C3 Speakers

[1974vette]

well, its come time to install new speakers and a new stereo in my 74. out of curiousity, how many speakers came in the car stock and where were their locations? Thanks.

 

[Thumper]

You probably only have 4x6's in the dash. There is room for two more in the kick panels, but that's about it.

 

[Crickett]

I hade a custom system made that was professionally installed. They put 4x6's in the dash, 5 1/4 in the kick panels and 6" speakers in the back with a powered pioneer bass tube. I get great sound!

 

[Thumper]

Cricket,

I'd love to see some pics of your set up. I'm doing something very similar. I've got 4x6's in the dash, 5 1/4" in the kick panels, 6" in the back on either side of a pair of 10" subs with two amps pushing out 1,000 watts.

 

[Crickett]

Cool deal. My cars in the shop getting the fastburn 385 put in but as soon as I can get down there, I'll take some pics and post em!!

 

[1974vette]

Thumper, do you think these 4x6's will fit without having to do anything?
http://www.hookedontronics.com/show_product_details.jsp?cid=3018#sp

 

[Thumper]

They should bolt right in. Nice choice. You'll really like them.

 

[1974vette]

Thanks for your help thumper. yeah, i've been looking at them a while now. i've known i needed 4x6's for the dash so that was my choice. i wasnt sure about other speakers in the car though. I'll probably put them in the kick panels also. Thanks again!

 

[1974vette]

thumper....do i need to get an amp to push these or what should i do?...im not very good on car stereos but if im putting in new speakers and a stereo, i atleast want it to sound good.

 

[Thumper]

It depends upon the specs of the head unit (the stereo you are installing). Most aftermarket car stereo head units have built in amplifiers. My Blaupunkt puts out 200 watts without the aid of an exterior amp. If you are wanting to add a subwoofer, then I would recommend adding an amplifier to your system. But if you are only going to replace the dash speakers and add speakers to your kick panels, then I would simply purchase a head unit with a built in amplifier. Your auto audio salesperson can help you pick out a suitable unit for the sound you are wanting to achieve.

 

[1974vette]

Thumper, i've been looking at this Sony CD reciever...CDX-M800...would this work? What do you think of it? At the moment, no i do not plan on installing a sub...maybe a bazooka bass tube later..but they have a built in amp, i think. thanks again.

http://www.hookedontronics.com/show_product_details.jsp?cid=3314&c=0308DealTime&b=Sony_CDX-M800

-Matt.

 

[1974vette]

Here are the specs to the CDX-M800

Specifications:
Tuner --
FM Usable Sensitivity (dBf) -- 8dBf
Selectivity (400kHz) -- 75dB
S/N Ratio -- 66dB
Total Harmonic Distortion (at 1kHz stereo) -- 0.5%
Channel Separation (at 1kHz) -- 35dB
Frequency Response -- 30 - 15kHz
AM Usable Sensitivity -- 30 uV
CD --
S/N Ratio -- 90 dB
Frequency Response -- 10 - 20kHz
Power Amplifier --
Maximum Output Power -- 52W x 4 (at 4 ohms)
ADHOC -- 23.2 W x 4 (at 4 ohms, 20 - 20kHz, 5% THD)
Speaker Impedance -- 4 - 8 ohms
General --
Weight -- 1.5 kg (2 lb. 10 oz.)
Dimensions -- Approx. 178 x 50 x 182mm (7-1/8 x 2 x 7-1/4") (w/h/d)

 

[Thumper]

Power Amplifier --
Maximum Output Power -- 52W x 4 (at 4 ohms)

52 Watts x 4 = 208 watts of total power.

That will be more than enough to rock your world. I doubt that you'll want much more.

 

[6shark9]

Hey Folks,

Any suggestions on getting better sound out of a C3. I have the (misfortune of having the) Custom Autosound USA-5 "Corvette" radio.

However, I only want "OK" sound in the car anyway. Currently I have 5.25s up front and space saving plastic "bar" type speakers in the back of the rear compartment.

Problem is the radio sounds extreemely "tinny". I hooked up a set of boxed speakers (sounded great outside the car) but when I put them in the rear I lost all bass response. Note - the speakers that were in the rear sounded great out of the car.

I'm thinking it's the accoustics in a 69 coupe.

Any thoughts... Any Help.???????????????

 

[clar2001]

Thumper
Were did you hide your amps I don,t have a heater so I was thinking of stripping the dash & putting them were the heater core is.
I need to amps one for rear speakers and one for the sub.

 

[Culprit]

6shark9,

I'm interested to know why you don't like the Custom Autosound USA-5 radio - I was just about to order one with the CD changer and some modern speakers since the new radios won't work with the older speakers' impedance value.

Thanks,
Culprit

 

[1974vette]

thanks for the help thumper!

as for the rest of you, i dont know if you are considering installing a new radio/cd player or whatever...but Vette Specialties has a bezel for the C3's that will accomodate modern stereos...i've purchased one for myself and i am anxious to plug the open space with my new stereo:J

 

[6shark9]

Culprit,

The radio sounds good with the speakers outside the car.
I would say it's in no way the best radio for the money. But it fits the car and says CORVETTE. It's fully functional, bells and whistles, for my tastes. When I've seen it in catalogs it's so expensive, MAN, for that money you could get so much more elsewhere. Mine came with the car. The display is dim, the DX/LOCAL ant switch does nothing. Reception is not great (but I'm in Calif, hills and mountains)

6shark9

 

[Thumper]

1974vette

I bought that same bezel from Vette Specialties. It sure makes for a clean install.

clar2001

I'll have to see if I can get some pics of the install. I built a custom sub box with rear speaker boxes on either side with a board that spans across the entire fixture. The board is where the two amps and capacitor are installed. I know it sounds funky, but it really does look good and allows me access to the storage compartments where the CD changer is mounted. It's all covered with matching black carpet. I lined the entire interior in dynamat before I installed the carpet and boxes. I can even fit the T-tops back there, but it's extremely tight.

 

[clar2001]

sounds nice very trick.