So after driving around without any beats for the last 18 months, I'm chucking a stereo in the glovebox of my 1960 bug. Yay!
Any hints on where to put 'em, what not to do, mistakes you've made, size, shape, power would be much appreciated. I don't want to upset the aesthetic beauty of my car...
I'm also going to use a 6v - 12v converter thing so as to avoid the full electrical upgrade - how much are these? Are they good? Where did you get yours?
thanks a million folks
:bounce
Hey what kind of set-up have you got in mind?
I currently have a pair of Rockford splits in the front trims. Wanted to mount the tweeters elsewhere but was a bit weary about drilling holes in my girl so I just made a set of door trims and used those. Made a parcel shelf and installed a pair of Kenwood 7x10's. No permanent alterations and easy and cheap to both install and get back to original look if you change your mind. My dub already had a more modern head unit installed so they'd already resized the hole in my dash so I didn't really have any problems when it came to mounting the h/u. Strongly encourage mounting h/u in the glovebox though- good for security and not too hard to do so long as it's mounted correctly. My last car had the head unit mounted really crappily and every time I went over a speedbump I got a new scratch on my cd!
Probably a good idea to get some advice from an auto elec. or mechanic or something re: conversion. Wouldn't battery drain quite quickly? I don't know much about electrics so probably a really good idea to get some professional advice.
Would love to hear your plans!
Like the back of a volkswagen?
www.fortyseconds.comI'm also contemplating the same thing...and also have a 1960 6v bug 😀
I'd be a bit worried about battery drain...my 6v system can barely handle windscreen wipers and lights together let alone radio unit as well lol someone suggested just running it off a spare 12v battery (which you can keep under the backseat) then you don't have to worry about a converter and you can just charge it up whenever it needs it...
As for speakers I have the same dilemma .. my cousins bug (Jay_1965) has them in the kickpanels under the rear seat and they work okay and are nice and hidden...
So there's a couple of ideas...
Heidi - 1960 White Beetle
'65 Kiwi Ghia
You could always mount a sub in under the bonnet and fire it straight at the dash. 😀
Like the back of a volkswagen?
www.fortyseconds.comWell I guess I want something fairly basic - the main thing is being able to hear it (my engine is on the noisy side) and not making the interior of the car look cluttered or less stylish.
I was thinking round speakers, bigger rather than smaller, and looked at putting them on the trim next to the back seat, but it seems that they would protrude too much I think.
I guess I could try the parcel shelf idea and get bigger, rectangular speakers if I can't find the right spoy, but I think I'd rather they blend in with the car as it is now.
Yeah - glove box is the go forth head unit... less obvious and no scratched cd's.
thanks for your ideas Lokita
do exactly as lokita says; except theres one biig thing missing...
subwoofa!
knock up two pieces of board that section off the space under your parcel shelf. this should mean that your 2 6x9 or 7x10s have a separate 'box' each, with an empty space in the middle. create a bit of board to fit directly behind the rear seat. cut your subwoofer hole and whack it all in.
doof doof! im not a doofer but im putting subs in my car, they drown out the dakdakdakdakdakdak
hey Canni... we have the nicest bugs around, don't we? 😉
that sounds like a good spot for the speakers on the kickpanels under the rear seat. Clever. Out of the way but not too far away from the front seat either...
maybe the 6v isn't powerful enough - but I've been resisting upgrading to 12v even though I've had dramas with the electricals more than once. Could be time to reconsider.
I started a new job about 3 months ago which is almost an hour away from home, I've been going a bit nutty sometimes without my favourite tunes.
lol lokita, then it could be a really big unit
Separate boxes seems like a waste to me. Best idea I think is to spend about $200 on a pair of decent 6x9'"s or 7x10"s and basically build a box that fits in just behind the back seat. The 'lid' of mine sits a bit below the back of the seat so the speakers don't protrude over the height of the back seat really, if you know what I mean. My stereo pretty deafening thanks to my 7x10's and easily drowns out the dakdak, if that's what you're looking for. There's not really any need to go with a sub, especially if you'll need an amp to run it.
