Speaker locations for 74 Duster.

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340 Dart

340 Dart

I don't know ****.
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I finally got a cheap stereo in the Duster yesterday and am having a upholstery shop make me a carpeted shelf today for a couple of 6x9's.

The shelf will fil the gap between the exhisting shelf and the fold down back seat but still allow it to be functional.

My problem is, where do I place some smaller speakers up front?

What have you guys done?
 
What size speakers for up front?

It is the opion of many stero house experts that the larger the speaker, the better the sound and ease of reproducing the sound at all levels including DB levels.

Your door at the lower front can house a good size speaker if the door panel is OK to cut into to house a speaker.
 
Your door at the lower front can house a good size speaker
Click to expand...
I could do that, it is my daily beater after all. Comfort and function over form.:-D

I just wanted to pick everyones brains for options first. Any room behind the kick panels?
 
I have no idea about there quality, sound or power handleing abiltys. It is an idea though. Theres not alot of room behind the kick panel.
 
Back in the day I had a couple of 4 inch 2-way speakers in a center console that I made( faced out the sides with a slight upward angle). The good thing about a duster is that for whatever reason ( angles, acoustics) 6x9's in the rear deck end up reflecting sound off the front windshield. as for woofers, There is ALOT of room (deep) between the rear passenger panel and the inside of the quarter panel, I'm toying with the idea of a completely hidden woofer inside (8inch) I'm not talking hoopty just some kick
 
If you are looking for better speaker quality up front, my dad custom fabricates aluminum brackets that bolt up to the original mounting studs underneath the dash. It houses two 3 1/2 " speakers to replace the single-cone speaker. If you would like you can contact him on here about it. His name is Jerry Landes and his screen name is '74 Sport.
 
Good Grief Charlie Brown ! 2 speakers in kick panels 124.00
I got 3 or 4 sets of kick panels. they rarely bring over 15.00 on ebay.
One of the carsx I've owned had a wedge shape speaker box on the kick panels (previous owner). To hit the dimmer switch required weaving the foot in around it. :(
There is a guy who makes a special mount for 2 small speakers in the factorys under dash location. The 2 special tanged screws the factory used are hard to find.
I'm gonna type what I've learned about rear package shelf speakers for those who read along here even though this wasn't asked for.
First of all these fiber boad package shelfs get very brittle with age so if and when you take it out be EXTREMELY careful.
Use #8-32 round head screws 2 inches long and grind the first 1/2 inch of threads off then install with lock washers and double nuts. Re install the shelf and never need to remove it again. From inside the trunk you can mount 6X9 oval speakers or a piece of plywood with hole for most any speaker attached with wood screws. If some time down in the future a screw should come loose you can grab the end with vise grips and tighten or remove nuts without damaging threads since we ground them off already. :)
I dont use common speaker wire to get back there either. I use the 4 color wire normally used for light wiring on trailers (Lowes, auto parts, most everyone sells it. I prefer to route it along the passengers side in the same manner as factory wiring on drivers side.
End of the day.... I went to a lot of trouble so to not damage the package shelf for speakers then butchered the thing for a 3rd brake light fixture.
p.s. I saw a new package shelf for my notchback on ebay with a 1 dollar starting bid. Shipping calculater said 45 and change ! Bidders beware !
Happy moparing
 
This is what my son Aaron is talking about. We came up with this bracket when restoring his '74 Dart Sport. I've made a few of them for other members here and on other boards - ranging from '64 Valiants to '74 Challengers. There are basically three different designs to cover all those years, dictated by either shape or length.

The first picture is the original one for the Dart Sport - mocked up in a '76 Duster.

The second picture is the top view of a speaker grill in a '68 Barracuda. You can see there isn't enough grill opening for a much larger pair of speakers.

This bracket provides holes for two 3-1/2" bottom mounted speakers, with plenty of clearance from hoses, wiring harnesses, and heater control cables underneath the A-body dash. It mounts using the stock location and mounting studs, like shown in the last picture.

I sell them for $26, shipping included to anywhere in the lower 48. I will offer a discount on multiple orders. If interested or just have questions, let me know here or by PM / e-mail.

Thanks,
Jerry
[email protected]

2294474098_feddd53702.jpg


2294474154_3e5983bf17.jpg


2028297315_826a6e5fd4.jpg
 
Thats pretty sweet 74 sport. When I get some more free dough I might give you a call.

Alot of good ideas here. Thanks alot fellas.:cheers:
 
moparfreak77 said:
Where do you get the mounting studs for the brackets?
Click to expand...

Darcy,
As you probably know, those original mounting studs are special, not your typical run-of-the-mill bolts. They have a very flat head with no slot for a screwdriver or other tool. They also slip through a special clip to hold them in place in a "keyhole" slot (as seen in the second pic I posted).


Aside from taking a small machine screw to the bench grinder or belt sander to flatten the head, I looked at, but haven't tried, some of those plastic "tree" fasteners, like those used for door panels. They have a very flat head and are long enough to protrude through the dash and bracket, even if a shallow spacer is necessary to prevent the speaker cones from contacting the underside of the metal dash grill (depends on the model and design of the speakers). You might be able to use some of those with small washers slipped over their "fins". If you ever need to remove the speaker bracket, a side-cutter or utility razor knife would make quick work of the plastic fastener.

I'll try to mock one up on Aaron's Duster and let you know how it works.

Jerry
 
moparfreak77 said:
Where do you get the mounting studs for the brackets?
Click to expand...
Speaker mouting hardware is tricky. the wrong fasteners will give vibration noise right away or loosen and make noise later.
MR.G's Fasteners www.mrgusa.com has most everything including some very similar to Chryslers front speaker quickie bolts. Catalog pages 40 through 43.
Most similar items are FA3192 and FA2002. Hope this helps
 
what size of bolt is it? 1/4"? How long of thread do you need? I might be heading to Home Depot this w/e to see what they have.
 
Darcy,
The thing about the stud for mounting speakers under the dash is this (at least on the A-bodies I have seen), it has virtually no head. It is round, not hex-headed, it is thin, like about 1/16", and it has no slot, like for a screwdriver. I wouldn't even call it a bolt, it's more like a threaded stud. I took a photo of one this weekend on Aaron's Duster. I'll try to get it posted this evening when I get home.

This stud is held in place by a special clip that fits into the "key-hole" slot found when you remove the plasic defrost vent on top of your dash. I checked those references above to the Mr G catalog. I didn't see anything that looked like it is the same. I've been toying around with the idea of using some of those flat-topped plastic "trees" that hold panels and trim in place. They would be long enough, would press into the speaker mounting holes and grip it securely, and can be found at any hardware store with a "HELP" section. I bought some recently for a test fit, but I haven't had time to try it yet.

Hang tight and I'll post a picture tonight,
Jerry
 
Here ya go. This is a speaker mounting stud in Aaron's '74 Duster. Notice how thin it is and that it doesn't really look like a bolt. You can also see the clip that holds it in the keyhole slot.

Not really sure where to find a replacement for this.

Jerry

SpeakerStud.JPG
 
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