9192champs

Hi all,

All of my previous cars have been heavily modified, but when I purchased my '69 convertible, I decided to do something different and restore it to as close to stock as reasonably possible. One exception that I decided had to be made was the sound system, though, as the original mono radio and dual kick panel speakers just were not enough to be heard while driving with the top down.

With that said, I still wanted to maintain the stock look as much as possible and leave things in a way that could easily be converted back if I ever decide to have the car NCRS judged. That meant leaving the original mono radio in the dash. I wanted to keep it working but also have the ability to play music from my iPhone wirelessly, which obviously seemed like a challenge. Here is the solution I came up with:

1. I replaced the stock 4x10 kick panel speakers with Kicker KSC4104s. These are 4x10s that fit behind the kick panels. (Don't worry, I boxed-up the original 10 ohm speakers in case I ever want to go back to stock.)

2. I then fabricated a custom rear panel out of wood and covered it with original style 80/20 loop carpet. On it, I installed a set of Pioneer TS-D6902R 6x9 speakers and an amplifier, the RE Audio BT900.4. I am using the amp to power the two front 4x10s and the two rear 6x9s. The cool part is, the amp is Bluetooth-enabled, so I can connect to it with my phone and stream any audio I like.

3. I also purchased a line output converter with 10 ohm impedance (made by Pyramid) that allows me to hook the stock radio into the amplifier. You just run the original speaker wire into the converter, and it outputs a pre-amp signal via RCA cables that can be plugged into the amplifier as an input. The best part is, because the converter has 10 ohm impedance, it should allow me to avoid the issues that normally come with hooking an old Delco radio into modern lower-impedance speakers.

4. For some extra bass kick, I added a Kenwood KSC-SW11 powered mini-subwoofer inside the jack storage compartment and ran the wired remote into the center storage compartment for easy access. The sub fits like it was made for that compartment and lifts out easily, allowing access to the jack. I originally thought I might need to cut some holes in the compartment's lid to allow the sound to come through, but after hearing it, that definitely isn't necessary.

5. Finally, I ran all the wiring completely out-of-sight. Somewhat surprisingly, I was able to find a way to make this work without drilling a single hole in anything!

Here are some pics of the process and the finished product:
























And how does it sound? AMAZING! I honestly think it sounds better than the system in my 2008 C6 did. I've been especially surprised by the mini-subwoofer. It kicks much harder than I expected -- in fact, I only have it turned-up about halfway right now. Plus, the convenience of being able to stream iTunes and Pandora wirelessly from my phone is awesome. Even the original radio sounds much better coming through the modern amp and speakers! And if I ever want to remove the system temporarily for NCRS judging, doing so will be a breeze.

Anyways, just thought I would share... hopefully someone else can find this info useful!


- Paul

havesometo

Nice job.

gmmeyerIII

Nice set up. By any chance do you know the spec or measurements you cut the board too?
Would save time trying to figure that one out.
Also how did you mount the board so it does not fall over without any drilling?

The Punisher

Very nice job, I plan on doing some updateing on my system this winter

9192champs

Thanks! I don't have the measurements, but honestly, they probably wouldn't help much anyways. Since the shape of the board is pretty non-uniform, what you need to do is create a rough template out of cardboard, and then cut the piece out of wood based on that. When you do so, leave it a bit over-sized.

Then, after test fitting it into the car, slowly begin trimming the edges as necessary so that you can achieve the snuggest fit possible. This takes some time, but it is the key to your second question. If you get the board shaped right, it will pressure-fit so snugly once covered in carpet that you won't need any brackets to hold it!

Note that the top of the board is not straight but is actually bowed-up in the middle. Getting this right is important, because you want it to slip up underneath the lip that runs across the top of the hatch opening. That is what holds the top of it in-place.

Good luck!

Frankenvette

Very nice. I installed a Bazooka tube subwoofer years ago which works great but rubs the plastic window on the vert in the down position. This in turn has left some scratches on the plastic. Your version allows for clearance of the vert window thus avoiding the scratches.

9192champs

Thanks! Correct, the convertible top doesn't touch anything when it is stowed. It really does not seem to block the sound from the rear speakers at all either, which was a concern of mine. (That was the reason I mounted the speakers so low on the board.)

Rescue Rogers

This is the solution Ive been looking for. Where did you find the carpet?

9192champs

I ordered a piece from Trim Parts, Inc. in Ohio -- that's where my existing carpet came from.

minitech

Very nice work

CA-Legal-Vette

Nice job! What I really like is that you've Done this without covering up the rear light like most speaker boxes do. I ended up leaving a flashlight on the back deck to find things in all but ideal lighting. Your solution solves that

9192champs

Thanks! I decided to move it to the bottom of the board so that it provides maximum lighting. I'm not sure why the factory put it in the center of the back panel -- half the light was blocked when the soft-top was stowed!

CraigH

Looks like a great setup.

Have had the kenwood sub in my storage box for a while (its certainly a perfect fit) now and while the entire sound experience is better for it it gets a bit lost once your on the move with exhaust, wind etc.

Am also missing easy access to the storage so am thinking of alternatives again.

Rescue Rogers

Can you post a wiring diagram, please. That looks like a bunch of wires. And is that a fuse mounted next to the amp?

9192champs

Thanks! I'm surprised to hear you say that about the subwoofer. I guess I could see that if you have side-pipes or an otherwise loud exhaust on the car, but with my relatively quiet stock exhaust, the subwoofer is definitely more bass than I need even while driving with the top down. I only listen to classic rock and country, though, so I wasn't looking for anything too crazy as far as bass is concerned.

Yep, that's a fuse. When installing an amplifier, it's pretty standard to add one on the power wire between the battery and the amp. I don't have a wiring diagram, but there really isn't anything special -- it's a pretty standard car amplifier setup. It really just looks like there are a lot of wires in the pics because of the two wires going to each of the four speakers.

Otherwise, there is just the power wire connected to the positive battery terminal, a ground wire (which I connected to the negative battery terminal), a "remote turn-on" wire (which I connected to the ignition so the amp would come on when I turn the key), and line-in/line-out RCA connections. I used the line-in connection to connect the stock radio (using the converter discussed in my original post) and the line-out connection to send audio to the subwoofer.

Rescue Rogers

Thanks for the info. I havent done any car audio work since sony invented the walkman. I have a lot to learn. Thanks again

mikem350

Most of the amps I have seen have their own fuses onboard so another external fuse is not needed.

But to protect the wiring a fuse at the bat end is prefered

9192champs

True -- this particular amp does not have a built-in fuse, though.

69L46

Looks very nice, especially for those who want the stock look but maybe not concerned with 100% judging type stock.

I had an extra U69 radio upgraded years ago to an 88W conversion for my '69, and while not as good of some of the more recent offerings, it sill sounds good with upgraded kick speakers...

Factor

Sharp!!!