speaker Kick panel....bummer

[ChevyDude]

Basically just reporting here. I am installing a modern high power stereo system in my 71' swb and figured I'd put the 6.5" round speakers in those pre-formed kick panels you can order from the various vendors. Got mine from the UPS guy about and hour ago. Went out to the garage and determined that my Infinity Kappa 6.5" round speakers are about an 1 1/2" too deep so I would have to add that amount to the outside of the plastic panel to make it work. After starring at for awhile I decided that will look like Crap...so the panels are going back and I will have to figure something else out. At the moment I am just thinking of making boxes and laying them on the floor right in front of the seats...wouldn't be in the way of your feet or the dimmer switch. So...if you have nice 6.5's ...they probably won't fit the pre-formed panels.

[68CST327]

Crap is right... are there any speakers that will fit in those panels? They are really my only option at the moment, but I don't have any speakers yet. Just need to know if any will fit in that limited depth before I buy them.

[RON WOODGEARD]

The Infinity's are a very deep heavy magneted speaker.. I also have a pair that wouldn't fit.

I put Blaupunkt 6-1/2"ers in mine.. I will again upgrade them to MBQuarts. But there are a lot of Good speakers that don't have the heavy deep magnet of Infinity.. and as long as you go with good quality speakers you'll be happy with them.

[ChevyDude]

Greg, you can order the panels with the speaker that do fit..but that was not an option for me. I wanted a higher quality speaker.

[68CST327]

Eh, yeah, that's not really an option for me either. I'm a self proclaimed audiophile. Okay, more like a "high quality sound reproduction enthusiast." I love music. I don't necessarily need or want the absolute best, but I want something that sounds really good. Like you said, the speakers that you can order with the kick panels don't look like they would sound too good... I really like Eclipse speakers, also Alpines, and Inifinitys. It would be a shame if all the good speakers won't fit.

[72MARIO]

That Suck's

[Brainchild]

You could cut a hole in the kickpanel to alow the magnet to sink into the cab of the truck.Not sure what that would do for hte sound though.Mine has already been hacked,And I mean HACKED,there is quite a bit of space between the kickpanel and the exterior wall of the cab.Prolly 2-2.5 inches thick

Just a thought.

[Alexis]

can you run a spacer??? Sure it's going to stick the speaker out but might work. If not, custom is the way to go.

[RON WOODGEARD]

Originally Posted by Alexis

can you run a spacer??? Sure it's going to stick the speaker out but might work. If not, custom is the way to go.

a spacer is tough, because of the Emergency brake pedal or handle....

[Alexis]

Originally Posted by RON WOODGEARD

a spacer is tough, because of the Emergency brake pedal or handle....

i was thinking about that while typing..... it'll work though. I'd rather stick to some fiberglass kick panels.


Can you return the speakers?

[Hutch]

ChevyDude
There is a speaker for those kickpanels by Panasonic which had a shallow depth on them.
Pioneer TS-G1340R
Top-mount Depth (Inches) 1 13/16
I have also heard that the later style of parking brake will need to be moved slightly to the right to clear the enclosure.
Everytime I have seen these kickpanels for sale with speakers they always have the same two-way panasonics in them. Probably due to the shallow mounting depth.

[4x4Poet]

Originally Posted by Brainchild

You could cut a hole in the kickpanel to alow the magnet to sink into the cab of the truck...Mine has already been hacked,And I mean HACKED,there is quite a bit of space between the kickpanel and the exterior wall of the cab.Prolly 2-2.5 inches thick..

Exterior wall of the cab? You mean the inside of the fender?

Wouldn't run-off from the cowl vent area hit the speakers poking thru? Good test for waterproof speakers.

Still an option, but I bet they'd need a backing enclosure.

[ChevyDude]

Can't use the Pansonic's...amp will blow those in a heartbeat. I'll get these Infinity's to fit. Calling a fiberglass shop in the morning. I might even make them myself.

[Gary]

I was just gonna say might want to look at a fiberglass custom kick panel, place around here charges (from memory) around $60 unpainted for a basic kickpanel (each).

[djracer]

directed electronics studio series 6.5 components are really nice and they have a tiny magnet that is much better quality! these speakers almost feel fake they are so light weight!

