i have an 82 el camino and really want a good system in it, it doesn't have to be the best but just decent. but the problem is that i have a limited budget and don't know very much about audio and know nothing about installing it. I went to a place that said they could install it for me and told them that i probably want two 10'' subs, but they said that it would be overkill in an el camino and that i should get eather one 12'' sub or one 10''. are they right or should i go with the two 10's? I also need an amp and some speakers other than the two small ones in the dash. And I need some help on what kind of equipment i should get and also some guggestions on where to fit the amp,subs,and speakers in my el camino.Any suggestions please,I need help.
-thank you

HI...i was the same way up till about 2-3 months ago...i would go with the 2 10" subs thats what i have in mine and its not overkill!!....my system includes: a pioneer deck..2 10" pioneer subs..2 6x9 pioneer..and a 600watt rockford fosgate amp.....i bought this from best buy when they were having a promo deal so i paid less than what you would pay if you bought it all seperate... it added up to be like $600....when it came to puting it in the car..at first i just bought boxes and stuck it all behind the seats..but that looked ****ty so i seen some guys that had built a lil wall behind the seats and mounted it all back there and thats what i did...if you want to look at it i have pics up in the 5th gen gallery on page 23 or i have a cardomain website its http://members.cardomain.com/84elco you can go to either place and i have pics of it before and after if you need anything else just ask later Lee

in your 84 elco did you put your 2 subs that are mounted in the wood wall inside boxes behind the wall or did you just mount the bare subs in free air on the wall?

I built a wall like that in my '82 but i used 2 Rockford Fosgate Stage 1 8" subs, plus 2 pioneer 6x9's and pioneer 6.5's and replaced the lil guys in the dash with pioneer 3.5's...its all powered by a pioneer head unit and power acoustik amp. All in all i think it ended up being around $400 with the sheet of MDF, carpet, and wiring kit for the amp

http://www.necoa.org/modules.php?set_albumName=album281&id=boxes&op=modload&name=Gallery&file=index&include=view_photo.php

http://www.necoa.org/modules.php?set_albumName=album281&id=put_together&op=modload&name=Gallery&file=index&include=view_photo.php

http://www.necoa.org/modules.php?set_albumName=album281&id=car3&op=modload&name=Gallery&file=index&include=view_photo.php

edit: sorry about the pics this is my first time tryin to get em to show up but if you click on the boxes it should go to my member page

i just mounted them to the MDF and put it in....at first it didnt sound to well but i when i got the MDF mounted in...it sounds just like as if they were in boxes..any more questions just ask....Lee

...this may sound stupid, but what's MDF?

Personally, I prefer a pair of 12's. If you don't have the big bucks too spend, Ebay can be a great place too buy from. My daily driver is a 2000 Alero GLS Coupe. I run a pair of 12" Kicker L7 subs in a slot port box powered by a MMATS D200hc amp. All was bought off Ebay.

You dont have to have alot of cash to make a good sounding and hard hitting system. My brother has a 87 toyota show truck. what he did was built a ported/bandpass box. it takes up half of his bed. the speakers are sealed in the box on the sides then theres a opening and that goes through his bed into the cab yes theres a hole. This is a big project that i would never do to a elky but ya. he has 4 12's in the box and it hits 139.5 desable's which is damn load, at that time it was powerd buy a 200 watt yes 200 watt amp. its all the box. its now powerd but 2 400 watt amps and he has not had it tested for the desables yes.he built the box and got the speakers for alittle over $400, speakers came from ebay cheap. like i said this is a show truck, but it is full sealed from rain and does not leak. Nathan

mdf is medium density fiberboard. it's what most speaker boxes are usually made of. although, if the box is going to have really powefull speakers speakers like 15's or higher end 12's then high density fiberboard is needed. you'll just need mdf. you can get it from home depot, lowes, or what ever store like those there is in your area. mdf is not expensive.

eagleone,

Technically, two 10"s are more than "needed" for the small size cab of an Elky, but, hey, it's your ride. So, put in there what you want to. I'm planning on putting two Infinity Kappa Perfect 12.1 with an Audiobahn A8002T amp. It's not a lot of wattage, but the SQ will be better. I'd rather have better SQ (sound quality) than SPL (sound pressure level). Of course, I plan to do the whole surround sound with DVD player setup, so SQ is more important to me. Your setup might be different. :cool:

i have 2 12's in mine, and having subs less than 2 feet from you will make your ears bleed. i would suggest you put them in a sealed box, not a bandpass nor free air.

As for your other speakers, Infinity Kappa series sound awesome and don't cost too much. Also, Polk DB690 (6x9s) sound gr8 too. Of course, you'll need a small amp to get the best sound out of these speakers.

Sub(s), amp(s) and 6x9s can be mounted behind the seat in the smugglers compartment, where the spare tire and jack is. You can get replacements for your factory speakers or spend a little more and get component speakers and mount them either in the door or in a kick panel.

Since you're on a budget, start off by getting a really good head unit (CD player). This is one of the most important parts of any good audio system. If you dump a lot of $ into subs and speakers but have a crappy head unit, you'll be spinning your wheels. After the head unit, I'd replace the 3.5"s up front with some Infinity REF3002CF 3.5"s. They're a little bit more than Sony's or other less expensive brands, but worth it. Then, get your 6x9's for the back. And, get your sub(s)/amp(s) last. Buying it a little at a time will allow you to get better equipment. If you have the $ to do it all at once, gr8 do it! If not, have some patience with it.

If you don't know a lot about installation, I recommend going to Circuit City or Best Buy for now. When you're ready to spend the big bucks, go to a local custom audio shop. :cool:

I have an 84 elky and put two 10 inch subs in mine and sound great. It is not overkill. I have an 18oo watt rockford fosgate amp with two 10' rockford fosgate punch he. All of the stuff cost me a little over a grand. You can find most of the stuff real cheap on ebay. That is where i got my amp.

i got infinity reference 6000cs component system(2 tweets, 2 xovers, and 2 6.5mids) for $85 on ebay. with a component sys. u woun't need anything else but amps, subs, and their box/boxes. you can also hold off on subs for a while, till you gather some more funds, because component systems go to bout 40hz. granted they wont thump, but like they said be patient. i really suggest building your system a quality component at a time.

first: head unit second: component system third: amps fourth: subs

you have to remember the little things that can add up to a lot. amp wiring kits, distribution block, and box or materials to build them.

with your infinity 6000cs component system where did you mount your 2 6x9's and your 2 tweets? and if i mount put the subs and the 6x9's in the smugglers box or some place behind the seats will it sound bad because the noise will only be comming from the back?

the thing about component systems is that you don't need 6x9s. the systems is enough to take care of all your full-range needs. the freq response is like 53hz-21khz or something around there. but of course 6.5 inches is not enough to have thumping bass. so you will need subs for the lower freqs. although i'v heard other brand's componet sets have better bass response and of course different feq response with with better bass..you usually want your music coming from infront of you like a concert. with the higher freqs being directional you want them not to be obstructed nor muffled. if i had a car with a back seat then i would add 6x9 to the rear dash, for a back fill but still set their volume slightly lower than the front to keep the soundstage in front of me. i used to have a fullrange box and the horn tweets were pointing up which dsounded pretty bad but the box was sitting on the floor, the sound was only able to come thru the space between the back dash and the seats. so i wouldn't recomend putting 6x9 in the smugglers box. i've heard of peole building boxes for them to fit snugg under the back dash, but i don't know how that sounds.