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Where to put speakers in a 72 c10?

76k5blazerr

76k5blazerr

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Need upgrade the tunes in my pickup ASAP. Currently I've got an old pioneer CD/FM head unit with no place for an aux cord and 1 blown speaker in the factory location in the dash. My first question is how big of a speaker can you mount in the factory dash location in a 67-72? Second question, how hard is it to access that dash speaker to replace it? Third, You guys who have 67-72 pickups, where have you mounted your speakers? I like the idea of kick panel speakers, that would be like a 5 inch speaker right? Do you have to buy the kick panels made to have speakers mounted in them or can you make the originals work? Where else can you mount speakers in these babies? I'm not looking for a crazy system, just something that i can hear on the highway with the windows down (truck isn't that loud) that sounds decent. Not looking to spend bank. Suggestions?
 
Kick panel mounts are not great, if you use the park brake much, but there are not many options in these cabs, especially if you still have the tank in the cab, which I know that you do. I don't know what your door panels are like and if you would want to look at putting some speakers in them with some custom spacers cut to even out the surface and space the magnet away from the inside of the door. You may be able to cut a hole in the door behind the speaker to make room, too. I suggest this as it would out the speaker up closer to you and also make it easier to change your mind later, in case you wanted to go back to stock.
Unfortunately, the only place that you have room is basically right at your hip, under the arm rest. Yeah, it would mess up the door panels, but not the door.
I cut a set of doors back when I was 16 in my first '68. Then later swore that I would never do that again.
Now both my '70 and my '72 have the tanks removed from the cab. This makes it so that you can build panels for the corners. You have to leave a port in the driver side for the pressure relief vent in the door jam. But you can attach brackets by welding or bolting them in or epoxy.

Now both of my trucks, I have also cut holes in the dash, outside from the defrost ducts, for 3 1/2" speaker. But the easiest way to do that is with the windshield out.

Getting the original speaker out can be done by removing the glove box.
 
6872xtc said:
Kick panel mounts are not great, if you use the park brake much, but there are not many options in these cabs, especially if you still have the tank in the cab, which I know that you do. I don't know what your door panels are like and if you would want to look at putting some speakers in them with some custom spacers cut to even out the surface and space the magnet away from the inside of the door. You may be able to cut a hole in the door behind the speaker to make room, too. I suggest this as it would out the speaker up closer to you and also make it easier to change your mind later, in case you wanted to go back to stock.
Unfortunately, the only place that you have room is basically right at your hip, under the arm rest. Yeah, it would mess up the door panels, but not the door.
I cut a set of doors back when I was 16 in my first '68. Then later swore that I would never do that again.
Now both my '70 and my '72 have the tanks removed from the cab. This makes it so that you can build panels for the corners. You have to leave a port in the driver side for the pressure relief vent in the door jam. But you can attach brackets by welding or bolting them in or epoxy.

Now both of my trucks, I have also cut holes in the dash, outside from the defrost ducts, for 3 1/2" speaker. But the easiest way to do that is with the windshield out.

Getting the original speaker out can be done by removing the glove box.
Click to expand...
My blazers has speakers in each door bottom, with a carpeted plywood panel backing them, covering the lower 7 inches of the door. A 6 inch speaker in each door. Is it frowned upon to cut speaker holes in the bottoms of these doors? Like not in the door panel but in like the bottom right corner of the driver door and bottom left of pass?
 
It's your call since it's your truck. But I didn't like how often that I rubbed or kicked the grill of the speaker. Now people are finding out that the reproduction doors suck, so they won't do anything to harm a factory door.

I just didn't like the speaker sticking out where you move your feet past them to enter and exit the truck. I like it better with the most room possible.
 
6872xtc said:
It's your call since it's your truck. But I didn't like how often that I rubbed or kicked the grill of the speaker. Now people are finding out that the reproduction doors suck, so they won't do anything to harm a factory door.

