Alternative to fuel tank behind seat:Speakers

[Richard2112]

This is a kit I built for my 70 C-30. Starting out I assigned myself some criteria
1) It had to use pre-existing hardware and contours of the cab No drilling/cutting
2) It had to have some acoustical properties Sound insulation/attenuation.
3) Once built, it had to be easy to install
4) It had to be multipurpose such that if I wanted to mount tools, hunting gear, stereo or whatever, I could easily choose.
5) It would have to made so it could be upholstered.
6) No visible mounting hardware
7) It couldn't be allowed to interfere with the seat travel
8) It couldn't interfere with seat belts (in my case, lap belts)

I chose to mount a stereo system. Built speaker boxes, bought amps and wired the whole thing before install. There are just three bolts needed to hold it in and those are the pre-existing bolts which once held the gas tank.

[gmc684x4]

Looks very nice cleaner then what i had done in my youth to my 68

I tossed in big kickers behind the seat put the amp and 6x9 speakers under the seat

[Richard2112]

Originally Posted by gmc684x4

Looks very nice cleaner then what i had done in my youth to my 68

I tossed in big kickers behind the seat put the amp and 6x9 speakers under the seat

Thank you gmc68. I've had the my tank moved for a few years and had gone over alotta options for a sound system. That system is made of 3/4 mdf. Nearly anything can be mounted on it. Gun racks would look nice too.

[Andy4639]

A lot of work went into that. Well done sir!

[Richard2112]

Originally Posted by Andy4639

A lot of work went into that. Well done sir!

Thank you Andy4639. It was a considerable more work than I originally thought. A couple features that aren't immediately evident is there is still storage space behind the speakers in the cab corners and the speakers operate on a hinge. These speakers are attached to the system with 8 feet of speaker wire and can be taken out of the cab and placed into/onto the bed or a table. If you're out doors alot, that might be handy.

[REDROCKER652002]

Would love to see a list of items you used. My son's 69 will eventually have the tank relocated and that would be a pretty sweet setup.

[Chevys4life]

Man.......that is a very nice set-up you have!!!

[Richard2112]

Originally Posted by REDROCKER652002

Would love to see a list of items you used. My son's 69 will eventually have the tank relocated and that would be a pretty sweet setup.

Thank you REDROCKER. I could probably post pics of the process. Briefly, the speakers are made of 7 ply, 1/2 inch blondewood with a walnut veneer. Inside the speakers are lined with acoustical foam. The speaker boxes are then wrapped with vinyl for moisture protection (though I'd recommend peel and stick contact type). There are three components to the kit: a backing board, a shelf board and what I call a valence board. The valance board is the strip across the top which bolts in where the tank once bolted in. The upholstery which covers that valance board is stapled along the back edge and allowed to hang down freely (like a curtain) while it is being bolted in. Then a thin strip is tucked up under the lower edge of the valance which is cut to receive it. That thin strip holds the vinyl in place.

Don't know if any of that makes sense. Maybe some pictures will help.

[Richard2112]

Originally Posted by Chevys4life

Man.......that is a very nice set-up you have!!!

Thank you Chevy4life I still have to install the head unit. Ran power and ground today. I'll see if I find some more pics of the process.

The back board has 3/4 in styrofoam board attached for a few reasons. One is to deaden outside sound. Another is so I could through-bolt components and not have the bolts contact the wall of the cab. Plus it gives a place to route wiring. Has some thermal value also the back window wont sweat as much.

[Richard2112]

Tried it out yesterday. Sounds like sitting in a theater. Great acoustics. Can't wait for an opportunity to test the top end of that system.

[CG]

In all the 67-72 trucks Ive owned I dont remember a single one having a working radio. If I was ever going to go with a "system" Im defiantly going to shoot you a PM, yours looks great, nicely done.

[Richard2112]

Originally Posted by CG

In all the 67-72 trucks Ive owned I dont remember a single one having a working radio. If I was ever going to go with a "system" Im defiantly going to shoot you a PM, yours looks great, nicely done.

Thank you CG. I thought it was only my truck that came without a radio. lol!. I tried to install the actual classic units but they were generally too deep and would contact the firewall before seating in the dash. Also, the knobs were at different locations than the holes in the dash. After years of debating this, I finally got tired of having no music available and installed an after market unit.

[Andy4639]

My ramp truck has no radio. It's not a big deal yet on having one.
My 71 on the other hand has one and I also did the rear of cab speaker route after removing the tank.
Not near as bad ass as your's though but it does sound good. Mine has gone through several changes over the past 37 years of owning it. I had the amps mounted on the board at first then moved them into the center console. I used a 4" whole saw to drill the back side of the console to add a fan to keep the amps cool. I have tweeters up over the seat belts and some day I will do some into the dash if I ever have it painted again are need the windshield replaced.

[Richard2112]

Originally Posted by Andy4639

My ramp truck has no radio. It's not a big deal yet on having one.
My 71 on the other hand has one and I also did the rear of cab speaker route after removing the tank.
Not near as bad ass as your's though but it does sound good. Mine has gone through several changes over the past 37 years of owning it. I had the amps mounted on the board at first then moved them into the center console. I used a 4" whole saw to drill the back side of the console to add a fan to keep the amps cool. I have tweeters up over the seat belts and some day I will do some into the dash if I ever have it painted again are need the windshield replaced.

I like your idea of running a fan to cool the amps. When I mounted the amps to the board, I used nylon bushings to stand off the amps from the board. There is a bushing at each bolt that holds the amp 1/2 inch away from the vinyl. No fan, but air passage

[Andy4639]

My seat hit the amps when I got everything finally hard mounted. I didn't want them hitting so I moved them inside the console.

[ltdmstr]

Going to be a while before I get around to doing mine, but think I'm going to recess the amps so they don't stick out. Also, going to get the outer surface sprayed with Line-X.

[Richard2112]

Originally Posted by ltdmstr

Going to be a while before I get around to doing mine, but think I'm going to recess the amps so they don't stick out. Also, going to get the outer surface sprayed with Line-X.

I ran a peel and stick sound deadener inside my cab before the install. It works sorta like dynomat but far cheaper. My amps get fairly warm so I needed to be sure they had good air flow. I don't know if they have an internal fan but they should have.

[Richard2112]

Originally Posted by Andy4639

My seat hit the amps when I got everything finally hard mounted. I didn't want them hitting so I moved them inside the console.

My amps clear the seat but my original speaker boxes were taller and they hit the top of the seat. I had to shorten them a couple inches. I also built a nice set of oak grills with Marshal amp speaker cloth but the grills stuck out a bit too much. Can't use'm.