Speaker Setup

[tojons]

Finally got the stereo installed in the 40. The speaker location and mounting was my biggest conundrum. Seems there are many threads here dealing with this very issue - what speakers to use, how to mount, etc. All were very helpful - and I think I read all of them before starting this project.

Here's an update. Maybe this will help somebody else down the road.

I had a hard time deciding between the Bose 151's and the Polk Audio 45 Atriums. Both are outdoor, weatherproof, enclosed speakers. But in the end, after listening to them both in the store - I went with the Polks. Their size and shape played a role in the decision. The Bose they sell nowadays are kind of a weird shape that didn't lend themselves well to where I wanted to put them. But ultimately, I felt like the Polks sounded better - maybe it's just my ears or the sound room they were in at the store - but there was an audible difference in the clarity to me. And they were about $100 cheaper for the pair - no brainer.

I also went with an Alpine deck. Great choice and came highly recomended by the many curiserheads whose threads I read about concerning which deck to use. I tried it out on the most rutted, bumpy road I could find around here and not a single skip. Mounted the deck in the glove box as there was no place to put it on the dash or elsewhere in my 69 with the original seats. It didn't come with a radio in 69 so no pre-exisitng dash hole and I wasn't going to cut.

Here's a few pics of the speaker mount location. Speaker came with brackets. Screwed in with foam rubber backing, and a hose clamp for extra measure. The speakers can also be removed from the brackets in about 30 seconds and locked up in the toolbox when parking on the wrong side of the tracks.

The enclosed black box is a 10 inch JL Audio subwoofer. The box has plug connectors for easy removal. Wow, this sucker thumps ! The 4 channel amp is in the toolbox under the driver's seat. All wires are loomed and secured.

Went with the XM setup as well - which was also cruiserhead recomended.

All in all, the sound quality is in a word supreme. And with the strategic speaker placement - Everything is clear and tight at 60 MPH. Very happy with it. Now to see how it wheels...

 

[redrustbucket]

Very nice install and cruiser as well. Be careful with water crossings with that amp under the seat. Lowtide destoyed a nice cd changer that way and if you haven't already make sure you bolt down that sub box. Becomes a dangerous projectile in a rollover or crash... I found out the hard way.

 

[tojons]

Thanks for the tip on the sub. I hadn't considered that but you're right. I'll make sure I secure it.

As for the amp. Thought of that when I put it in there, I made sure and silicone seal the whole compartment to make sure no H2O get's in. It should stay dry, But I'll keep an eye on it.

 

[SizzleChest]

Thanks for the tip on the sub. I hadn't considered that but you're right. I'll make sure I secure it.

As for the amp. Thought of that when I put it in there, I made sure and silicone seal the whole compartment to make sure no H2O get's in. It should stay dry, But I'll keep an eye on it.

be careful of overheating when silicone sealing the amp compartment

 

[Landpimp]

WOW your right the new Bose 151's are funky looking.

think I will try those Polks in my 45LV, I need to get some tunes in it, figure I will just toss em under the front seat.

nice set up

 

[freightdog]

Sweet install - I am gonna go out and get me some speakers like that - well after new seats

 

[cruzerman350]

if you ever wanted to get the deck out of you glove box you could always put it inbetween the canter bars on you roll cage. my freind put a peice of sheet steel across the two center bars and then bolted a CB to it. i think it would work the same for a cd player. youd just have to build an enclosure to hold it safely.

 

[Advent]

Where/how'd you mount the XM antenna?

 

[tojons]

If you look in the one picture - it's on the lower right hand side (passenger) of the windshield. The little black box. The deck is XM ready, so there was no additional hardware other than the little antenna mounted to the windshield.

 

[MarkBethel15]

Where/how'd you mount the XM antenna?

^I was curious about this too?

Alpine deck and XM setup...very nice! And I'm not just saying this because I have an XM setup!

 

[Wolfman]

Where did you get the slipcovers for the front seats?

 

[tojons]

Sor

 

[drohweder]

What did you pay for the polks? Good source?

 

[tojons]

$200 for the pair at Circuit City. But Fryes and Best Buy carry them as well with similar, if not exact same prices.

 

[arcteryx]

How/where did you run the wires to the deck? I see you're using cable management - nice! Have any pics of this?

 

[tojons]

Which wires are you talking about ? The wiring into the deck from the battery all comes through the firewall into the glove box, the wiring to the fuse box / amp runs along the inside of the firewall behind the dash, to the fusebox and then loomed and along the driver's side to the amp under the drivers seat. The wires out of the amp are loomed and run up along the outside of the roll bar to the speakers - held to the bar with wire ties. Not a real hi-tech design, but very effective thus far.

I also changed positions on the XM antenna mount from the windshield to the top of the hood by the windshield hooks. Ran the wire out thru the firewall from the glove box, and then up thru the hole where the windshield stoppers used to be. The antenna works much, much better in this location.

Tell me what you're looking for and I'll see if I can't snap a few pics this weekend.

 

[arcteryx]

Thanks for the response. I was looking to see a pics of the wiring around the roll bar and how those were connected to the deck. I see you have an amp under the drivers seat, so where did you run the wire from the amp to the deck? What does "loomed along the drivers side to the amp" mean? If you have a pic of that, that would be great.

Also, the Polks, they use cones IIRC. Do you notice any horn-like sounds from these? I remember when I was looking at speakers for my home stereo system and listened to the Polks. They seemed very horn-like, and I personally did not like the sound as much as the Energy's that I ended up with. So , I guess I am wondering if these are different sounding than the ones that I heard in the showroom. I really like the fact that they are waterproof, and how you mounted them hence all the questions.
-thanks in advance

 

[tojons]

Loomed is just another term for "cable management" I guess. The wires go into the black wire "loom" (plastic tubing) before running their course.

Speakers are all personal preference. I like the way these sound compared to the others I listened to. Plus they lend themselves better to this particular application than the others. I didn't notice the speakers being "horny" at all . But again, everyone's, um, ears are different.

To me these sound great, coupled with the subwoofer.

I'll take some pics of the wiring tomorrow morning so you can see how it goes.

 

[LC_Hamma]

Theft prevention is always one of the first things I think about when I rebuilt my Cruzah. So, in mounting stereo stuff, I thought about concealing or locating speakers either low near the floor, or camo'd in my Fiero headreats. I figgered I didn't need a heater since it's only a spring thru fall trail rig. The amp is hidden in the glovebox & the CD player has a removeable faceplate. That also explains why my dash has only minor amounts of bling type guages & switches.

 

[LC_Hamma]

Oh yeah, CB is kinda hidden from the side: