ok..without hijacking another thread I was reading on this I decided to start a new one. I am sure this has been discussed a ton and I have read a lot on it but I am still looking for any new ideas!
I am in the process or researching what I want to do about tunes. (hot rod power tour is coming up and I need tunes I can hear!)
I don't want to hack the crap out of the car. I noticed in another thread:
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/show...ghlight=stereo

in his first set of pictures in this thread that he had a speaker bar across the back...but then it was gone and replaced by the sub and amp. How are those bars and who has them? Has anyone tried a decent looking set of smaller home speakers in the rear?
What are in the doors stock? 4 x 6's? If so...without hacking the doors...what can I put in there that sounds half way decent (just for highs since I'll probably use high pass up there) Looking at a decent pioneer deck but have no clue what to do on speakers/sub/amp yet. Want the setup to sound half way decent but not take up the whole rear of the car either. Ragtop car so the bar, or whatever I do has to be low in the rear so the sound is not blocked with the top down. I know were limited in these cars but can anyone help with suggestions? DurangoBoy...looks like you have done a few? Maybe a road trip is in order. I will have the deck in my hands soon, but no clue on speakers yet. I do like BA's 6x9's but what to put them in?
This is a tough car to do a decent sound system without hacking the crap out of the car. It don't have to be ear bleeding, but I want to hear it with the top down. (no sidepipes)

Really scatching my head!
Anyone?
Thanks...

 

Try this website...it has plans to make speaker boxes for 6x9 speakers.

BTW - I have Boston Acoustics 6x9's in the rear of my '78...awesome speakers!

<http://members.***.net/~mfouchi/vette/speakers/boxplans.htm>

 

Thanks,
I found some good info on doing some 5" fronts as well.
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/show....php?t=1049772

It's tough doing a decent system in a 68-69 without hacking it!

I like the BA's as well. Always have....

Thanks for the link Roughrider. Anyone else have any useful input?

 

Are you against the idea of mounting an amp to run the speakers?

It a fairly simple plan if you don't have a sub to worry about. I think a head unit, signaling a small 2 channel amp, pushing a pair of 6.5" components. Put the speakers in the kick panels and the tweeters either down there with the speakers or in the dash. A couple holes, some wiring under the carpet, and the head unit.

I can outline a good project for you if you like. By the way...you'll get much better sound from a 6.5" round speaker.

 

6.5 rounds will give me better sound than a good set of 6 x 9's?
Not against an amp at all..in fact was planning on one. I was also thinking of a small bass tube maybe? I want something that sounds decent but does not have to win any competitions. Did you look at that old thread I posted? What can I do for a vert in the back that wont take ALL the space and still fire some sound with the top down? I was thinking the 6 x 9's back there in a home made short ( 9-10"height) speaker bar with the amp and maybe a 8" sub mounted to it as well. (top would be sitting on it if it were down) Or individual 6 x 9 boxes and a small bass tube like a bazooka or something? Not sure...
As far as the 6.5's for the front, can I mount them without hacking the car or the kick panels or at least making it really clean without the grills sticking out to far thus kicking them as I shift etc??? Just seems like I am really limited in the front and for that matter...the back.

Thanks for your thoughts DB!

 

Oval speakers aren't an optimum design. Round is better.

 

tweeters mounted low? Low frequency is unidirectional but tweeters are not, they must be mounted up front, as close to ear level, projecting at the passengers for the best sound (at least I have never been to a concert where the band was sitting in the stage box or even behind me). If you put the tweeters low it'll sound like the neighbours have the stereo cranked up. round speakers and compo sets w/ passive or active filters will give the best result, 2 or 3 wat ovals are...a compromise at best.

Here's what I was running some 10 years or so ago




The pic of the rear is missing some components, on the sides I also had a set of infinity betas tucked away, all in all there were 2 ams (a hifonics centurion x and a RF 400a2) an active x over (mtx) and in total 11 speakers (2 rf dvc subs, 2 infinity beta kickbass woofers, 2 hifonics 9.2c composets, a set of polk midways and a rainbow center speaker sound processor w/ a flat honeycomb speaker mounted in the center, behind the window defog duct. I had my 3.1 surround back then already LOL

 

oh btw, a neat trick to mount tweeters. Remove the stock speakers and cut away the paper cone and chisel out the magnet. You'll end up w/ the bare frame that has a nice hole, perfectly suited for most aftermarket tweeters. Some of them come w/ little mounting cups that allow you to angle them. Use those to angle them up and facing the occupants. The windshield will also help directing the high freq. sounds towards you. That's why you don't see tweeters in my pic, they are behind the factory grilles. The rear box btw is anchored to the floor so it wouldn't come loose in case of an accident. The storage lid is custom made and the hifonics amp and mtx x-over are installed in the lid (the lid is about 3 inches thick) under it are 2 optima batteries and a 2F capacitor w/ smart cap controls . All cables are highest quality shielded w/ gold rfc connectors, 12v and ground wires are also high quality oxygen free copper w/ gold plated distr blocks and fuses. No cheap stuff there to ensure reiable perf. and crisp clear sound.

