Shdggsdv

So I'm trying to install a new sound system on my car. Got my tweeters mounted nicely under the dash. The woofer, though, is hitting the cage right where my finger is in the first pic. Wondering if I can grind away a tiny bit of the steel without compronising the structure? Maybe about as much as shown drawn in red on picture #2.

Alan 71

Hi S,
If you're really only going to cut that much I'd say you're fine considering how solid the cage appears to be!
Regards,
Alan

ignatz

What's the material on the woofer that's hitting? Unless it is the speaker cone I would cut that first.

Shdggsdv

I'd have to cut two of the frame.. bits clean off for it to work. I feel like that'll impact it's ability to function

Richard454

Rather than cut- why don't you turn it in/reshape it with a hammer.

Richard

theandies

Thats the door hinge pillar. I wouldn't cut it.

resdoggie

I trimmed a bit from the speaker frame. Another option is to use a speaker spacer.

OldCarBum

Really?
You want to cut the birdcage to fit a speaker?
Really?
How about find a different speaker?

carriljc

I'm all for modifying things, but there's gobs of speaker sizes. Find another one.

dmruschell

I would do what I've done on two C3s with great sounding systems: put aftermarket 4x6s in the dash.

The woofers in the kick panel will be directing sound at your feet and will be muffled and not give a good sense of sound placement. They also won't provide decent bass because of the open compartment they'll be in.

Mounting a pair of 2-way 4x6s in the dash will get you the nice highs of the tweeter, and give you good frequency response down to just below 150Hz or so. On the 78-82 cars, the dash acts a bit like a sealed compartment. On my 79, the bass response from the 4x6s improves significantly as soon as the speaker is put in place.

For a pre-78 car, you might have to use plate speakers in case the tweeter sticks up too high on a standard 4x6 and hits the mounting bracket. I used plate speakers on a 75 I'm restoring (I had to remove the curved piece of metal joining the speedometer and tachometer due to interference) and they sound great. Some foam around the edge of the speaker mount might help create more of a sealed compartment and improve bass response.

To get good bass response, you're going to need to install some kind of speakers to be used as a sub in the rear. In my 79, I have a box with two 6x9s, and a 10 inch sub I bought off of eBay. It sounds fantastic and has frequency response down to 40Hz or so. In the 75, space was a concern, so I used two 6x9 mounts that the vendors sell. These aren't sealed enclosures, so bass frequency response drops off below 70Hz or so. In both cases, I have the rear speakers low passed so that the mids and highs only come from the front speakers (bass sound is non-directional). The front speakers can be driven directly off of the head unit, but the rear speakers/sub that handle the bass will need an external amp.

BLUE1972

I'm not fond of cutting structural parts of the car - even though it probably will be fine if cut.

I would just make a wood or composite board spacer - paint it and enjoy the sound system. With a little careful shaping of the insert you can tilt the speakers toward the seat for better sound.

Shdggsdv

Actually my system is a bit different as I am going the audiophile route. The tweeters I'm using are VERY nice down to 1.6khz which is perfect for a dash/kick install. The woofers perform extremely well off-axis and don't get muddy off the kick-panel install. I also have a crazy good Image Dynamics IDMAX10 and a 0.76cuft enclosure that fits perfectly in the rear compartment alongside of the T-tops. I've got an NVX 4-channel amp to run the front stage, a NVX 1000w RMS sub amp.

I will also be installing a MiniDSP to get good timing and EQ control as well as a vacuum tube pre-amp I bought off a guy that builds them over on a car audio forum.

Overall - this build sounds deceivingly amazing and will only get better once I tune with a DSP and use the pre-amp. The only thing that sucks imo is my woofer. The 5.5" woofers are a little small for my taste (Some frequency spikes and brightness in the midbass, but nothing too bad). I'd love to get custom kickpanels made for a Stereo Integrity 6.5" woofer set to get crazy clean SQ over all the mid and low frequencies. Cool thing though is that with just a tiny, tiny bit of fiberglass in the channel of the birdcage, it makes a very good enclosure for small woofers. I may even eventually add in a small 3" driver of some sort in the dash to turn it into a 3-way system later down the road if I do end up craving more soundstage, but who knows

My issue with 4x6s come in multiple zones. No matter how high end you get, you will always be muddying the mids and highs with the nature of a compact passive speaker. I've never been a personal fan of the brightness that seems to exists with what seems to be every non-active tweeter's sound as well (Nothing wrong with brightness, just not my preference)

resdoggie

I have shallow mount Infinity 6-1/2" round behind my kick panels gor a nice stock look. I don't have any dash speakers because the sound from the kick panels isn't felt at the floor so to speak. You are right using a component system with tweeters only in the dash because thats all the dash area is good. for imo. I did need to trim the speaker frame a small bit for fit but as others have said, buy different woofers before cutting the structure of the cage.

Shdggsdv

Actually not sure why I never thought to try that. I'll probably cut the speaker a little bit and fashion a small spacer. Thanks for the input!

Shdggsdv

You managed to fit 6 1/2" back there? Do you have any photos of how the speaker fits in there? And is it a Kappa with the big magnet or one of the smaller speakers? But yeah, I think I agree. My worst case at this point is a fabricated spacer

resdoggie

Yes because it was a two-way shallow mount type Infinity had at the time. I have a set of Focal 6-1/2" but are deeper which will require a 1/2" spacer. Buy them on Amazon for $10/pair or less. But the Focals may need to be mounted on the outside of the kick panel. A few guys are using Polk speakers this way. Spacers would be the way to go, imo as I said in an earlier post. I also have a JL Audio class D 400 wrms 4-channel amp mounted in the tray above the jack storage hidden out of sight. The amp's rear two channels are bridged powering a 10" Alpine sw in a custom enclosure behind the seats. System is near useless with my sidepipes lol but it sounds great with the engine shut down. Sorry, no pics I can find at the moment.

7T1vette

Here's my .02....

We're talking about an audio system for the INSIDE of a sports car. If the hole is too small for the speaker, you have too large a speaker! Find the best substitute that will fit in the space available.

More to your point:

If you have a single flat surface, you might be able to get away with whittling some out to make space for the speaker. If you are dealing with a "box" member (load bearing piece), don't screw with it. (You can screw INTO it, but don't cut into it).

CraigH

I would avoid cutting the birdcage.

Investigate using a plate to space the speaker out slightly that will give you some relief from the speakers cage getting in the way.

I wanted my speakers behind the kick panel covers so did shallow spacers. But If you don’t care about that you could go thicker.