Ak. Mal

There have been a lot of discussions about radio and speaker choices and installs lately. I decided to share my purchase and install with everyone here to show that you don't have to spend a lot of money to get a decent sounding stereo and how to make kick panels to hold a set of speakers.

It is time to put a stereo in the Corvette, but because I need many other parts, I set myself a very strict budget of $300. I purchased a Pioneer CD/mp3 player, a set of 6x9s for the rear and a pair of 6.5" speakersto mount in the kick panels. I know that adding a set of components up front and an amplifier for the whole setup would have been ideal, but I decided that can come later if I still really want/need them.

First up, mounting the CD player. This wasn’t too hard because I had already cut the bezel previously for a different CD player that no longer works.



Next was the mounting of the 6x9s in the rear. I used the plans found here as a guide Obviously, the rear speaker mounts are for the 78-82 cars.






Recently I’ve read that this mounting configuration doesn’t provide much low end response because of the open air application of the speakers. I’d have to agree with this assessment. Again, if I feel this just isn’t going to work, I’ll fiberglass the backside to enclose the speakers at a later date.

Now, on to the kick panels.

One thing to note about my panels, the shape, mounting location and angle depend on the speaker you use and whether or not you have to avoid a clutch pedal like I do. If my car had been an automatic, then the speaker would have had more of an angle to point it towards the airspace between the drivers and passenger’s heads.

To use this method, you will have to cut up a pair of kick panels. I purchased a reproduction set when I bought my car. After watching the price nearly double since I purchased them, I decided to buy a used pair off eBay to hack up. I waited patiently and snagged a pair for $15. They have a few cracks, but I’m going to fiberglass over that which will fix them anyways. I cut a hole in the kick panel over the body mount hole. That is where part of the speaker magnet will be located for my installation.



Using ¼” plywood, I cut a ring with an inside diameter big enough to mount the speaker, and the outside diameter the same as the speaker grill. This ring will serve as the mounting point of the speaker.





Using some scrap wood I had as spacers, I taped the mounting ring to the plastic kick panel for trial fitting.







At this point I walked inside to find my wife had made Rice Crispy treats. Snack Time!



Ok, back at it. Now that I have decided on the position of the ring it’s time to mount it. I used a nail gun and snipped off the extra nail bits sticking out.



For the next part, I took a white t-shirt and cut it in half. I used spray adhesive to glue the shirt to the wood ring.



Then using the spray adhesive, I pulled the t-shirt around the backside of the panel and glued it down. After the adhesive dried, I trimmed off any excess material.




Now we start getting messy. I mixed up a bowl of fiberglass resin and hardener. Using an old throw away brush, I coated the material on the panels. At this point, it’s not strong enough to apply very much pressure, so apply gently and let dry/harden.




After two coats of resin, I didn’t feel the material was strong enough, so I applied a layer of fiberglass weave. These shots are after they have dried up and I have trimmed off the excess with a dremel.

Ak. Mal

Now is decision time. How do you want to finish the panels, paint, vinyl or carpet? If carpet, you are probably close to being finished. Carpet can hide a lot of blemishes. If vinyl, you probably want to sand and smooth a little more or add a thin padding behind the covering.

If you go the route I’ve chosen, paint, you are far from done. Now that the panels are strong enough, I hit them up with my palm sander. Obviously, it would have taken a very long time to sand the molded fiberglass smooth. So, I knocked down the large shapes to a manageable level. Next I coated the panel with a layer of body filler (a.k.a. Bondo).






This is the part of the project that becomes time consuming. Sanding. After a thorough attack of the palm sander, I moved to a piece of paper in my hand to get the corners. I used a sandable primer, then sanded to find any low spots. I used spot putty to take care of those, then spent more time sanding, then wet sanding the panels. At this time I gave another test fit to make sure there were no problems.





Now that I’m happy with the finish of the panels, it’s time for paint. This stereo is the finishing touch on my interior restoration. I re-dyed the interior panels black last fall and had some left over. I chose to finish my panels this way so they would match the rest of the interior.




I’m using Polk speakers that come with gray grills as seen on the 6x9s above. I decided that I would like the grills black to match, so I sanded them down and painted them at the same time as the kick panels. I still have to paint the 6x9 grills to match.



I chose to mount the panels in a way that screws won’t be seen. There is a screw holding the panel on underneath the speaker. Obviously the panel goes in place before the speaker. There is another screw up high where the panel is behind the dash. I thought it would add to the overall appearance to not see any screws. I’ll add a picture of the other kick panel mounted soon.

I have no doubts that there were things I could have done differently, or in a better way, but this is how I made my custom kick panels. I’m open to ideas, suggestions and questions. Also, the original resolution of all the pictures is 3888x2592 if you want a larger view of anything.

I'm Batman

Damned good writeup.

I have a perfect original pair of kick panels that I'm going to tuck away for a later day, so I can cut up my repops. I've got plenty of fiberglas stuff laying around here...

Durango_Boy

I hate sanding filler. I HATE it !

Those kicks look great though.

What amp are you using to run the four speakers and do you have a sub and sub amp?

skeptic

Where was this post a few weeks ago!! I went in-dash speakers for the front, but until I tried mounting 6x9's in the stock location in the rear I didn't know they would fit.

Ak. Mal

This install was supposed to follow the KISS rule. I've had big stereos in the past and just didn't want to deal with finding space for all the equipment. If I just don't have enough power I have a Rockford Fosgate Punch 200x2 and a 400x4 along with four JL Audio 8W6 laying around unused.

Durango_Boy

Both that component set and those 3 way 6x9" speakers are 100/300 each. Considering that Pioneer probably has an RMS output of 15-17 a channel, I think your speakers will all be getting a clipped signal.

Have you had a chance to give that system a lot of ear time?

kevinator80

Excellent post. That is the kind of info I look for from this forum. Anybody can be a parts changer. Great job!

Ak. Mal

Not a lot of listening time yet. The head unit is rated for 22w rms. The head unit does have a low pass filter in it. I've already played with that and have it set at 100hz.

I almost competed in the IASCA amateur division several years ago. I had a lot of time at the local stereo shop and learned a lot from those guys. I leaned that power ratings are not as important as sound quality. There are lots of opinions on both, but I'll let my ears be the judge. So far I get enough sound without an amp. If I decide I need one, I'll add it later on.

Durango_Boy

The shop my buddy and I ran had a guy from the University come down with some cool metering equipment once for a exposition on manufacturer ratings on both amps and head units. The findings were rather interesting. Most amps are over rated by 25% and only a few were rated accurately or under rated.

The head units we tested were over rated as well. We tested a high end Eclipse HU rated at 28 watts RMS, and it only gave us 18 at full tilt.

I'm not arguing...just throwing in some extra info.



Me and the ol' Durango competed a few times. It was fun but just not my scene. Those guys take it way to seriously.

spedaleden

Nice job, looks great. I like the time you took to take pics of your work. I am sure you tought a lot of members how to do fiberglass work.

Again
Great Job

brooksman9

Very nice write up and good DIY work.Especially like the part about the rice crispy treats. Thanks for the effort!

Enersis

Very nice!

79L82owner

I'll take a set in black. Who do I make the check out to and for how much??? those look great.

Buffalo Dude

Marcusk408

Nice DIY! Looks like more work than I'm willing to do. I'm probably just going to cut my kick panels and install a spacer to push my speakers out a little so there's room behind it.

Andeep

Hi Guys

i know this thread is old but the link at the top for the plans is broken. does anyone still have a copy by any chance.

thanks in advance

Andeep