Speaker mounting questions, 1984 model
 

I have a 1984 K10 Silveraodo that my dad bought new. He ordered the truck with the "radio delete" option. I have a radio in it and would like to mount speakers in the factory locations.

What all do I need to buy in order to do this? What size speakers? Any brackets?


Currently the truck just has a pair of speakers behind the seat laying on the floor, which is not the best sounding option IMO :lol: ...

http://64.246.42.114/vboard/showthread.php3?t=104570

This should answer your questions regarding the rear speakers.

Slonaker

Yeah, I saw that....but where do you get the brackets? Junkyard or can I buy them new somewhere Will I need the brackets? Or will my 1984 model already have them?


What about the front speakers? What size? Will I need brackets?


Thanks guys!

Expensive route, get the kick panel enclosures and component speakers, usually a 5 1/2" and a tweeter.

Cheap route, get some dash speaker brackets from a yard (shouldn't be hard, these aren't highly sought after), and get some nice 3.5" speakers.

Totally up to you.

Good source for the brackets and factory type speakers is LMC, ChevyDuty, Classic Industries, etc. They all have this stuff in their respective catalogs. You can occasionally find them on Ebay. A day trip to the boneyard could reap some rewards or just some mesquitos. :)

You can have my factory front speaker brackets as I have them just laying around. Just pay shipping an they are yours.

Another option might be to order the speakers from crutchfield and get the brackets for free.

Lowest option radio had only a weird size single speaker mounted in the center of the dash. The higher level radios had two dash 3 1/2" speakers and two 4X10 speakers (which has to be one of the worst sizes for speakers). That is why everyone is talking about converting to 6X9 - it is one of the best shapes for a speaker.

apstguy,

Thanks for the offer. I might have to take you up on that. :metal:

So would changing from a 4x10 to the two 3.5's only require a different bracket or would you have to mod the dash?




Can you fit 6x9's under the dash?



What do you guys think about me fabbing up some brackets? Would that be very hard? I've never been under the dash pad of the truck so I don't really know what the front brackets would need to look like. (Ive seen the pics of the rear ones in the other thread)

thanks

6X9s won't fit the dash. I think you are a little confused. 4X10s are in the rear cab corners and the 3.5s are in the dash.

not true on the 4x10. pre 85 trucks had a 4x10 mounted in the center of the dash, as opposed to 3.5s in the corners.

my 81 K30, and my old 82 C10s had all the holes needed to mount 85+ dash speaker brackets in the metal dash, as well as the dash pad. so they should be a direct bolt in.

My 84 has 3.5 in the corners and 4x10s in the rear. Im not sure but you might be able to cut the center 4x10 opening for a 6x9. But I don't know if that would help or hurt the sound setup in the dash.

So my 1984 model has space for one 4x10 under the dash? How hard would it be to upgrade to 2 3.5's?

So it sounds like I just need brackets for the rear speakers, right?

I am in the process of making 6X9 rear brackets to sell here & will let you know when I have them ready. They will be laser cut & be VERY similar to the ones Ampersand used to sell back in the day. As of right now, my price guess will be somewhere @ $30 shipped US. We have to figure how many we can cut to a sheet & bending time to get a closer price. Steel is at an all time high right now so Ive been puting it off in hope of the price coming back down...corn

The single biggest problem with the sound from dash mounted speakers is they are open backed. A speaker will only sound as good as the enclosure it is in. This is what deadens the sound from dash speakers. Personally, if you are after the best sound you can afford, stay away from the dash. Go after some better sounding behind the seat speakers. I also highly recommend kick panel speakers too. Speakers in the door are better than nothing but not the best place to have any. Besides, you will need to hack the door to fit them right. I would go for some good 6x9's in the cab corners with insulation behind them to kill any vibration. It would be fairly simple to fabricate some mounts for them out of plywood and L brackets. But, if you are after the best sound, get ready to spend a few bucks on amps and subs.

Hey Corn:

Where am I supposed to send my brackets for your templates? You can email me at the address I provided you with before...

Slonaker

I had a set of 6x9's in thecab corners and a set of 3 1/2's in the dash w/o any kind of insulation or other mod besides the 6x9 rackets and I must say, they sounded really good. But like Mike said, I aslo spent a pretty good penny to make sure they were something of quality and also put a good amp in to push the 6x9's. The 3 1/2's were off the deck and still sounded great IMHO.

I've got some new 6x9's laying around so I might just have to throw those in.

I didn't think the dash speakers would give that great of a sound but my problem is I can't even hear the speakers behind the seat due to road noise and the b/c the seat muffles them. I need something in front to make some noise....


cornfed 63, how long until you think the brackets will be available? Will they require any drilling or modifications to the truck? Thanks.

Another option I've used for the open backed spots (an infinite baffle application ) is buy some "cans" for them.. I've bought them up here at Canadian Tire before and what they are, is a thin, somewhat form-fitting plastic housing (mine were black or grey) that mounts behind the speaker to enclose it and it improves the sound. Originally I think they were made for door spots to keep water and dirt off your speakers, but I have used them in cars on the rear parcel shelf to keep the sub in the trunk from over-driving the speakers...

I've used them on all the stereo's that I've installed over the years with great success. I haven't done any installs for a couple years now, so they may or may not still be in production, but I think with a little internet investigation you could find something....or call some local stereo shops for a lead..

Happy hunting....

Oh how untrue a statement that is. I've got a 91 Suburban I just replaced the factory tape deck with a Alpine CD Player, front 3 1/2 inch speakers with Infinity 3 1/2 PLUS sized speaker. I left the factory 4x10's in back for lack of money and installed a 10 inch sub and small amp to drive it. The system sounds 100% better than before. I started out with just the CD player and amp and sub. Then I decided to change the speakers in the dash to the Infinity speakers and that really made a big difference. And you don't need the factory brackets to mount them in the dash. They won't fit under the dash pad if you use them. Screw them right to the steel dash so they are a little below the surface, then you can get your dash pad back on.

Bill