Simple stereo install in old car:
 

Question for the audio guys here; I need to install speakers and a head unit in my old 1970 Mercedes 250 sedan. I somewhat already know the answer, the potential speaker locations are limited to the rear shelf and front kick panels and head units are not brain surgery.

It seems like 1970s technology is going to be used but what speakers should I install? I just want decent sound, doesn’t have to be concert hall, (and I know it won’t be). 6x9s in the back? What about the front?

TIA and feel free to drop brand names and models. :)

If you’re going to go to the trouble of doing it, you might as well use decent stuff. I would use separates, but that’s just me. Most of the 6 x 9’s you will see have the Star Wars look to them, the biggest problem you might find is finding something that won’t look obnoxious in a nice car like that. I wouldn’t use anything under 6 1/2 inches for a woofer. An amplifier will also be needed. Just driving the speakers from the radio won’t make you very happy.

I am a fan of Focal

- the low end of their range is not too spendy and performs very well; no need to buy$$ the ones that come in aluminum suitcases...

you might check with Crutchfield and see if they have found any other locations.

To ease installation, you probably want to match the size of the speakers in the kick panels.

javadogs point is well taken; if you want to enjoy the music, add an amp.

Go to a car audio store and listen to the options.

Go with something shallow mount, and round, don't butcher the car and you have thick steel to fight with.

I like Pioneer speakers- just make sure they aren't the cheapest level. Anything around $70 / pair on up will install easily, sound decent and not break the bank. Try them. Pioneer has the cheap speaker bit down cold.

I wouldn't worry about the amp myself if you go the lightweight speaker route, TF you gonna put it? Gas tank is likely behind the seat and the battery is up front.

Back in the day (after Jensen Triaxials/Pioneer Supertuners), I had a pair of Pioneer 3-ways that sat on top of the rear shelf, powered by an Alpine with no more than 6-7 watts ....hazy memory here...college daze ;). Sounded pretty damn good....better than anything mounted in the rear shelf or doors, and it rocked....

Thanks for the replies. I definitely care about not gooning up the interior of the car. My choice for the rear shelf of any old car would be speakers that do not protrude upwards or only slightly and then cover the entire shelf w speaker cloth that matches the interior or close to it. Hide them.

Second choice would be really German looking speaker covers from Blaupunkt or some other German car. The crazy aftermarket look is a no-go. The front ones would have to be pretty small, there are already cut-outs in the sheet metal behind kick panels but I’m not sure if they are original or added later. The higher spec models like the w108s had small factory speakers in that location.

There is room for a small amp under/inside the dash, there is some unused real estate back there. Same w trunk, under rear shelf. It needs to be clean. I have the original Becker for the car but it’s a single DIN hole so I can put any modern head unit in w/o butchering the car.

The problem with 99% of the modern head units is they look like dog ****.

There are some retro styled units out there. For example, https://www.blaupunkt.com/en/nc/products/car-multimedia/car-radio/products/single/19059.

Agreed. I would be searching for the least offensive one, across the last ten years or so. It just has to have an auxiliary plug for iPod/iPhone.

I have a couple of cool old Nakamichi head units from the ‘80s that would look great in an older 911 but they are cassette w no aux, obviously. :(

I could live with something like that.

retro mod! Who needs an ipod when there has to be about a hundred radio stations out there.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e2HnOjWa3tQ

Get an amp for the speakers and a small amp &l sub in a discrete location. With crossovers to separate the channels and a small sub you can use 6.5" oval in the rear and 5" circular in the front doors and end up with awesome sound.

All good advice above. For all of my 911s I get circa 2001+ vintage Eclipse copper chassis head units without internal amplifiers and always get separates with a good amp. One system uses an old ADS ph15 with MB Quarts and another JL Audio with Focals.

All of the time and trouble of installing a system properly, getting the best you can afford means it's done once, correctly, and provides maximum enjoyment.

What I use.
 

This has what you need- you'll need an amp for it. It sounds good active with a 6 channel amp behind it. Only deck on the market that doesn't look like doo doo.

https://www.crutchfield.com/shopsearch/p99rs.html

https://images.crutchfieldonline.com...99R-f_mt2.jpeg

Got one of those too! Looks pretty good in the dash, maybe slightly too glossy, but fits the era nicely.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1569113026.jpg

I ****ing LOVE mine. Best sounding deck on the planet. I thought about buying a 2nd one since they're going out of production. Been hoarding spare parts for 'em too.

Only problem is, I don't have a car to put it in anymore. Last time I used it was in my 2016 Subaru.

rjp

I have a pair of similar older JBLs I just hooked up to a 16x2 watt amp. No drilling or cutting, nice sound. Not especially intrusive.

Take a look around ClassicCarStereos.com. I had one of their radios in one of my cars and it had an aux input, bluetooth, etc.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1569116998.JPG

Focal. My factory head unit was not working in my 4Runner for over several years. I was stuck in one radio station and that was all I had to listen to, nothing else. Finally, I decided to put in a new one but Toyota wants 1200 bucks for one, so aftermarket is it. I ended up getting new speakers for the whole car, all 8 of them. It sounds great. They were all hidden behind factory grills. I like it so much that I got a set of all new speakers for my truck too. I use Al and Ed on Foothill in Pasadena. Great guy to deal with. Real professional. Most stereo shops want to sell me crap the 20 something wants. The boom, boom crap with big sub woofers and they don't look like they know what they are doing.

You will need to figure out what might fit. Speaker in the dash and in the back from the factory in my grandfather's old 280 sedan. Probably a lot of metal around the speaker holes in the back I bet.

Denis, for the rear deck if you have the space you should try to under-mount the speakers, then you could either fabric over the top of the hole or use a factory grille. Similar concept for the front speakers, I would would work within the constraints of the space you have. I personally hate a classic car that's been hacked up with a modern audio system. 4-6 speakers, a good HU, a compact amp, and I think you're in good shape. If you want a little more low end, my RX8 had a Rockville powered subwoofer that did a really nice job of filling in the holes in the stock Bose system. It's a pancake style speaker that could easily fit under a seat, and powered so the install is simple.

Agreed, had one in my RX-7. Great head unit and blends in well to most interiors.

The stereo in my '02 Silverado only has AM radio working now.

The stereo lights don't even work either so at night changing stations is a little adventurous. :p

At some point I will replace with something that works but for now I just carry a small rechargeable speaker that accepts a flash drive loaded with my music. Really good sound, all things considered.

>$20 from Amazon

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1569165943.jpg

Al and Ed’s is a good store but in both of your cases, I’d have been looking for a good used replacement OEM stereo on eBay or CL. They are usually cheap, I’ve gone that route w newer trucks. Sometimes just to upgrade to the next generation unit.

what is it?

It’s the Pioneer that Randy linked on the first page. Model DEX-99RS. They aren’t cheap; $1,200, but have automatic tuning of sound levels and time delays along with built in electronic crossover. Needs an amplifier for every speaker type- tweeter, woofer and subwoofer.

https://www.crutchfield.com/p_130DEXP99R/Pioneer-Stage-4-DEX-P99RS.html

thx - I know about it but didn't recognize it in situ

I want something for ~~$500 - head unit only; retro look; plays from files on a phone; AM/FM

And for only $4999.99 you can get the 80th anniversary set. Only 80 being made so buy now!!!!!!!



http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1569185661.jpg

Why not get the Becker that came with your car? They can be upgraded with bluetooth etc. if you like. And they're no where near as expensive as the Pioneer.

https://www.beckerautosound.com/classic-becker-radios

As Matt said, a slim small subwoofer under a seat will go a long way for making the system sound good, there are many out there that have the amp built in,(something like Pioneer TS WH500a or TS WX130DA) as long as you have the space under a seat and are willing to run power to it, then the other speakers can be small 2 way sets driven from the head unit. If the pockets for the speakers are shallow you will not get much base from them, so don't bother trying.

