Guide: Subaru Tweeter Upgrade For 2nd Gen Tacos, NO SPLICING, CUTTING, OR SOLDERING REQUIRED

Is the 6x9 just a stock woofer? If so what’s a good upgrade without using an amp? Where do I buy it and do I need mounting brackets. I have the subie tweeters already. I like the crimping method suggested by scoopster66

 

I did the same as you. I bought the Subaru tweet then I decided to do the 6x9’s as well. Figured once I was in there, get it all done. Adding an amp or new more powerful head unit obviously better but more cost n work. I dont plan on adding an amp but have a new-ish head unit recovered from a car of ours that was totaled that I will add in some day.

Since the Subaru tweet is designed to get full range signal (the integrated capacitor rolls off the lows so no crossover needed) as is the 6x9, I went with a full range (2 way) 6x9 on the bottom. I bought from Crutchfield and got their suggested speaker adapter and toyota wiring harness. It was a breeze to install, even the tweet was once I figured it out.

I also replaced the rear door speakers. Those and the 6x9’s were Kicker KSC series. The system even with the stock head unit sounds a bilion percent better and I have no regrets.

But knowing what I know now and deciding to do all the speakers I would have not locked myself into the Subie tweet. For gen 2 all it saves you is a mounting adapter for the tweet. There is more work and wiring to set up a crossover with dedicated woofer/tweet. The adapters to fit an aftermarket tweeter into the factory location are common and not any harder to deal with than the adapters needed to put after market speakers in rear door and 6x9 location. Lots of different trade offs with each decision and of course the cost of speaker adapters and wiring harnesses adds up.

Soldering vs crimp on connectors as someone just mentioned is going to be more robust for any connection but more work and effort to install/uninstall.

 

Long, long time ago I added a good JVC and then Pioneer head unit with navigation that has plenty of power (for me, anyway) without needing a separate amp. And I also added a shallow Pioneer 10" sub in a box on the back wall of my access cab with Rockford amp. That fills out the lower end very nicely. Huge improvement. But I never put better speakers and tweets in the front doors, which I regret.

Which 2-way 6x9s did you use there? I would also have liked to put speakers in the rear access cab doors but unfortunately, Toyota stuck us AC folks with those silly tiny rear roof speakers. Too much trouble to open all that up and rewire to the doors.

BTW, changing the head units on these trucks is easy peasy, so just do it. Get the harness adapter and trim kit and it is almost plug and play. You can also then easily add a second backup camera to the license plate or wherever.

 

thanks for inspiration on the head unit!

Here is what I installed in front: https://www.kicker.com/47KSC690

 

Lots of good ones out there. These days I'd almost be inclined to pass on the built-in NAV, except there are times when you are off the grid and can't load a route on your phone for CarPlay or Android Auto. So, NAV can come in handy then.

 

Does anyone here have the part number for this infernal pin? I did my Focal component speaker install yesterday and both of these pins either broke or just came apart. They released just fine like in the 2nd photo but when I tried to ease them out with my fingernails the center pieces fell away into the door. Or, alternatively, maybe there is a specific push pin that would also work?

 

Maybe these...

And this raises the question... the OP pushed the centers of these in, but most push pins work the other way. I suspect that pushing them in like I did broke them. Not a big deal, but those of you getting into this job be careful with these pins. Try prying the center out and up first. Gently.

Auveco Item 23943 Toyota Door Panel Push-Type Retainer Quantity 25 — Fastener Zone

 

I had some other 6mm Toyota/Lexus push pins around from replacing my headlights and these fit the door panel and work just fine. They look a little different from the original, but IMO look just fine in that location.

 

just installed, thanks for the DIY

Man I gotta say. I was really impressed with the truck. I like how they used cheap plastic inserts (the top one is stripped) and coarse thread philips screws from Home Depot to hold the door on, only 2 of them, instead of metric bolts and rivnuts like any other car.
Loved the walmart plastic bag liner with messy black goop, and the electrical tape that felt like it was jizzed on.
Very impressed with the paper thin crash-safe sheetmetal that flexes easily.
I know other brands have a dedicated foam piece form-fitted to shape, but maybe a walmart plastic bag is higher performance.