I took it all out and put most of it in my truck but not everything did fit in there

 

Z - The tweeters in the kicks is common, and just an option if you don't want to mess with putting them in the kicks. There are two camps when it comes to your highs. Some people prefer the ones that actually mount to the mid woofer or are right next to it in the kick. Others prefer it high and off of the glass. Mine are in the dash, and my 6.5" are in the kicks.

The kicks can be made to house the 6.5" speakers with only one hole. I believe most manufacturers follow the same pattern, so it will be a 4.5" hole for the basket of the speaker. It will sit flush, and you mount the speaker grill over that, so it cleans up the kick. You'll be able to see only the grill like in TT's pic up above. The magnet and lower portion of the basket will fit snug in the body mount pockets behind the kick panels.

It's best to use a foam baffle cup behind the kick, and best if mounted to it. This provided a protective barrier from moisture and encloses the mid woofer for better low frequency response.

I mounted my crossovers behind the passenger knee pad, to a plate I fabbed up that screws to the firewall area.

The tweets can be made to fit in the kicks and aimed at the occupants or in the dash under the speaker grills aimed up and at the glass.

The amp will be the hardest thing to mount as you want it close to the battery. I would suggest a small 4 channel amp that will fit under or in that passenger storage compartment. It's very deep if you actually pull out the liner.

If you want low frequencies, get a sub but don't mount it in a tube. Buy a small box that holds a 10" sub. This will need to face a surface, about 4" away. Bass is not directional as mentioned above, so it doesn't matter where it is in the back so long as it's not firing into open air. Make it small enough and you can still fit the top down and a bag if you go for a long drive.

If you are installing a sub, get a 4 channel amp that has an internal filter. You'll want to run the front speakers with channels 1 and 3, and bridge 3 and 4 to make one channel for the sub. I would suggest a single 4 OHM voice coil as most small cheap 4 channel amps are not stable down to 2 OHMs.

You'll need to pull up some of the carpet to get the RCAs and remote wires to the amps, and the speaker wires from the amps to the front.

Use the recommended gauge cable for the power wire tot eh amp, and make sure the ground is the same gauge and no longer than 3 feet. The shorter the better. Install an inline fuse or breaker as close to the amp as you can.

You will want to upgrade the charging system a little. A good Optima and an alternator with good idle output.

That's about the best outline for a C3, and a vert at that.

 

All you need is a this....plenty of volume....over 184 channels...and you don't have to turn your vette into a "boom box".....just upgrade stock speakers...and you can move it from one vehicle to another...antenna can mount just about anywhere...





(Mount from kit)


Rich

 

This type of setup produced little to no bass, due to the unsealed back of the housings:



I had to add the powered Sub here to get a good sound:


Now it sounds great with more than enough bass and I can still put my T-tops in the back.

Brent.....

 

Thanks for all the replies guys.

Brent, I tried that Kenwood bass unit in my Camaro and was not overly impressed in comparison to a single 8" JL sub I have mouted in the center counsel firing into the floor of my Tahoe. The sub in the Tahoe blows away that Kenwood woox unit so I don't think I want to go that route.

DB...as far as this:
"The kicks can be made to house the 6.5" speakers with only one hole. I believe most manufacturers follow the same pattern, so it will be a 4.5" hole for the basket of the speaker. It will sit flush, and you mount the speaker grill over that, so it cleans up the kick. You'll be able to see only the grill like in TT's pic up above. The magnet and lower portion of the basket will fit snug in the body mount pockets behind the kick panels."
no problem here and most likely the way I will go

It's best to use a foam baffle cup behind the kick, and best if mounted to it. This provided a protective barrier from moisture and encloses the mid woofer for better low frequency response. I agree


The tweets can be made to fit in the kicks and aimed at the occupants or in the dash under the speaker grills aimed up and at the glass.
I have to go in the kicks cuz 68-69 have no dash speakers so no place to put tweets without hacking.

