Matt (r4pinto) asked about sound system tips or advice for his Pinto. I thought this may be beneficial to others as well, so I am posting this for future reference and for all to use.
I am using my personal project log for my 78 Sedan for references for this post. It includes pictures of some things I have done to the car regarding the sound system, as well as notes and descriptions of what I did. The links are below.
This link takes you to the first post of the sound system install. It is two posts, the speakers and the deck:
http://www.fordpinto.com/your-project/restoring-my-78-sedan/msg54456/#msg54456
This link takes you to the first post of the redesigned rear deck panel. It continues to the first reply on page 3:
http://www.fordpinto.com/your-project/restoring-my-78-sedan/msg56340/#msg56340
I use 6 1/2" Pioneer model TS-G671M 4-way speakers in the kick panels. The install was pretty easy, even if I did feel somewhat guilty about cutting up the kick panels. I do have a couple spare sets in storage of other colors, so if I ever decide to go back to stock I can just paint them landau black and install them.
The kick panel speakers sound great, they really help to balance out the sound between the front and rear and fill the car with some clean balanced sound. I stick with Pioneer as the tone frequencies they are rated for seem to be less high pitched and "tin can" sounding as Sony's do.
For the rear, I actually am using a set of 6x9 Pioneers. I can't remember the exact model though. The 6x9s are a 3-way speaker pair, matched as closely as possible to the front 6 1/2s for tone frequencies, although the fronts have a slightly higher frequency range, but that is preferred since I adjust my speakers so that I hear a majority of the sound to come from the front. The rear 6x9s are more of a bass speaker than anything and used to help give more "umph" to music, as well as balance out the mid range frequencies.
For bass, I am still using the 8" Sony Xplode that I bought when I first put a sound system in the car. It came with the box it is in, and with it in the trunk, it gives a nice smooth bass tone, but can put out some punch depending on the deck adjustment for bass settings. If the amp is adjusted, it can get pretty loud in the car, but outside of the car you wouldn't guess that it sounds amazing inside!
My amp only powers the sub, all of my speakers are powered by the deck. I am using a late 90s model Rockford Fosgate 300W RMS two channel amp, of which I only use one channel. It has a nice option of a remote adjustment knob to give the sub more power. It is wired using a 4 wire phone cable. I keep it located between the kick panel and the hood release.
Currently I am using a Pioneer DEH-P3900M, which is outdated, but works well. It has 50W mosfet power to all four channels, with a coax output to the amp, and a front panel 1/8" stereo input for MP3 player/iPod input. It has the option for Sirus radio as well as an RF steering wheel remote (I don't have that yet but hope to in the future). It does have a small rectangular remote control which I find handy while driving, it eliminates the need to lean forward to adjust volume, change audio sources and change tracks or radio stations. The faceplate is also removable which I like so that no-one has any clue as to what type of stereo I have and helps as a theft deterrent.
For adjusting my speakers, I adjust the front fader slightly more than the rear, with balance to the left just ever so slightly higher than the right. For the driver, these adjustments are PERFECT, and it sounds better and much more "full" sounding than my 5.1 home theater (not a HT in a box setup!)!
So, the keys to keeping it sounding smooth and balanced, even at higher volumes, I highly recommend the following...
A deck with 50w mosfet power to all four channels (this channel power eliminates the need for an amp to power the speakers under normal listening volumes)
4-way speakers for the front if you decide not to use tweeters (I don't like tweeters, they are tacky looking and don't change the sound that much)
3-way speakers for the rear (you don't need higher pitch sounds emanating from the rear, you get plenty from 4-ways in the front)
8" or 10" sub in a small wedge enclosure powered by at least a 300W RMS amp high quality amp. Anything larger than 10" for the sub is overkill unless you are a bass fanatic and really want to rumble the car. In that case, build an enclosure to house dual 10s or 12s that sits in the back seat (I did this and it really gets LOUD!), however that eliminates your rear seating and takes away from the stock appearance. If you are like me, I like having the back seat available and a semi-stock appearance.
Note that going with cheaper and less quality components will take away from the crisp highs and mid range sounds for your speakers, and they will most likely distort more. A cheaper less quality amp will give you muddy bass and it won't get very loud without distortion.
While my setup in my car is pretty much finished with the option to upgrade later, I still want to cover the particle board spacer rings (for the front 6.5 speakers) with bondo or fiberglass, as they are starting to deteriorate and look pretty cheaply done. Bondo or fiberglass will give it a smoother appearance and match the speaker grill much better.
Also my rear deck is re-made of particle board and I want to coat it with a lacquer, or even with black vinyl to give a smoother/sleeker appearance that looks more classic. Covering with carpet as it was stock just seems tacky, and carpet on the rear deck will fade over time unless you cover the rear windows with sunshades when the car is outdoors during the summer. And who wants to wedge a vacuum hose into that small space anyway
That's awesome Dave! I wonder how the fronts would sound if I would use 4x6 speakers instead of 6 1/4s.. On the round speakers did you find that you had to use the spacer?
I have a ten inch cerwin vega..pointed to the rear of my all glass hatch awesome acoustics..had the same sub in thestinkbug but sounds better in the 79
I had to use the spacers on my kick panel speakers because of how deep the basket is, as well as the size of the magnet. The bottom door hinge bolts protrude right where the speakers are as well. To keep the magnet from running into the door hinge bolts the spacer was necessary. Even if the bolts were trimmed it would still require the spacer because the wire access opening behind the kick panel isn't big enough for a 6.5" speaker basket.
If I wanted to use these speakers in the doors I would have to do the same thing with the spacer or it would run into the glass when the window is rolled down. However I don't find the acoustics of the car to be very desirable when the speakers are mounted in the doors. The doors are so big and hollow that it would vibrate and echo more than anything.
Dave, the size of the Pinto makes it perfect for smaller subs!
One idea my brother and I had was to turn the entire trunk into a sub enclosure, or even to put a divider at the rear deck where the deck lid hinges are, and to mount a 10 or 12" (if possible) sub on the rear deck instead of having 6x9 speakers. It would give some awesome clean and loud bass if I were to do it right with insulation to keep the sub "enclosure" isolated! I like having some cargo space, even if it is limited.
In 2001 my brother was building some custom kick panel 6 1/2" speaker enclosures out of fiberglass. The kick panel was left in one piece without any cutting with a mold formed by hand which angled 45 degrees towards the driver and/or passenger. They were sleek and would have been great to finish, but my dad threw them in the trash not knowing what they were. The only down side to that would be the lack of a floor mounted dimmer switch, but that can always be relocated! I'm considering reviving that idea of my brother's.