jtdurden

I was installing my Polk 6500 components today and found out the speaker basket on the woofers is too big for the hole in the door. I have the correct spacer/bracket installed, but the basket hits the sheet metal. The speakers stick out about 3/4 inch. I've already installed the tweeters, so returning them is not an option.

Any tips on cutting sheet metal? Hopefully a Dremel will work since that's all I have but I've never cut metal before. I estimate the hole needs to be 1/4 to 1/2 inch larger on both sides. Top to bottom appears to be ok because of the oval shaped hole.

Also, will the big hole beneath the door lock (see last pic) be a problem with the moisture barrier gone? I thought about cutting out that part of the plastic barrier (currently removed) and gluing it around the edge of the Dynamat to cover the hole. The door panel has a piece of foam that sticks into the hole, which is why I didn't Dynamat over the hole.

Reach

I used a tire iron to 'widen' my door cavities a bit, that did the trick. Seriously.

If you have to, a dremel would make quick work of it as well. I wouldn't hesitate to work those speakers in there as you're thinking about.

I've heard of others removing the plastic & the foam and dynamatting everything, and no one has come back on to complain or report a problem. I know that's not a great success story to go from, but its the only anecdotal evidence I have to suggest that you'll be OK.

jaspervic

I had the same problem with the Polk MMC6500s. I used a jig saw with a blade designed for use with metal. Kind of annoyed that crutchfield claims these just "fit". Oh well. Sound is much better now.

jtdurden

Finally got them installed. First, I tried a Dremel with a metal cutting disk. Too slow and too many sparks; didn't want to risk burning a hole in the leather or carpet. Then tried a hack saw. Also too slow and the potential to slip and hit the outside panel. Finally, I went to a real installer who enlarged the holes using a pneumatic reciprocating saw; only took a minute or two per door.

Crutchfield has since updated their database to show they don't fit without modification.

Also, Dynamat Extreme is very difficult to remove. It's basically thick aluminum foil with tar on one side. Just something to keep in mind. Hope I never need to access any of the wires behind it.

Spoon

Haven't used that particular product, but other brands of similar type damping material. Easiest way to get it off is to peel off the aluminum then use masking tape to pull-up the rubber (^^tar) damping material. The stuff sticks to itself, so you just keep going over the area with the tape and it will all come-up eventually. Not particularly fast, but you'll never be able to scrape it off or pull it up with you fingers. It takes a couple of minutes, but you can get every last speck off if you need to.