Hope you guys can give me some advice for my convertible. I added a single CD player instead of the 'upgraded' 8 track manual player that came with the car. Prior owner had added rear speakers in the rear side paneld..so I put new ones in the existing holes. There are no front speakers...and I don't want to take the dash out. Also don't want to cut the doors or door panels, as I have seen elsewhere. I see on e-bay that there is a guy selling CustomAutoSound repro kickpanels with speakers for $120 a pair. Wonder if anyone a) knows about the repro quality and b) knows if they fit OK. Appreciate any comments or suggestions. Stanley
speakers If you go to the customautosound website they sell the panels without the speakers....cheaper and you can put your own in! - Bill
Thought about that Billl.. I've had the panels off..there is a lot of metal behind there..so fitting 5" or 6" speakers looks tricky. (I tried some of this already). Also, then you have to cut the Panel and put some kind of speaker cover on it. In the end, I thought having the speaker openings as parts of the kickpanel molding would look best and protude the least. The CAS kickpanels are puffed out a little (I think) to accommodate the depth needed for the speaker without hitting the metal structures behind.. Good suggestion..my personal opinion is that it is harder to do nicely than it seems.. Stanley
I think Bill means CAS sells the kickpanels ready for you to put your speaker in if you don't like the brand they come with. These would already be pre-cut/pre-molded, you just put your speaker in. They're not original GM kickpanels. I'm interested in these too, but would like some feedback from someone who's already done. I've had enough "experiments" come out less than stellar. :laugh:
Stanley, I bought my set from OPG, I bought them with the speakers already installed. I recomened installing your own speakers, the ones that come with the kick panels are a little weak. They fit in my convertible good and look great.
Does OPG sell them I now have to check with CAS and OPG... Does OPG sell the kickpanels with the cutouts, etc. for the speakers..without the speakers..? Or do they sell them only as a pre-made kit..? Also, how was the plastic finish..? Some repro panels come out as shiny hard plastic..versus the more matte color vinyl of the originals..(I'm talking black..my dash color..) Just want to know what I am going to get!! :bglasses: Thks, Stanley
One down.. I called OPG.. They sell the CAS units.. OPG only sells the unit complete with the 80 watt speakers. I am waiting to hear back from CAS what they have available. BTW, 70voom..how much power were you trying to put the 80 watt speakers..? Thx, Stanley
Thanks Thanks for the lead on the other thread. I guess it was a long Winter for everybody.. I had heard about the two-small-speakers where the factory original speaker goes. I just don't want to take out the dash at this point to do that kind of job. I would be happy with kickpanel speakers..I think the best plan is to buy a set of the repros. The bigger (6.5") speakers will provide some bass (more than the 4's in the dash setup). I don't plan to add bass boxes or anything lavish. All I want is to hear and be heard through the beach town with the top down.. I think I should get the Pioneer upgrade, though. The CAS 80 W speakers sound scary. I have already made boo-boo #1 trying to install my own speakers in one of the kickpanels. It didn't come out like I had intended (no pictures..please). So, I am not up for much cosmetic do-it-myself... Good to talk with you again.. Stanley
Re: One down.. Stanley, The radio is a GM stock AM-FM radio..not much power. The plastic is the hard shiny type. My interior is black..so the match was good. I am happy with my set..no complaints.:TU:
A question on the Kickpanels. Are they provisioned for the Vents??? Or do they just block them off so you can use the speakers?? FWIW... I didn't have to remove the dash to do the Two speaker conversion. Just the Radio to get back there:TU:
I have seen both CAs does have two type..one for a/c and one for non a/c. The non a/c kickpanel has the little vent door. The a/c is just solid. Thanks for the tip on the speakers. My own take: I spent time last summer insatlling a cd player in the radio space..and it was tough, especially with the center a/c vent (maybe on a non a/c car it is easier..?) I couldn't get close to the orig speaker, so I just left it in place. If i did that job, lots of stuff would have to come out to get all the access you need. Stanley
