'84 ranger single cab, whats a decent and inexpensive set up?

[wr250rdr]

the door pannels look like they were glasses, and very well i might add. its alot of work and time but its worth it when you get a godo looking finished product. it has taken me about 20 hours so far to build my sub box, most of that though is in the body work, cause im a bit of a perfectionist. if you want a walk through on how to make your pannel i can give you one

 

[wr250rdr]

hey danger, have you have you had the door pannels off? what is the material behind them?

 

[Ty84]

Well I'm not gonna be doing any audio for a few months because I'm about to start building a custom bed and rollcage (and I'm running on a highschool budget and girlfriends aren't exactly cheap lol ) but its good to get prices and build time in my head so I know what to save up for

 

[JoshT]

depends on your budget honestly

When I get to that point budget isn't going to be that much of an issue. That said I'm also not interested in entering or winning sound/bass competitions. Just want something that sounds good, while I'm enjoying the drive.

as for the box i would try to fiberglass one up i just did it for my 94 single cab and actually got a full size sub to fit without loosing seat travel. idk if thats possibel in an 84.

Not sure but I believe when I was measuring for one to put in my 84 in the past a full size wouldn't fit without moving the seat up. Back then I was figuring on going with 2 8" shallow mounts, but then started working on the drivetrain instead.

a final note i would avoid the 4 way speakers, i have never been very impressed with them they are usually way too top heavy and lack the bottom end of a decent 2 or 3 way. and if you are gunna put them behind your seat go with a 2 or 3 way 6x9 all of the energy from the highend will be absorbed into your seat rather then make it to your ear.

Never had a 4 way, but I know 3 way can sound good cause that's what I had in the 84 and have in my 99. I'll stick to the 2 or 3 ways, they cost less anyway and I can put that money elsewhere. I had 6" 4 ways in the door of my 84 and won't be doing that again. Sounded fine but I didn't like cutting up the door panels to install them, and definitely not going to with the panels I have this time. Location for the rear speakers is either behind the seat or in the head liner. I was thinking about getting one of those highliner headliners found in LMC truck, with the 4 speaker along the back of the cab. Just leery of spending the money when I don't know anybody with personal experience.

 

[wr250rdr]

those headliners are crap, the speakes in them are basically a down grade from stock speakers. My next project is to actualy glass my headliner with some 5 1/4 inch components in the corners and glassing in my explorer ohc. should be a fun project

 

[87DangerRanger]

hey danger, have you have you had the door pannels off? what is the material behind them?

yes, the custom door panels were made of peg board, and the stock ones are made of something similar to panel board (i think).

 

[JoshT]

those headliners are crap, the speakes in them are basically a down grade from stock speakers. My next project is to actualy glass my headliner with some 5 1/4 inch components in the corners and glassing in my explorer ohc. should be a fun project

Sorry should have added that the speakers would be getting replaced before it was ever installed. I knew before I ever looked at them that the included speakers would be crap, just wandering about the speaker placement. I think I'd rather buy a high liner than try to make my own. Still thinking that my best bet might be the box behind the seat with a sub and 2 speakers.

 

[killj0y]

thanks, ummm not too sure of budget cause i have no idea of what an audio system costs... but im not looking for anything special, i just want something that wont distort when i turn the radio up fairly high

Distortion is almost always lack of power. You are asking the receiver to output more than it can handle so it distorts. This will be a problem if you want loud music regardless of what kind of deck you get since most can realistically put only 15-22 watts rms. Not much really, so you wanna look into a 4 channel amp to drive anything higher through aftermarket speakers which typically can handle wattage in excess of 150+. Subs are nice but not for everyone, some like a little bass, I know my last vehicle had 2 12s in a bandpass box and it was awesome for a few months then I turned it down. I would be happy with a small sub for basic bass, not looking to thump anymore lol, I put my stuff into my wife's bimmer and she loves it she always wanted a system so I'm happy for her, i dont really miss it at all except I want better speakers to go with my upgraded deck.

 

[backwoods]

this isnt really true, take a good look at a home speaker tower they are alot bigger with alot more airspace and they are usualy ported. where a car speaker has alot less air to move to make its signal, they are designed for different purposes and they usually consist of drastically different components. as an example most home speakers are still a pulp cone which is easy to dammage where a car speaker is a woven fiber that is designed for uv exposure, light impacts, and things of that nature.

yep, part of that is right. cone materials can vary, but home speakers hold up just fine over time. UV can deteriorate a cone, but most speakers aren't laying the dash.

