.


here's the new Pioneer Speaker TS-A6986R wired with the Metra 825606 Front 6"x9" Speaker Plate
   

You'll also use  2 of Metra 72-5602 4-Way Speaker Harness Connector for Ford & Mazda Vehicles 
  
Next, you'll want to use the dynamat - put it inside the doors as much as you can and cover the door
 

if you look closely, I cover the speaker hole then spider cut the hole into about 8 slices, then push the dynamat into the door behind the speaker hole which dampens the whole speaker surround area :)


Now you can see pretty much the finished door with dynamat!


mount the speaker bracket - don't forget to put the wiring harness through the hole at the bottom


a little closer look at the wiring and the bracket


now the speaker is fully mounted!


don't forget to plug in all the wires and redo the door just the opposite that you took it apart, the passenger door went 2x as fast - once you figure it out - you'll be able to pop your door panel off in < 5 minutes :)


The sound of these 4-way speakers is lightyears better than the stock speakers!
Hope you enjoy!


Added Deaver +3HD leaf springs today!

 The Raptor tends to 'squat' a bit with the travel trailer, so after many days of research I bottomed out (sic) on the Deaver +3HD l...