While I don't need the latest stereo system to blast this old man out of my 35 Cabriolet, I would like some tunes. Does everyone still use 6x9's in the rear? Is there a speaker shallow enough for the kick panels? Or does anyone have any experience with the speaker boxes under the seat? Thanks in advance! Sent from my moto z3 using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
I'll be using a single dual cone speaker behind the speaker grill in my 46 Olds dash in addition to hiding smaller speakers in the armrest covers beside the rear seat. I definitely won't be cutting the OEM parcel tray for rear speakers.
This post brings back some memories. We used to cram 20 oz. Utah 6x9s into our '40s-'50s Delco radios. If you get someone to stand on the front cover, you can get the screws started ....
Pre-war cars are tough to do as there's little 'extra' space available. If you have a package tray available into a sealed trunk, that's still one of the very best locations. Door/quarterpanel locations are next best, kickpanels one of the worst. Total volume is more important than depth, with the larger the volume behind the speaker generally the better the speaker's performance. You can compensate for less volume with more amp power as a general rule but only up to a point. A lot will depend on your budget and how good you want it to sound. There's hundreds if not thousands of car speaker choices out there, you can find something to fit into almost any place. Lack of mounting depth will likely be your main issue which will limit speaker choices to a degree. And if you don't want to cut any holes, take a look at better-quality Home Theater surround systems with suitably small box speakers. The 'sub' will likely be useless for you, but the mains and surround speakers will be generally better quality and already in a tailored-for-that-speaker enclosure and you can pick these up used for fractions of their new price. Just make sure they're not 'powered' speakers but use an outboard amp. Install some unobtrusive plug-ins and they can be removed for shows, etc.
I had the same problem in an Aussie GM Holden '62 ute. No room for speakers other than the factory grille hole (centre of dash), and didn't want to cut the door cards or parcel shelf. This "dual speaker" 6x9 fits into my factory grille hole, and give pretty good stereo sound (plenty good enough for a ute cabin): http://my409.com.au/template_dental_54990/radio-accessories/speakers/ Might not be up to the doof-doof standards of a modern car, but plays pretty good AM radio over the engine and wind noise Cheers, Harv
I wanted something that would have looked period for the time. I chose 40’s/50’s drive-in movie speaker grills and mounted them in the kick panels. I had to cut an approximate 3” hole in the panel for the speaker magnet to stick through about 3/8”. I then painted them to match my dash. Detroit Die-cast sells the grills and I purchased the premium speakers from them as well. They work great for my radio, but not sure if the speakers would handle a high powered system. https://www.detroitdiecast.com/ Installed on my 36 roadster. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
Hello, Having built two hot rod/cruiser's minimal sound systems with 6x9 speakers in a small box, there is no substitute for modern technology. The 6x9 speakers were big and both boxes were made to fit behind the seats of an El Camino and a 40 Ford Sedan Delivery. They fit nicely, gave good sounds without an amplifier and were inexpensive to make. Plus, they did not need a huge hole in the upholstery areas. Today's choices, for me, would exclude those 6x9 speakers. The modern technology enclosures and sounds that come from small speakers in little chambers is quite outstanding. A couple of years ago, I went to a big box store to listen to all of the Bluetooth speakers on display. Our 4th gen Ipod had Bluetooth capabilities and would have blasted right into those new tech speakers quite well. It has been difficult to keep up with the new or latest Bluetooth speakers during these pandemic times, but this JBL speaker should be quite a powerhouse for your under seat application. It is 12 inches long and 7 inches high. It should fit in the rear section of the frame below as the floor slopes back. But, would be seen by the rear passengers . Or, it could be strategically placed under the dash. If hidden is your choice, these smaller ones have lots of power and the JBL quality speaks for itself. When I listened to the speakers on display, the tubular models had the best sound of any JBL speakers. But, there were several smaller/flatter sizes that also gave quality sounds over the bigger ones from other manufacturers. Jnaki If we still had the 40 Ford Sedan Delivery or the 65 El Camino, these would be our choices for quality sounds in those hot rods, under the seats. No wiring, some straps/Velcro to keep them in place and USB charging. The wireless connections to your phone or mp3 player and radio is simple to set up, if they have the Bluetooth capability. So far, the new phones, the mp3 players and the newish radios have Bluetooth capabilities. The nice thing is that since it is Bluetooth capable, your rear seat passengers, like daughters or granddaughters can send their music to the speakers from their devices, good or bad.
Yep, Jnaki hit it right on the head. For less than speakers will cost you there are bluetooth units that you can stash about anywhere, or just plunk on the seat. The drawback is charging them and if you dont have your phone or some device with you, theres no input and no sound. I have an off brand speaker that I use for a lot of stuff. It was in the 80 dollar range and before I had a stereo in my unibody I could play it. Little sucker made enough noise to hear music over the glass packs and wind noise, ZERO insulation or fabric in that truck other than the seat
I installed a mini jack patch cord into my stock Delco radio. You have to solder a 1k resister to each channel then connect it to the radios amp. Find the wire that goes between the radio tuner and the amp. Its usually right on top of the circuit board. I was amazed at how good that Delco sounds. I connected a small amp to the radio with a 8" wolfer and a 5 way 6 x 9 speaker. Hi Fi is so cool. I'm working on a reverb now..
4 way 6x9’s are a great solution but you can buy some kick ass blue tooth speakers you would swear you have a marantz receiver with quadraphonic sound in the back seat !!
If you're looking for something "non-invasive" as far as speakers go, you might look into something like this Creative Stage Air mini soundbar. I bought one to use with an MP3 player and it sounds considerably bigger than it looks. https://us.creative.com/p/speakers/creative-stage-air It's intended to be used as a soundbar for a desktop or laptop computer. It won't make your ears bleed but it sounds surprisingly good for its small size. It has a rechargeable battery but can be charged thru a USB port as well. There's Bluetooth connectivity as well as a mini phono jack so it should be easy to connect to your phone or tablet or maybe even your in-dash radio. It's not really designed for a permanent installation but I imagine they be tucked up out of the way under the dash or somewhere with out too much trouble. And they occasionally turn up online on sale for around $30-$40.
In my highboy I used a bracket off a muffler clamp attached above the steering column under the dash to mount two motorcycle speakers. Loud and weather resistant. A twelve volt blue tooth amplifier under the dash connects to the music stored on my Android phone.
Its really a waste of money to put a lot into a sound system in these old cars. They usually have noisy interiors from engine and exhaust noise.. When I first put that mini jack into the stock Delco radio with the stock 4 x 10 in the dash, it sounded pretty good. After putting a couple hundred into a decent amp, a good 8" woofer and a good 6 x 9 midrange and tweeter, it really isn't that much better. If I did it all over again, I would just use a 10 ohm 4 x 10 in the dash and be done with it..
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