I need to figure out if the lower 6x9 speakers care if they're wired one way, or the other way. They seem to work the same regardless of which way the 2 wires are placed.
Months ago, my speakers would be inoperable during cold temperatures first driving in the morning. I guess their motor oil had to warm up.
I found out why, turning the 1 hour job into 3.
Found out the name of my truck's previous owner as well. Cleetus. Badass dude.
So apparently, Cleetus had already been in there, leaving a trail of tampering, for some reason only on the left door, despite what I believe was stock paper disposable speakers before I upgraded them to the wrong 2-way Rockford Fosgate's Amazon mailed me (ordered 3 way)

Cleetus had used Home Depot crimps, the non insulating kind, on the 6x9 wires, routed into the window glass so it could efficiently rip them in half, as well as be exposed to water naturally in the door (by design) rusting out the wire, which it did, causing it to tear mostly if not completely.
Might have even been driving around with a dead speaker this entire time and not known it.
Which now, is operable, after having repaired the wire with normal style crimp connectors (insulated) and not Cleetus-style.
Addressed Cleetus's fancy Window Chop Wire Routing by moving the wires and taping them to stay put, then peeked down into the door from above to make sure it was out the way of the glass


I sure hope there's a way to redo/replace the plastic bag so it doesn't look so messy, or upgrade to something better

a flat piece of flexible foam cut to shape would probably work

Not sure if it's worth it to go back in there and upgrade the 2way Rockford Fosgates to 3ways, or a different brand/model
I think the tweeters cost more than the speakers, so they can't be that good

Probably could use an amp to give more power than the aftermarket HU
Disappointed rear doors don't have tweeters like cars do, leaving passengers with less music

I hope the lift, sliders, and frame protect me from a side impact. I doubt the 5lb door will.
Probably got the same level of protection as this shield

For now it works. Maybe later I'll go back in again to tidy things up by wrapping the wires with stuff like 3M Super 33,

$16 Tesa 51608 Noise Damping PET Fleece Automotive Wire Harness Tape, Black, 19mm x 15m, 5 Rolls

Tesa 51608, ziptie adhesive squares to secure harness, etc.
and see if I can repair the top stripped plastic insert for the little black screw behind the interior door handle. Like if there is a way to pull it out and install a rivnut, using my Harbor Freight tool that came with an assortment

 

Okay, just bought the tweeters. But before I install in a few days what do I do about "It does not matter which color-matching wire is in which order so long as the two colors are paired together correctly."

Some of you are saying it matters, some of you are saying it doesn't. What do I do?

 

I came here to find out... It's been 30+ years since I wired speakers...

 

I just received all the parts for complete speaker upgrade. Decided to go with kicker all around. I’m going all in and doing the sound deadener as well. If I remember to find this thread in a few weeks I’ll post my results.

 

Piece of cake. You got this!

 

I'm figuring it can't be that different nor difficult. My wife is nervous, but she didn't know me back when I did all that car audio stuff..

 

All done!! If I had a hole saw, it sure would have saved some time. Only 3 door fasteners broke, and one of the push pin fasteners. It was kinda chilly, and had it been warmer as many might not have broken. AutoZone had them so easy to replace. The adapters for the 6x9 were not an exact match for the speakers, so one hole had to be drilled. Had I known that the speakers would just screw into the plastic adapter, I would have sourced some bolts and nuts... Re the tweeters..I just cut the wires and wired them to the tweeters..sounded fine so I left it. Much much improved sound quality!! I will admit that putting in speakers in 1973 was much easier on the body..

 

Wait….a hole saw? For what??

 

The plastic adapters for the tweeters..

 

Oh..did you use the Subaru/kicker tweeters? Or a different brand?

 

https://www.crutchfield.com/p_120824201/Metra-82-4201-Tweeter-Mounting-Brackets.html

 

https://www.crutchfield.com/p_20646CT204/Kicker-46CST204.html