Audio options - what’s out there?

[JohnC]

I think I’m gonna do this:

This guy demonstrates how to add an aux input into a 60s era Delco Am radio. I’ll add a 3.5 mm phone jack to the glovebox perhaps. When nothing is plugged in, you can play the am radio. You can plug in a phone or iPod or you can plug in Bluetooth module.
You can also add an FM tuner.
Should cost less than $5 in parts to add the aux input.

I think while the radio is out I’m gonna do a slight upgrade to the dash speaker but not go overboard since it’s mono anyway.

If I want to add a pair of speakers in the kick panel or under the seats, do I simply split the two wires that come off the radio to the one speaker and that goes to a little amp and separate set of speakers? I assume an amp is capable of taking a mono signal and driving two speakers?

Thanks

 

[JohnC]

We have that exact JBL speaker above. It does sound great. I just want something that looks stock and not have to remember to carry it with me or charge it.

 

[Nashville Cat]

We have that exact JBL speaker above. It does sound great. I just want something that looks stock and not have to remember to carry it with me or charge it.

I use a usb adapter plugged into my cigarette lighter and keep it plugged in.
Extra long cables are on Amazon
A functioning radio with bluetooth is better, but for me to add that to two cars would be $1000 once the speakers are included.
And I don't have good places for speakers in convertibles

 

[Chevelle_Nut]

In a truck you could velcro it anywhere. To the front of the bench seat, etc. Lots of places. And not modify anything.
And who wants to cut up their kick panels for speakers ?

I bought kick panels made for speakers in my Gold Chevelle.

 

[JohnC]

And I don't have good places for speakers in convertibles

I hear ya. When my 67 was on the road I had the Ken Harrison 2 small dark speaker set up. Didn't sound great but now i hear that every seems to hate Custom Autosound which is where I got my head unit, so that might be part of the issue.
I also made sheetmetal enclosures to have 6x9 speakers behind the rear seat in the stock location. As I recall the original style enclosure were cardboard which seems cheesy.
Still didn't sound great and the read speakers were actually pointed away from the passenger compartment but it was better than nothing.

I'm not an audiophile at all and I don't crank my music too loud, but sound coming at you from 4-6 locations just sounds better than sound coming at you from 1 location.

I bought kick panels made for speakers in my Gold Chevelle.

I might do that too. Not nuts about how far they stick into the foot area and the fact that the parking brake has to be adjusted a bit. That remains true with the C10s too.

 

[Chevelle_Nut]

I hear ya. When my 67 was on the road I had the Ken Harrison 2 small dark speaker set up. Didn't sound great but now i hear that every seems to hate Custom Autosound which is where I got my head unit, so that might be part of the issue.
I also made sheetmetal enclosures to have 6x9 speakers behind the rear seat in the stock location. As I recall the original style enclosure were cardboard which seems cheesy.
Still didn't sound great and the read speakers were actually pointed away from the passenger compartment but it was better than nothing.

I'm not an audiophile at all and I don't crank my music too loud, but sound coming at you from 4-6 locations just sounds better than sound coming at you from 1 location.


I might do that too. Not nuts about how far they stick into the foot area and the fact that the parking brake has to be adjusted a bit. That remains true with the C10s too.

My parking brake clears, just barely.

 

[JohnC]

Maybe this is partly why the radio didn’t sound very good.
Doesn’t looks like a 4x10 to me


Something ain’t right here…

That’s about the least impressive speaker I’ve ever seen. It also says 3-2 ohms which I assume means 3.2 ohms? Supposed to be no-no with these old radios requiring 8-10 ohm speakers.

 

[JohnC]

Stereo speaker opinions requested please…..
I’m gonna keep this mono so in replacing my dash speaker I can do this:

Standard Series Dash Replacement Speaker for 1967-72 Chevrolet C/K Series Truck with No Factory Air Conditioning

RetroSound® Triax dual voice coil dash speakers produce a stereo mix from a single dash speaker location. These dual voice coil speakers are explicitly designed to perform well in an open-air environment to provide the best possible audio quality in your classic car or truck. A ceramic magnet...

www.retromanufacturing.com

Has twin tweeter which I assume I’d have to wire in series and produce a mono output. Even though these 4x10s are designed to replace the single 4x10 dash speakers, I think most are 4 ohm speakers so I think you need to add a resistor to get them to 8-10 ohm.

