What are the options you've considered for rear speaker placement? That is, IF you're running a decent stereo system.
I have speakers in my kick panels for the front.
But for the back...
I finally resorted to 6X9 speaker boxes on the floor in the back seat. graemlins/sad.gif (My seat is re-mounted so far back that no one could sit back there anyway!) Prior to this, I tried the following:

Boom box in trunk (just gave me percussion, and it was hard to distinguish from the exhaust note).

2 6X9s mounted in the propper place (too muffled w/ top down).
2 6X9 boxes in trunk aimed various ways (still, too muffled w/ top down).

I looked at mounting them in the side panels on either side of the back seat, but there isn't enough room for a decent speaker.

I don't want my car to be one of those rolling, obnoxious boom boxes...I don't listen to that kind of stuff anyway...but I do want a good, quality sound, from front AND back. I like that sort of surround effect, and that requires speakers that produce a full range of music, not just kick and bass. And I want it to sound good when the top is down, which it does now...but it looks cluttered.
(Im running a big amp and the unit has crossovers, time alignment/delay, EQ and crossovers).

Is there a good, beefy speaker that could be installed in the door in the rearmost section of the door panel?

Or...what are some of the other ideas? Now that we have our own section... smile.gif

Hey Steve......you make an excellent point and when building my wife's 69 a couple of years ago I had the very same thought?

I used to have and open 32 roadster with door speakers and could hardly hear them bee-bopping down the highway. But, I ended up putting very good 6 X 9" in the doors in front of the seats (so I can see and hear them from my position driving), and for the most part going down the road with the top down drowns out the highs and mids anywho. But, when the top is up...different deal. So, I designed a real cool semi-rigid panel (made from sign plastic...covered with closed-cell foam and leather) that fits snugly in the back gapping the rear seat top brace to splays mounted at the very back to hold the panel up (can't see them from the top and does not interfere with the top in the down position) and have drop-in....that's right I said drop-in 6 X 9" in the top deck. They sound awesome when just cruising with the top up. When I want the top down I simply unplug the speakers (on RCA plugs), pull the speakers out, pull the panel and store in trunk.

That's the best compromise I could think of and I am really happy with that.

Drop-in speaker below with plug! Gravity holds it in perfect.

http://www.indyquest.citymax.com/i//PICT0065.JPG

Empty speaker panel
http://www.indyquest.citymax.com/i//PICT0068.JPG

Speaker panel with speakers inserted
http://www.indyquest.citymax.com/i//PICT0066.JPG

[ 04-01-2004, 04:37 AM: Message edited by: HOTRODSRJ ]

The tray you built looks very nice. Why do the speakers need to be "drop ins"? Couldn't you fasten them to the tray and pull the entire unit out when needed? Does the tray easily fit inside the trunk? Can I get a template of your tray? I think I'd like to try that solution myself.

Steve,
I was actually thinking of creating a web page on my web site for first gen convertible speaker options.

The stock locations behind the set in the well area are almost not worth your time. The best install I have seen for rear speakers on a convertible were done on the Year One 69 Convertible project car (see link).
Year One Convertible rear speaker placement (http://www.yearone.com/enthusiast/articles/69camaro/69camaro.html)

If you surf through these pics you will see how they deleted the window crank area and made a custom speaker area in its place. This is clean but not an option if you have crank windows.

I installed a set of 5.5" speakers in the arm rest but am not happy with them. They stick out way to far with spacers and the bottom seat portion is hard to get out if I want to work on that area.

This summer I am going to try and install my 5.5" speakers in the well area just above the arm rest and behind the window crank area. I think there is enough room even with the top down.

You can see pics of my complete stereo install by going to my web site link in my sig. I was able to build a nice sub woofer box and amp board that all fit under the convertible top when down.

I broke down and put 6x9's in the lower rear corners of the doors... had to cut some metal to do it, but my doors are bondo anyway... Not sure what I'll do when I replace the doors and paint the car....

Hotrod:
Sweet panel for the speakers, but that still doesn't solve the top down problem which we all have. Seems like there's no real solution!!
I bought some 6x9 boxes for the floor in front of the back seats. Going to try that with an amp under the passenger seat and see how that works..

Bet you could sell a few of those speaker panels on e bay and do ok!!

Nice work...