About this:
"If you want low frequencies, get a sub but don't mount it in a tube. Buy a small box that holds a 10" sub. This will need to face a surface, about 4" away. Bass is not directional as mentioned above, so it doesn't matter where it is in the back so long as it's not firing into open air. Make it small enough and you can still fit the top down and a bag if you go for a long drive."

Why no tube...like a decent bazooka or something? Do they suck? Never had one but I know they are still out there. I know bass in non directional so if I put it in some sort of enclosure your saying to fire it into the back of the car? What about TT's set up? He had them firing up? If it's non directional then why would it matter if it fires at the front of the car or twards the back wall? I would think it firing into the back would be better but if it's non directional does it really matter in this small of a space???


TT...nice set up but way more than what i want to do to my 69. I just want something that I can hear on road trips. Most of the time I am into hearing the car etc...but I do like to have tunes on a longer trip.

Thanks again for everyones thoughts...

 

No one makes a good bass tube. They generally sound like poop.

TT's subs were facing up at the glass. That's fine. Facing back is just as good. You want a surface around 4" from the face of the sub for best results. If you face them forward your facing into open airspace. A baffle board can be mounted to the front of a speaker box to provide a surface so orientation is not an issue.

You can put feet on the front of the box and face it down. So long as there is around 4" space between the sub and the surface in front of it you're golden.

 

I have a 10" Audiobahn powered tube in the trunk of a 2dr Sentra because I wanted something that didn't take much room, and would come out easy when it had to.
I always heard bazooka tubes sucked, so I didn't know what to expect, but its pretty damn good! Circuit City sells it for $250, I got it new on Ebay for $125. They have from 6.5" to 12" tubes and they are flat bottomed, which makes mounting easier.
If you go to Audiobahn.com/products/enclosures you can see them.

 

You know...I was just looking at those today before posting here. I figured I would at least go listen to one. I know I will get better bass from a box and will try and go that route, but I think I might at least look at the Audiobahn. Everything I read up on was pretty good. like I said...as long as it sounds decent I will be happy. That kenwood woox thing was lame so I know I need to at least go better than that.
I was thinking of going the non powered unit and throw my own power at it instead of the version with it's own amp.

DB...If I can build a box for a sub...and I decide to toss a few speakers in back as well, do you suggest something else besides 6 x 9's? I have some BA's in the Camaro and I was pretty impressed with them if they have good power to them. What rounds do you recommend if I go that route?
As far as the charging system, at what point do I really need to up it? If I keep it to a reasonably modest system do I need to worry? I am past the days of listening at ear bleeding volume for very long. Once in a while yeah I will crank a tune, But even in my Tahoe (decent system) I find myself thinking "turn that crap down" (yeah I'm getting old)
I have never upped the Tahoe's alt or batt yet it's a 99 and not a 69!
Also the 69 is not a daily driver so the tunes will not be used all the time!

 

Go ahead and listen, as there is no harm in doing so. It's possible that my tastes are a little spoiled and the rattling I hear from a bass tube would sound good to someone else. That's very common and all stereo systems should be chosen by the owner as everyone is different and will have different preferences.

I cannot accurately assess your charging system without knowing what alternator you have installed. Is it the 60 amp SI alt?

 

quick question.

ive been looking over what i should do for my audio. im going ot be running 2 4x6s in the dash, and was planning on 2 6x9s in the rear. would it be better to just keep everything up front and put the 6x9s behind the kick panels?

will the 6x9s even fit in the kick panel area?


not looking for any audiophile systems or anything. just want something that sounds good and i can hear with ease.

 

I have 1 JL Audio W7 Subwoofer, It is 10" and its a "very musical" sounding woofer, I recommend it!

 

If you're putting speakers in the dash, don't put them in the kicks. They will sound horrible together. Also, whenever you can use 6.5" speakers instead of 6x9" speakers. They are much better...trust me.

Most good stereo systems have all the sound coming from the front. I would focus your efforts up there. Buy a nice component set or a pair of coax 6.5" speakers. Put them in the kicks, and if you have components and a tweeter for each side place it in the dash in the stock speaker location firing up. If you use the component set it's also better to amp them. This complicates things, so if you're not ready for an amp and want the speakers run from the head unit then buy some low RMS wattage coax 6.5" speakers for the kicks.

 

ive already got all the equipment purchased so im just looking for the best places to mount things now.

like i said, ive got 4x6s going in the dash, so now im just looking for a good place to mount the 6x9s.

would it be better for me to mount them in the back wall of the car, or in the storage bin lids?