Bought a bunch of Arc Audio components and I am starting to layout my install even though the amp and second set of speakers are on back order. It will likely be slow build anyway


Thought I would throw some pics out for anyone who is thinking of doing similar upgrades.

System will be:
Sony head unit with Sirius and Bluetooth. ( where? Where? Where?)
Arc Audio;
6.5 components for front and rear
10" sub
1100.5 amp 150 watts for each of the front and back and 250 watts for the sub

Intentions :
Be able to return the car to original if desired and hide/integrate as much as I can
Is a fiberglass car so hide the Sirius antenna.
Woofer in custom fiberglass sealed enclosure
Customize front kicks to carry 6.5 speakers ( yes I have done all the measurements and they won't fit without that ). I am still looking for donors to customize so I can keep mine in huge closet - so if you have some crappy ones you would let go let me know. They do need good front edges though- that part is too hard to recreate.

Debating right now which way to lay out the back.....

I could just build a box on top of the back deck something like this .....








Or I could point them up like this and create a (removable) faux deck to cover them when I want to look original. This is how I am likely to go. Will have to test with a powered up unit to decide where the rear tweets sound good.

 

Another "turning a C3 into a 'boombox' " thread....

It's your car; have at it.

 

My thoughts-

I'd not worry about adding a set of fullrange speakers in the back-

With the top down, the rear speakers are next to useless- and theoretically you'll only see a 3 db increase in sound pressure by adding a second pair of speakers.

The kick panels- you'll just have to make your own - MDF, t-shirt and fiberglass - you can make something really nice. Not that tough to do-see below-


For the sub- I'd just do something w/ an enclosed box in the jack/storage bin.

Richard

Here's a 66 vette w/ some kick panels being made-

 

I think I have to agree with one thing for sure Richard- I should just jump on making my own kick panels and get it done.

If they don't work out I only lose the material costs. Hopefully I can jump on that soon.

 

Good stuff, thanks for posting this pics, good luck with your install!

 

do you listen to am or 8tracks?

 

7T1vette, always one to thumb your nose at others. Whatever.



On track - I have an '82 so the bubble top makes the rear speakers more... functional, you could say. I did the custom kickers as Richard454 suggests. Easy to do, lots of tips on here and instructionals, heck Richard has a great one right there. I highly recommend them.

For the rear I too was worried about being able to hear them with the t-tops off so I went a little larger with 12-9 mids in enclosures I built using a similar method as Richard describes.

 

Kipring- I didn't get the 12-9 mids? And did you seal the enclosure or leave an opening on the back?

Of course you would always seal a woofer but from reading audio forums there seems to be two schools of thought for 6.5" speakers and mid bass when it comes to sealed or not. Half say that they always sound better sealed...and the other half laugh and say they were made for doors ( which could really be considered 'big enclosures' ) so don't seal the backs. Regardless I will create these as sealed to begin with and check the sound. I can always create openings on the backs later if I choose to play with it.

It's hard to get a day off of work lately - I am hoping to take off Monday to get some more time on this project.

I have one quart of resin, cloth, stir sticks, tape, gloves, wax as a release agent, a breather(and fan), sandpaper, mdf to make rings....as long as one quart of resin is enough I think I have the material to make the front pods.

 

It really depends on the speaker's design- whether or not it should be 'sealed.'

The suspension of the speaker determines that- where as some speakers are designed to work in "free air" and other are not- or rather use the compression of the air in the sealed box to act as a shock absorber...

What you do NOT want is a acoustic short circuit- where as front sound waves are able to 'see' the rear sound waves. They (waves) are 180º out of phase and cancel each other out. At 300hz- the sound waves are about 10in long- so that's the minimum distance you want for separation.

I'm still not a rear speaker proponent- MY thoughts have to deal w/ whats called "psycoacoustics' - where as because of our "design"-ear placement- Our ears are not placed asymmetrically like an Owls who can detect sound in all three planes sounds for hunting-But Humans sound coming from behind make us feel on edge- or uncomfortable.
Just look at a home theater-full range sound does not come from the rear- but rather sounds to give you dimension.

Richard

 

I taped up the kick areas and laid the first layer this morning. I learned you can't just fling the resin on there with abandon and brush it around on the cloth. More like dabbing and working out air bubbles. I am grateful I taped and blocked a BIG area around to protect the carpet from my messiness.

Passenger side looks crappy... Was my first ever fiberglass job... Will clean it up with the next layer and after I take it out I can work it.




With one side as experience the drivers side looks much better...the glass was drying up or I would have gone back to the passenger side and cleaned it up....





Sorry if the iPad pic quality stinks.