Just wondering if anyone's done this; found the 6x9 grill covers from my first-ever rear speakers, Rockwoods. Man those speakers sucked. Anyway, it occured to me that I could probably cut the covers up, and bend 'em, to replace the plastic covers of the dashpad. Anyone do this? Did it look like crap? Did it muffle the speakers too much? The factory "grills" are pretty "open".

 

have you EVER removed the dash. no amount of modifications will allow a 6x9 to fit under the front dash... wait.. sorry, I just re-read what you are asking... if you are going to replace (or cover up the STOCK speaker grates on the dash, I'd look more around the size of 5-6 inch speaker grates... UNLESS you are good at bending 6x9 speaker grates, I replaced the front speakers with 5 or 6 inch JBL speakers (it was a while ago.. I don't remember)... they are taller than 4x6 so I had to take a small rubber shim and place it under the dash by the windshield It fit.. .for a while Until the tweeter on the speaker started pushing through the STOCK speaker grate... so I removed the dash, cut out the stock grates, and covered them with the GRILLS FROM the 5 or 6 inch speakers ( i still don't remember and I'm too lazy to go to the garage and measure them) It looks pretty sweet and the sound can ALL come out now.. the stock grates are pretty restrictive

 

LOL! Yeah I've had that dash pad off so many times that I haven't bolted it back down in years. Seemed like every time I bolted the pad back down, I'd be taking the screws out again a week later.

My current factory grills are hanging on with a prayer... most of the plastic "studs" are snapped; I guess from the previous owner trying to replace the speakers? Anyway, I was figuring on removing the stock ones completely; might as well snap 'em the rest of the way, and then trying the grill.

So you actually used the round grill over the square hole? Didn't think of trying that; I have a few 6 1/2" grills lying around but I think they'd be way too large. I was going to use snips to cut up the 6x9 grills, and then use my flange tool from my welding equipment to bend the remaining "flat" grill into a rectangular shape.

 

You can try, but I think it would be difficult making the grill stay put without some sort of frame, like the stock 86 ones have. As far as sound quality, I don't think they would be any different the the stock ones.

 

I wonder.... I do have a welder.... might be funny to see if I could weld studs to these things, just like the factory plastic ones had. 'Course that wire is such thin gauge it'd probably melt thru! When I get a chance to do it, I'll put up some pics/description/etc of the job.

Hey do they sell those grills separate from 6x9's? Just in case I botch these up... might be cool to get a pioneer logo from a grill, too, and put it on the "new" dash grill... but then again, it's good advertisement for thieves. (I hate thieves. If I have to work for my stuff, so should they. )

[edit] Oh, well, duh... I could always just loop some wire around. I could loop the wire thru the edge of the grill, into the "hole" from the factory, then twist the ends together. Duh #2, since my dashpad isn't bolted to the car, I might as well work on it in my house!