[4x4Poet]

Originally Posted by djracer

directed electronics studio series 6.5 components are really nice and they have a tiny magnet that is much better quality! these speakers almost feel fake they are so light weight!

dj, you have my undivided attention. Exactly which model Directed Elect speakers are you speaking of and exactly how is the smaller magnet superior so as to make the speaker perform as well as those with heavier magnets. List speaker size, cone material, voice coil material, tweeter material, RMS max, ohms, sensitivity, source, price. etc.

I suspect you, sir, have hit on a serious remedy to this long-existing problem. Imagine; good sound from a slim speaker that fits in those otherwise dum@ss kick panels. Anything to get good midrange sound from quality speakers set down low in front without cutting the doors or interfering with pedals/ingress/egress.

[chevydog66]

So what is the maximum depth of speaker that you can use with those kickpanels? Can you guys measure it for me? I am considering those as well. Thanks!!

[chevybill]

How about using the fresh air vent holes for some speaker mounts?

Would they be too far under the dash?

Just looking at them, it appears a 6 by 8 might fit in the openings.

You would have to seal the vent holes from outside water and moisture.

Just a thought, when I pulled my floor vents during the disassembly.

[Alexis]

what kind of amp do you have?

What the RMS rating for each channel?

What the max power the pioneers can handle?

[passthebuck]

there was this:

http://207.44.196.117/vboard/showthr...6&page=1&pp=25

post back in the spring but I havnt seen anything about it since. Are there any fibreglass experts out there that could make something similar? I too dont want the Kustom Autosound speaker setup, but I'm not seeing much else out there. Can we get something (mabe a movement) going on this?

[GreyHoundSteve]

i say HAVE SOME KICKPANELS MADE FOR THE SPEAKERS YOU WANT. Any novice fiberglass worker can make speaker molds. In fact, in almost all of the car audio magazines they sell kits for making these, it has become so popular that most of the high end mobile audio dealers have people who can make them for you.

I wouldnt sacrafice quality and go with a smaller speaker if sound is important to you. There is a direct relation to magnet size and quality. If you laid out all the best speakers you could almost put them in order of size and determine which ones are better. While this isnt true ALL the time it is pretty standard. I'm having to use 5 1/4's in my kickpanels because im running Alpines type R's and they are huge. There was NO WAY to fit the 6 1/2's in there and still use a floor dimmer switch. I would call around to a few stereo shops in your area and talk to them about forming you some custom kick panels. I'll bet you can find someone to do it for roughly what you paid for the ones that wont work.

[4x4Poet]

Originally Posted by GreyHoundSteve

...There is a direct relation to magnet size and quality. If you laid out all the best speakers you could almost put them in order of size and determine which ones are better. While this isnt true ALL the time it is pretty standard....

Magnets types do differ in magnetic strength. Within the same type of magnet (same basic molecular structure), your "size matters" rationale is perfectly sound. But djracer hinted to a superior magnet material used by DEI which is why I asked him to provide specifics. OTOH, a small, yet powerful, magnet prolly won't be able to make up for shallow cone depth. I'm hoping such a speaker may be able to perform better than one would expect.

For comparison purposes, have you ever compared the magnetic strength of same sized magnets in magnetic retrieval tools and noticed a difference?

[GreyHoundSteve]

Originally Posted by 4x4Poet

Magnets types do differ in magnetic strength. Within the same type of magnet (same basic molecular structure), your "size matters" rationale is perfectly sound. But djracer hinted to a superior magnet material used by DEI which is why I asked him to provide specifics. OTOH, a small, yet powerful, magnet prolly won't be able to make up for shallow cone depth. I'm hoping such a speaker may be able to perform better than one would expect.

For comparison purposes, have you ever compared the magnetic strength of same sized magnets in magnetic retrieval tools and noticed a difference?

DJ is correct and ive seen 3" speakers that will blow your hair back but they run about $1500 per speaker and are custom made to order. I was generalizing about typical speakers you will find at retail outfits. In avaition we can charge upwards of close to a million dollars for an entertainment system so we employ all types of components that defy typical limitations but for practical purposes the magnet size rule holds pretty true.

[speesh]

has anyone thought about replacing the ebrake with one from a 67? they are the hand pull type, that fits under the dash.... don't know if it would work or not....

[XXL]

Originally Posted by GreyHoundSteve

There is a direct relation to magnet size and quality.

This statement isn't the least bit accurate. Magnet size (along with its material composition) are but one factor in determining flux density within the voice coil gap. The vc gap is but one factor in determining the motor efficiency of the driver. Motor efficience is but one factor in "sound quality" of a speaker.