You could always go with a bit of reasonably solid speaker mesh stretched hella tight over the whole of the shelf so as to make the install a tad more subtle...possibly...Or do what i do and cover them with a granma looking picnic blanket when I'm not in the car so as not to look conspicuous. 🙂
Like the back of a volkswagen?
www.fortyseconds.comKroozin_Kikko wrote:do exactly as lokita says; except theres one biig thing missing...
subwoofa!
knock up two pieces of board that section off the space under your parcel shelf. this should mean that your 2 6x9 or 7x10s have a separate 'box' each, with an empty space in the middle. create a bit of board to fit directly behind the rear seat. cut your subwoofer hole and whack it all in.
If you do your research you should be able to use the space under the parcel shelf to your advantage. The volume of the enclosure is what matters when you're using sub's. Usually the boot of a car is way too big so you have to add an enclosure to get the most from your drivers. As the space under the parcel shelf is quite small you could possibly get away with putting maybe a single 10" sub in a shelf and using the natural space without any other mods.
I'm not 100% sure of the exact volume of the under parcel shelf area, but you should be able to match a driver with this space (it will also depend if you want a 100% sealed solution or a ported enclosure as the volume requirements vary. They also vary on the exact specifications of each sub, even if they are the same diameter.)
However after saying all that, unless you want absolute bass (or your a dance/trance/anything that goes doof doof addict) I would say don't worry about a subbie at least to start. The pair of JVC 7 x 10's in Lokita's dub do quite quite nicely. We've given them a fairly expansive set of music to test on from Rachmanninov piano concerto's to dance to "heavy metal" (the good stuff tho). They create substantial amounts of bass and the install was very easy and clean and didn't require any mod'ing.
Theres also no point going out and spending a reasonable amount on a nice pair of speakers (I do reccomend the JVC 7 * 10's for bang for buck) if your going to spend $100 or something on a little head unit. You'll want to have at least 40W per channel output from the head unit. However, I'd really check with an auto-elec or someone about running that kind of setup off a stock 6V system thru a converter.
My FINAL piece of advice. Never deal with Strathfield Car Radios. Don't even walk in the door to look at prices (unless you get a free xbox or ipod with your phone). I know too may people who have had car stereos and or alarm installs go very bad due to the extreme incompetance of Strathfield installers. Including one mate whos engine bay & dash caught on fire cause someone thought it would be fine to put a non fused alarm power wire straight past his turbo housing.
When ogtool says JVC he means Kenwood. Silly rabbit. :P
And yeah. Strathfield. No. Never. Please!!! For the sake of all mankind!!! I would rather come to Melbourne and assist your needs than send anyone there. 😀
Like the back of a volkswagen?
www.fortyseconds.commost of the 6v to 12v convertors wont run any decent type of stereo as they only put out 4 amps, ive got one for my 61,just using old radio cassette player thing and probably putting speakers under back seat panels.anythings better than silence,but look into 12v conversion if wanting to run a decent stereo:P
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https://www.facebook.com/FlatFourseparating the back area just helps your acoustics, just ask my dad, he makes em for a living. (sorry had to gloat there) not sayin its totally necessary, but if ur keen on sub then give it a go, then again my subs arent used often; im a funky little ska boy! well not little...
yay anothe SKA fan 😎
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Im selling this ...$100
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ehehe i just bought 1 i have six bi 9 holes in my door cards bought them that way there also been thickened to screw the speakers in and so they fit in without hitting the door
but i did an altinater conversion
im running 4 speakers and a sub and a amp also my pioneer deck. i dont wanna risk breaking down lol
[Edited on 8-12-2004 by baby_beetle]
Is YoUr DaD a TeRrOrIsT cAuSe BaBy YoU dA bOmB
I'm putting in a chinzano parcel shelf - the parsel shelf you have when you don't really have a parcel shelf.
Seriously -- I'm putting the head unit, UHF, AM and Scanner in the glove box and mounting the speakers front and rear. The fronts will hang front the centre under the dash in their own box and the rears will be mounted in a second parcel shelf under a false shelf in the back. This way looking in the car there will be no indication that there is a sound system within other than the aerial/s. The sub (only have an amp so far) will go into a board facing into the back seat. If the wife lets me I will fishnet the centre of the rear seat so the sub has better clarity between the two kiddies. A semi serious system may not be an option for the 6 volters though unfortunately.
I don't see why a 2nd battery (12volt0 would be an option though. Simply rewire a seperate system off the 12 volt and have a seperate cigatette lighter adapter in you dash so when you arrive home you and simply plug you garage battery charger in and trickle charge your system.
The Bronze.
Bronze.
Rathmines, Lake Macquarie, NSW.
I have a 60 6v bug and will be looking at the existing stereo in it over the next few months (car has no power at the moment). It has a 6v to 12v inverter fitted to run the radio.
I have made a number of enquiries with car sparkies and other people over the last 6 months directly to do with running a stereo in the existing 6v system, like you are asking.
As for the stereo itself, the inverter, and the power...the short answer is to go with a very basic, 'non door-blowing' system. As others have said here, you want to keep the system basic in a 6v, especially when you are inverting up to 12 to run a stereo. Apparently these inverters are not real wonderful setups (cos there isn't a big call these days for them, therefore why waste time making decent gear), and they will draw interesting rates of power to put into your stereo. Everyone with any knowledge in car electrics has told me the same thing.....if staying with 6v, make your wiring simple and just use a simple cheap stereo with basic speakers. Its the safest thing to do.
Last thing you want to do is have the best stereo in the world doofing up the street, but not have the power left to start the car later.
My '60 is going to become my youngest daughters first car. I don't want a phone call from her at 2am saying she can't start the bug and is sitting in a carpark of the local nightclub.....
As for speaker positioning, I hadn't thought of the kickpanels under the seat and love the idea, although will there be any problems having a magnetic speaker close to the battery? I also love the idea of a 12v under the seat for the stereo, and would love more info on the comment about trickle charging this battery through a cigarette lighter....would this work?
Finally....I am being hassled to make a panel to fit behind the back seat to hold speakers (and make a concealed storage area), anyone got a template for this?
hey i have my amp under my back seat , took out my sun visors and put in tweeters they screw straight into where the sun visors were,,,,,get a good pair of sunnies,,, and have kenwood in the doors made wooden doors to suit and the back i screwed into the side panels near my back window,,and cut the dash for the stereo,,,,sounds cool,,,,,,,but have a bit of rust so all has to come out so can get rust fixed,,not letting them grind my car and stuff up my speakers with panel dust,,,and you can get blue chaser lights for the speakers to,,,small disco,,,,,,,colleen
first of all, do yourself a favour and convert to 12 volts. there's a safety aspect to this. your lights are brighter and you can run much higher wattage bulbs.
secondly, if you can afford it, get an alternator not a generator, this will allow you to run even more stuff, like some powerful driving lights if you want plus a big stereo.
As for stereos, I had a stereo in my 67 that was about 35watts. I had two 6" speakers in a small ported box behind the back seat. It was removable coz I needed to move it to carry a double bass in the car. When it was pointed up behind the back seat, all the sound waves bounced off the back window and forward. The bass sounded great and mostly it was loud enough. It didn't quite compete on the freeway, but that was coz I had a stupid loud extractors and a hot-dog. When I got a turbo muffler later on it was much better.
I cannot stress enough the importance of a good pair of speakers (preferably splits) up front. The idea of sound staging/imaging relates to the direction of sound and balance with respect to the driver's/passenger's seating positions.
You go to a concert - where are the speakers? Not up the back. This is a simple analogy but a very pertinent one at that.
My advice would be to consider the best pair of 6.5in splits (driver plus tweeter) for the front (eg. use a pair of fibreglass kickpanels so you don't have to cut up your bug - a pair I brought in from the states cost me around AU$75 to bring in landed). Down the track if you do convert to 12V a sub in parcel shelf will provide all the necessary bass you need (enclosure normally around 1 cubic foot at a very very rough guide is required for subs....but significantly varies for each model).
In the interim though, a pair of 6x9s will provide bass that will be lacking without a sub....two-ways are probably all that is really required. I'd really consider a pair of splits up front though.
Cheers
Alan
