How to attach speakers under the dash

[Robroy]

Anyone who knows how to attach speakers under the dash? At each corner of the dash there are holes for a small round speaker.
I’m going to install a stereo and try to figure out :coffee: the best place to put the speakers without having to damage the very well kept interior.

Thanks
Per

[Smartin]

In my convertible, I just hung a set of 3 1/2" speakers close to the top of the dash - near the holes. I used wire to keep them in place. It's a difficult job, since only one hand fits up there at a time.

[Robroy]

I know what you mean, ain’t much room under there.
I was thinking of two other alternatives for placement of speakers.
One would be to find a set of small three-way speakers, the kind that are in a flat box, and to place them on each side under the dash.
Another would be to set them in the trunk under the rear window in the holes that are prepared for speakers. Since I plan to put on a dual exhaust which will make the car a little noisier, this placement seems not like the very best.
At the moment the three-way speakers under each side under the dash seems like the best alternative.

Per

[Smartin]

You could remove the dash pad and install the speakers that way, but it's a pretty big job.

I installed 6x9's in my 71 LeSabre Sedan, and they sounded awesome with just a cheapie head unit. I had a set of true dual turbo exhaust on it, as well. I wouldn't be worried about noise with these speakers.

There is an interesting setup already installed in my Formal Coupe, and it is a very high quality sound system, but also probably very expensive as well. They cut the kick panels for speakers, which I'm not too enamered about. They also installed a couple very small satellite speakers up by the top of my head on the A pillars. There is a set of 10" subwoofers in the back to shake the car to pieces, which I rarely do:rolleyes: They do a good job of rounding out the bottom end. I'm sure there is a better way to do that with more compact speakers. A set of high quality 6x9's in the rear package tray will do wonders for the sound. The acoustics of the interior, and how the sound flows from the package tray to your head, is a nice effect.

[Robroy]

Does the 6x9's fit the holes under the rear window? (What’s that called? we call that hat-shelf in Swedish).

[Smartin]

It's the package tray. Yes, 6x9's will bolt into the stock hole locations. You will have to cut the cardboard.

[Robroy]

I was thinking to set a pair of 6x4’ from underneath the trunk and to mount each speaker on a piece of MDF (a kind wood material that’s easy to saw up holes in).
That way I wouldn’t have to cut or saw at all.
Maybe I could do the same thing with a pair of 6x9?
The vendor at the car radio store was really keen:Brow: on selling me a pair of 6x9 when he understood what big trunk I had.

[Robroy]

Adam,
When you said cardboard earlier, I thought you meant the package tray it self. After crawling in to my trunk looking up under the package tray, I realize that there is a plate of cardboard between the package tray and the body.

Regarding my first question about how to attach the side speakers under the dash, I found the answer today in my Buick Service manual. There seem to be a kind of bracket that was shaped to hold and push the speaker magnet up against the dash. This bracket was attached on to the dash with only one bolt. A smart little thing but probably hard to come by I guess.

[Smartin]

I don't know if you can see up to that point in your dash, but the brackets might be there already.

[Robroy]

I’ve looked under the right side of the dash and it was empty.

[EEE]

I took out the dash and installed 2 5x8 two-way speakers under the corners of the dash area, where the original speakers were located. I'm not sure they were exactly 5x8 but they were just a smidge smaller than the regular 6x9's but had the same shape. I don't have any air ducts left under the dash which probably makes this easier, half of them had turned to dust so everything came out. The speaker on the passenger side is screwed to a wood frame for the face of the speaker which is then glued to the bottom of the dash. I had to file the dash to make it fit properly, cause there are some ridges in the shape of it. On the driver's side the speaker rests in a foam base on the back of the black instrument holder or what we now can call it, then there's also a foam cut out to make it more flush against the dah pad itself. In the back I have two small boxes with 6x9's and a small thin box for a 12 woooofer, it's all laying where the top goes down, and the top just folds down on the boxes and rests there, making the top stick up an inch or two extra when in traveling in convertible mode. I've got one amp to power the rear stuff, and the radio takes care of the front stuff.

[Robroy]

Hej Kimson!
Thanks for sharing your setup. There’s a lot of ways to set up your speaker system.
I think I’ll go on Adams recommendation to install a pair of 6x9’ in the Package Tray, if I can do that without having to cut in the Package Tray itself. Then later on I might add another set under the dash, if I can figure out a smart way to attach them there.

I might ask you for some translation help on car part denominations that I don’t always understand:confused: , hope that’s ok. Maybe you know a good online dictionary for car part denominations?

[EEE]

Ask me in Swedish and I'll see if I know it in English, it takes a little time to figure out what things are called.

[Robroy]

Rainy days mean a lot of time in the garage and I finally got the stereo installed.
The whole project stranded some months back due to that I had a hard time getting the right tool (T50) to take off the back part on the rear seat. For some reason that I never have understood, tool shops are as common as porn shops in the Vatican where I live:rolleyes: .

The holes in my package tray turned out to be 8x5” so installed a pair of 7x5 and attached them on a piece of MDF (a kind wood material that’s easy to saw up holes in) from underneath the trunk. That way I didn’t have to cut the cardboard which already were prepared with small holes in the speaker area (see last pict to the right).
With the stereo unit in the glove department, the whole installation is totally concealed and sounds nice.

[EEE]

Good job! I like the concealed version of a stereo installation.

When you mention porn shops, I come to think of this place that is located right next to where I live (used to live) in Stockholm. We used to buy all of our friends bithday gifts there, all kinds of weird stuff, it was funny :D The gift would preferably be resented as being from someone else, and then be opened when alot of adult people were around, it was always good to see their faces :D :D :D

[73 Centurion]

I found 2 of the brackets that hold the speakers under the dash. Check Cadillacs as they most often had the top of the line stereos. I think the bracket fit all GM full size cars, probably 1971-1975 or more.

I had the dashboard off when I installed them. I used a zip tie to hold the 3 1/2 inch speaker in the bracket. The bracket then bolts to the underside of the dash. The speaker is only bolted on 1 side and cantilevers off those ridges. I wish it had screws on both sides, but they've been there for years and no problems.

The convertibles have openings for speakers behind the rear seat facing the trunk. I had a pair of 6x9's in there with a 300 watt amp. With the roof up is sounded good. With the roof down it was louder behind the car than in it.

I'm contemplating 6 1/2 speakers in the rear armrests and using the 6x9 as mid bass/subwoofers.

Then again I've got more plans than money or skill.

John.

[Robroy]

I love your sense of humour Kimson:laugh:
I can imagine that poor guy standing there blushing opening a package with adult equipment surrounded by adults:D

Was thinking on those speaker brackets, I know you have your yard where you find all the good stuff. If there should be any of those brackets left on the GM fullsize 71-76 as John suggested (thanks John!), and if it isn’t to much pain to get them off I’d to like buy a pair.
Maybe others on the board would be interested too if you should find more of them.

[EEE]

Every once in a while these cars show up, mainly Olds delta 88/98s for some reason, I'm sure they have some speaker brackets left under the dash. I'll keep that in mind when I'm going out there next time.