I just didn't like the speaker sticking out where you move your feet past them to enter and exit the truck. I like it better with the most room possible.
Click to expand...
Maybe I will find the loudest best sounding 5x8 speaker that I can and stick it in the factory location in the dash. Just to get me by. What size speaker fits there?
 
I can't tell you what will fit there. There are some aftermarket ones that do 2 small speakers, or 1 dual coil speaker.

If you try to do something yourself, don't forget to check for clearance between the speaker magnet and the stereo.
 
This is what the corner panels look like with the fuel tank gone. Someone on the "other" site sells them.

DSC02399.jpg
 
I plan to go this route or make a box behind the seat with some storage built in too. I've got buckets so I could probably get decent sound coming from between them. I'm also considering filling in the vent flappers under the dash/ A pillar area. I don't see myself using them. I can make a small box to hold some 6 1/2" speakers, mount it off the floor and angle it towards the seats. This way I'm not cutting the doors (oh god no) and I'm not running a POD that will interfere with my highbeam switch.

PS. I don't have a parking brake currently. I plan to run a hand pull style mounted to the floor, either next to the seat or on the trans tunnel. My truck came with the hand brake, so the firewall isn't set up for the foot style.

100_1473a.jpg
 
these things, left side. But I really want to seal them off outside too, maybe even use part of the hole to hold the speaker.


 
Thanks for the advice guys, seems about the only options I have are to try and put new speakers in the dash or do kick panel or door speakers... Then I'm out of room.
 
I ended up putting holes in the doors on my '71 GMC pickup,to mount 6-1/4" speakers in them...doors were already patched on the bottoms once before I got the truck,so no tears were shed over "ruining" a pair of mint doors...

I used some "Pyramid" brand speakers that had grilles made of perforated metal that was fairly rugged and they did not stuck out much from the door,I had some in other trucks like it (My K5's) that jutted out a good inch and they would get kicked or something wedged against them when you shut the door..

I should have bought those foam speaker "insert covers" before putting the speakers in the doors,so rain water and dirt would not end up in the back side of the cones..I ended up having to put new speakers in after a year or so,the weather ruined the voice coils and they sounded scratchy and buzzy...I bought speakers with polyethelyne cones to replace the paper ones..

When I first got the truck,I used a pair of small wedge shaped speaker enclosures I found in an old parts store made by Spark-o-Matic that sounded decent,and they fit on top of the dash against the windsheild in each corner..I used velcro tape to keep them in place..one hot summer day though,the cases warped badly...ended up chucking them..

I thought about putting two 6x9" speakers under the seat facing the firewall,mounted on thin plywood..I decided to try it,and they sounded great--but you'd put your heel thru the cones too easily or crush them if someone moved the seat--since I was the only driver,it worked out ok for awhile,but it was not long before the speakers got kicked and dirt in them from muddy shoes..ditto for kick panel mounted ones..they didn't last long or sound good either..

I think the 67-72 trucks use a 4x6 front dash speaker for the factory radios..(I even have one somewhere in my parts stash)...I managed to stuff a 6x9 in place of the 4x6 one in one truck,but it had to be a cheap one from Radio Shack with a tiny magnet--the bigger ceramic magnet ones hit the heater controls...

Unfortunately there ain't much as far as good places to mount speakers in those year cabs...the overhead console type speakers are too small to get decent bass,and buzz and vibrate,and if your 6'5" tall like me,you wont fit in the cab any more..even with no gas tank behind the seat,your pretty limited as to what you can stuff back there,and have it sound decent..
 
There are folks putting two 3" speakers in the factory dash hole. I kind of like the idea of running a 4x6 PLATE speaker with the separate tweeter. I have some Polk MOMO 4x6s in the s10 that sound awesome.
 
Years ago J,C. Whitney sold speakers that fit in the stock dash location that had dual voice coils and cones,so you could get stereo...not sure if those still exist...

I'll have to look at that oem speaker,it might be a 4x10" ,or 5x7,I'm not sure what exact size it was now--it was oval though,I can say that much,and I know its not 6x9"..
 
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