Well sure, but you wanna be able to hear your grandchildren too. .......or maybe not.
Subwoofers in a cruiser mopar
- Thread starter Princess Valiant
- Start date
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dirty white boy
50 yr old Juvenal delinquent
if its to loud,..your to old!!! in a time before amp's, had a adiovox receiver/cassette with a pyramid power EQ pushing house speakers in back seat, 2 6x9 pioneer's in back window and up front had set of pioneer 8 inch round speakers in kick panels!! sounded good for what it was! lost all that when my chevelle burnt up! net system was a radio shack house brand receiver amp sub woofers 6x9s an eq and it jammed the hair bands in my 2nd chevelle great!!
SLOPAR72
Well-Known Member
I had 10" subs and a set of 8" 3 ways in the rear deck of my 74 Duster back in the day. They fit but not much room after that. My 72 Duster had a set of 15's mounted in the trunk which is probably what turned me off in life with audio setup's who sound like cobbled up crap.... Overpowering low's in car audio is a disgrace to any music period.... JMHO.....
JW
JW
Last edited:
I’ll redo my set up with the EQ & 1 amp powering the rear deck @ @9 90 watts & 1 sub @ 180 watts. Todays head units are enough to drive the fronts well enough.
At least today I can design an exhaust that doesn’t kill everything inside the cabin.
At least today I can design an exhaust that doesn’t kill everything inside the cabin.
72Duster440
Well-Known Member
I don't have a sub in mine, but for the main speakers.....
I run Alpine 6x9s out back, 5 1/4's in the doors and I 3d printed some adapters to mount 3.5s to the defroster vents in the dash. I used the appropriate caps on them to block the lows. I am running the Alpine 445 Power Pack to give me 45 watts RMS to those speakers. It wires right to the Alpine head unit I have. My dash was already cut (poorly) when I got the car so I didn't mind putting a Bluetooth capable receiver in. I was going to install a Kicker bass tube with the amp built in, but my alternator isn't big enough. I didn't feel like replacing the alternator and the wiring to it to handle the increased load, but maybe at some point I will. The bass response now is pretty good, and already causes too many rattles that I am still tracking down.
I run Alpine 6x9s out back, 5 1/4's in the doors and I 3d printed some adapters to mount 3.5s to the defroster vents in the dash. I used the appropriate caps on them to block the lows. I am running the Alpine 445 Power Pack to give me 45 watts RMS to those speakers. It wires right to the Alpine head unit I have. My dash was already cut (poorly) when I got the car so I didn't mind putting a Bluetooth capable receiver in. I was going to install a Kicker bass tube with the amp built in, but my alternator isn't big enough. I didn't feel like replacing the alternator and the wiring to it to handle the increased load, but maybe at some point I will. The bass response now is pretty good, and already causes too many rattles that I am still tracking down.
SLOPAR72
Well-Known Member
Sounds similar to what I had. My subs were 10" CV dual voice coils. And it's been over 30 years now so I don't remember all the components but crossovers were the hot lick back in the day. I had ADS plates in the front and atleast 2 Harmon Kardon amps. I think the Speaker tray is still in my parents attic. Those were good time....
Did it hit? Oh yes and at the time you could hear me well before seeing me. But I also made use of it with some respect unlike what I see today. Kids will park their crap in front of a convenience store and I just cringe. Sometimes I just go back to my car and leave.
JW
My system would probably be kind of weak for the type of music that Princess Valiant listens to. Think there are some nice Bluetooth powered subs now.
My system doesn't draw a lot of power. When using big power amps and subs the wiring circuits are the big problem on old charging systems. Bigger alternator and wiring is required. Adding a couple 50 amp circuits for subs along with the existing loads can fry the wiring on a 35-55 amp charging circuit..
My system doesn't draw a lot of power. When using big power amps and subs the wiring circuits are the big problem on old charging systems. Bigger alternator and wiring is required. Adding a couple 50 amp circuits for subs along with the existing loads can fry the wiring on a 35-55 amp charging circuit..
TrailBeast
AKA Mopars4us on Youtube
It’s been touched on already, but could stand some more attention.
Subs draw a ton of power when they hit.
My neighbor has 3 cars with 2 tens in the trunk.
His oldest car (80’s Olds Cutlass) pulls his idle rpm lower every time the bass hits, so yes the Valiants electrical system will need some charging system and wiring upgrades to handle any decent amp.
He runs amps in the 2k watt range.
You can hear him coming from a full block away.
The next time I make audio changes on my Dart it’s going to be a Bluetooth amp setup.
I have a twin 10 Kicker box, but I doubt I’ll use it.
It would take up half of my trunk or more.
I’ll spare you a bunch more details you didn’t ask about.