Dan
'68 Convertible

SteveJack,
I agree, thats the coolest looking setup I've seen, but is that for the camaro or the '32?
What do you do when the top is down? I get the part where you have to put the panel in the trunk, but what do you do with the speakers? Or do you simply not run rears when the top is down?
Dan,
Thats what I'm doing now, and it sounds pretty good top up or down. Its just that no one can sit in the back seat and it looks kinda cluttered and unfinished. Not that I haul anyone back there anyway, but some of the other guys might. Seems to me that its a matter of compromises...you either compromise the look, or compromise the sound! But I havent had any success with running anything in the trunk.

Have you considered making a panel in the lower part of the rear seat and mounting 6X9's there? (they would be behind your calves when mounted if you are sitting in the rear seat) I have also seen some one dismantle a pair of head rests from a Fiero, take out the speakers and the mounts and incorporate the Fiero speakers into the headrests, very cool.

The pictured panel is for the Camaro when the top is up. Obviously, when the top is down nada! Between the wind in my hair and the rumble of the pipes.......we don't need no music when the top is down. graemlins/waving.gif

Ah yes...road music! I have a Harley Road King. I never have the windshield on it. I'm so tall, it just increases buffeting anyway. But the sound of the wind and the rumble of the pipes...pure road music. I always give the 'glide boys a bad time...a stereo on a motorcycle??? Puhleeeeeze! I can ride like that all day long.
But when I'm in the car, top down and cruising, I start off with no radio, listening to a well tuned engine and having fun running it, but after an hour or so, I like a little music, so does the wife.
Steve Jack,
With your talent, if you could design that panel (which looks awesome!)you could probably design a boot that would go over the top when its down (replacing the vinyl boot) that has the speakers in it, couldn't you? Hint hint...
Just a thought...

YOu know something SteveW......great minds think alike! I thought about a boot with some sort of hard or semi-hard molded surfaces with speakers. But, dropping the 6x9 speakers in...well maybe? But, how about those flat panel speakers? $$$$$

I have to noodle thru the top down thing! ;)

Well, this was in my old Abody.

http://www.skullmobile.com/pics/speaker2.jpg


But I am thinking of doing the same with my 68 fbody except I will use 5 - 6 inch speakers. Maybe even seperates and you could put the tweeters in the upper section of the arm rests.

Thanks Steve, I'll take that as a compliment! I do think it would be a great idea, and you could market it to all the fbody convertibles. With or without speakers! I'll take mine in black, with speakers, please. ;)

What was that about flat-panel speakers?

MrAbody, I have the same setup in my 66 GTO, but there isn't the same kind of room behind the panel of the FBody, or I would do it. And I don't want to go with smaller speakers, I already have those in the kick panels. I want a little more full-bodied sound.

Possible "two-seater" solution to quality audio in a camaro convertible (not tried, just imagined thus far):
Mount speakers behind back seat, so they can be revealed by "folding down" the seat back (if you do not install the screws at the bottom of the back seat frame, it will lift up quite easily even with the rest of the interior fully assembled)- just rest the seat back on the lower portion of the seat. Numerous small drivers could be installed without too much loss of strength to the steel panel behind the seat; a nice facing could be added, AND it is invisible when the seat back is in place-- helps keep risk of theft to a minimum. I'm planning on mounting a modern system in place on the center console door (where the factory 8-track would have been) that is fitted with a quick disconnect wiring harness. When not in use, the valuable stuff goes in the trunk, out of view.

I almost forgot I tired one other rear speaker install. It is similar to DElsner's suggestion.

I removed the back seat rest and tried to make a speaker box that would take up the same space. The box looked ok but was very shallow and the subs did not sound well. I even was able to cut in holes sin the box so the stock seat hangers held the box in place. My plan was to make a custom cover out of the seat material so the rear seat would look stock but when pulled off would expose a full set of mids and subs. I still think it is a good idea but one I may have to try one more time with fiberglass instead of plywood.

If it could be done cleanly you could even use the back seats but they would not be very comfortable. It could also be easily removed for the stock seat back rest.

The subs that are in my trunk now cause the spoiler to rattle among other items. It sound bad from out side the car. If the subs were mounted in the rear seat location it may prevent some of the rattling and sound loss when the top is down.

