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Speaker replace '87 Corolla

My sister wants me to replace the speakers on her '87 Corolla, since one hasn't worked well for quite awhile. They are the cheapies mounted on each side of the dash -- ie -- just to the left of the steering wheel and just to the right of the glove compartment.

Unfortunately, she lives a few hours away and I'd like to buy the part sometime this week before I cruise to her place next weekend. She won't/can't take an existing speaker out of the dash, so she can't tell me what exactly I need to buy.

I'm almost betting they are the same things that were in my old 84 Tercel. I remember I bought replacements for less than $10 in the late '80s for that car at Radio Shack. But, when I went into my local Rat Shack today, the woman had no clue what I was asking about, and they had no speakers. A search of their web site was also unproductive. Any clues here?

Reply to
timbirr
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Hmm, none of the standard speakers on Crutchfield's web site

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fit an '87 Corolla Sedan. BTW, the dash on the liftback and sedan/wagon is different so you should know the body style. It looks like you are going to have to mount aftermarket speakers somewhere.

Reply to
Ray O

It's the sedan. That much I know (HAHA). I found the crutchfield site after posting here and, as you say, they did not have anything. I THINK, however, that the JCWhitney speaker I just found MIGHT be close. I don't want to order from JCW, but maybe i can find something local that would work, since I may need to be returning it next Monday....any hints on where to find the following locally, I don't want to go to a high-end stereo shop and pair high-end prices....

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Reply to
timbirr

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Where is "local?"

Have you tried K-Mart, Wal-Mart, or your local auto parts stores?

Also, you mentioned that the factory speaker does not work - the fix could be as easy as fixing the balance, plugging the speaker back in, or soldering a broken tab. Since a speaker is basically a magnet and a paper cone, there is not much to fail so be prepared for a cause other than the speaker itself, unless the paper cone is completely trashed. Try duct tape if the cone is torn. If you're going to make the trip, bring along a soldering iron and some solder in case the connection tabs just fell or broke off.

Reply to
Ray O

Chances are it is a 3.5" speaker.

Depending on what you want to do with it, Infinity and Pioneer make 3.5: speakers that will fit right in there. You can also shoehorn a 4" in there without a lot of problems; you'll only have 2 screws holding it in. I have had this set up in a Corolla for 14 years.

They are 4 ohm speakers, so get 4 ohm replacements; if you can only find 8 ohm speakers you'll have to replace the rears also.

Reply to
Hachiroku

Thanks for the HELP! I'm not a stereo/speaker expert by any means (obvious, ain't it). Maybe I'll try the 4-inch speakers and see if I can make them work.

But, one question. This car only has front speakers (it is an after-market system) purchased from the dealer and installed a few days after delivery of the new car by a local stereo store).

So, if it only has front speakers, does the "ohm" rating matter as long as I replace both front speakers?

Reply to
timbirr

I just got rid of my 87 Corolla FX last wek. (kept the radio and the rear speakers, but not the front ones!)

I recall having a speaker failure sometime during the life of the car, and was able to purchase a replacement from Crutchfield. It may have been a Pioneer-branded speaker. It was in their database, which of course doesn't mean that it's *still* in their database, and I have the vaguest of recollections that one had to do something exceedingly minor to the speaker in order to get it to fit in the Corolla - slightly ream a screwhole in the speaker frame, or something similarly trivial.

You might head over to the Crutchfield site and see if any of this babbling is still relevant.

Art Temporary usercode - to be deleted when spam starts. Use MyBrainHurts at this ISP to reach me

Reply to
Arthur Shapiro

No, they just have to match.

If it has an aftermarket radio already, they may have already modified things for a larger speaker. You may even be able to find the same or similar model from the same manufacturer.

Shoot, I wedged a 5 1/4" into a 3 1/2" hole on my Celica (it wasn't easy!)

Reply to
Hachiroku

Crutchfield was able to give some good ideas, once I finally learned how to hit "ignore that this doesn't fite my car." I didn't buy from them, but I got an idea of a Rockford Fosgate speaker that seems as if it would work. Unfortunately, I'm in a pretty rural area, and there aren't any big towns between my sis's and my place.

None of the local stores have any auto speakers, and the lone stereo store in the area wanted $70 for a scratch and dent Kenwood speaker that was available all over the web for $25 NIB....so I ended up ordering a Rockwood and had it mailed USPS priority to my sister's place. It should get there by Friday, I hope.

The vendor claims to ship same day, and Postal Service claims one-day delivery via priority to her place....we'll see, even if it gets there Saturday, that's O.K.

So, thanks to everyone that replied! Highly appreciated.

Reply to
timbirr

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