Old car, new stereo, need advice

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madcat69
madcat69 Posts: 7
edited November 2010 in Car Audio & Electronics
I've got a '69 Cougar that is need of a stereo. I'm not currently planning on installing front speakers since there isn't much room in the doors. What I'm looking at is some 6x9's in the rear and subwoofer. I love my Polk Audio home theater gear so I'm looking at their car audio. I like hard rock/metal but when I listen to more mellow tunes I want decent sound quality. Here's what I'm thinking so let me know if you think it will work.

MM691 6x9s
PA250.2 Amp
MM1040 Sub (mounted in trunk)
PA400.1 Amp

Since there is no back seat in the car, the rears will be mounted so that they are aimed to the front.
Post edited by madcat69 on
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  • Vital
    Vital Posts: 747
    edited November 2010
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    I'm not familiar with 69 Cougar (or any other older car lol) but by any means possible try to not have good speakers in the rear and none (or crappy) in the front. Sound will be totally screwd up and will sound NOTHING like Polks you have at home since it's be coming from the rear.
    2-channel home system is speaker in front of you
    going to a concert - speakers in front of you
    See where i'm going with this?? lol
    2008 Nissan Altima
    Kenwood DNX 5140
    Arc Audio IDX and XEQ
    Polk Audio SR6500 active and SR124-dvc sealed
    Polk Audio PA500.4 and PA1200.1
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  • madcat69
    madcat69 Posts: 7
    edited November 2010
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    I see what you're saying. Old cars like this one didn't have any provisions for door speakers and the window mechanism gets pretty close to the one open area where I could mount them. I'd be limited to very small speakers.

    Given that I'm kinda stuck with rears only, are the amps a good match for the speakers?
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  • arun1963
    arun1963 Posts: 1,797
    edited November 2010
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    If you have space in your foot-wells, how about kicks?
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  • madcat69
    madcat69 Posts: 7
    edited November 2010
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    Driver side is really limited. The emergency brake is there. I've thought about converting to a hand brake between the seats, but not ready to tackle that yet.

    Could go with a 4 channel amp and add fronts down the road when I have the time and energy.:smile:
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  • madcat69
    madcat69 Posts: 7
    edited November 2010
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    There was a place in the dash for a single speaker. Car originally had an AM radio and that was it. :frown: Stereo equipped cars had speakers mounted in the back.

    I think I'll be OK for now as long as the components work well together.
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  • KaosTsoc
    KaosTsoc Posts: 372
    edited November 2010
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    So is it the depth that will be the problem with front? Have you considered getting shallow mount speakers. You may not be able to do 6x9's in the front, and only able to do 3"-6" round speakers.


    Thanks.
    2006 Prerunner Access Cab
    5 Speed 4 cycl 2wd

    Audio:
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    Polk Audio MM6501
    Alpine PDX F-6
    Two SR124(SVC)
    Alpine PDX M12
    Kinetik HC2000 battery and Sleeve
    200 Amp Mean Green High Output Alternator




    Need a DJ, photobooth, or both for rent?

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  • madcat69
    madcat69 Posts: 7
    edited November 2010
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    The largest speaker I could put there would be a 3". Any larger and it interferes with the window mechanism or the cover would hit the manual window crank.
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  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User] Posts: 1,225
    edited November 2010
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    I have owned a couple of these cars. If memory serves correctly I think there may be a perforation on the backside of the door panel near the door front for factory speakers. There is no room behind the kick panels and I would not put speakers there because the cowl vents are prone to rot and leaking in this area. But definitely check out the door panels you may be pleasantly surprised. :cool:
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  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User] Posts: 1,225
    edited November 2010
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    One thing I forgot to mention. These cars are Mercury's version of a dressed up Mustang. There is a wealth of information on Mustangs so see what is common for the 69 Mustang. :cool:
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  • madcat69
    madcat69 Posts: 7
    edited November 2010
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    Nope. No perforations. Might have a chance if I had power windows.

    nap, do you think the amps are good enough to get good volume and clean operation out of the 6x9's?
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  • Vital
    Vital Posts: 747
    edited November 2010
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    btw looking at your amps - yes, they will do the job just fine.
    buuut :) - instead of PA400.1 i'd go with 600.1 simply for the sake of having that extra power.

    Also for the price of 2 amps on your list i'd probably get PA1100.5 which will be about the same size as 400.1 and 250.2 (combined) but will also have those "extra" 2 channels u might need in the future when u figure out what to do with front speakers.

    PolkDirect sells 1100.5 for just over $200 refurbished but don't be scared of "refurb". It's direct from Polk, with warranty, in the box, manuals, hardware.... I actually got 1200.1 from them and it looks brand freaking new. No dings, scuffs, imperfections - nothing. I think they just wanna get rid of some stuff to make room for new models and selling then as "refurb" since they can't sell as "new" for those prices lol.

    But yes, amps u got will work fine.
    2008 Nissan Altima
    Kenwood DNX 5140
    Arc Audio IDX and XEQ
    Polk Audio SR6500 active and SR124-dvc sealed
    Polk Audio PA500.4 and PA1200.1
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  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User] Posts: 1,225
    edited November 2010
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    madcat69 wrote: »
    Nope. No perforations. Might have a chance if I had power windows.

    nap, do you think the amps are good enough to get good volume and clean operation out of the 6x9's?

    Si. :cool:
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  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User] Posts: 1,225
    edited November 2010
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    madcat69 wrote: »
    I've got a '69 Cougar that is need of a stereo. I'm not currently planning on installing front speakers since there isn't much room in the doors. What I'm looking at is some 6x9's in the rear and subwoofer. I love my Polk Audio home theater gear so I'm looking at their car audio. I like hard rock/metal but when I listen to more mellow tunes I want decent sound quality. Here's what I'm thinking so let me know if you think it will work.

    MM691 6x9s
    PA250.2 Amp
    MM1040 Sub (mounted in trunk)
    PA400.1 Amp

    Since there is no back seat in the car, the rears will be mounted so that they are aimed to the front.

    BTW - I was curious if you were doing a restore on this car or what kind of shape it was in. Maybe you could post some pics ? When it comes to vintage cars, I am always interested in this sort of thing. Best of Luck with it. Cheers. :cool:
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  • madcat69
    madcat69 Posts: 7
    edited November 2010
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    Thanks everyone for the good advice and help!

    I built this car for drag racing and campaigned it in the 90's. New house, kids, etc kept me out of racing for years and the car gathered dust. I decided to do a "resto-mod" on it so I could drive it on the street. I'm leaving the roll cage in (hence no back seat) and a lot of the drivetrain. Should be fun to drive. :biggrin:
    Here's a picture of what it looked like when I was racing. I'll post some pictures when I finish the interior and stereo install over Christmas (the stereo and seats are my gift to myself).

    Have a happy Thanksgiving!
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  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User] Posts: 1,225
    edited November 2010
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    Man that looks sweet. I always liked the Cougars with the hidden headlights and sequential turn signals. Too bad John Force doesn't race them. :cool:
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