Nice job on the door speakers
Any updates????/
93 Blk/Blk Mustang Cobra #1133 SBF with Twins 76's
86 Black Gt Droptop
Haven't worked on it in a while. Mostly because of work and kids but also because I have not convinced myself I want to cut the doors.
Matthew
Here is a pdf of the part dimensions I did when I built the box. Its a little rough but there should be enough info in this thread along with the pdf to get you started. There is a pic on the first page of this thread of how the parts go together. There is also a link to the driver.
My son and I decided to mess around with his stereo.
He’s been running a sealed rear fire 12 in a box we designed for a Chrysler Sebring convertible about 4 years ago. It sounded amazing in the Sebring but there box is not at all right for a Mustang.
the box was a pretty complex design. When we built it we did a thin box up under the top for the needed space and intersected it with a second box that’s tall enough and deep enough to just squeeze a 12 into. It worked wonders and the dual chamber box design gave us two pitches with a solid bump from resonance and some nice smooth slopes. Very musical and threw down hard when pushed
When there’s too much box and not enough distance to fire it into the typical gains you see from a truck space quickly becomes loss — and lots of it. Was shockingly quiet knowing what that box did in the Sebring
With that in mind we threw a high end Kicker 8 into an old Realistic enclosure I had laying around. I figured it would work out to be a good size for the 8. We plugged the port and played with it some but in the trunk that box is a bit too big to run sealed with that sub. It did well ported
We did so many different orientations and found a few when we removed the spare that were great. Way more sound that the 12”. Next I started playing with orientations that would allow a spare and the top to go down. What ended up working best was surprising. The sub had to be fired at an angle off a board at the back of the car and the side of the box had to be parallel with the trunk lid. 1 degree off either way and we lost about 60% of our output.
The most shocking part is it now also sounds great with the top down which is rare in a convertible
Definately won’t win an install quality contest how it is but it’s a lot more enjoyable and takes up less that 1/2 the space the 12 took in the trunk
Last edited by erratic50; 05-22-2020 at 03:27 AM.
For the most part bass frequencies from 100 Hz down are omnidirectional. This is not new information. However, when placing bass speakers in a room or a closed space like a trunk or the cab of a vehicle the position and orientation of the speaker can become critical because of room gain (or in this case cabin gain). It is nice to see someone actually taking the time to get it right.
Nice job.
Matthew
It looks like crap but we are getting more output at the tones that matter than we ever got out of the 12 in that limited space.
Whats interesting is this is the first time I’ve heard a stereo in a Mustang where the bass isn’t louder if you lean forward. Would be interesting to actually model out the path the waves are taking on their way to the listener because whatever it is, it’s clearly hitting a sweet spot on wave repeats.
We started to ponder what we could do to squeeze a 12 in and fire it basically the same way. A challenging install for sure when we’ve only got such a small area to work with. The 12 would undoubtedly have to lean forward drastically to even sit there. The springs for the trunk lid and the glass for the top both create major challenges. The setup there right now JUST fits. A hinge spring clips the box as it goes by but it doesn’t hang up
There’s only 1/4” of clearance between the top’s glass and the box
The angles it’s sitting at is pretty nuts. I found it by opening the trunk with the stereo turned up and moving the sub around until I could feel a major increase in sound waves on my arms and I could hear a broad range of notes more clearly. Had to use wedges and other stuff to keep it there and close the lid to test it
now a suite case or a laundry basket will actually go in the trunk where as before there wasn’t room for anything. I call that a win
Thats not to say we won’t eventually build a new thin box similar to the one featured in this thread.
Can you PM me these diagrams in full size pdf so they can be easier to read.
I am interested in trying this. Or perhaps you can sell me a pair of these for my 84 vert. I butchered the doors pretty much to try to get a 6 1/2 JBL GTO629 fit.
I butchered the door panels too. I was thinking of starting over with a new set from LMR and with these custom fit bracket I think it would look almost stock. Did you 3D print speaker covers to look stock or does this require an aftermarket cover?
Also, about the subwoofer, I am also looking for a way to get a bass boost without losing what little space I have left. The case you built fits right into the space where the convertible top goes when its lowered? Is it possible to fit something under the passenger seat?
I have a Custom Auto Sound retro stereo. Its OK, not great. I was thinking of upgrading to their new model that has built in Bluetooth. I have an Alpine power brick. This one. https://www.crutchfield.com/S-TWJM0V...UaAohjEALw_wcB
I have four 6 1/2 speakers running off the 4 channels. I have my dashboard 3 1/2's and a pair of 3/4 JBL tweeters I installed in the old stock power amp spot center dash, running direct off the head unit.
I hear the dash speakers louder than the 4 door speakers. If I try to raise the gain on them the breaker starts triggering every 10 seconds. When I lower it to where the thing runs steady with no breakup, the dash speakers running off the head unit overpower the Amps speakers.
Its frustrating, Im trying to find a better set up so I can enjoy the door speakers.
Reading bits and pieces, my take on it is: has its own amp, connects like the Alpine does to the radio.
Since its amp and speaker are matched to each other, would be easy to add. Self contained.
Does not need any connection from the Alpine, only to the radio
"Both L+R speaker level inputs (from the radio) can be connected to play L+R bass signals."
Radio head unit needs decent power to connect two amps via RCA input.
Dunno if you can use both at the same time.
"The speaker can be connected into any car's head unit using line level RCA or speaker level.
Note that the BASSPRO SL requires power and grounding.
The BASSPRO SL is a powered sub. It doesn’t need an amp.
Is Class D like the Alpine amp. A very decent 125w RMS.
Connection to head unit, power, ground. Another potential 12a max draw.
More info further down the product page.
