Retrosound 4x10” Dash speaker / Dash Pad Modification

[Olacmot]

Has anyone had any success installing this 4x10” Retrosound speaker in the dash? I just had my dash pad redone, and the speaker sits too high, making the speaker grill pop out of the dash by about 1/4”. I can cut some of the tabs of this speaker to help it sit lower, but it seems I will need to trim away some of the new dash pad foam so the speaker sits on the metal dash frame. So I have some questions before I modify the speaker and can’t return it:

Has anyone installed this speaker? There are two (2) speaker connections for this speaker. The speaker wire connections on one side of the magnet have very little clearance to the steel dash frame. If I get it to sit lower in the frame clearance will likely get worse. Will I need to grind the frame to make clearance for the speaker connections?

If I trim the dash pad back around the boarder of the speaker, so the speaker can sit directly on the frame, will it cause the dash pad to prematurely crack or peel/pull back off the frame? Seeing as the hole for the speaker is already cut in it, I don’t think this will be an issue, but didn’t want to cut it and cause any adverse effects to the pad before asking you guys who have more experience.

Thanks in advance! Pictures attached for reference.

 

[Deathproofcuda]

I had the same problem as you, so I returned it and bought one of these instead.

Classic Car Speakers

Bottom of the page, Stereo 4"x10" Oval Dual 3-1/2"

 

[Olacmot]

I had the same problem as you, so I returned it and bought one of these instead.

Classic Car Speakers

Bottom of the page, Stereo 4"x10" Oval Dual 3-1/2"

Interesting. What other speakers do you have in your system? How does that speaker setup sound?

 

[Deathproofcuda]

Interesting. What other speakers do you have in your system? How does that speaker setup sound?

I have a set of 6x9s that I also bought from the Turnswitch site, but I haven't gotten around to installing them yet. I'm not much of an audiophile, so my opinion on sound quality probably isn't worth much. After not having any tunes for years, I was just happy to have a working radio and speaker.

I also had Turnswitch upgrade my original am radio to am/fm and they added a plug so that I can play music from my phone through original am radio.

For me, the important part was just having the speaker fit without hacking into the dash.

 

[Chally]

I recently installed the Turnswitch 4x10 setup and it fit without any modifications, but it was pretty tight in my case. I have 6x9’s under the package tray which is necessary IMO. The front speaker setup is primarily for supplemental sound and the fader is needed to adjust it optimally.

 

[Bret Schneider]

I recently installed this speaker from Retrosound in my 74 Challenger. Looks like it's a low profile version of the one you have. I think I may have had to trim off a tab or two but that was all. Fit perfectly after that. Haven't actually used it yet but getting close.

RetroSound 4" x 10" Premium Stereo Dash Speaker for 1970-72 Dodge Challenger

 

[elan71]

Hi
I had the same problem but managed to fix it. I first cut off one of the contacts projecting upwards from plus and minus. Then I carefully bent a terminal downwards. When everything is bent down nicely, connect the cable and insulate it well. Then put some insulation around the loudspeaker so that it closes off nicely. It only goes in one way. You have to pay attention to that.
This worked very well with my 71 'Cuda. Of course, you won't get the low tones, that's not physically possible. I hid a subwoofer under the passenger seat for this purpose. Then it sounds quite decent.

Daniel

 

[mopar jack]

The only problem I had was with a new speaker grill that had longer standoffs causing it to sit high.

 

[Olacmot]

Hi
I had the same problem but managed to fix it. I first cut off one of the contacts projecting upwards from plus and minus. Then I carefully bent a terminal downwards. When everything is bent down nicely, connect the cable and insulate it well. Then put some insulation around the loudspeaker so that it closes off nicely. It only goes in one way. You have to pay attention to that.
This worked very well with my 71 'Cuda. Of course, you won't get the low tones, that's not physically possible. I hid a subwoofer under the passenger seat for this purpose. Then it sounds quite decent.

Daniel

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So, I called the company that redid the dash pad, and they said there would be no issue trimming back the foam and vinyl under the speaker grill so the speaker sits lower. I’ll do the same thing that you did with your speaker wires to insulate the connections from the dash. Thanks for the good idea, I’ll keep you posted on how it turns out.

