speaker location

[wbute]

Just think about the result of a speaker box thrown at your head at 100km an hour.

[SLR_dave]

Just think about the result of a speaker box thrown at your head at 100km an hour.

Really good point, especially with modern heavy magnet speaker drivers in them! Also consider the passengers head!

I was gonna do a decent post here, but I havent got time atm, but if it helps answer the question, the original (mono speaker) for the AM radio mounts under the top of the dash (not the bottom) between the demister vents. If you look from the top, between the dash and the windscreen, you will see the dome heads of four capscrews (or if they are not there) four holes just outside the corners of the factory cut speaker grill slots which are arranged in a rectangle. Measuring the bolt holes centre to centre will give you the dimensions you need a replacement speaker to provide as mounting points.

The original speaker was a Plessey/Rola unit (manufacturer). It had a very average frequency responce for a speaker of that size by todays standards, but was quite acceptable at the time, it matched the radio well. Using a flash high end modern speaker will make very little difference to either sound quality or volume if teamed with the original radio, you are best off finding a cheapy that fits properly, it needs to be fairly compact, and have no part of the 'cone' or these days maybe cone(s) that extends above the mounting frame. For this application you wouldnt want to spend more than around 20 bucks and you'd get a pair for that price. If you cant find one, and need to use a two or three way, that does have elments that extend beyond the mounting frame you may be able to use a spacer, but there isnt that much room from memory, considering the size of some magnets these days. You dont want a large magnet in there anyway, its field may impose on the voltage regulators in the dash, which are much more difficult (and expensive) to rectify if they go wrong, and after all, they are getting old!

You could google plessy/rola auto speaker replacement perhaps, I havent tried this, so I dunno what youll get, but, I'd say for just one speaker as a genuine replacement it should be about 8 bucks.

I like your approach of fitting the original radio and speaker in their original placement. I will definately be doing this in both my vans, for cruising in old skool mode, (however I will also have a kick arse system that operates independantly as well - but even then, personally I will avoid the kick panels - all sorts of reasons).

But your best answer is to measure up those holes, if the bolts are still there, the speaker probably is too, but likely perished due to sun etc, its only little wing nuts fastening it in, you'll need to remove the glovebox to get to them, watch you dont dislodge your demister pipes, - demister is way more important than sound.

If you have the old unit, take into the shop and see what matches up, even the cheapest these days should be better than the old unit was originally. Otherwise measure the holes centre to centre and see what you can find - you may find a unit you can drill the mounting frame of in a couple of places to fit the dash holes . But for this application on the orig radio, go cheap, low output, small magnet.