Steve,
I think I came up with one other option. Do some research on Speaker Pods. You could mount one of these pods onto the side of the convertible well area and fit a 5.25" speaker aimed toward the center of the car. They could also be vinyl covered to look clean. The idea is to shallow mount the speaker some where in that area. There is just not enough room to mount good speakers in the arm rest or the convertible well.

This is my next project as soon as I can find the correct pod that will fit on that well area.

If it works out I will be sure to post pics.

One of our members mounted his speakers on the center tunnel on his 67. Looked pretty good but he had to cut holes in the tunnel to do it. I have quick disconnects and a speaker box for mine. I just plug in the speakers when I want to listen and disconnet when at a show or something.

Randy:
I'm going the same route, speaker boxes. What did you use for "disconnects" for the boxes?? I don't want to have to plug in the speaker leads to the boxes every time I use them and wanted something more convenient. Also, I'm worried about the speaker leads touching each other (pos/neg) when they are not plugged into the boxes and possibly shorting out my amp.

Thanks!!

Dan
'68 Convertible

Hey guys,
Looks like we have some pretty good ideas and suggestions here...let's keep this going! Not just for us now, but for future topic seekers.

I tried some smaller speakers, but didn't like the overall sound, especially in the low mid and bass. Glad I didnt cut my door panels! So I went back with the 6X9s in separate boxes on the floor behind the front seats.
I'm using MB Quartz speakers w/ drivers and amp and an Eclipse single CD with crossovers, parametric EQ and time alignment. This is the best sound...top up or down...so far. So I guess I'll stay with it, until one of you guys with a lot more talent than I posts a great idea I can steal! ;)
I remember when I had my 10" in the trunk...oh man, the entire back of the car rattled and there were some harsh vibrations. And that was playing flamenco guitar music!
I went to Al n Ed's here, I know the guy who owns this particular store...he's been doing this for years...and he said the best he's seen for these cars so far is the box on the floor behind the seats.
Oh well...keep the ideas coming...

Originally posted by dschribs:
Randy:
I'm going the same route, speaker boxes. What did you use for "disconnects" for the boxes?? I don't want to have to plug in the speaker leads to the boxes every time I use them and wanted something more convenient. Also, I'm worried about the speaker leads touching each other (pos/neg) when they are not plugged into the boxes and possibly shorting out my amp.

Thanks!!

Dan
'68 Convertible Just go to Radio Shack and pick up the hardware. They have all kinds of connectors. I used 2 speaker connects. Look on the back of most speakers and you will see a red/black box with a quick release lever that you push to insert or remove the speaker wire. I put solid posts on the speaker wires to prevent the wire from fraying. So when I want to use the speakers, I just plug them into the connector and I'm done. I mounted the connectors in my console ashtray but I am going to relocate it as soon as I decide where.

How about a fold down rear seat? Mount speakers in the seat back and fold it down? Or mount amps ect in fold down part of seat and have speakers mounted in rear area where seat folds down from. No amps mounted in rear seat, speakers mounted in rear seat panel where seat folds down from, when listening to music fold down seat. When not listening or at shows seat is folded up, a cavity in back of seat has been made and seat fold into postion hiding speakers, from the trunk you have a partition or factory trunk/seat sepration board installed.

Just ideas being tossed around??

Joe....what a GREAT idea! I don't have fold down seats, but this would be a great reason to do the conversion.

Anyone have some thoughts on my idea above? Steve do you think it could be done with speakers and amp in the seat? I have thought of doing this for years but have no one in my area that can do anything custom like this. I was also thinking of building the box inside my coups regular rear seat and porting it to the package tray. I think they call these boxes isobarik or something? I was thinking amps or amp could be mounted under the package tray? Or under the seat bottom or outside the seat back between the seat back/speaker box and rear seat panel? Anythoughts/Any installers? UMMM could find some one to convert seat backs to speaker boxes in Camaros and some sort of thin amp?

Joe

Fold down rear seat with hidden , speakers , awesome idea. Rear seat passengers don't appreciate the music anyhow , because there isn't a good rear location that provides them with good fidelity. No rear passengers , fold rear seat back forward (down) to expose "a wall of sound" !! Don't even need to imbed them or attach them to the seat back , but you could.