 

[Bret Schneider]

You guys are way more adventuresome than me. I'm going every time with the $83 low profile version of that speaker that actually fits but I admire your creativity.

 

[Matt L.]

I used the R410Uk from Retrosound. It was a tight fit but worked. My speaker grill had to be persuaded (shoehorned) into place, but I think that may have been from being remanufactured.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00M9BC484?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title&th=1

For the rear speakers, I went with the JVC speakers.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07P6RV67L?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title

I am using the Classic Car Stereo I got from Classic Industries.

https://www.classiccarstereos.com/1...SlqKshDWpwhD_WONjCcvzyxXkJWhYXE4aAhnPEALw_wcB

When I went over my package tray board and insulation with Kilmat, it made a HUGE difference. Of course, it is still a 1971 vehicle, but there's no reverberation with the speakers bouncing off the metal package tray. It made all the difference in the world and the speakers actually sound good.

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[hdwrench]

had same issues, not sure what my plan is . thinking of putting my speaker blank back in and just running two rear speakers . i believe that is oem set up for this car ….i am also upgrading my factory radio , it is smoked anyway ….

 

[Olacmot]

I took all of your advice and made this fit. I took a punch and hammer and bent the speaker’s frame in one spot to bend it down to get the smallest amount of clearance from the dash frame. You can see the dent I made and the clearance in the last two pics here.

I also had to trim two of the speaker grill stand offs to make it sit more flush, then used electrical tape to insulate the passenger side terminals for the speaker so they wouldn’t ground out.

I haven’t splurged on a stereo or rear speakers yet. I was thinking about trying a cheap single din stereo off amazon that has a back up camera capability, but I’m saving that project for later once the car is running again.

I’m satisfied with the fit! I’ll definitely do the kill mat once I get to the rear speakers. I remember them rattling really bad 20 years ago when this was my daily… the speakers would rattle rust out of the back window each time I turned it up

 

[Olacmot]

Quick follow up for anyone stumbling on this post with questions on the front speaker. This retro sound d-412 is awesome. I wired it into a system a month or two ago and it performs great. It is impressively loud with a 200W amp paired with two 6x9 speakers. IMO it’s too loud to crank all the way up, I can’t hear my exhaust even with the windows down!

Funny enough I wasn’t planning on getting to the stereo yet, but my wife reminded me late on cyber Monday to look if anything else I needed was on sale. I had consumed a few glasses of wine by the time she had brought it up, so off shopping I went without much thought. I might have not NEEDED a stereo, but I wanted something cheap to just get sound. I bought a cheap Chinese single din touch screen head unit with wireless CarPlay. I also purchased what I thought was BOSE 6x9s and a BOSE 200W amp. I thought to myself it was incredible that a name brand like that would have 40 dollar speakers of that size and a 30 dollar amp. I thought I was getting a deal!

Imagine my surprise days later when the wine was out of my system and a BOSS AUDIO amp and speakers showed up lol. No wonder they were cheap!

Long story short, the speakers work decently and were a deal at 40 bucks. The amp was garbage though. After putting a lot of effort into the install to have the amp cut out, make strange noises, and not be crisp, I decided to spend some money on a decent amp to see the difference.

I bought the Kicker Key 2004. It made a huge difference. The sound is much cleaner, it draws less power, and the amp tunes itself and your speakers. It also has LED indicators that go off when the amp senses clipping and it prevents your speakers from getting blown out. Well worth it, I think I am all in at around 600 bucks if you include connectors/hardware/foam board I already had. I’ll post a price breakdown and component list if anyone is curious.

