[Steve W]

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. [img]graemlins/sad.gif[/img] (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... [img]smile.gif[/img]

[HOTRODSRJ]

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.



Empty speaker panel


Speaker panel with speakers inserted


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

[mhock67]

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.

[jrager]

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

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.

[JimM]

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....

[dschribs]

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

[Steve W]

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.

[ummgawa]

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.

[HOTRODSRJ]

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. [img]graemlins/waving.gif[/img]

[Steve W]

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...

[HOTRODSRJ]

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!

[MrAbody]

Well, this was in my old Abody.




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.

[Steve W]

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.

[DElsner]

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.

[jrager]

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.