Where did you put your speakers for your stereo? I'm installing my stereo this weekend. I still have the stock gas tank behind the seat. Eyeballing my 6x9s by holding them in the rear corners doesn't look like there's enough room to build a small box. I'm aware of the kick panel speaker things, but I need more than two 4 1/2s. I'd also like to keep everything out of sight. So where are your speakers? Pics would be a plus. As always, thanks for the help and thanks for this great forum.
In my '71 C-10 I have 2-6x9 in angled boxes under the seat and two round 4" pointed down under the corners of the dash. Sounds good to me.
Little round ones in the kick panels. Old rear package shelf boxes mounted in the same place. Just stick to the AM radio and make it easy. if you can find the original speaker housing. In my extended cab truck they're below the rear quarter windows.
squirrel, I love music. I gotta have it. AM is no good for me. I'm going to get some of the kick panels with the holes cut out. But I need more speakers (bigger sound) than two 4"ers. The head unit will be in the glove box. Any way you can measure the distance under your seat from the floor to the springs? My seat is not stock, but it's coming out for a stock replacement. Maybe if there's enough room under there that would solve my problems.
The bottom of the seat is sheet metal. There's a 1" tall ridge on the floor where the front of the seat bolts to the floor. With the seat back all the way, there's 5" vertical just behind the ridge, and maybe 3" most of the way towards the back of the seat. So figure it's not real tall in there.
You can try installing a "kicker" behind the seat. They are low profile and are carpet covered...they are triangular at the sides and would span across the back side of the seat. They sound wicked and came in "slim" applications for exactly that purpose. Good Luck, Lee
Drill two 6x9 holes in the gas tank....no? Speaker sound is equal to quality (and what you may spend). Some if those little 4"ers kick out the jambs. My little Suzu.. er, OT car from 10 years ago had areas for 4" speakers only. I got a set of really good Kenwoods and it sounded great. I'd also look at some of the modern stereos that will fit the dash opening. The will usually have controls for a CD Changer (put this in the glove box) and some will work with Ipods. Speakers could go in the kick panels or door, and make some corner speaker boxes around the top of the seat. Oh, there are some nice speakers that will fit the OEM speaker grille opening and they will usually have a pair of speakers to fit. I will say that I've seen a few articles about guys winning stereo contests with OEM head units connected to aftermarket amps and speakers.
I'm in the same boat as you Terd. I have a '57 and want to add tunes. While I haven't done it yet, I'm thinking about a pair of 6x9s, each mounted in an old ammo box, then screwed somewhere under the dash or kick panel area. Kinda on the "rat roddy" side, but it might work good. I've also thought about blowing holes straight through the floor beneath the driver and passenger, building an accoutic box under it, and then putting them there, but I dunno about that, either. I've got another idea, but there's no way I could explain it without pictures, so I won't even try.
A sub is planned on down the line. I'll do an 8" with a small amp under the passenger side of the bench. I already have a killer Pioneer head unit my kids got me for father's day a couple of years ago and a pair of Pioneer Premier 6x9s (4 ways). The Premier line is Pioneer's top of the line and sounds incredible. This combo put out a lot of good sound in my '63. I'd like to add a pair of 4" to this. The 4"ers would go in some pre made kick panels with holes for the speakers like the catalogs sell. That part is no problem. It's the 6x9s I need a place for. My dash is already cut. The head unit will go there for now while I fab up a mount for the glove box. Then I'll patch the dash and have a fake stock radio there. I do not want to cut the doors for speakers. Besides the kick panels (which I'll disguise to some degree with tuck & roll), I want everything to be out of sight for the most part. My plans are a period correct look from around 1960 but I gotta have good music. Nothing worse than a killer vintage interior with a modern head unit or speakers sticking out like a sore thumb!
I gotta hear this other idea. Use MS paint. Or an old fashioned pencil drawing and take a picture of it. Here's what I'm thinking for now and until somebody helps me come up with a better solution. I'll build a slim box to go on the floor right in front of the bench and cover that with tuck & roll to match the seat. I'll be able to fit the 6x9s and a pair of 6"ers or 6 1/2"s in there as well. If I do that, I wouldn't need a small sub and amp under the seat. The 6 1/2"s would provide more than enough bass. Other than that, I'm at a loss for now, I'd much rather have the components hidden.
See if you can build a box to hold a couple 6x9s to fit over the gas tank. I think there's room. The tank is not very tall, and the top is almost flat.
I have two 6 x 9 boxes on the gas tank, one at each end. There angled boxes, I put them in so the angle matched the back of the seat. I was thinking of putting in the doors, or in the floor cuts out across from the doors. It's been almost five years since I got it running still haven't done it. They work pretty good where there at.....
i am just finishing my 57 truck inside, i used two 6 inch polks where the front vents were, mounted the receiver under my seat remote control unit, then two 6 x 9 kickers on each side of the gas tank as you suggested, i used mdf against the front of the tank to hide it and then angled back another piece of mdf 30 degrees i think, made some floor brackets and some small angle brackets toattach top piece under the little ledge above tank, then cut 6x9 holes each side of tank, glued insulation to back side , sounds great and getting ready to have it covered when the interior is done, i will try and post a pic
I had 6x9's on each side of the gas tank kinda in the area above the cab corner in just some plain small speaker boxes. they were aimed towards the gas tank
I'd like to see pics of that. That's kind of the direction I wanted to go in, but my seat isn't stock and it sits further back than the stock one. I don't think I have as much room as you. My current seat doesn't fold forward, so I have to take it all the way out to get back there. Post those pics! And thanks everybody for the suggestions. To those of you with speakers behind the seat/on top of the gas tank, please post some pics! I'd like to do like bobskatrods. If that's not possible, I'm leaning towards a small box on the floor in front of the bench. I would have it covered in tuck & roll to match the seat when it's time for upholstery.
terd-my seat is not stock either it is from a mid 80 gm truck, there is only about 1/2 inch clearance between seatback and mdf
Post a pic when you get a chance. Thanks! It was my original idea to have an mdf panel that could be upholstered and to put the speakers in it, I'm just not sure if I have enough room without getting some measurements. And like I said, my seat doesn't fold forward so I have to take it all the way out to do that. I didn't want to go to all that trouble just to find out there's not enough room, lol. But it sounds like even though it'll be close, that it'll work.
I tried my 6x9's under the seat pointing forward first. Then I moved them on top of the tank pointing up reflecting off the big back glass. Mucho better there. Guess I should 've known. I can hear a hell of a lot better with my ears than with my heels.
terd -this is what i did, i insulated towards the tank,i have not closed the ends of completely - but it sounds great -i am real happy with it, 59.00 jvc tuner with remote, 49.00 6 inch polks and 65.00 6x9 kickers
That's just what I was thinking of. Great minds and all, lol. I had thought I would extend the panel all the way to the edges and put the 6x9s down low near the cab corners. Still not sure if it's entirely feasible there though without taking the seat out and getting a closer look. Yours may be better for sound quality anyway (speakers pointed up and out). Thanks a million for the pics!
I originally had temporarily installed them down low, but did not think the sound was all that great, moving them up made a huge diff, plus i think when i close off the ends it will get better, i have spent the least on this system,and it sounds better than my other stuff that i spent more on, i also closed in the airvent cavity on the fronts then glued in some foil insul before mounting the speakers, off to upholstery shop on monday
air conditioning--- only way to fly== bet it gets hotter in texas. With the air you never will open those vents
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