Thanks for posting that, Marco!:bglasses::TU: I was about to refer the same thing.:grin: Stanley, I do that conversion to ALL of my '70-'72 Skylarks, including my '70 Skylark Convertible! The DASH speaker makes a HUGE difference, especially in a Convertible, where "wind noise" is obvious. I've addressed the issue before, that with "low speaker placement" (like Door speakers, or Kick panel speakers), you don't get as much "quality" sound. At least with the Dash speaker, the sound is "amplified" off of the windshield, due to the curvature of the glass. I install Home Theater Systems, and speaker placement is a Critical element (so it also applies to cars)! The angles have to be equal. Speaker height (off of the floor). Surrounding "material" (for example, Carpet ABSORBS sound, which is why I don't recommend kick panel speakers, unless you just like an "ankle massage" when your music's on.:laugh: ) My conversion cost me $20 for the pair of (80W) 4" Door speakers, from a local car audio shop, on clearance. Depending on what "brand" you want to use, price will vary, as will results. Convertibles are tough to put rear speakers in for good sound quality, anyway, but the FIRST and probably the most "noticeable" change you could make would be the DASH speaker! It would be EASIER to remove your DASH, and install that speaker than to install the Kick panel speakers.:Smarty: :bglasses: Good Luck, Stanley. Let us know what you decide to do, or if you need help, ASK!:TU:
Time and Skill... Hi Scott.. I read the whole other thread when Marco posted the link. I agree..that having a dash speakers is the best overall answer, especially if you plan to also add more bass capability somewhere else in the car. 4" speakers don't usually give a lot of oomph at the low end. At some time in the future, I want to take the dash apart..for cleaning and maintenance. But as of now I don't have the time to devote to it..since I am at a low skill level..it will be a slow by-the-book type of exercise. Therefore, though not as good, I will probably get the kickpanel speakers. I have already been able to remove the kicks to check out the metal work behind. My car came with old speakers already...cut ou: ...in the rear side panels of the backseat. So I have already replaced these old speakers with new ones..and I redid all the wiring, including string wire for the the fronts. So, I am expecting that installing a pre-made kickpanel will be a morning's work. But..I am still looking for other comments people's experiences, too, before I plunge ahead. Thx, Stanley
:bglasses: Hey Stanley, If you're looking at getting the kick panels from Custom Autosound, anyway, then go ahead and spend the extra $30 for the Dash Speakers from them, TOO! That way, with BOTH the Kick Panel speakers, AND the Dash Speakers, you'll have more "balanced" speaker sound! I've installed car stereos for almost 20 years, as a business, and as a hobby, and I've learned that if you want LOUD sound, it doesn't matter WHERE you put your speakers, but if you want GOOD sound, it needs to be POSITIONED and BALANCED accordingly. TWO 4" 80W speakers in your Dash is TWICE the power that your radio will put out, anyway, so that's one way to look at it, and you say that 4" speakers don't have enough "oomph" at the "Low" end. Correct, however when you COMBINE them with, as you say, "adding more Bass capability somewhere else in the car" the difference is SPECTACULAR! In your case, with the Convertible, unless you plan to put a "Sub box" in your Trunk for your Bass, you'll have to settle for what you can get out of the Front area of the car. You can get more "Bass" out of those 5 1/4" Kick Panels, then, but DO THE DASH SPEAKERS! Again, I emphasize that it is a "little more" of a challenge trying to get good sound quality in a CONVERTIBLE, compared to a HARDTOP, but it is not "impossible". I GUARANTEE that with a GOOD "PAIR" (now, REALIZE that you're changing the ORIGINAL, SINGLE SPEAKER to a PAIR of STEREO SPEAKERS, for LEFT AND RIGHT channels) of Dash speakers installed, YOU'LL LOVE IT!:bglasses: Also, you mention that you only have a "GM stock AM/FM radio". THAT will make a big difference, too. Again, Kenwood has available, for about $100, the "knob" type radio, that fits directly in the Dash Bezel. 45W/channel, AM/FM/Cassette, Auto Reverse. (I have 3 of them in each of my own cars!) :bglasses: It's all in what you want! :bglasses: :TU:
