Datsun Roadster Forum-311s.org

Hey everyone,

It's been a while since I posted on this site, mostly because I turned my '69 SRL over to the engine rebuilders about 8 months ago. It's been one of those "while you're in there" experiences to say the least. The great news is that I'm getting SRL10160 back this week after what turned out to be a complete top+bottom rebuild...basically everything inside the engine bay has been replaced except the block (cylinders did get over-bored by .02) and the head...but literally everything else has been refreshed.

I know I should be satisfied with the sounds of the open road, but I need a decent stereo. I don't really want to mess with a retro head unit so I will probably go with a Bluetooth-enabled amp that gets tucked away somewhere, controlled by a smartphone. It's cheaper and easier for sure.

My question is really about speaker placement. The previous owner decided to cut the door cards and aluminum bits to install some speakers (without upgrading the head unit?). From my searching of this site this doesn't appear to be a common approach. Eventually (maybe next 2/3 years) I'll be changing exterior color from the current gold/metallic to something more traditional and probably converting the interior color from black to red. That will involve new door cards, etc. but - other than aesthetics - is there some problem with keeping the current speaker placement at least until I get to the rest of the interior work?

I assume other common speaker placement choices have been made to keep the main part of the cabin truer to original, but I'm wondering about the acoustic issues...i.e. have y'all tried door speakers, only to have been disappointed with the acoustics? I'm not an audiophile by any means but my basic knowledge is that you want to focus your sound stage more toward the front (rather than the back where I see plenty of other examples) to better align to a live venue experience (I listen mostly to live recordings).

The cost of whatever speakers I might use while I plan this longer-term interior project is nominal and therefore isn't really an issue, so again I'm mainly curious if door speakers have been tried and failed for acoustic (rather than aesthetic) reasons.

Here's the current situation:

I am absolutely not some car stereo expert of any kind, I'll just tell you what I did for speaker placement... Right behind the seats there is an interior vinyl covered panel that when removed reveals holes suitable to allow a speaker magnet to fit, especially if it's a low depth design and you use a spacer to give a bit more room. I made new panels, it's not hard to do a decent job, especially if you have decent ones already to copy. I made mine out of, yes, political road signs... you know, the plastic honeycomb ones that they stake up along the road that say vote for xyz... they make a perfect backing for covering in vinyl and a little foam if desired. Then you cut holes for the speaker, use a spacer maybe (I did, used a 6" round speaker) and mount that, maybe with some sound deadening behind (?). Then I added separate surface mounted tweeters up front in the footwells on both sides where the triangular part of the dash comes down (about where your left knee would be, that triangle that has the hood release on it). Â better spot might be on the doors themselves. Then I have 2 8" subs in the back rear panel (hey, it had been cut long before I got the car!) which is overkill (only need one) but they're lower powered units as I only run a a little amp. This arrangement is very similar to my wife's BMW Z3 set up. So, how does it work? OK. I have a loud set of Dellortos on it with foam socks, so they're louder than the exhaust, and I tend to make them bark. I also often drive with a set of Hearos Ear Protectors for long distances as years of drumming have caused some sensitivity. I can actually hear the stereo better with them in as they are designed to protect your ears, not make it so you can't hear. I can probably post some pics if you're interested...

BTW, can you even roll up the window with the door speaker mounted like that?

Voice of experience here, the only way to get authentic roadster acoustics is with an 8 track through a pair of surface mount speakers just sitting on the back deck.

The setup in the 69 is simple. 2 6" 2 ways in the same spot Greg mentions. Cant hear much over about 40 unless the tops on.
I had a nice 6" 3 way in the speaker box on the 68 but I took it out and put in a couple small enclosures in under the dash. Not happy with the way it sounds so probably going back to the 6" in the box.
Neither of the tuners makes much power and I dont want to run an amp so pretty limited.
Dan

OK thanks y'all. I'll look into that location that has the convenient holes when I start looking to replace the interior.

And yes, Greg, the windows operate fine. The location that the PO decided to use is in front of the window and the window crank. I'm not sure why they added aftermarket speakers without also updating the head unit, because I can't imagine they get loud at all with the current setup.

I have a 1966 1600 - so I mounted the amp with industrial velcro behind the triangle panel on the passengers side under the dash. I can send pictures if that’s helpful.

The amp itself get warm, but not hot to the touch.

I had to cut a small sheet of aluminum to mount the remote inside the ashtray - I think I posted pictures of that.

