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SPEAKER OPTIONS for 65 Vette

  • Thread starter Thread starter annamal
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annamal

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Hi Guys,

I have a 65 Convertible and I currently there is no working stereo. I just purchased a stereo deck from Custom Auto Sound which looks similar to the OEM stereo it came with, but it has a CD changer and pre-amp outputs all the functions of a modern day stereo.

The challenge I am having is speakers. It only comes with 1 speaker in the dash. I know I can get a speaker for the dash that actually has 2 speakers, but what about the rear? Does anyone have any suggestions what sounds really good. I do not have a jack in my car so i was thinking of removing the jack cover and building a speaker box there with some subs and maybe some 4" speakers. Not sure how this will work?

Thanks for you input.

Larry
 
annamal said:
Hi Guys,

I have a 65 Convertible and I currently there is no working stereo. I just purchased a stereo deck from Custom Auto Sound which looks similar to the OEM stereo it came with, but it has a CD changer and pre-amp outputs all the functions of a modern day stereo.

The challenge I am having is speakers. It only comes with 1 speaker in the dash. I know I can get a speaker for the dash that actually has 2 speakers, but what about the rear? Does anyone have any suggestions what sounds really good. I do not have a jack in my car so i was thinking of removing the jack cover and building a speaker box there with some subs and maybe some 4" speakers. Not sure how this will work?

Thanks for you input.

Larry

Larry, have you considered the Corvette Central speaker "sound bar" that goes in the back of a midyear, it sells for about $100.00. I am thinking of installing one this winter when I add satelite radio. I have heard more bad than good about the 2 speaker dash unit.
 
Larry,
Once upon a time I had a 1989 camaro. If you're familiar with the car, you'll remember the "trunk" which was an area in the back that had a cover very similar to the jack cover on a midyear. You'll also remember that the speaker system sucked -- small 4 or 6" speakers up under the dash and 6"x9" on the sides.

I built a new cover out of particle board that contained 2 12" subs and tweeters and cross overs. THrew the amp in the trunk and the cavity served as a natural speaker enclosure. Covered the cover with black carpeting. It cost 0 space and looked natural. Couldn't even see the speakers with the hatch closed and could still store the t-tops. You could easily do this on the Corvette jack compartment cover.

Brian
 
Oh yeah... I have the 2 speaker dash set-up and it is no better than the ancient one speaker system. Wouldn't spend any money here.

Brian
 
I have the Kenwood dual-cone upfront and the bar in the back.

stereo_004.jpg
 
Paul, the bar looks great!! Did you paint the middle tan? And most importantly...how does it sound?




paul67 said:
I have the Kenwood dual-cone upfront and the bar in the back.

stereo_004.jpg
 
The center piece of the bar is a hard plastic and must be cut to get the friction fit at the outer edges. The bar grabs the carpet and is removable in a minute if need be. I added some velcro to make the grip stronger. Yes, I added the tan/saddle paint on the trims.

The system sounds good but is not what I would classify as superior. But it is all I need for my type of driving and listening needs. The Custom Autosound cassette head unit power output is a serious limiting factor as it is only 25W x 4. I have mocked up a Pioneer 50W x 4 CD unit in the glovebox but that is a round-to-it. The intent was to-re-install the original AM-FM as a dummy (for looks) and go with the hidden Pioneer for modern sound.

stereo_007.jpg


Something like this.

67stereo1.jpg
 
I do things a little differently because I want everything easily removable with no additional holes drilled. I also have side pipes on both cars so music is always an iffy proposition.

I removed the original jack board and used it to make a copy made out of peg board. I hung the speakers and antenna underneath the new jack board, built a small enclosure on the top center of the jack board, slid in the new head unit (yes, I have to stop and turn around to look at the display but I was too cheap to buy a wireless/wired remote) and then I covered the whole thing in matching carpet. Most people don't see the stereo even after I point it out to them. Totally removable for shows. And I have complete control over the brand of components I select.
 
annamal said:
Hi Guys,

I have a 65 Convertible and I currently there is no working stereo. I just purchased a stereo deck from Custom Auto Sound which looks similar to the OEM stereo it came with, but it has a CD changer and pre-amp outputs all the functions of a modern day stereo.

The challenge I am having is speakers. It only comes with 1 speaker in the dash. I know I can get a speaker for the dash that actually has 2 speakers, but what about the rear? Does anyone have any suggestions what sounds really good. I do not have a jack in my car so i was thinking of removing the jack cover and building a speaker box there with some subs and maybe some 4" speakers. Not sure how this will work?

Thanks for you input.
Larry

I have the same speakers as Paul has.If the top is down it really hampers the sound. I would suggest a new set of Kick panels with speakers built in.

Where are you going to put the CD changer? I have a cd changer mounted to a peice of plywood cut to the size of the jack storage area on the passenger side of the car.I mounted the plywood to the car with a nut and a bolt thru the drain plug No addtional hole were made.
 
The plan to date was to put the Cd changer and AMP at the very back of the so- called trunk behine where the conv top sits in the down position. I was going to make a new cover for the Jack storage area much like Brian suggested, but i was going to raise it a little to make more room. SO far, the idea is that I was going to add 2 10" subs in the new cover which will be carpeted as well at some sort of mid range (4", maybe 4 if I can design them to fit. Not sure how the sound will be. The car has side pipes with a 427 and headers. Did I mention no roof!!! It is definitely LOUD! It is great though when you have the date that you really do not want to talk to. You just gear down 1 gear and no more nagging. Just the beautiful sound of the 427!!! Got to love it. Stereo requirements are so i can drwon out the sounds of a nagging g/f when at idle!!

