Amazing - a response from the man himself - thanks! I really appreciate it.
So the answer my question is - don't move the tweeter higher than the sail panel unless you want to raise the mid as well.
I've seen people place the mid and tweeter (even in a coaxial) in the base of the A pillar. Still lower than ear height but now forward of the listener and not off to the side.
sort of like this but more discreet:
http://www.maroochycarsound.com.au/g...akers-dash-pod
lots of fun ideas here:
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/723531496355845044
Fabrication costs are not really that bad, basically just the cost of a second pair of speakers. Since I'm not installing myself, and am paying anyway for the labor, it ends up being about the same price as a decent set of components plus custom mounts and wiring - so a wash. Especially since it simplifies the install massively. The A pillar removal is faster than the door removal (although if I remove the door I get to do some dampening).
I love what this guy did - just put the whole darn coax in the sail panel:
http://soundscapecaraudio.com/Toyota...aker-Pods.html
But that really cuts into interior space. A truck I get, a compact car not so much. (although I could just make a mock-up of the speaker to see how bad that would be - I envision leaving the sail panel alone so the speaker wouldn't swing out with the door and instead getting replacement pillars off ebay and attaching the mount to the base of the pillar to 'hide' the sail panel when the door is closed)
I know you are familiar with the upstage setup by CDT and how they make them really more for spacial effect (like Atmos) due to them rolling their tweeter off extra high.
I think I may skip that experiment here though.
It's funny, the days of going through every option and leaving no stone unturned are over for me. I'm happy with 'good enough'.
And good enough seems to be cough up the money I had budgeted for an amp and use that towards a more than decent comp set.
If I were to go the coaxial route - then just get something made for the doors because it's compromised as you say. If you want more than that component.
Leave it to the installer to figure out the mounts and wires (they may have their own sail panel solution) and call it a day. Leave the stock amp and stock 8" drivers and stock rear deck setup.
Should something nice in the way of amplification show up on offerup, cross that bridge when you get to it.
Seth