For speakers, I used the standard speaker box in the passengers foot well, but I used a Retro Sound 2 way - so that I could get Stereo from the front

https://www.retromanufacturing.com/prod ... 7979759683

I later added to extra speakers behind the drivers and passengers seat - when I took off the panels, there were three holes pre-cut that these Retrosounds speakers fit just right

https://www.retromanufacturing.com/prod ... 7981207491

All in all, it was a pretty simple job and the sound is great - even with the top down!

Link to my ear protection in case anyone is interested... I updated the name in the first post as I had it wrong...
https://www.musiciansfriend.com/accesso ... 6wEALw_wcB

You will find long distance driving fatique considersbly reduced even if your car isn't loud, the freeway is, but you'll still be able to hear your stereo or your passenger.

Thanks Jonny. I found your "Bluetoothing..." thread...cool approach! I haven't figured out which Bluetooth amp I want but I think I will try to mimic your ashtray secret for the controller even though my ashtray is in a different place (mine actually looks like it might have a little more room). I will probably go with a 4-channel Bluetooth amp (bridgeable to 2) for now since the damage has already been done to the door panels for bigger, full-range speakers. That way I should have enough power to add two more speakers when I redo the interior.

And Greg, thanks for the reminder about ear protection. FWIW I have been using these earplugs: http://www.silentear.com/product_details.htm made in Israel for motorcycling for years...they are great!

Plus Mazda seats with speakers in head rest.
benefits
1) sound right by your ears
2) they actually recline
3) better lumbar bolsters

I have heard taht some place thin powered subwoofer under the seat. Here's one that is 3"high...

https://www.crutchfield.com/p_068SUB810 ... -8100.html

Too cold to hike up to the barn to measure seat height off the floor

Has anyone installed a feature on their smart phone that automatically changes the volume with the speed? Apple store has this app ... "Volume" by Velocity -- Volume controlled by GPS speed for iPhones. Just wondering if they really work & if they burn through data.

I bought this amp and speakers off of E-bay probably 3 years ago and never installed it. I think it was like $50-100 bucks and very basic, just an aux or DIN input. All I needed at the time as I figured I would just be plugging in my Phone/iPod anyway. Finally got around to installing it this past weekend. I can't figure out WHY I waited so long, the installation was a breeze - only had to run one wire to the fuse box and drill two holes in the console. The total installation only shows a bit of wires, and I could have hidden that, but it would have taken an extra few minutes! So the result? These waterproof motorcycle speakers are plenty up to the task! plenty of power and volume to hear it on the highway, though it will distort at the highest volumes. For the cost, and ease of installation - this is amazing. So good in fact that I have now sourced a 4 channel unit with Bluetooth, FM USB etc. for $99 and another with a subwoofer output for only $130. I figure I'll get that and mount the other two speakers at the triangles in the front and consider adding a small subwoofer down the line. Couldn't be more pleased with the performance, installation and most of all cost!
This placement may not work with the soft top down, but could be easily relocated without having to cut or drill with a little creativity.

Very cool, NoTop...that amp is tiny!!

I think I have settled on these speakers and this amp to suffice until I get the interior redone.

The amp is a bit pricey and not quite as small as the one you used but still small enough to conceal in several different places; and it has volume control in the remote which is a lot easier than controlling Bluetooth volume from a smartphone. It also has plenty of power if/when I later decide to go to 4 channels rather than 2. The speakers are marine rated and cheap enough - I'm certainly not going to spend big dollars for an open-air theater.

I'll follow up with pictures once I get done!

I apologize for hijacking this thread, but after see1ng the OP's picture of his current speaker placement, I noticed that the OEM AM radio is still in it's original location. As an old F--- who does not own a smart-phone, I am not aware of the many apps & services that are available, to obtain either live or pre-recorded music, that can be relayed via Bluetooth to an external amplifier. If any of the resident audiophiles have found a way to hook into the OEM radio, I would be interested in the how & WHY.

Years ago, I got fed-up with the AM-only radio, & fabbed-up an enclosure to house a combo AM/FM plus audio cassette replacement. I also fabbed up two boxes to house 8" 2-channel speakers ( no sub-woofer ). I also built two brackets, to mount the speakers to the two openings in the body behind the seats, but soon discarded them, as the sound was muffled by the seat-backs,

I sit ready to be educated by all who have installed more elegant stuff than I have, & have included some photos of my setup, along with the OEM radio, that I saved ( for future owner to install, if he/she chooses ), and two photos of the roadster, as it looked whenit was still running.

G.S.

You can send your AM radio to RetroSound or other similar company and they can add Bluetooth, a powerful amp, USB etc., and keep the stock look.