Does anyone know the maximum depth an aftermarket 4" speaker can be in an '81? I got some Blaupunkts from Crutchfields and got them mounted up this past weekend, only to discover last night that I can only roll down the windows approx. 1 - 2". Looks like one more time to take off the door panel, maybe this time I'll check all possibilities before I put it back together.

hi - i have a 1990 240dl and it has the stock 51/4" grills, that stick out from the door panel. i put jbl speakers in place of the stock ones and they fit great and the sound is great. so order them(spacers/grills) at the dealer and get some good sound. good luck-scott

I did the same thing...made spacers to fit the indent of the door. This brought the back of the speaker out enough to clear the window. The added bonus was that the original volvo grill covers still fit perfectly, so the car looks stock, but I actually have a great pair of JBL's behind the covers. I made the spacers out of wood using a jig saw, took no time at all.

Hope that helps...

My son just installed front speakers last night. Volvos are always a pain on the front speakers and he made spacers out of wood. The speakers were round and the door panels require that two sides are flat. so he made two round spacers and cut the two sides flat two fit the door panel. The other thing they have been doing is wrapping electrical tape around the outside of the spacer. Makes it look like the spacer is black plastic. My other son has had his on for two years and they still look like new!

How thick did you make the spacer? I used 1/8" abs plastic for mine, it appears that I need more than that, although if it's too thick, you run into the back side of the door panel and/or speaker grill.

Holding the speaker with one hand, progressively move the speaker away from the door panel until the window operates normally. That should tell you how thick the spacer needs to be. Or, get some scrap wood for shims and try different depths until it clears the window mechanism.

Depth from one car to another may differ (manual vs. electric windows?, padded vinyl or plastic door panels?)

Kevin - 1980 242GT

I am sort of fed up with this! After doing some test measurements, it needs to be at least 1/8" thicker, but this isn't real scientific and I'm about out of time. Unless there is some great thought that hits me, I'll probably take it to a local stereo shop and have them resolve the issue.

If it's not too late maybe exchange the speakers for ones that actually fit your car ("won't fit properly" is usually a valid reason for exchange purposes). I put Alpine 4" speakers in my doors. Since Alpine make a number of 4" models, I took in the factory speakers to ensure the depth and outer dimensions were the same before I purchased them. 20 minute installation time without the "i'm getting fed up"...

Kevin,

The only solution that would work was to get a kit to convert to the newer style factory grills and attach to and through the door panel itself. There wasn't any way to mount the speakers to the door frame without having window clearance problems or bowing out the door panel itself. As it was, the shop had to get a different speaker than the blaupunkts and trim some of the metal surround on the speakers themselves to get them to fit.

I appreciate your help, the frustration is just with the idea of can't get there from here. Obviously, volvo found the same issues, otherwise there wouldn't have been the need to change how they mounted the speakers. All's well that ends well, even if it did cost more.

Check with your local stereo shop and see if they can purchase some factory made spacers. It would be worth the wait!