2003 GT speakers

[IIGood]

What is the stock size for the door and rear speakers in a '03 GT (with Mach 460)?

I checked Crutchfield's site and it shows both 5 1/4" and 6"x8", for both locations. My assumption is that the factory speaker is a 5 1/4", but the space can accommodate a 6"x8"? Would that be correct?

For the '03 Explorer I had, I put a Kenwood head unit in it and four Kenwood 6x8s in the doors. When I sold that Explorer, I took all that out, kept it, and now I'm planning on putting it all into the Mustang (I can tell one of the stock speakers is blown). I already have a Kenwood unit in the Mustang, but the one I had in the Explorer is a little newer and a little more capable. Will I be able to accomplish that?

 

[IIGood]

I have found the answer with a little deeper digging.

It seems that the Mustangs that came with the base stereo got the 5 1/4" speakers all around. Mustangs that came with the MACH systems got the 6"x8" speakers (convertibles still had the 5 1/4" speakers in the rear deck apparently).

So in theory, I could put the Kenwood 6x8s in there. BUT...because of how wacky the MACH systems are - which has been mentioned here in a couple threads - it's not a direct swap. I would have to rewire the entire audio system to make them work. Since I don't quite have the know-how or the overwhelming desire to do something of that magnitude, I think I'm just going to settle for buying a replacement factory speaker for the Mustang and putting that in place and still proceed with swapping the head unit. I'm no uber audiophile so the sound coming out of the speakers is good enough for my ears.

 

[MustangIIMatt]

With the Mach 460 system, you've got two choices.

1. Install all new wiring to the speakers when changing the head unit, bypassing the Mach system entirely. (Not hard at all, just time consuming.)

2. Route it through the factory amp using a wiring harness adapter (much easier).

I've done it both ways when working with OEM "high line" systems, with very mixed results.

In my dad's Suburban, going through the factory amp and keeping the factory sup with new speakers and a new head unit sounded AWFUL. He liked it because the highs of John Denver, The Beach Boys, and Johnny Horton came through loud and clear, but that was ALL that was loud and clear. Things sounded much better when I bypassed the amp years later.

In my friend's F150 with the factory Kicker upgrade, replacing the radio, all four door speakers, and the front tweeters resulted in a pretty good sound all around. He bought from me the Infinity Reference 6802cfx speakers I'd run for three years, so they were well broken-in and sounded good from day one for him. (I highly recommend those speakers if you're keeping the amp, I was feeding them with just the head unit, and they were BEGGING for more wattage).

Then there's my 4Runner with its factory 10-speaker JBL Synthesis audio system with a factory-installed DSP, amp, and dual-voice-coil subwoofer. The factory sub was blown out when I bought it, so I replaced it with a Rockford Fosgate Punch unit that was virtually a direct fit. I discovered after the fact that the volume knob on the factory radio didn't turn up the volume directly, but rather controlled the output from the amp, and that the EQ settings were controlled the same way. After installation of the new head unit, it sounded hollow, and I couldn't make it sound good no matter what I did with the new head unit's EQ. I found out what I did wrong this past week and fixed it, and now it sounds amazing.

 

[RaggedGT]

If you have an aftermarket head unit currently installed-when the Mach By-Pass/Amp Integration already be done?