Rear speakers for '65 Ranchero?

[beerbelly]

I finally replaced my original AM radio with a RetroSound Laguna C AM/FM and some 6.5" Pioneer speakers in Rhino Fabrication kick panels. YUGE improvement, but I'd like more bass thump. No 1000W door-rattling monster, just some deeper thump. I'm wondering if there's some smallish subs that might fit behind the seats, considering I have a full-size spare on one side. I'd like to see some of your solutions.

[Luva65wagon]

I totally changed my Ranchero to allow the entire space under the bed access panel to be available to put speakers. Sealed the bed off entirely. More than you'd want to do, I suppose. What you'd probably want is a small powered sub, so this would require a low-level feed (RCA cables) sent from the deck to this. And power, of course.

I have used this Infinity Basslink sub in my old Escape and really liked the depth it gave. I pulled it when I traded that in, so it's now in storage awaiting some new vehicle, or to resell someday.

Infinity Basslink: http://a.co/0UPRuHJ

If you google "powered subwoofer", there are many, many, of them ranging from $50 to $$$$

[beerbelly]

I doubt if I'll add a powered subwoofer; that's really more than I'm looking for. I just want to use the rear speaker leads out of the head unit for some more 'oomph' and surround sound behind the seat.

I did some web surfing today, and I've decided to build a bazooka out of 4" dia. x 24" black ABS pipe with a speaker at each end. Ordered some Dayton Audio 4" midbass long-excursion speakers today, and picked up a 24" length of ABS. It fits perfectly up under the rear package shelf, with only 1/4" of the bottom edge showing. I'll have to offset it slightly to the driver's side to clear my full-size spare on the passenger side. Dayton recommends a .1 cu. ft. cabinet for a non-ported version; if my math is right that's 172 cu. inches, and the 24" tube will get me 150, which is pretty close.

I also added a 3.5mm extension cable in the dash for my iPod. Since I had removed the crappy old Deluxe dash and replaced it with a standard cluster, I had some holes available. I found a rubber grommet that fit the dash hole and the end of the cable perfectly, but the pressure needed to plug in the iPod caused the cable to slide back behind the dash after a few uses. I found a push nut at ACE hardware that grabs the cable snugly, not allowing it to move. Not entirely elegant, but absolutely functional. Kinda like my Ranchero (and me).

[dhbfaster]

Sounds like quite a sub! Do you mind sharing the article you found on that?

[Luva65wagon]

I'd like to see it as well! [thumb]

And when will I know it's Oldsheimer's? That powered sub I mentioned is installed in my pickup. :NERVOUS:

[beerbelly]

Well, I'm no expert on stereos, so I did some surfing on the web. I found some info about optimum cabinet size on the speaker manufacturer's site:

http://Dayton Audio ND105-4 4" Aluminum Cone Midbass Driver 4 Ohm

And some theory about cabinets here:

http://How to Build a Subwoofer Box | KICKER®

And here's an article about one mounted on a bicycle, although this one has a small amp built in:

http://Build a Bike Boom Box: 13 Steps (with Pictures)

I'll probably end up tweaking this thing as I go, but all my parts are here now, so I'm gonna get started.

[beerbelly]

I went ahead and built the bazooka tube today, and it worked out great. Nice surround sound, with some good bass thump behind the seat. Really well balanced now, instead of the sound being trapped in the footwells. Those little 4" drivers are kind of amazing- I never would have thought speakers that small could sound that good.

I experimented with a baffle/no baffle between the speakers, and it's a much more powerful sound with the baffle. I didn't do a vent, but that can always come later. I need to do a little reading on how to do it & where to place one.

[Tikitime]

Well done! Sounds like you got alot more sound from a small space, super cool!

[Luva65wagon]

Very nice. What did you use for a baffle?

Did you just wedge it up there?

[beerbelly]

I used a piece of 1/4" black Sintra, a plastic material we used in the sign business I retired from. I found that a McMenamin's beer coaster fit nicely inside the tube, so I traced it & cut it with a jigsaw, then cleaned the edges up with a sander. I pushed it into the tube until it measured equal from both ends, then marked the center in 4 spots around the tube for screws to attach it.