Bronco standard sound system 6 speaker upgrade DIY writeup w/ instructions (dash & kick panel speaker removal) & wiring diagram

[BroncRik]

@BroncRik do you remember what the positive and negative wire colors were for all the 4” speakers?

- right dash speaker positive is green/blue the left dash speaker positive is violet/gray
- for the rears see the diagram

Thanks for that last little tidbit, it was truly not clear. It'd be nice if they have positive/negative on both sides.

For those that want to try this. I’ve not done it but might this weekend. Use this app to test the polarity of the speakers to be sure you have your wires installed properly. It basically plays a test tone no uses the phones mic to analyze for any distortion.

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[Contact]

Here is my full list from Crutchfield:

I see that you used 300 hz blockers and that another person used 600hz. Does this matter much, and if so why? ty

 

[e90steve]

The connectors fit right in with zero issues. The photo I included is the wire harness mated to the factory connector.

Thanks for posting this. I really appreciate it and am going to model the install after your write up.

As far as your speaker choice, did you go without a silk dome tweeter for a reason? I've read the PEI tweeters can be OK with an underpowered setup where a silk dome tweeter is going to be more clear with adequate power. My initial setup was going to be silk but going back and forth now.

Also how many sets (QTY) of Bass Blockers did you purchase?

Thanks!

 

[Vooch]

I finished upgrading the speakers in my Big Bend this past weekend and wanted to give those interested some information that may help--

My Big Bend came equipped with the standard 6-Speaker system and I simply wanted to upgrade the speakers to give the stereo a little better sound. I previously owned a 2017 Jeep JK Sahara that I used some Kicker speakers so I decided to go the same route as I liked the sound from the Kickers.

I got 2 pairs of 4in (46CSC44) and 1 pair of 6.5in (46CSC654) Kicker CS speakers. From my previous install on the Jeep, I learned that using speaker baffles was a good idea so I also purchased Boom Mat speaker baffles. For the 4in speakers, I used some Posi-Twist connectors and added a pair of 300Hz Bass Blockers for the front only.

For the 6.5in I used the Metra 82-5605 Mounting Brackets as well as the Metra 72-5602 Wiring Harness.

The speaker installation was straightforward the most time-consuming part is taking apart all the plastic trim which I am so glad some on the forum had already submitted so I was ready with all the appropriate trim removal tools and knowledge.

I have included the documentation I used to remove the trim panels and wiring diagram and well as photos of the install and of the products I used.

I hope this information will be useful for some.

Thank you kind sir. A ways off from my Bronco arriving but your ground work is much appreciated.

 

[EquusBronsis]

@BroncRik do you remember what the positive and negative wire colors were for all the 4” speakers?

If you don't know the polarity of the speaker, take a small voltage battery AA or AAA, with a couple of pieces of wire attach to speaker terminals, touch one wire to positive(+) end of battery and one to the negative end of battery. If the speaker cone moves outward then the wire from the positive side of the battery is terminated at the positive of the speaker. Otherwise it's reversed.

 

[RoLyMa27]

I see t
hat you used 300 hz blockers and that another person used 600hz. Does this matter much, and if so why? ty

Typically, small speakers won't reproduce frequencies below 60 - 80 hz. A filter, sometimes called a bass blocker will cut off those frequencies. So a 300hz bass blocker will stop anything lower than 300hz from reaching the speaker. This accomplishes a couple things. 1. Reduces the strain on that smaller speaker. 2. A smaller speaker trying to reproduce lower frequencies will distort and will make the system sound bad. All of my knowledge is from the 80's so I might be a little rusty! Here's a couple articles to check out for more info.
https://www.crutchfield.com/learn/crossover-faq-car-audio.html
https://www.crutchfield.com/learn/car-speakers-best-sound.html

 

[JPG]

You say that you cut the original harness, but you have Metra harnesses in your part list ? Don't the Metra connect between the Bronco wiring and the speaker removing the need to cut the original wire ?

 

[Ig_bronco]

I finished upgrading the speakers in my Big Bend this past weekend and wanted to give those interested some information that may help--

My Big Bend came equipped with the standard 6-Speaker system and I simply wanted to upgrade the speakers to give the stereo a little better sound. I previously owned a 2017 Jeep JK Sahara that I used some Kicker speakers so I decided to go the same route as I liked the sound from the Kickers.

I got 2 pairs of 4in (46CSC44) and 1 pair of 6.5in (46CSC654) Kicker CS speakers. From my previous install on the Jeep, I learned that using speaker baffles was a good idea so I also purchased Boom Mat speaker baffles. For the 4in speakers, I used some Posi-Twist connectors and added a pair of 300Hz Bass Blockers for the front only.

For the 6.5in I used the Metra 82-5605 Mounting Brackets as well as the Metra 72-5602 Wiring Harness.

The speaker installation was straightforward the most time-consuming part is taking apart all the plastic trim which I am so glad some on the forum had already submitted so I was ready with all the appropriate trim removal tools and knowledge.

I have included the documentation I used to remove the trim panels and wiring diagram and well as photos of the install and of the products I used.

I hope this information will be useful for some.

With Baffles do u still need poly fill? Or dynamat?

 

[Contact]

Typically, small speakers won't reproduce frequencies below 60 - 80 hz. A filter, sometimes called a bass blocker will cut off those frequencies. So a 300hz bass blocker will stop anything lower than 300hz from reaching the speaker. This accomplishes a couple things. 1. Reduces the strain on that smaller speaker. 2. A smaller speaker trying to reproduce lower frequencies will distort and will make the system sound bad. All of my knowledge is from the 80's so I might be a little rusty! Here's a couple articles to check out for more info.
https://www.crutchfield.com/learn/crossover-faq-car-audio.html
https://www.crutchfield.com/learn/car-speakers-best-sound.html

Thank you.

 

[RoLyMa27]

With Baffles do u still need poly fill? Or dynamat?

Poly fill I would say no. Dynamat yes!

 

[Contact]

You say that you cut the original harness, but you have Metra harnesses in your part list ? Don't the Metra connect between the Bronco wiring and the speaker removing the need to cut the original wire ?

The Metra part is for the 6.5 speakers only. Not the 4”

 

[stormshadow3800]

Anyone know if there are amp pre-outs on the stock head unit? I haven't seen any threads yet with someone installing an amp. I think the B&O system has an amplifier, so I'm curious if the hookups are still present on lower packages.

 

[zombie]

WIthout looking, I will pretty much guarantee there are no pre-outs on the head unit, I can't think of many un-amplified stock head units that come with pre-outs.

Ford built this audio system to a price point and that price point did not include pre-outs that weren't used.

 

[Winkydee]

WIthout looking, I will pretty much guarantee there are no pre-outs on the head unit, I can't think of many un-amplified stock head units that come with pre-outs.

Ford built this audio system to a price point and that price point did not include pre-outs that weren't used.

Likely true, and a bummer.

 

[zombie]

Luckily there are some pretty decent line converters out there so all hope is not lost.

My Kenwood KAC-D8105 5 channel amp should be here later today, line converter just got dropped off earlier.

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