Johnny Dart
Well-Known Member
Mopar Subwoofer system installed.
Jeff Seighman
aka jeffnmo
No stereo in my Dart, the sound it makes is music to my ears, now in the house is different, vintage Sansui, Klipsch, Dual and Yamaha.
NoCar340
The Original Partstitute
My '69 Valiant has an old-school Kenwood KRC-2001 dual-shaft cassette deck (I had an Alpine 7307 but I hate auto-eject), the same Kenwood KGC-4042A "baby" EQ @rumblefish360 posted (glove box), and an Alpine DHA-S690 DVD changer under the seat run through the head unit via an Alpine CRA-667RF FM modulator. Noisemakers are a custom-made dual-channel dash speaker and Infinity 2-way 6x9s (I forget the model) under the rear deck. The previous owner had cut the package tray, so I used the garbage Audiovox grilles he'd installed to hide the better speakers. I haven't decided on a sub yet (probably an Infinity 100.9W, DVC), but amplification comes from two vintage Nakamichi amplifiers: PA-350 for the speakers and PA-300II for the sub.
Now, 290 total watts doesn't seem like much, but as a former installer I can tell you it's not total watts, it's signal-to-noise ratio and total harmonic distortion that make all the difference in sustainable volume. S/N on the Nak amps is better than 108db and THD is less than .001% (thank you Nelson Pass). It will play louder than almost anyone would want. If you like to listen to actual music, there's never need for more than one subwoofer; a 12" will hit a little lower than a 10" but anything larger is outside the range of anything but pipe-organ music--doesn't seem your style.
Yes, I still listen to cassettes (well-made ones sound far better than you think; store-bought prerecorded ones always sucked) but if the mood strikes, I can put a Bluetooth adapter in the cassette deck. The DHA-S690 holds six DVDs' worth of MP3s (almost 29GB) that have all been level-matched so volume isn't all over the place and there's no native clipping, which is common with MP3s (everyone tries to maximize volume at the expense of sound quality). I don't stream, because every streaming service sucks.
The only thing visible from outside the car is the nowadays-pathetic-looking dual-shaft head unit. The same model got stolen out of my '79 300 back in '89, along with all my tapes.
This system is just a quickie and pales in comparison with what'll end up in my Challenger. I have more vintage Alpine & Nakamichi gear than one man should (40 decks, 50-some amps, 11 EQs, etc.). Why all the vintage stuff? One, it still works 30+ years later, which current stuff won't. Two, old made-in-Japan class AB amps sound far better than almost anything made today. Three, they at least sorta-look right, and today's head units all have way too much happening with gaudy displays, color-changing buttons, etc. I just want clean, clear, loud, sometimes very loud, music.
As a few quick asides:
Any speaker cone that will be exposed to sunlight should be covered with grille cloth to minimize UV damage.
Avoid speakers with foam surrounds; they'll break down very quickly (couple of years) despite sounding awesome initially.
If your enclosure is not specifically built using your sub's Thiele-Small parameters, you're leaving low-end extension, volume, or both on the table.
A few shots of my home-grown dash speaker, made using the original flange, scrap metal, grille cloth and hand-picked drivers:
Yeah, I dinged one dustcap messing around.
I glued black grille cloth to the original adapter bracket to provide some UV protection:
Then I bolted it together and added some closed-cell foam gasket material to isolate back waves from front:
Using the original flange and hanger meant it fit perfectly, and the sun can beat down through the windshield all it wants with minimal effect on the drivers.
Now, 290 total watts doesn't seem like much, but as a former installer I can tell you it's not total watts, it's signal-to-noise ratio and total harmonic distortion that make all the difference in sustainable volume. S/N on the Nak amps is better than 108db and THD is less than .001% (thank you Nelson Pass). It will play louder than almost anyone would want. If you like to listen to actual music, there's never need for more than one subwoofer; a 12" will hit a little lower than a 10" but anything larger is outside the range of anything but pipe-organ music--doesn't seem your style.
Yes, I still listen to cassettes (well-made ones sound far better than you think; store-bought prerecorded ones always sucked) but if the mood strikes, I can put a Bluetooth adapter in the cassette deck. The DHA-S690 holds six DVDs' worth of MP3s (almost 29GB) that have all been level-matched so volume isn't all over the place and there's no native clipping, which is common with MP3s (everyone tries to maximize volume at the expense of sound quality). I don't stream, because every streaming service sucks.
The only thing visible from outside the car is the nowadays-pathetic-looking dual-shaft head unit. The same model got stolen out of my '79 300 back in '89, along with all my tapes.
