Do I need to take my whole dash out?

[Mark_88]

You can get at that one screw if you drop the glove box and reach in with a pair of pliers or even just your hand (can be painful) and hold the retainer while trying to remove the screw...if that doesn't work...high speed drill and steel bit will have it out in a few seconds...and you can get screws at your j/y if needed...

Hang in there and give it another shot...looks like you've got all the biggies out of the way...but you may be able to remove the speaker and install them without further removing the dash...just lift it up...or try the lift and unscrew method that has worked for me several times...

 

[kunar]

there are four (?) in the defroster vent that need to come out too.

 

[Mark_88]

Yeah, just counted them on my truck...four on the bottom (one of yours is stuck) and four along the defroster vent...that is all that is holding the dash in place...

 

[baxtej44]

on the speaker cover (or any screw for that matter) if you cant get enough leverage grab the screwe driver with a pair of pliers then try and turn it using the pliers thats what i did on my 88
marcus

i will try this tomorrow morning, it's so fustrating, but now if i get them out, it should be alot easier next time, as it won't have sat in there for 21 years.

You can get at that one screw if you drop the glove box and reach in with a pair of pliers or even just your hand (can be painful) and hold the retainer while trying to remove the screw...if that doesn't work...high speed drill and steel bit will have it out in a few seconds...and you can get screws at your j/y if needed...

Hang in there and give it another shot...looks like you've got all the biggies out of the way...but you may be able to remove the speaker and install them without further removing the dash...just lift it up...or try the lift and unscrew method that has worked for me several times...

the retainer? sorry, idk what you mean by that.
are you saying to unscrew the glove box, and then grab the threaded part of the screw? and then do what?

not sure if the drill i am using is high speed, or if it's a steel bit...
i'm using a 19.2v craftsman drill with a dewalt bit.

and ya i don't think i actually need my dash out, but it'll be nice to be able to see everything ya know? the only thing holding me back from speakers is 5 screws... (2 on the grill cover, and 3 on the actual speaker)

there are four (?) in the defroster vent that need to come out too.

lost two of them down the defroster vent :X, and one is the screw that just keeps spinning.. but other than that we are a-okay lol...

hopefully if i get my dash off i can find those screws i lost.

Yeah, just counted them on my truck...four on the bottom (one of yours is stuck) and four along the defroster vent...that is all that is holding the dash in place...

ya i realize that now after tinkering with it all day today, there were a couple to hold the wood trim in place too.

 

[Mark_88]

The first pic you posted shows a screw circle to the left of the steering wheel...that one only holds on the gauge cover...there is one on the far left behind the trim that holds the dash in place...and the three to the right are all that hold it on aside from the ones in the defrost vent...

To get the ones out of the defroster get one of those magnetized sticks...they have a magnet on the end of a coil handle that is pretty flexible...if that doesn't work you can always start pulling off the plastic venting...but it's probably more work than it's worth for a bit of a rattle that you may hear when the screws bounce around.

To get at the one beside the glove box...short of drilling it out, you can flip down the glove box and maybe reach it with pliers...if that doesn't work drilling with a high speed electric drill that can reach 5000 or more RPS with a good 3/16" high speed drill bit designed for steel would do the trick...not sure if the battery powered drills can hit those speeds...

Waaaaaaaayyyyyyy tooo much work for a set of speakers...but been there...done that...I took my last set of speakers out and didn't bother to replace them...yet...

 

[baxtej44]

The first pic you posted shows a screw circle to the left of the steering wheel...that one only holds on the gauge cover...there is one on the far left behind the trim that holds the dash in place...and the three to the right are all that hold it on aside from the ones in the defrost vent...

To get the ones out of the defroster get one of those magnetized sticks...they have a magnet on the end of a coil handle that is pretty flexible...if that doesn't work you can always start pulling off the plastic venting...but it's probably more work than it's worth for a bit of a rattle that you may hear when the screws bounce around.

To get at the one beside the glove box...short of drilling it out, you can flip down the glove box and maybe reach it with pliers...if that doesn't work drilling with a high speed electric drill that can reach 5000 or more RPS with a good 3/16" high speed drill bit designed for steel would do the trick...not sure if the battery powered drills can hit those speeds...

Waaaaaaaayyyyyyy tooo much work for a set of speakers...but been there...done that...I took my last set of speakers out and didn't bother to replace them...yet...

going to a really good handy man that my family knows today... hopefully we will get this shit finally done.

i know he has spent alot of money on good quality tools, so we'll see...

i'll definitely keep you guys updated, and i have quite a few pictures throughout this whole thing...



anything I should do while i have these trim pieces of gauge cover off? gonna give the insides a wipe down with a warm soapy cloth just to get the dust off, but other than that anything? i have noticed that the XLT logo probably used to have the "silver/chrome" plating on it, but it's all gone now... cheap fix?

btw, how can i get my left trim piece off? the one on my light pull switch/dimmer switch? i feel like the knob MIGHT come off with pliers or something, but that is one thing i don't want to break.

 

[Mark_88]

The light switch knob comes off with a small allen key...some may have a slot head screw, or they may just be pressed on and there is a small clip that can be released with a screw driver (a very small screwdriver like the jewellers use) but turn it around till you find the notched area and look in there...you may need glasses if your eyesight is like mine now...and you may find yourself some new swear words to use when trying to get it back on...

You can paint your dash purple while the trim is off...lol...

 

[baxtej44]

You can paint your dash purple while the trim is off...lol...

eh, i'll pass


you already know, but to everybody else... I GOT EVERYTHING OUT!


yessssss




had to drill 3 screws out, but ended up a great success... every piece of trim/dash is out right now besides the trim around the lights/dimmer switch... i don't want to go to the trouble


gonna clean everything up, and look for some new speakers tomorrow at a few local places...

gonna look for some well known brand 4" speakers, with an RMS around 50w... if i eventually end up amping these speakers, and my amp pushes more than the reccomended 50w per channel, is there a way to lower what it puts out so i don't blow them?

can't wait to see what new speakers sound like versus the 21 year old ones.

i will need a bracket.. which sucks. idk if anybody local will have them

 

[Psychopete]

...

IMO, If it were me, I would just go with a set of coaxials that match the output of the HU. I have amped highs before, but used a cross over to tweak the frequencies and used 2 separate amplifiers. But that was a large amp w/ 2 twelves and a small amp w/ 2 fours. The only reason I did this is because the speaker outputs on the HU were blown, but the pre-amp out still worked. Assembled from junk used stuff I had lying around.

Pete

 

[baxtej44]

went on an armorall craze and armorall'd everything i could see/reach...


thought i might as well as i don't plan on having my dash off alot lol... it's kinda cool looking at everything, but is probably just attracting thieves


my resettable mileage tracker (sorry haha, don't know official term, the one that you should reset everytime you fill up so you can know your mpg's) got messed up and ended up at 000 then the last one was stuck between 0 and 1, would almost get fully to one and switch back to 0... hit it a couple of times, it got better, hit it again and reset, and it's back to normal now...

think i will get some pictures of everything now that it's all wiped/cleaned up... how do i get this as a tech article? i will glady organize pictures and post it up here first to be proofread and what not.


think i might add in some fuse work pictures and what not, considering i blew my fuse to my glovebox light, and my stereo, not sure what else was on there...


==edit==
so far i have 10 pictures saved in:

my documents -> my pictures -> truck -> dash & speaker project


and i'm only half done, those are all just demo phase. got a couple i can edit and precisely put where screws are, and i will colorcode them according to:
1) trim piece holes
2) gauge cover/wood grain trim holes
3) plastic part of dash holes where clips are
4) speaker grill holes
5) speaker holes
6) metal dash holes (these ones are the four defroster ones
7) miscellaneous ones (like the screws that are underneath the plastic hump, there are 4, and are above the gauges, perpendicular to the gauges)

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

You will have to set up a cardomain.com or photobucket.com account (they are free) and upload them on there for us to see your pictures. We can't see anything on your computer.

I have been annoyed with cardomain lately and have been putting most of my stuff on photobucket.

 

[baxtej44]

You will have to set up a cardomain.com or photobucket.com account (they are free) and upload them on there for us to see your pictures. We can't see anything on your computer.

I have been annoyed with cardomain lately and have been putting most of my stuff on photobucket.

lol i know that.. i was just pointing out how organized i am lol... it's kind of annoying sometimes.

i have a photobucket now, but i can set a new one up, so i can always remember the password, for just my truck stuff.


i'll go do that now, just created my back end in sketchup looks great haha.

 

[RangerMan64]

I had the EXACT same problem when I replaced my speakers in my 88 a few weeks ago. Couldn't get the damn drivers side grill off, so I drilled the heads off and totally destroyed the grill in the process. No biggie though, I went to the junkyard and picked up some for free. Don't worry about getting an adapter, as the little 4" won't be putting out much bass. I just used 2 out of the 3 holes, and it's fine. I would have used an adapter, but no one sold them.

Let us know what you will end up doing.

I have a question for you as well, what amp are you using? I would like to get an amp for my Ranger, and it looks like we have about the same truck.

 

[baxtej44]

I had the EXACT same problem when I replaced my speakers in my 88 a few weeks ago. Couldn't get the damn drivers side grill off, so I drilled the heads off and totally destroyed the grill in the process. No biggie though, I went to the junkyard and picked up some for free. Don't worry about getting an adapter, as the little 4" won't be putting out much bass. I just used 2 out of the 3 holes, and it's fine. I would have used an adapter, but no one sold them.

Let us know what you will end up doing.

I have a question for you as well, what amp are you using? I would like to get an amp for my Ranger, and it looks like we have about the same truck.

i don't have an amp right now.

planning to get a 4 channel and a sub, possibly a second by the time summer is over, once summer hits and i get back from my greece trip.


what i really need to do is find a trim piece for an 88 for the rear 4 panel sliding window.
so i can finally take my camper topper off.


also, if you'd like i can email you the part of your cab behind your seats(the little shelf area) that i created in sketchup, the measurements aren't EXACT, but aren't more than an inch off (and that's probably on the width of the shelf from door to door, IF ANYTHING)

i even color coded it, to match my trucks red interior, and it looks pretty realistic lol.

 

[RangerMan64]

i don't have an amp right now.

planning to get a 4 channel and a sub, possibly a second by the time summer is over, once summer hits and i get back from my greece trip.


what i really need to do is find a trim piece for an 88 for the rear 4 panel sliding window.
so i can finally take my camper topper off.


also, if you'd like i can email you the part of your cab behind your seats(the little shelf area) that i created in sketchup, the measurements aren't EXACT, but aren't more than an inch off (and that's probably on the width of the shelf from door to door, IF ANYTHING)

i even color coded it, to match my trucks red interior, and it looks pretty realistic lol.

What trim piece are you talking about that is stopping you from talking the shell off? Do you have a picture of it?

And what shelf behind the seats are you talking about? Please email me the picture if possible.

Thanks