Not too mention many home speakers now use rubber surrounds (that is the part that most often is damaged first.

Also, as far as porting home speakers, that is more preference in design. All car speakers are installed in what is considered an infinite baffle enclosure. Without getting into discussing the QTS and other parameters, we will just say that speakers tend to perform just fine in an infinite baffle.

Sometimes the suspension on drivers benefit from the added resistence of a sealed box, but that is something rarely achieved in a car. There is a MUCH higher value in home drivers than there is in car.

An $80 set of car audio speakers is most often comparable to a $10 home driver. If you are looking for a 4" full range driver, a simple Dayton audio 4" driver will perform worlds better than a pioneer set.

 

[JoshT]

backwoods not going to question your experience with audio. FYI on a first gen ranger the main factory speaker location is directly on top of the dash getting direct sun light through the windshield. So at least on a first gen Ranger (what this thread is about) speakers are very prone to UV damage, as such speaker material and UV resistance is very important for those two.

 

[wr250rdr]

Josh, by the time you replace the speakers with something decent your pretty much gunna double or tripple the cost of building one on your own.
So far (I'm piecing everything together before i start) I'm at a whopping total of 120 bucks with shipping for building my fiberglass headliner, and I got way more glass then I need.

So far I have a set of kenwood components oversized 6 1/2", 40 bucks new in box from eBay, 30 feet of 50" 7oz strand mat 50 plus 10 shipping from eBay, and I should only need about 10 feet of it. Some pre made flush mount mdf rings for 15 shipped ( cause I lack a router and wanted them perfect), and some fabric from Jo Ann's that was a remnant for 5 bucks.

All I need is resin, at most a gallon, and that will cost me 60 shipped from us composites.

So I'm at a total of 200, and depending on what you value your tinker time at you will come in way less then what that headliner will cost. Plus it gives you a lot of custom ideas, I plan on glassing in my exp ohc, and if I can find one I like a cab light that is a step up from my current setup. And you can cover it how ever you please on headliner material or do the body work and paint it. Just some food for thought.
Better speakers then you could add in anyway, cheaper, a high level of customization as well as a pride of doing something awesome

 

[JoshT]

Well my tinker time would be at least $35/hour as that's how much I could make in that hour working overtime. So anything over 10 hours work would make the Highliner the better value in labor alone.

I really think I am going to stick with the custom box behind the seat. I think with my desire to keep the interior looking mostly stock, that a box would fit much better than speakers in any kind of head liner.

 

[wr250rdr]

Just out of curiosity what do you do for work?

And ya the box might be the way to go for you.

 

[backwoods]

I would be VERY hesitant to place speakers in a headliner, or any place above eye level. I don't know how technical you want to get, but I could lay out a possible way to make it work and give you decent performance, but I doubt a prefab design would work.

Do you have a link so I could see the headliner? Maybe I missed it, but I'm having a hard time visualizing how that could be successful. If you are trying to raise the soundstage, simply moving to a set of component speakers up front and placing the tweeter on the A-pillar or even mounting in the upper part of the door would accomplish this without giving you a feeling that you are wearing an amplified helmet.

Another option on the subs is to use a smaller driver.
Using a pair of these:
http://goo.gl/VvGLj

Would make it easy to fit under a seat and you can always add more later if you need it louder. I've used them in desktop computer stereo builds. They aren't gonna dislodge your windshield with too much bass, but have decent output. Another option would be to find a buyout on 8" subwoofers and do a couple of those. Simple, low profile installation. If needed, I could even design a box for ya (I would need some measurements).

There are some decent performing low profile subs on the market. They tend to get a little pricey, but I've been wanting to try out this guy.

http://goo.gl/OYXra

As far as other gear like amps, go find a car audio forum and you'll be able to track down some used amps nice & cheap. There are a lot more to choose from now that are decent quality than even 10 years ago when there was a major difference between brands.

 

[backwoods]

One last note, anything more than a 2way design in a car requires A LOT more processing power and tuning to get to sound right. Keep it simple, and you'll be happier. I've done some quite extensive builds in my time, the more drivers, the more work to get good performance. If you just want volume, then the more surface area you add (larger drivers) the better. But adding more speakers just makes it more difficult. (More cancellation, etc).

If you want to try something that will give you incredible volume and really isn't too difficult, look at horns.