First Gen audio

[flwsock]

Hey all,

I'm curious to see what people have done to upgrade their first gens audio. I'm keeping the stock radio with cassette because I can always run an AUX off of the cassette player. What have you guys done speaker wise? When I first bought my truck it only had one speaker in the dash. That was insufficient to say the least. I installed two old speakers, one behind each seat in the truck. It's louder and a little better, but I'm curious to see what others have done with other speakers. There isn't much room for modification in a single cab, but I'm sure people have done some creative things.

 

[Angie]

hi, scroll to post 24 for dash pic

83 302 build

Picked up my first chanter when I was 25, and tomorrow I'm 46, but regrettably I stopped playing a while back...life just got in the way. Every now and then I've an incling to pick them back up, but again...too much other stuff going on...maybe one day.

www.therangerstation.com

&
61 for rears (they were a box I had sitting around, covered them and placed in small speakers. sound is very clean)

83 302 build

testing the stereo and popped in the seats with the console to see how this will go together. thinking this will be a good mix in this old truck. cheers nice of ford to place these nice extra holes for placing more important things like switches... will be painted yet, these seats will be...

www.therangerstation.com

 

[RobbieD]

When I first bought my truck it only had one speaker in the dash.

Your truck is an '83, right? You probably have the first year front dash panel that had three speaker locations: a 6x8" center and two 'Ford 5" 3-hole' on the outer corners. These early panels are getting hard to find.

The early single cabs can be tough to get decent sound in. I don't like losing the space behind the seat(s), but if that's not a concern you can do rear speakers in boxes. In fact, the rear speaker boxes that came in later first generations from the factory actually sounded pretty decent.

Later trucks had 5 1/4" speakers in the doors (6x8" even later, 3rd gen). Door speakers would be an option that would let you keep your behind the seat storage. This would require cutting the metal and the door panel, but the door makes a good speaker enclosure and you'll get good sound.

If it were me with your setup, I'd add a set of 5 1/4" speakers to the doors and run 4" speakers in the outer dash locations with bass blockers in line to limit the lower frequencies to these. You'd get decent bass from the doors, and good mid and highs reflecting off the windshield.

I like that your keeping the stock radio. Does it have a fader control (i.e.- front/rear), or balance only?

 

[RangerFabWorks]

I run 5-1/4 dash speakers. Then 6x9s in the doors. Gives the best sound in the cab imo

 

[flwsock]

Your truck is an '83, right? You probably have the first year front dash panel that had three speaker locations: a 6x8" center and two 'Ford 5" 3-hole' on the outer corners. These early panels are getting hard to find.

The early single cabs can be tough to get decent sound in. I don't like losing the space behind the seat(s), but if that's not a concern you can do rear speakers in boxes. In fact, the rear speaker boxes that came in later first generations from the factory actually sounded pretty decent.

Later trucks had 5 1/4" speakers in the doors (6x8" even later, 3rd gen). Door speakers would be an option that would let you keep your behind the seat storage. This would require cutting the metal and the door panel, but the door makes a good speaker enclosure and you'll get good sound.

If it were me with your setup, I'd add a set of 5 1/4" speakers to the doors and run 4" speakers in the outer dash locations with bass blockers in line to limit the lower frequencies to these. You'd get decent bass from the doors, and good mid and highs reflecting off the windshield.

I like that your keeping the stock radio. Does it have a fader control (i.e.- front/rear), or balance only?

Yep, it's an 83. In my other post asking about the "weird combo" I had promised I'd send you pics last time I was out there. I took a few, but they were trash as I was in a real hurry. I'll be back home again in a couple weeks to finally her running again. I'm super excited. I've already replaced almost the whole ignition system, installed new air shocks, ebrake cables, and wheel cylinders. I promise I'll take some quality pics for you when I get there. School has been real taxing lately -- but I'll have two weeks off starting the week of the 20th.

I'm unsure of what panels it has or speaker locations, but you're probably right. I've never looked that closely and I haven't heard the sound from it in like 8 years. Maybe the other speakers just stopped working when I bought it, or maybe it does have sound from all three and I'm just not remembering. I'll find out. If it does have three speaker locations, I'll definitely be filling them all with new speakers (unless I can get the old ones working again, I think that would be awesome).

