The Checker Taxi Stand

Scott · Guest

I'm putting a stereo in my 81 Checker...back speaker holes are fine, but does anyone have any suggestions for the location of the front speakers, as well as speaker size?

maberryscott@yahoo.com

the checker guy · Guest

checkers have alot of room under the front seat . ive put 4 inch and even 5 1/4 speakers under the seat faceing foward and they sound very good and fill the front compartment very well. there beter if they are box type speakers . good luck Victor

Paul Worth · Guest

I added a couple of tweeters at the corners of the dash (beside the A-pillars) and a 6.5" Clarion subwoofer under the front seat. Fills out the sound very well.

: I'm putting a stereo in my 81 Checker...back speaker holes are fine, but does anyone have any suggestions for the location of the front speakers, as well as speaker size?

pworth@valdosta.edu

Jim In GA · Guest

Here's how I did my radio/speaker setup: I wanted to put in a period correct radio in the dash of my '70 A12, but I couldn't find anything in the junkyards or on eBay. I would have to enlarge the dash hole, which I wasn't willing to do. I went to WalMart and bought a Durabrand AM/FM CD in-dash radio for about $50, and it comes with a detachable face plate, all-electronic controls, and 4-speaker hookup and an RCA-style amp out. It also comes with two 6" round speakers of decent quality, and all the hookup wire. I made an angle mount for the radio using the same angle as under the air conditioner unit, and wired it in using a Radio Shack switched/fused cigarette lighter plug-in with tinned wire ends made specfically for this type of hookup. I then mounted the two speakers, each into it's own doubled 7" Tupperware plastic bowls (about 4" tall or so and also bought at WalMart). Each speaker sits on about 1/4 " thick harm foam and "fires" up out of the bowl. I coredrilled 3 1" ports in the side of each bowl and then firmly mounted the speakers into the bowls. You now have a self-contained, ported speaker enclosure which fires up under the front seat and also radiates sound out from the ports. It fits perfectly under the seat. I then bought a set of 1" Durabrand rotatable tweeter speakers for about $20, and with one dash mount screw in each corner under the dash lip, mounted the tweeters in about fifteen minutes. You have to look very closely to see where they are under the dash lip. I ran the wiring into spaces and under the dash, very easy, and it barely shows. I parallel-wired the tweeters with the 6" speakers (obviously separately and left-right!) to use the front channel hookup only (to temporarily save time and make a quick hookup). I will later install some more speakers on the rear package shelf and wire those into the rear channel hookups, or possibly through the RCA outs and an amp. I turned on the player, slid in a CD, an voila, very nice sound! I adjusted the unit to bias the fade a few notches to the rear unused channels; high bass, and medium-level medium and high range. This allows me to run the volume close to max without distortion, giving me surprisingly good bass (those 6" speakers thump the seat) and very bright highs from the tweeters facing me. I made simple wood-grained sides to cover the bare unit sides (to match my wood-grained dash and door panels). Very attractive, unobtrusive, and not permanently mounted in any fashion. Total cost, $90; no screw holes or drilling, one afternoon of experimentation and installing, and a very decent sound. I will eventually hard-wire it (gotta be careful, as I have hard-wired an electric fuel pump into the circuit-breaker board)in and add rear speakers, but honestly, the sound is very acceptable now. I'll also add an antenna setup so I can use the radio. Anyone interested, email me and I'll email instructions and some pics.

delta7588@yahoo.com