How to Install 5.25" Kicker KSC Speakers in the Factory Pods

[VAtruck]

How To Install 5.25" Kicker KSC Speakers in the Factory Pods
I hated to sacrifice rear visibility for bigger speakers. It didn't look like anyone had ever tried stuffing a set in the factory pods, so I figured I'd give it a shot. Many thanks to Fordsoldier for letting me have the pods he took out of his Bronco to experiment with.

Kicker KSC 5.25" speakers are a perfect fit. It took me an afternoon to do the swap. Enlarge the holes in the pods, install the Kickers and snap on the grilles; it's a total stealth upgrade.

Directions
(Standard Disclaimer that you follow these instructions at Your Own Risk)

Disconnect the Pod from the roll bar and remove the Factory Speaker. Pry the Factory Harness Connector from the holes in the top of the Pod with a screwdriver. Push the Factory Harness Grommet out of the Pod Grommet Hole from the INSIDE. Unclip the White Press Pin Retainer from the Factory Harness Connector and slide onto the Metra Harness Connector.

Use this sketch to drill the New Push Pin Holes for the Metra Harness Connector.

Grind the Upper Outer Grille Mounting Boss even with the face of the Pod with a Dremel/rotary tool.

Use this Template to mark the hole for the Speaker. Here is a link to the pdf so it prints the right size: https://template-8d9c34.tiiny.site/ . Use cardstock if you have it, cut out Template, and punch the Bottom Hole with a pencil.

Attach the Bottom Hole of the Template to the Pod's Original Lower Speaker Mounting Hole with one of the Original Speaker Mounting Screws and center the Template between the outer edges of the Pod. Brush the inner perimeter of the Template with White Out. Enlarge the Pod Opening to the size indicated by the Template with a Dremel/rotary tool. This is the hardest part of the job.

Insert the Speaker into the Pod with the Wiring Terminals at the TOP. It may be necessary to tweak the opening slightly so the Speaker is centered between the outer edges of the Pod. Secure the Speaker's Lower Mounting Tab with one of the Original Speaker Mounting Screws.

Mark the two, Speaker Mounting Tabs that protrude beyond the sides of the Pod with a dab of White Out. Use a Scribe/Nail to mark the raised portion of the top outer corner of the Pod that is preventing the Speaker from sitting flat.

Remove the Speaker. Grind the raised portion with a Dremel/rotary tool so the Speaker sits flat.

Use Tin Snips to cut off the two Speaker Mounting Tabs marked with White Out.

Insert the Speaker into the Pod with the Wiring Terminals at the TOP. Rotate the Speaker slightly so the Upper Mounting Tab just touches the raised portion of the Pod. Mark the CENTER of the oval holes in the Speaker Mounting Tabs with a Scribe/Nail to indicate the location of the New Mounting Holes.

Remove the Speaker. Drill the New Mounting Holes with a 5/32" bit. Run the Original Mounting Screws into the Holes to form threads in the plastic.

Here is a picture of the fully modified Pod (New Push Pin Holes, Flattened Grill Mounting Boss, Enlarged Speaker Opening, Eyebrow ground in raised portion of top outer corner so Speaker sits flat, and New Mounting Holes).

Loosely install the Pod on the roll bar. Route the Chassis Harness though the Pod Grommet Hole and plug into the Metra Harness Connector.

Insert the Metra Harness Connector into the Speaker Hole, and press the Push Pins into the New Push Pin Holes from INSIDE the Pod.

Connect the Metra Harness to the Speaker Terminals. Fit the Speaker into the Pod and secure with the Original Attaching Screws (Position a 1/4" nut between the Upper Speaker Mounting Tab and the Pod as a Spacer).

Install the Speaker Cover and secure the Pod to the Roll Bar.

Lesson Learned:
Four-doors Pods are different than two-doors (Grilles are the same). I was able to make the ones Fordsoldier gave me work, but had to fabricate a set of sheet metal brackets to mount them to the roll bar in my two-door. That took longer than modifying the Pods for the 5.25" Kickers.

If you don't have your heart set on 6.5" speakers, you can add alot of sound and save a couple bucks putting 5.25's in the factory Pods. This is particularly true if you have a subwoofer and don't need the larger speakers for rear bass. I had already installed a Kicker amp, and a factory subwoofer box/Kicker 48CWRT674 speaker, and made Forscan changes to the factory six speaker setup in my 2022. I like an all around sound and was looking for a way to increase the mid range from the back. The 5.25" Kickers were perfect.

For you DoItYourselfers out there, here's a link to the post I did on Making Your Own Kicker 200.4 Harness.

And another one on Adding a 7 Speaker Sub to a 2022 6 Speaker Base Radio.

Once again, thanks to Fordsoldier for giving me the Pods he took out of his Bronco, so I didn't have to risk ruining the set in my two-door if the swap didn't work out.

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[Fordsoldier]

Great job Joe!

 

[BreezyNVegas]

I bought a used JBL sound bar 4 years ago and haven't looked back since. Literally, I can't see a damn thing out the rear window.

 

[Iceman62]

Great write-up...been pondering a speaker swap. Might have to use your awesome guide. Enjoy the sweet sounds!

 

[VAtruck]

Great write-up...been pondering a speaker swap. Might have to use your awesome guide. Enjoy the sweet sounds!

Thanks iceman62. It's a pretty straightforward job. A guy was selling the 5.25 KSC's for $59.95 on Ebay and I picked up a returned Metra 72-5603 harness set on Amazon for $7.93; the whole whole swap was under a hundred bucks.

 

[Dan-O]

Nice in depth write up……just wondering how the volume of the enclosure effects the sound? I would think it’s too small of an enclosure for the bigger speaker.

 

[VAtruck]

Nice in depth write up……just wondering how the volume of the enclosure effects the sound? I would think it’s too small of an enclosure for the bigger speaker.

Thanks. I installed one of the 5.25's, set the fade to rear and adjusted the balance between left to right. The enclosure may not be optimized but the 5.25 sounded awesome. Google shows a 5.25 inch speaker volume of 0.15 to 0.35 cubic feet and 0.05 to 0.15 cubic feet for 4 inch. I guess I could have filled a Pod with water to check the volume, but I suspect there is enough overlap in the enclosure size that it doesn't make a difference unless you are designing a concert hall. As a point of reference, the 4-door Pods are a different size than the ones that come in the 2-door for the factory 4" speakers.

 

[fallguy]

Looks good. I too got bigger pods and speakers for the back but after all Forscan recommended changes still so little sound comes out the back. They are pretty much useless speakers for me.

 

[VAtruck]

Looks good. I too got bigger pods and speakers for the back but after all Forscan recommended changes still so little sound comes out the back. They are pretty much useless speakers for me.

Thanks. How did you configure Forscan (I turned off factory EQ and changed the Pods from Tweeter to Speaker)? I like an all around sound and didn't have any trouble adjusting the fade so the front and rear volume is about the same. As a point of reference, I already installed a Kicker 200.4 amp and factory sub with a 48CWRT674 (4 ohm) speaker. I think the amp was necessary to light up the factory Pod speakers.

 

[thesocalexplorer]

Nice write up. Looking to upgrade my sub this summer and might upsize the back speakers while I'm at it.

The Forscan Tweeter->Speaker toggle is such a game changer in itself.

 

[VAtruck]

The Forscan Tweeter->Speaker toggle is such a game changer in itself.

Thanks. I agree about the Forscan settings. Also turning off the factory EQ. These changes are pretty much a must if adding a Sub and/or upgrading the Pod Speakers.

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