does anybody have a component speaker system in their el co? i have a 72 and would like to know how it sounds before i make final decision. i ordered kick panels form "custom autosound" with cutouts for 6 1/2" speakers. would like suggestion or testimonies on where to put the tweeter and how component systems sound in an el co. im thinking of getting infinity reference 6000cs. has anybody put tweeters in the doors, how do they do they sound? would appreciate any input from anybody. thanks!

Mr. Cleanelco,

I'm in the process of restoring a '72 and will encounter your situation soon. I have tackled the the stereo my '66. My eclectic music tastes include gospel, country, rap and Phil Collins - Yes Phil is a type of music. Nothing like In the Air Tonight on a hot summer night. Anyway, back to the stereo... I drive the system with a shaft style radio that I bought in 1972 (i think it's a Clarion). I wanted the original look. I have a sub 10" Kicker in an interior material matching case. I used separates from Polk that are built into the doors. At the time I put the system togetherin '97, I was not aware of kick panel units. I have an 100 amp one wire alternator powering 150 Watt Kenwood amp. The Pols are to die for... Make sure you put the high range stuff inline with your head (if possible). My tweeters are in the doors with the mids. Check the '66 on my web site, you can see the door setup. If I did it again, I'd mount the tweeters higher an possibly consider going with two pairs of them.

thanx. i think i'll put the tweeters on the upper part of the doors. and the mids in the kickpanels. i have 2 12inch jbl's, is that to much?

It all depends how much bass you want, and how big of an amp your going to use. If you want you mids and highs to keep up with your subs you will need to amp the components, or turn the gain down on the subs if your useing a larg enough amp.

im going with a jbl powervalve 300.1 amp with is 300 watts (not sure on rms) that i had pushing 2 10" orions pretty damm good. but they were in a bandpass box. now it'l be pushing two jbl 12's that i got for $25 for both each in their own sealed box about 1 cubic foot. the components will be infinity 6000 cs powered only by a clarion head unit thats runs 18 watts rms. i am thinking of getting an amp for the component speakers but that will be later. sooner if the highs and mids don't keep up with the subs like TyBo said. i'll probably put in an audiobahn 4002 amp for them. unless some one has a better amp they have used for this kind of set up.

does any one know how much depth is allowed for the 6.5 inch mids with the kick panels from custum autosound. if anyone has any more suggestions on how to improve on the sound quality or anything on this set-up PLEASE let me know. ALL INPUT IS GREATLY APPRECIATED. THANKS!

the rms on those components are 2-90 watts 270 peak.

Don't get me wrong, Bass is like horse power ... can never have too much. However, unless you have everything "locked" down along with sound absorbing matting, you'll never be able to realize the full capability of your system. The system will be relegeted to a conversation piece, or bragging rights. The more bass, the more mids, the more highs. I'm middle-aged so ... my sense of great music is no longer loud. If you want good listening, consider balancing the system. A couple of other items ... don't forget to calculate how much juice you need to run the system - possibly consider an alternator upgrade and/capacitor. Good luck...

Another item on your lost should be a passive EQ, can't go wrong there. You can fine-tune your music allot more than you can with a built-in eq. Its great to have the "thump", but its allot better when you can throw in some tweets / mids too :). You can get one of those Pioneer EQ's on ebay for like $50.00 ( I know, I bought 3 in the last couple of years, 2 for my sons and one for a friend) and they work great. I bought a graphic eq for my system that still sits in the garage waiting for a "donor-body" which might ne my 71 rust-bucket.