I don't remember if it had fader control or not (I'm super helpful at remembering my truck's features, I know lol). I want to say it does, but I'm not 100%. I remember both radio knobs had secondary adjustments.

I don't really want to add speakers in the doors if it means cutting the door skin or altering the door in any way. I want to maintain it as stock as possible.

 

[RangerFabWorks]

Then 5.25 speakers in the dash. And some speaker boxes behind the seat are your best bet.

 

[RobbieD]

Hey, man; take your time and don't sweat the pics. Still want to see some, when you're ready. It would be a good idea to find or make the time, when you can, and go completely over and through the truck and take pictures of EVERYTHING. A photo archive is also a great help when doing work, or planning work, on the truck. And if you happen to still have this truck in 20 years, you'll be glad that you photo-documented it.

I really understand, and appreciate, that you're wanting to keep this truck as stock as possible. I'm the same way with mine.

If I remember right, on the three speaker dash panel which came in the 1983 models only, when a truck came with an AM radio, there would be one 6x8" speaker in the larger center hole. If it had AM/FM stereo or cassette, there would be speakers in the two outer holes. The factory speaker which bolts in correctly, is about 5" total diameter and uses three mounting holes. It's different than the 5 1/4" door speaker that came in the later models, and I'm just not sure if direct replacements are available aftermarket these days (I used to do autosound for a living, but been out of it for many, MANY years). To remove the speaker grilles, remove the two phillips screws, lift the grille slightly and pull it to rear (of the truck); the grille front is held by clips.

Keep in mind that some of the early Rangers came from Ford with rear speakers behind the seat in nice little enclosures, and they really sounded decent with a stock radio. You might like them for your truck, going "stock", if you can find a good set. Off the top of my head, I don't what year they started this, but I know by the 1989 models for sure.

Are you having any luck tracking down that lower body molding?

 

[flwsock]

Thanks, and will take as many pics as I can to show it off! The truck does have a cassette player, that much I do know. I'll have to figure out the side speakers when I go back to Wisconsin (I stay in Michigan for school, hence why me seeing the trucks is only between every few weeks). My ranger certainly doesn't have the little enclosures behind the seats. I wish it did. If I can find some of those original boxes from slightly newer models, that would be cool!

No luck on the black plastic molding, but I think I found some of the chrome trim that went above the black plastic stuff! I'm trying to save up some more cash for some cool ranger items I found. It's hard while only working minimal hours, but I'm trying!

Also, on a slightly different topic -- those running boards that were on the truck before it was painted and they were subsequently thrown out, are you sure those weren't an option on 83s? I did some research and found a set of running boards from Ford that look exactly like the ones I had, and they have a part number similar to other Ranger parts.

 

[Gregin30655]

I'm in the midst of a full on truck build on an 88 GT, but the stereo stuff is bought and sitting awaiting its turn. I am using old school gear to be fairly era correct, other than source unit. I have a new Alpine single DIN so I can Bluetooth and stream, but then I have an Alpine 3554 amp, an old school 4 channel. Front channels will feed MB Quart 3 way passive crossovers and then to a 4" and tweet in the dash and a 6.5" mid bass in the doors in 89 model door panels since they are way cleaner looking. All reference series, all old German made MBQ stuff. If you know, you know. The rear 2 channels will bridge to a single JL 12w0 in a small sealed box 1.375 cu ft. For giggles I do have an Audio Control Epicenter as well, just for nostalgia sake, probably wont ever twist the knob, and don't really need to with digital files these days.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

I have some accessory catalogs posted here you might find interesting:

First Gen Literature

Kind of an obscure thing to know what is even out there and I have been collecting it for awhile. Pretty interesting to browse thru, if anybody else has any post it up. If you have other generation start your own thread to keep it kind of organized and keep this post First Generation (1983...

www.therangerstation.com

I have 4" speakers on the dash and something like 6.5's in modified factory speaker boxes behind the seat.

Probably not the most awesomest but a steel interior cab with glasspacks and no A/C isn't really a soundbooth either.



Alpine HU has kind of a late 80's/early 90's aftermarket (aka nearly period) look it it while having bluetooth and Sirus etc. I haven't gotten around to getting speakers that fit under the grilles yet. I cut holes in a spare set of grilles and bolted speakers to them.