Audio Installation

This section last updated on 01/30/2007.

My thoughts on the sound system in this car have changed a bunch in the last 6 months.  I originally thought just a plain radio with AM/FM and Shortwave would be sufficient. Then I started researching what really nice components people install when they want to roll up the windows and listen to something other than the music from the tail pipe.  I'm happy to say for my ears, the best stuff I've found so far is made by a company called A/D/S. Back in the 70s and 80s, A/D/S was a company whose prime concern was making the best components for your car that could rival the home system you have.  They first introduced real quality sound to cars about the time 2002s were in their hey dey in the 70s. The products they made 10-20 years ago are still considered some of the best things ever made for mobile sound.  You can find people selling these things on Ebay also.  I have a vintage A/D/S PowerPlate amp to drive the speaker with. This A/D/S amp modestly puts out 80 watts per channel. They are more like other people's 300 watt amps, they don't distort and will blow you out of the car when turned up - it's really all you need sound wise in my opinion.

You do have this piece to mark your speaker holes on. It's best to make a new one out of thin Masonite. This is the piece known as the package tray or hat tray that sits behind the back seat and in front of the rear window. The cars originally had vinyl wrapped over this board with those 5 snaps to hold it in place. The photos above show the holes where the snaps now go. I had to mark them and open them up through the FatMat sound deadening materials.

There's more photos to come - this section is waiting on the interior to be finished before it's all wired up and installed.