hello i have a stock 1987 firebird (not a trans am) in desprate need of new front speakers. How do i get at them, they look like they are under the dash?

Any ideas?

 

You have to remove the dashpad to get to them. There are several dash pad bolts, 7mm IIRC, on th ebottom of the dash overhang and a few up on the edge of the defrost vents. Carefully remove the pad and then, IIRC, the speakers are held in by 4 7mm screws.

 

that sounds like a pain to do, is it?

 

not too bad. have a 1/4" drive set handy with an extension or two, along with a phillips screwdriver. should be able to have the thing off in about 10 minutes. no hidden screws, just a lot of them.

 

It is jut 4 screws in the defroster vents that you can very easily see just by looking at the top of the dash.

Then like 8 under the front lip across the front. Looks like more, but some are for the gauge face & some for the dash pad. A good look of the outlines around them and following the dash pad edge will tell you which ones are which.

After you slide the dash pad out, there are just 4 screws (per speaker) holding hem down. Don't just yank on them. Still have to unplug the wires from the back, but that is as simple as grasping the PLUG (not the wires) and pulling.

 

I heard that with some the dash can break or deform on removal, my dash is already cracked around the edges, do i need to buy a new one for after i do the speakers?

 

If it is real dry & already cracking, be careful not to alow it to flex too much. But even if it cracks, it is just the skin that crack. It has a metal core, foam padding, then the skin. It can crack a lot, but won't affect it going back in. Just look bad from the cracks.

 

is there any cheap way to fix cracked plastic?

 

Never seen a good way to make it look real good & not an obvious patch.

If you search on TGO about it, you'll find several have tried, but I've never seen one that lasted & looked good.

Only solution I know of is to replace it. Most people just get a dash mat to throw over it. Can be hard to find a good one reasonably priced. Which is why I have 4 cracked dash pads in my shed. I leep thinking I'll find a way to recover one.