i just used a jigsaw to cut out the circle for the speaker. then for the cover, i place it on to get an idea of where to cut the raised up area. i used a dermal on that. as for hitting something behind the kick panel, yes it did. i spent a good hour figuring out where to place the speaker so it would hit the least. even then, i had to use a hammer to make a little room. it's still a tight fit, but it fits.