Re: radio Yep. That's the one that I use. I have enough "extra" radio bezels that I've collected (that were "hacked" before I got them), that it's just easier to cut them out, so the knobs fit better, and then I use a "universal" faceplate (that you can get at Best Buy, or just about any department store that has car stereo installation kits, for about $10), and then the original faceplate over that. When it's done, it looks like it came from the factory that way.:bglasses: If you like the "knob" radios, then that's the SAME one (the Kenwood 2007) that Custom Autosound uses (and then sells as "their own")!:Smarty: They redo the RADIO, instead of the BEZEL, which is why you pay $250, instead of $100 (when you buy the radio from a Kenwood dealer). The knobs are not far enough apart to fit in an original radio bezel, so they "move the knobs out", sideways, to fit in the bezel. You pay $150 labor for something that you can do yourself (it's easier to cut notches in a radio bezel to make the radio fit, than to take apart a radio to modify it and then put it back together to make it fit).:Smarty: I'd rather modify a $5 radio bezel, or even a $20 radio bezel, before I'd spend $150 "extra" on a "$100" radio!:Smarty:o No: The "knob" radios are getting harder to find though, as most cars don't have "knobs" anymore. The one that I just did in my '70 Skylark is an indash CD player (I only buy KENWOOD for my BUICKS!:bglasses: ), and I had to do a little more "modification" to the bezel than I wanted to, but the result is EXCELLENT! I was even able to use the factory mounting bracket to support it in the back.:bglasses: It fits FLUSH with the Dash, for a "MODERN/HIGH TECH" look!:bglasses::TU: I thought about using an extra glovebox lid, and making a "hidden" radio in it's original position. (since a glovebox is the same angle as the dash/ashtray, you could use it to make a "door" to "hide" the radio, leaving it in the bezel, in it's factory position. The dash would then look completely SMOOTH!I've been working on that, for something DIFFERENT!:Brow: :TU: ) I just got an AWESOME deal on a Sony system TODAY! (I wasn't even LOOKING for a car stereo, but I was at Wal Mart, looking in the Clearance aisle, when the Wal Mart employee said to me "If you see a car stereo that you want, let me know, and I'll mark it down some more off of the clearance price". I didn't even know what he was talking about, because I didn't even SEE any car stereos. I asked him, "What are you talking about? I don't even see any car stereos, and I didn't know they were on clearance." He showed me a couple of shelves with Stereos, Amps, and Speakers from Sony, Pioneer, and Jensen, that were ALL on clearance.:bglasses: SO, I got a Sony Xplod AM/FM/CD player/CD text with Removeable Face and Remote Control (52Wx4, $200 radio), AND a pair of Sony Xplod 3way 6x9's (180W, $100 speakers), "$300" worth of components, FOR (ready for this?:shock: ): $140.:jd: :bglasses: :grin: Even when I'm NOT looking for deals, THEY find ME!o No: This system won't be in a Buick, though, it's for my wife's N.. N.. I can't say it! I'll spell it: N-O-V-A. :gt::laugh: It'll still ROCK, though (but not like my KENWOODS :laugh: :TU: )!:bglasses: :TU:
I'll vouch for the Kenwood Shaft style head units too! I hunted them down at Fry's and had to drive to City of Industry to nab one.. $100 later, the Chevy had AM/FM/Cassette.. $60 for Kenwood 4way 6x9's, and a Blaupunkt 200watt amp from my closet. Later that night, I finally had a highlight regarding the Chevy... LoL Keep in mind, Kenwood makes two different model shaft style units.. One is rated for lower power, the other has higher power and a set of rca preouts.. Buy the one with the preouts, even if you don't use them right away, when you get ready to add an amp, it's sooo much better...
radio Scott - how about some pictures? It may be the way I end up going. BTW Cyberbuick, the 2007 is available at a couple of internet sellers, plug in kenwood 2007 into mysimon.com or any other merchandise search engine - Bill
I had a reply posted until I figured you were refering to the other Scott.. ou: We should have a system here.. Scott 1, Scott 2, Jim 1, Jim 2, Mike A, Mike B. :spank:
