Ummmmm...I just got speakers (5") to go in my front door to replace the 3 1/2" factory ones-problem-they don't fit. That door handle needs to go there and the speaker gets in the way..anyone have a solution that doesn't look bad and works? The speakers I got are jensen and theyre very flat so I solved the problem of the window door handle getting in the way and not being able to roll the window up or down, but I need to bolt that handle BACK IN...HEELLLPPP...Thanx

I fit 5 1/4 Sony's in the front doors in my 244. I used a Dremel and cut a little strip of metal out of my way and to trim the door panel. The speakers came with a template showing the size needed and screw locations. I beleive I used the clips that came with the speaker and cliped them to the door panel to screw the speaker down. I had to space the speakers out a little and I used plastic spacers made for outlets and lights wsitches in houses to do that- they worked well and are hidden by the speaker grill. The only time I've noticed the speakers hitting the window is when the window is down and I'm cornering really hard and bracing against the door panel, but that doesn't happen that much. Email me if you want me to send some pics. I think they look great, and they just barly clear the door handle- occasianally people slam my doors (damn them!) and the speaker grill will hit the dash, but that's because some of my door panel clips have broken. Hope that's all clear, and good luck.

Probably the best way to do speakers in a 240 is to put the factory size in (4" Circle) the doors. I bought some decent Kenwood's ($60 pair) for mine at Crutchfield (www.crutchfield.com), and they sound great. Naturally, they don't have a lot of bass response, due to their small size, but they do fit behind the factory grills and look nice.

As for rear speakers, they are usually 4" Circle on the back deck or possibly 5 1/4" Circle. Many people cut away part of their back deck to put in 6"x9" Oval speakers, as I have done. These larger speakers have much stronger bass response and counter for the relatively weak bass response of the 4" Circle front speakers.

If you want to, you can always hack up your door panels and try to stuff some larger speakers in there, but this can cause many problems. First, potential uglyness. Second, they can cause vibrations in the car. Also, the reason that 4" Circle speakers fit well in doors is because they have a very low height as measured from the front of the speaker to the back of the magnet. This is necessary for proper window functioning, and larger speakers can get in the way.

I personally wouldn't recommend putting in a component system, as you have to find places to put the separate tweeters, as well as places to put the crossovers and do all the wiring. If you're really into bass, I would recommend getting as subwoofer for your trunk (just remember 240's have rather low trunk space close to the back seat, and to order or build your subwoofer enclosure accordingly).

Overall, if you're serious about a stereo system that looks and sounds good, save up some money and buy high quality speakers that are the right size for your car. I think you'll probably be happier in the long run.
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Thanks to everyone for the help, Doug C. 81 242 Brick Off Blocks, stock, M46; 86 240, 131k

I crammed some 4" Boston Acoustics RX47 coaxial speakers in the front of my '84 240. They came with the spacers needed to get them out of the way of the window mechanism. The Boston covers look pretty good there in my opinion. If you want, I can send you a picture of them over e-mail.

Here is a link to the speakers: http://www.bostonacoustics.com/ca_product.asp?ProductID=78&CategoryID=14 They sound incredible. I can't praise Boston enough for their speakers.

If you want to go all out, they also have 4" component systems. It will cost you a lot more, but it sounds amazing. The tweeters can just be surface mounted in the dash.

I used 4 X 6 plates in the front doors/ Kappa's Infinity sound great and fit. I did have a problem finding covers for the plates, even Crutchfield didn't haver them. I'm not sure about the 240's, but in the 740's you can rotate the 5 1/4 in. to get them to fit in the existing holes. You make a speaker extension wire from the door wires to the speaker to allow the rotation and additional space for install. It works fine.