The PDF install guides should show what can be done connection wise.
The FAQ answer to most inquiries is "submit a case request at https://www.jbl.com/support-contact.html and the Customer Service Team will be more than happy to assist you."
Last edited by gr79; 07-17-2020 at 11:39 PM.
I love this thread, I have always wanted to have better sound in my ragtop. I dont recall the speakers in the dash or rear, they are nothing special.
I have a pair of 12's in a spare tire enclosure, hooked to a small old Class A Auto Tek Amp running the subs....
I cant wait to see how it all works out!
I am hoping that you will be interested in helping me out if I ever get the chance to work on the stereo setup.
Currently I have 4 door speakers, all GTO 629's connected to the 4 channels of the Alpine Amp. I have two three and a half inch dash speakers connected to the head units front speaker inputs and a pair of 3/4 inch JBL tweeters connected to the head units rear channels. I made a custom plate to hold the tweeters in the center spot the stock amp used to be in.
So if all my speaker channels are used up on both the head unit and the amp, where would I jack the sub-woofer in?
Also I'll have to get creative with making it mount under the passenger seat and running power and ground to it as well.
They say it connects to the head unit
If used as a second amp, use a 'y' wired or rca cable connection to supply another set of R+L channels.
Same deal as a plumbing 'T'. The Y adds an additional R+L signal feed branch for the second amp.
The Y is installed before the Alpine amp on the same inputs from the radio. Amp runs independently.
For sure, wiring gets spaghetti like but worth the result.
Could use the same power source as the Alpine if the circuit is up to it.
Is easy to run another separate power line from the battery, use a maxifuse with holder, feed wire thru an existing firewall grommet.
That way takes a load off existing factory wires.
I also run 8 speakers. The 2 dash and six 5x7 in back. The stock radio fader and balance work too. F-R gain is at the JBL amp.
Heck new cars have what 20? wonder how they connect that. Ohms and phasing gets tricky with aftermarket.
I was gonna upgrade my head unit to this https://www.classiccarstereos.com/19...h-usa-740.html
I have the USA 630 but these days bluetooth is a must, This unit not only has bluetooth but it also has a subwoofer output so that what im doing. getting the USA 740 and this JBL subwoofer.
Was thinking about the door speakers
Will they be ok? Water covers to protect from door water?
Prob ok. JBL knows about materials for products used in auto/marine environ.
Am using premium sound 25w Mach two way 6 x 8 speakers from certain 90's Explorer front doors. Paid 5.00 ea.
The back of the speaker spider is covered, sealed from the elements. Std speakers are open back.
https://www.ebay.com/p/2210004338?ii...yABEgI-IfD_BwE
Last edited by gr79; 07-29-2020 at 04:32 PM.
I ordered the USA 740 and the JBL Baspro both from Classic Car Stereo. I'll post when I get them installed.
Just an update,
I got the Custom Autosound USA 740 and the JBL Bass Pro SL 8. Good thing I let an install shop do this for me/ Not only was the subwoofer set up just right but they found out why my door speakers were so weak. The rear speakers mounted in the rear panels, had the 2 tabs the speaker wires plug into touching the steel brace thats behind the panel. So both rear speakers were shorting out and killing the power from the Alpine. Rotated the speakers 180 degrees and now all 4 door speakers are fully lit up.
I now have bluetooth with the USA 740 so I can play music not only from my smart phone, but now I can stream Sirius XM through the app from my subscription attached to my wifes car.
the JBL Basspro SL 8 was the best idea, thanks for the recommendation. It totally kills. I wasn't expecting much from the mixed re views I read, but my car thumps like a 80's discotheque.
I could not possibly be happier right now. Well maybe a little happier. I tried connecting with the original poster about either buying a pair of his custom front door speaker mounts, or at least the full schematic or the program to feed a 3D printer to make a pair of them. I spoke to a local shop that has 3D printing capability, but they cant make these mounts without the program and or file the 3D printer needs to fabricate these.
I butchered my door panels pretty good getting 6 1/2's to mount, but its an eyesore. Anybody else have any suggestions on how to copy the mounts he posted?
No input on this inquiry? Not even the original poster? Very disappointing.
Any 3D printer can fabricate those speaker mounts but they do need a program. So if the OP could see fit to post and or PM me, the schematics required for 3D fabrication of those awesome speaker mounts I'd be extremely grateful. Without it I can't even begin to try to get them made.
The door and dash pods I designed (in the images) are designed specific to the Focal K2 Power drivers and grills as well as the door panels I have on my 86 Fox.. You are welcome to the models but there is no guarantee the fit will be correct for other drivers and doors.
if you could PM me the layout for the door panels and the 3D printer file/program I'd be grateful. If theres adjustments to make GTO 629's fit them I'm sure it can be done.
The only thing I found online remotely similar was a pair of speaker mounts on Crutchfeld.com. They call them RetroSound RPODE and they look like dog bowls. Pure junk.
I am ordering a new pair of TMI door panels from NPD and as soon as I have the ability to mount external door speaker mounts I'll put them on. my butchered door panels are the only eyesore in an otherwise perfect interior reupholstering job.
Here is my pair of 12's in the spare tire well.
I think i have some rockford fosgate 3.5's and a couple of JBL 5 1/4's in the rear these are running off of Deck Power on my Alpine CDA-9831 50 W X4, and then the Autotek 9050 Bts running the subs.
I started thinking that the 90-93 had speakers in the door, so if I changed out to the newer door panels and also the newer rear panel I think I would have an easier time getting better speakers in there....
Do you think this is possible to go this route? And how much fabrication would be required?
Regardless I am in the market for 3.5's and 5 1/4 for the interim what would you recommend for speakers?
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