Thanks for everyones input?
 
my opinion is forget the 4" speakers in the back - they will be useless to you.
Go with Larry's suggestion of putting speakers in the kick panels. Your absolute best way of doing it would be to build up or have built for you a custom set of fiberglass kickpanels that will hold at least a 5 1/4" or even a 6 1/2" speaker of the best audio sound that you can afford and that you like the sound of. A very good 2-way speaker or a componet set is best. Try brands such as MB Quart, JL Audio, Boston Acoustics, or other higher-end speakers for the best sound. If you also want subwoofers in the back as you mentioned, either two 8" or 10" will be plenty. The key here is twofold. First and most important is that you MUST have enough air volume in the subwoofer chamber to let the sub work properly. If there isn't enough air volume you will not get the sound out of it no matter what size sub you put in. In the rear compartment where the jack goes, two 8" subs will probably work best. Any good sub will come with specs on what the manufacturer recommends for an enclosure size. FOLLOW THOSE SPECS IF YOU THE SUB TO PERFORM CORRECTLY. Don't discount what an 8" sub can do - I've built national awarding winning car audio systems with 8" subs! The second key area on the subwoofer enclosure is that you want it to be a sealed enclosure rather than a ported box. A sealed enclosure will offer you better power handling for the sub and the sub works better and sounds better. The sealed enclosure, when built correctly, adds to the suspension of the subwoofer, controlling it's movement and damping factor. The sub can hit harder and more accurately.
The enclosure MUST be completely airtight. Just building a replacement cover panel , dropping the subs in it and laying it over the compartment will not work. Your best bet is to use the compartment as a mold than make the enclosure out of wood and fiberglass so that it fits in perfectly. The fiberglass will allow you to make it fit to the exact contours of the compartment to get as much air volume as possible plus it will not resonate from the subwoofer. once the enclosure is built, THAN measure the volume inside (filling it with water is the easiest) and once you know the volume you can determine what size and how many subs will work best whether it be one 8". one 10" , two 8" or two 10" subs. My suggestion on subs is that you look at the JL Audio brand. They are some of the best subs in the industry and also reasonable on price. They offer models that work very well in small enclosures which you will need.
For your amp, a good 4-channel amp with a built in crossover will work perfect and not take up too much room. Use the front two channels for the front speakers in the kick panels and than use the rear two channels for the sub(s). The built in crossover will than direct the proper frequencies to either the front speakers or to the subs.

It's been a while now, but I spent many years in the car audio industry previously so unlike 99% of other threads on this forum, this is one area that I do have some slight knowledge about to be able to help you.
 
Custom Autosound also makes kick panels with speakers pre-mounted (4x6 coax) for midyear Vettes that are rated at 60 or 80 watts each. Eckler's, Rik's, and Corvette Central sell them for $139/pair. I just received mine this week but haven't installed them yet. I don't know how they sound, but they have to sound better than the ones at the center dash speaker.
 
adrenaline-guy said:
Custom Autosound also makes kick panels with speakers pre-mounted (4x6 coax) for midyear Vettes that are rated at 60 or 80 watts each. Eckler's, Rik's, and Corvette Central sell them for $139/pair. I just received mine this week but haven't installed them yet. I don't know how they sound, but they have to sound better than the ones at the center dash speaker.

Please let us know how they sound.
 
I fully support BarryK's recomendations. My experience in this field is not so broad as his, but I have done a number of installs for family and friends and have used the brands of components he suggested and found them to be very "musical" and not just LOUD!

Unfortunately I view C2's as a lost cause. Even with the space in my coupe, and the size of sub boxes and amps I could use, it would be all lost to the noise of the car.

I'm installing an orginal radio so at least I can get a weather report and there are no holes in the dash!

I wonder how big a sub you could put in the spare tire carrier?
 
Grizzly said:
I wonder how big a sub you could put in the spare tire carrier?

depending how much air volume is in the carrier and the specs of the sub, either a single 8" or 10" but without cutting a hole to port the sound into the cabin how are you going to hear it? :D
 
BarryK said:
depending how much air volume is in the carrier and the specs of the sub, either a single 8" or 10" but without cutting a hole to port the sound into the cabin how are you going to hear it? :D

No air, windows always down and a realllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllly big amp :D
 
Grizzly said:
No air, windows always down and a realllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllly big amp :D

my car is the same, and do I see sidepipes in your avatar pic? My car has pipes and that would kill out ANY sub and amp in the tire carrier........
;LOL ;LOL ;LOL
 
Coupe lovers unite! We don't need no stinkin' radio! We have a pipe organ played with a 4 speed.:upthumbs
 
love those big amps

When my son 1st saw my vette the 1st question he asked me was: how many speakers does it have and how many watts are they?(he ain't no car guy) I told him it had one speaker in the dash with very little power and two 4" (1 on either side of the car) each powered by 4 4.5" x 4" amps and it plays beautiful music. He just didn't get it. John
 

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