This system is just a quickie and pales in comparison with what'll end up in my Challenger. I have more vintage Alpine & Nakamichi gear than one man should (40 decks, 50-some amps, 11 EQs, etc.). Why all the vintage stuff? One, it still works 30+ years later, which current stuff won't. Two, old made-in-Japan class AB amps sound far better than almost anything made today. Three, they at least sorta-look right, and today's head units all have way too much happening with gaudy displays, color-changing buttons, etc. I just want clean, clear, loud, sometimes very loud, music.
As a few quick asides:
Any speaker cone that will be exposed to sunlight should be covered with grille cloth to minimize UV damage.
Avoid speakers with foam surrounds; they'll break down very quickly (couple of years) despite sounding awesome initially.
If your enclosure is not specifically built using your sub's Thiele-Small parameters, you're leaving low-end extension, volume, or both on the table.
A few shots of my home-grown dash speaker, made using the original flange, scrap metal, grille cloth and hand-picked drivers:
Yeah, I dinged one dustcap messing around.
I glued black grille cloth to the original adapter bracket to provide some UV protection:
Then I bolted it together and added some closed-cell foam gasket material to isolate back waves from front:
Using the original flange and hanger meant it fit perfectly, and the sun can beat down through the windshield all it wants with minimal effect on the drivers.
NoCar340
The Original Partstitute
Did it for others in three runs: First time in '89 for one summer, then '94-'95 as extra income while working two other jobs, then again as a primary income from '04-'06. I did side installs all along, where I could pick and choose which jobs I'd do. I do not miss working on newer stuff, nor do I miss installing remote starters!
The Kenwood needs what I need it to do in the Valiant, but I can definintely appreciate the different F/R tuning of the JVC. I sorta swore off JVC after my new KS-RG4 (1991) stopped playing tapes after two weeks and took over a year to warranty. A tad extreme, yes, especially considering the good luck I had with their stuff otherwise. Anyhow, the Challenger's getting a DSP stuck in amongst a ton of vintage parts (mostly Alpine).
I get my grille cloth and most of my other installation bits from www.parts-express.com. Good prices, excellent service, and free shipping over $100--I'm always over that since building home speakers are a hobby as well--but as I recall the shipping is reasonable if you don't hit the century mark.
Some--but not even close to all--of my Alpine head units:
You can buy a powered subwoofer that is only about 3 inches thick. I think you can get 8 or 10 inch. They will fit under some seats.
NoCar340
The Original Partstitute
Hoffman's Iron Law of Subwoofers: Low, loud, small. Pick any two at the exclusion of the third.
72Duster440
Well-Known Member
I picked up some new 10" subs lately, they have a mounting depth of about 4" and only weighed about a pound. I didn't have high hopes for them, but with these new fancy high power magnets, wow, they hit way harder than I was expecting.
Matts440
Well-Known Member
No subs in my dart, but for cruising music I have 2- 2.5" in the dash, 6" in the doors and 2- 6x9s on the package tray, the small dash speakers are powered front the JVC double din head unit and a 1500w amp powers the other 4 speakers. Running all kicker brand speakers, good sound, left my bass sound to the engine lol Made a mount for a stock console but have switched things up a bit no console just used the mount and bolted to the floor infront of the new shifter.
A couple of years ago I went down the slippery slope of hifi car stereos...multi amps, mids, tweeters, subs, DSP, acoustic tuning, sound insulation, etc. An enclosed 10 inch sub ie JL Audio will fit behind the front seat which was good enough for classic rock but won't do the sub intensive bass pounding new stuff. For that you're going to need bigger enclosures, dedicated amps and more power supply
That’s the way to get that pounding bass. Dedicated amp for the sub in an enclosure. The new amps are really nice. Great clean power with EZ adjustments.
matthon
Well-Known Member
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I bought a Pioneer Bluetooth receiver, no cd, mounted at the bottom of the dash with some angle brackets.
Wrapped it in a black, breathable, material I had for hanging dryer vent.
Hardly noticeable, unobtrusive, and I kept the radio plate.
Used a marine antenna, nothing on fender.
Built kickpanel 6" speaker mounts out of the small drywall mud containers, covered them in thin black carpet/felt.
Built a small bracket for 2 smaller speakers in the dash.
Reworked 2 old home speaker boxes for the rear, installed 6x9 three way speakers, mounted to rear fastback floor.
Wrapped it in a black, breathable, material I had for hanging dryer vent.
Hardly noticeable, unobtrusive, and I kept the radio plate.
Used a marine antenna, nothing on fender.
Built kickpanel 6" speaker mounts out of the small drywall mud containers, covered them in thin black carpet/felt.
Built a small bracket for 2 smaller speakers in the dash.
Reworked 2 old home speaker boxes for the rear, installed 6x9 three way speakers, mounted to rear fastback floor.
451 8 track player through 3" Hooker Max Flo woofers.
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