Audio Systems

[Derek]

Thanks guys.

When I have the dead pedal issues worked out then I'll be able to come up with pricing. I'll keep you posted.

Derek

[vercingetorix]

Derek,

I'd be in for a set as well!

HCH

[Mike B]

Looks like Derek has these for sale on ebay now http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Datsun-240Z-Kick-Panel-Speaker-Mounts-/250729035948?pt=Vintage_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item3a609d78ac. After following the links in the ebay ad to the HybridZ "build thread", it also looks like you save $15 by getting them directly http://forums.hybridz.org/index.php/topic/96446-kick-panel-speaker-mounts-now-available/.

-Mike

Edited November 21, 2010 by Mike B
added HybridZ info

[Oiluj]

I'd like to see them a bit less protrusive, but they look great! Very nice job.

[warcmalla]

I agree about not wanting them too protrusive. When I made mine I made sure the speaker fit into the recess for the door hinge. They are not aimed, but I'd rather just have them out of the way. Those kick panels are pretty slick though and would probably considered buying them if I hadn't already made my own.

[Travel'n Man]

Looks like Derek has these for sale on ebay now http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Datsun-240Z-Kick-Panel-Speaker-Mounts-/250729035948?pt=Vintage_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item3a609d78ac. After following the links in the ebay ad to the HybridZ "build thread", it also looks like you save $15 by getting them directly http://forums.hybridz.org/index.php/topic/96446-kick-panel-speaker-mounts-now-available/.

-Mike

1 sold - two to go!

[Derek]

Hi everyone

I was waiting for a reply from Mike about me selling these on the site. Unfortunately I haven't got a response yet. I just don't want to step on any toes. But since the cat is out of the bag I'll offer the same deal of $110.00 if you buy direct. The higher price on ebay just covers ebays charges.

Right now I only have the 2 sets left on ebay. I have the material to do 10 more sets but I came down with some sort of funk and I'm sick as a dog right now.

Most likely I won't have stock until after Thanksgiving.

Thanks

Derek

[tlorber]

Nice work on that Derek. Even aside from the speaker component, the panel fit looks much better than stock.

[Jetaway]

This I know something about.

I cobbled it together using parts I had around the garage. One of the pictures shows the drivers used for the speakers. Actually there are two more not shown -- one inch, maybe 1 and 1/2 inch tweeters picked up from a friend. I don't recall the brand, but I know a little about drivers and they are good ones. The drivers in the boxes are 1970s home stereo components. I built the boxes out of 5/8" particle board and each speaker has:

The active drivers (woofer (6") and tweeter) from a Boston Acoustic HD-9s.

The woofer from a Boston Acoustic HD-9.

The woofer (8") from an ADS L-510.

Tweeters (orange "fried egg") from Large Advents.

The pictures Speakers Front and Rear show the placement of the drivers. When it was all wired up I stuffed the box with fiberglass, increasing the effective size of the enclosure. No, I don't know why it does, but if AR's founder and designer sez it does, it does.

The unknown brand 1 and 1/2" tweeters have been glued (using polyurethane glue) on the interior frame above the upper rear corner of each door.

The electronics are:

The head unit is a Phase Linear UMP301 (13 watts X 4). This came new with the car. Nothing special.

A Harman Kardon CA 215 amp (12 watts X 2). I bought this little baby twenty years ago from Magnolia Stereo in Seattle. It's no more than 8" by 6" by 1 and 1/2" in size and plays more like a 50 watt unit. I've attached the specs. Shames a lot of the newer stuff, don't it?

A Proton 271 active equalizer (2nd hand store find @$3.00).

The head unit is powered from the fuse box while the amp and equalizer have their own dedicated 8 gauge fused supply wire from the battery.

The Hook Up:

The line-level output from the Phase Linear runs to the Proton equalizer mounted on the side of one of the boxes then to HK amp mounted underneath the driver's seat. The power output from the HK runs to the crossover network from the ADS L-510 and on to the ADS woofer and Advent tweeter.

One pair of outputs from the Phase Linear runs to a crossover network from the Boston Acoustic HD-9s and then to one of the BA woofers and BA tweeter.

The other pair of outputs from the Phase Linear runs straight to the other BA woofer, which is mounted to fire towards the rear of the car. This output also is also ran, in parallel, to the tweeters mounted above the door with a 10 mf cap rolling off the lower frequencies.

My seats are after market, bulky, and foamy. This was my second run at a speaker set up in the Z and the first, while meeting my sonic requirements blocked too much of my vision to the right rear and since I never could get to fully trust the tiny outside mirror, I needed to make some changes. So I built these speaker to sit lower and, with the non OEM seats ended up with too much of the highs being swallowed up. I remounted the Advent tweeters (see Advent Tweeter Mod) to fire at and bounce off the quarter windows.

Once I had the basic setup down, I made a CD of white noise and with a Heath Kit real-time frequency analyzer adjusted the equalizer to make the response as flat as possible measured at where my head would usually be. The end result? Reasonably good separation and staging along with 105 dbs continuous from a moderately strong FM station. All from a total of 76 rated watts!

Chris

harman:kardon.pdf

[darom]

Chris,

Good job. Your whole setup is begging now for a carpet or vinyl cover or better yet, a fiber glassed top! :-)

[Jetaway]

Chris,

Good job. Your whole setup is begging now for a carpet or vinyl cover or better yet, a fiber glassed top! :-)

The picture was pre-covering. Staying with the reuse motif, the main driver panel is covered in ...

Fabric from 1970s speaker grills!

If you look very closely at the rear you can see a red line of something at the top of the boxes. Its a piece of shiny (shiny? shimmery?) fabric that a friend of mine's mom sewed around a piece of PVC pipe for me. In use it drapes over the rear firing drivers. They are just there for a bit of a bass boost, so I wasn't concerned about losing some high frequencies. Which would have been largely lost bouncing into the carpet anyway.

Chris