This is exactly what I would do, and I'm a big fan of good music. I've put more stereos in more cars than I can count, I'm never satisfied with how they sound and I've spent way too many unproductive hours and too much money chasing unicorns.

(Plus, current front end units are so complicated with the controls and features hidden under layers of button pushing sequences that just adjusting treble or balance or fade requires you to stop on the side of the road to access the layers of menus.)

This really is a PITA. When I put in my Pioneer (or was it Alpine, I forget?) head unit in my 4 runner, I specifically told the shop owner that I do not want something complex, especially the button layer sequences, which I fooking hate. So far this unit has been great and simple. The necessary adjustments are simple, intuitive and no pushing this and that button three times just to raise the treble. Blue tooth Apple Car Play is the best.

That’s a good idea. I have the original Becker that came in the car, haven’t tested it yet to see if it works. Still, I need something more than the single, 50 year old speaker in the center of the dashboard for decent sound.

Baz’s idea about the small portable thing is a good one if it puts out enough sound. I need something for listening to music while working outside anyway, so it might kill two birds w one stone.

Thanks for all the replies. :cool:

FWIW...I was so impressed with the efficiency of this little rechargeable speaker, I ended up buying 4 more of them.

For under $20 each, they are a heck of a bargain, however you end up using them.

I have 3 of them in service just around the house. I used a bottle of white out to mark each one with it's application: I=inside, O=outside, and V=vehicle.

I keep the I in my bathroom for when I take showers. I keep the O in the garage, and the V in my truck.

I also bought a couple boxes of color-coded flash drives from Amazon and have them loaded with various tunes that I can switch out as desired:

LHN® (Bulk 10 Pack) 4GB Swivel USB Flash Drive USB 2.0 Memory Stick (9 Colors)

~$20 for the box of 10.

I do intend to replace the stock stereo in my truck but that project is way down on the priority list so for now I have a cheap fix.

In case you buy one of these.....I also used the white out to mark the control buttons so I could see them easier: on/off, volume up/down/ and move up/down to next song.

You could use blue tooth but I don't really use a smart phone for anything but phone calls so I just use these flash drives. Very simple and easy and quick.

Here is the link again for the Mianova speaker unit:

https://www.amazon.com/Bluetooth-Changing-Wireless-Handsfree-Supported/dp/B079GR96PB/ref=sr_1_6?keywords=flash+drive+speaker+mianova&qi d=1569239648&s=electronics&sr=1-6

Here is one of the stereos I typically buy just to sit on the shelf if nothing else. Maybe 4 come up on eBay a year.

Eclipse CD8062 Copper Chassis Old School Rare

For the car Denis has, I'd get one of the custom guys to put a modern bluetooth no cd media device in the old chassis, not cheap but it'll look great.
Hide some Focals behind perf'd vinyl, and yes, a powered plate sub under the seat. The Sound Ordinance that Crutchfield sells is cheap and really good, even in a Targa.
I'd just call Crutch and see what they can recommend.

If your car has a power antenna and your going with a modern head unit, make sure it has a power out for the antenna. I just went through this mess with my 911

And, even though the alpine unit I bought has power to the antenna, it is always on. Meaning, when you switch from tuner to CD etc, the antenna doesn’t retract. To fix this I added an on off toggle switch to the power out wires

Some head units have no power to antenna whatsoever

Dennis, the owner at Al and Ed can help you with speakers and even install them (I am sure you want to install them yourself?). I decided to go with Focal because they sounded best. I didn't realize the Al and Eds are independently owned. I got really great service from him

Ok, so I discovered that I already had holes for 6.5" speakers in the kick panels behind the covers and bought these on eBay for ~$40 brand new:

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1579371766.JPG

What speaker wire should I buy for an equally CSOB price online? :)

Al & Ed's can be very helpful, (or not), depending on the location. They are in business to make $$ and I am not their target audience. I do things myself for a small fraction of the price.