78 indash speaker replacements
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 159
Likes: 1
From: Blaine Minnesota
78 indash speaker replacements
I need some new speakers in my dash. I do not need top quality stuff, just some good solid speakers. What would you suggest? What size are they?
I have side exhaust and with all that volume I just want to hear my radio.
I do not have any rear speakers. Any suggestions on how I can mount some?
The previous owner mounted an amplifier on one of the rear compartment doors. I do not understand amplifiers.
How do I go about hooking it up? Do I even want it?
Thanks, Laird
I have side exhaust and with all that volume I just want to hear my radio.
I do not have any rear speakers. Any suggestions on how I can mount some?
The previous owner mounted an amplifier on one of the rear compartment doors. I do not understand amplifiers.
How do I go about hooking it up? Do I even want it?Thanks, Laird
Le Mans Master
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 7,106
Likes: 38
From: Newark DE
dash speaker size is 4"x6".
not a ton of selection out there but Kenwood, Sony, and a few others offer that size.
Listen to see which ones you like, none are going to be very expensive.
install is simple - the speaker covers on top of the dash pull off and the speakers are held in with screws and the new one will simply drop in easily. You will only have to either cut off the factory speaker plugs to connect the new speakers or splice into the wires while leaving the plugs intact.
If you decide to use the existing amp from the previous owner you may even find it easier to just leave the factory speaker wires alone and run new wires from the amp to the speakers.
If your '78 came without the rear speaker option you can get the factory rear speaker mounting brackets and grills. They accept a shallow depth 6x9 speaker.
Your other option is to get a better quality speaker for the rears other than a shallow depth 6x9 and buy or fabricate simple sealed enclosures for them and mount them down in the rear so they don't go flying around. The downside is they will take up room you will need for your t-top storage so if that is a concern go with the factory bracket/grill route instead.
hooking up the amp is easy but some of it will depend on what radio/headunit you have and the connections on the amp.
Typically, you just run your RCA outputs jacks from the radio to the amp alone with the amp turn-on trigger wire also from the radio to the amp.
Than run a power cable from the amp directly to the battery with a fuse at the battery and run a ground wire.
than just run the speaker leads from the amp to the speakers.
it's even easier than it sounds.
not a ton of selection out there but Kenwood, Sony, and a few others offer that size.
Listen to see which ones you like, none are going to be very expensive.
install is simple - the speaker covers on top of the dash pull off and the speakers are held in with screws and the new one will simply drop in easily. You will only have to either cut off the factory speaker plugs to connect the new speakers or splice into the wires while leaving the plugs intact.
If you decide to use the existing amp from the previous owner you may even find it easier to just leave the factory speaker wires alone and run new wires from the amp to the speakers.
If your '78 came without the rear speaker option you can get the factory rear speaker mounting brackets and grills. They accept a shallow depth 6x9 speaker.
Your other option is to get a better quality speaker for the rears other than a shallow depth 6x9 and buy or fabricate simple sealed enclosures for them and mount them down in the rear so they don't go flying around. The downside is they will take up room you will need for your t-top storage so if that is a concern go with the factory bracket/grill route instead.
hooking up the amp is easy but some of it will depend on what radio/headunit you have and the connections on the amp.
Typically, you just run your RCA outputs jacks from the radio to the amp alone with the amp turn-on trigger wire also from the radio to the amp.
Than run a power cable from the amp directly to the battery with a fuse at the battery and run a ground wire.
than just run the speaker leads from the amp to the speakers.
it's even easier than it sounds.
