






|
Stereo Installation In An Early C3 continued |

|
At this point in the project you should have the radio installed in the gauge console. Power for the radio should come from the accessory lug on the fuse panel ( power only when the ignition switch is on) and if your radio has a digital clock or some other type of memory it will need constant power from the bat terminal on the fuse panel. Make sure these connections are solid and that your connectors fit tight at the fuse panel. Use insulated connectors to avoid the chance of a short circuit and run the wires so that nothing pinches them. The next phase of the project involves the front speakers. In order not to cut panels I elected to install stock size speakers in the top dash pad and in the kick panels. These speakers are 4" x 6" in size and are designed to be exact replacements for the top pad speakers. The kickpanels didn't have speakers in 1974 but I believe that earlier sharks had 4" x 10" speakers installed only in the kickpanels. In any case I chose to have a matched set of 4 speakers so that they would blend well with each other. By going this way I had to fabricate mounting panels for the kickpanel speakers but I'll get to that later. To install the top dash pad speakers you're going to have to do some more disassembly (I know, I know, right about now you're saying "What the hell did I get myself in to"). In order to raise the top pad to install the speakers you're going to have to remove the top windshield molding and the side moldings. This in conjunction with removing the top screws on the left and right dash pads will allow you to raise the dash pad. If the pad doesn't move you will have to unscrew the support just below the dash pad that holds it toward the windshield. Once the dash pad is loose you can remove the pad by "gently" bending it in the center while pulling the passenger side past the windshield frame. As you can see from |


|
the pictures it is much easier to remove the pad if the driver's dash pad is out but that's not a job I would recommend unless you need to work on the instruments. It's a major PITA to take out and put back in. The new speakers are mounted in the stock locations by mounting them to the stock retainers and screwing them on to the dash pad. Again make sure that all connections have the proper |
|
polarity (plus to plus and minus to minus) and that they are securely fastened. You don't want to have to pull everything apart because a speaker wire came off. The wires should be run so that they can be joined to the lower speakers in series. This , assuming that the speakers are 4 ohm, will give you 2 ohms impedance which is acceptable for most amplifiers. |