I don't see the amp as being a problem. Lots of places to install amps. Its the speakers that are the main issue. I'm still thinking of the fold down seat possibility. Its really a great idea, Joe. I could keep the amp where it is, in the trunk, and run wires to almost anywhere. Even if the seat weren't a "true" fold-down. Something could be fabbed in either the seat back itself or in the divider.

If you fab something up in the seat back fold down or not take some pictures of the proccess. I have an old seat back I might try to play with. Just met a guy that says he can build speaker boxes and custome ones at that. I have heard many people say they can do something and we all know how that turns out. Might have to play a little and see what he can come up with. I am thinking there might be room for two 8 inch subs in the seat back, maybe 10's?????

Where is a good place to mount and AMP and have it unseen? Yet stay cool?

Joe

Well, let me start by saying that I've successfully mounted two 5 1/4" speakers under the center of the dash board by playing with the original bracket that holds the 4" X 10" speaker. when looking through the perforation you can see 3/4 of each speaker. In my opinion, this is good enough to get good sound out of this area. I am also planning to place 1 5 1/4" speaker in each kick panel. This seems to be the easiest part as most people have done this already.

I also have a convertible and have had problems finding a location where to mount speakers in the rear. I agree that there is no room in the rear side convertible well area ( the area which covers the convertible mechanisms)to mount any speakers. I've tried everything even creating some speaker pods out of fiberglass. It just doesn't look good. So after hours and hours of thinking and looking for a location, I've finally, thought of one. I am planning on placing 2 5 1/4" speakers in the back of the front seats and angle them so that they point towards the rear passenger. As we all know the bucket seat backs are easily removed. Therefore, I am planning on mounting these speakers on the inside part of the seat and perforate the seat backs so that the sound can come through. I also plan on glueing speaker mesh behind the perforation so that the speakers cannot be seen. No bass will be coming out of these speakers just highs and mids. I'm installing two 10" woofers in the trunk that will give me the bass I want. I am looking for opinions on whether or not you guys believe this can work and how it would look. Please let me know.

Ok here is my thought to the same problem and it is along the rear back seat. Seems to me that one could build this "wall of sound" behind the rear seat back and have a custom made "mock seat back that would cover the componenets from sight. Cover the mock seat back like the rest of the interior and put it in place when not driving or parked, etc. Take the seat back down and when you want the sound. This would be much like the fold down seat idea, except the back would just slide on and off, not fold down.

back to this one for me, too. As I said once or twice, I did cut up my doors for 6x9's, and it works great, but my doors was old n shot, and it didn't hurt me to cut em.

As I'm redoin the car, and replacing the doors, and ain't gonna cut up the new ones...

I like to fold down rear seat idea, but I don't have one, and I don't think they "can" be bought.

Still looking for something...

I just put a fold down in. The speakers in the bulkhead, being exposed is a cool idea. You could probably work them around the hoses for the power top, and I'm sure they would look cool mounted into the vinyl partition. I don't know if I'd want to cut holes in the bulkhead, but if you didn't like it, a new partition would cover it.

dtb where did you get the fold down, how was installation?

I'm thinking a full width box, short enuf for the top to still fold down, internally divided into thirds, with the main speakers firing forward, and the sub firing to the rear or up. Then cover the entire bulkhead with speaker cloth and put in the fold down seat. Gonna hafta do some measing and see what will fit.

But where the heck do you get a full fold down seat setup? I don't need to compete with the collector resto guys on ebay...

I bought a wrecked 68 for parts and it was one of them. Installation was pretty easy. Measured the distance between the holes in the hinges, then mounted the brackets with that distance between the bolts, and then installed the seat. Looks and works like it was always there. It works sweet with the top boot flap. I just fold the seat down, install the boot, then fold the seat back over the flap. It's Clean!! (An unnamed camaro supplier told me convertibles didn't come with fold down seats.) graemlins/sad.gif T

are all you open air types seeing this?
http://www.camaros.net/cgi-bin/forum/ultimatebb.cgi/topic/14/2960/2.html?
I like it!

A gentleman I went to college with installed components in the rear with the tweeters in the side top well, and the Mids actually in the center of the rear seat aimed towards the rear view mirror. He was a master with custom automotive work and built a rear bracket that replaced the internal framework for that section of the seat. In this way he still had two seats in the rear and then a column of speakers separating them.

It's drastic, but it did work. (although he didn't try to hide them at all, you looked in and first thing you noticed was speakers IN the rear seat)