Here are a few pictures of the install. I used foam board on the trunk side of the X braces behind the back seat. I mounted it with T nuts that lined up with existing holes in the braces. I split it asymmetrically for ease of taking it he board in and out, and so I could mount the amp in the center. Don’t mind the rust holes letting light into the trunk

I am the most pleased with the head unit. It’s called an Ohradio single din 5.1 inch stereo. It came with a back up camera that I wired in, and a microphone for hands free calls. I’m still working to dial the mic in, but the touchscreen is great, and it wirelessly connects to your phone to play music. It brings a modern touch to the car without looking too out of place, and seems to fit with minimal cutting of the dash trim piece. My trim had a section that was cracked out of it and that provides clearance for the bottom right corner of the screen. Only issue I could see is the 5.1” screen is pretty small for a touchscreen. If your vision isn’t great or you have clumsy fingers I could see it being an issue.

Overall super happy, and would recommend that retro sound speaker!

 

[Olacmot]

Component list with pricing is below. I included my original junk amp in this cost. Rounded everything up to the closest dollar.

Retrosound 4x10 speaker 60.00
6x9 Speakers 40.00
16awg Speaker Wire 25.00
#10 wire 41.00
Fuse holder and fuses 10.00
Shielded RCA Cables 20.00
Ohradio Single Din Stereo 68.00
Boss Audio Amp 32.00
Kicker Key Audio Amp 219.00
Input filter 15.00
Noise filter 13.00
Ground loop Isolator 15.00

Total $558.00

So anyway, you can have a pretty decent system for under 600 bucks if anyone is on the fence about doing this. This kicker amp uses a 20a fuse as well which is helpful. I’m running it off a stock alternator with no issues.

 

[RickyOG90]

Quick follow up for anyone stumbling on this post with questions on the front speaker. This retro sound d-412 is awesome. I wired it into a system a month or two ago and it performs great. It is impressively loud with a 200W amp paired with two 6x9 speakers. IMO it’s too loud to crank all the way up, I can’t hear my exhaust even with the windows down!

Funny enough I wasn’t planning on getting to the stereo yet, but my wife reminded me late on cyber Monday to look if anything else I needed was on sale. I had consumed a few glasses of wine by the time she had brought it up, so off shopping I went without much thought. I might have not NEEDED a stereo, but I wanted something cheap to just get sound. I bought a cheap Chinese single din touch screen head unit with wireless CarPlay. I also purchased what I thought was BOSE 6x9s and a BOSE 200W amp. I thought to myself it was incredible that a name brand like that would have 40 dollar speakers of that size and a 30 dollar amp. I thought I was getting a deal!

Imagine my surprise days later when the wine was out of my system and a BOSS AUDIO amp and speakers showed up lol. No wonder they were cheap!

Long story short, the speakers work decently and were a deal at 40 bucks. The amp was garbage though. After putting a lot of effort into the install to have the amp cut out, make strange noises, and not be crisp, I decided to spend some money on a decent amp to see the difference.

I bought the Kicker Key 2004. It made a huge difference. The sound is much cleaner, it draws less power, and the amp tunes itself and your speakers. It also has LED indicators that go off when the amp senses clipping and it prevents your speakers from getting blown out. Well worth it, I think I am all in at around 600 bucks if you include connectors/hardware/foam board I already had. I’ll post a price breakdown and component list if anyone is curious.

Here are a few pictures of the install. I used foam board on the trunk side of the X braces behind the back seat. I mounted it with T nuts that lined up with existing holes in the braces. I split it asymmetrically for ease of taking it he board in and out, and so I could mount the amp in the center. Don’t mind the rust holes letting light into the trunk

I am the most pleased with the head unit. It’s called an Ohradio single din 5.1 inch stereo. It came with a back up camera that I wired in, and a microphone for hands free calls. I’m still working to dial the mic in, but the touchscreen is great, and it wirelessly connects to your phone to play music. It brings a modern touch to the car without looking too out of place, and seems to fit with minimal cutting of the dash trim piece. My trim had a section that was cracked out of it and that provides clearance for the bottom right corner of the screen. Only issue I could see is the 5.1” screen is pretty small for a touchscreen. If your vision isn’t great or you have clumsy fingers I could see it being an issue.

Overall super happy, and would recommend that retro sound speaker!

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well dang dude, pretty sick job there! are you planning to add subs too as i see what looks to be a 4awg(0awg perhaps?) cable off at the bottom in a couple of pics.