This company makes speakers designed for these old cars. People I see on message boards who have used them seem basically happy but I have no idea if they are any good or not.

Classic Car Speakers

www.turnswitch.com

Or my third option is to use this old speaker set up I had in the Chevelle and buy better 3.5 in speakers to replace these. Even buying quality brands from Crutchfield you can get them for way less than $100. Only downside is because this is a mono head unit, I’ll have to wire the speakers in series.

 

[JohnC]

I ended up ordering these from Crutchfield. Ordered an open box item so $53 before tax with free shipping. Chose this in part because it’s among the shorter or the 4inch speaker options and the tweeter doesn’t stick way up where it’ll hit the underside of the dash. I’ll see if I have some thin mdf scraps around to make a mounting plate.

https://www.crutchfield.com/p_575R14X2/Rockford-Fosgate-R14X2.html?tp=102

 

[Chevelle_Nut]

Crutchfield is awesome, was on their site yesterday looking for a HeadUnit upgrade.

 

[SSuperDave]

I have used the Turnswitch.com speakers on several stock adios and they are excellent

 

[JohnC]

In retrospect I might should have gone that direction. It would have been a bit easier than what I’m doing now but I didn’t know if the Turnswitch speakers were considered good or not. Nice thing is that they are known to fit (behind the C10 dash with Ac, it’s surprisingly crowded) and are already set up as the 8-10 ohms that is needed for the stock radio.

I cut a mounting plate today for the (2) 4 inch speakers. Waiting on the el-cheapo adjustable hole saw from Amazon to cut the holes for the speakers. Mocked it up using my old Chevelle speakers and it fits but is pretty tight. I also destroyed most of the brittle original AC duct work so I got that on order from Classic Industries.

 

[JohnC]

Got my speaker ready to go in. The board is a piece of cheap, scrap flooring I had left over in the garage. Looks to be made of MDF with a wood-like veneer. Holes are cut with the cheapest adjustable hole saw on Amazon. Speakers are Rockford Fosgate 4” speakers. They’re gonna be wired in series

 

[JohnC]

Got the Delco am radio cleaned up. Watching a YouTube video of a guy working on this exact radio, he said it was a PITA to disassemble and he’s a profession so I didn’t want to open up a can of works. I blew out a bunch of dust with compressed air. I took off the top of the radio and hosed down the inside carefully with electronics cleaner. Use tuner cleaner/lube I lubricated the pots and push button mechanism. Buttons operate nice and crisp now. Watching a YouTube video I installed an aux input and mounted in on the passenger side of the radios chassis. I’ll prob run an extension to a jack mounted in the glove box. Painted the orange needle of course.

Bench testing it with my old speakers from the Malibu it sounds awesome. Well, as awesome as (2) 3.5 inch speakers playing mono can sound. Listen to a podcast on the phone it’s crystal clear. I fixed up the harness that goes into the radio and spliced in a second set of bigger speaker wires that I’ll tuck under the dash. If the dash speakers don’t cut the mustard I’ll run the extra speaker wires to a set of kick panel or under seat speakers too.

 

[cage2592]

That looks awesome !

 

[Chevelle_Nut]

My original GM AM/FM radio wont hold a station worth a crap, did yours have this issue?

 

[JohnC]

I haven’t used it long enough to know? How does it wander off your station? I don’t really know how the tuner works. When I bench tested it I could find a good am signal and it sounded fine but I only listened for a couple of minutes.

 

[Chevelle_Nut]

I haven’t used it long enough to know? How does it wander off your station? I don’t really know how the tuner works. When I bench tested it I could find a good am signal and it sounded fine but I only listened for a couple of minutes.

It gets a signal then I have to readjust it. 50 years old, I need adjusting too.

 

[kmakar]

It gets a signal then I have to readjust it. 50 years old, I need adjusting too.

We all do... Surprised I'm still vertical.....