1979 Chevy C10 Stereo Install - Hidden System

With the detachable control panel removed, there is no way to detect if this truck has a complete sound system on board.

We used the Clarion's speaker screen (or whatever they are called when there isn't a screen) to custom-fabricate a hidden mounting plate to conceal the Clarion 6x9 speaker behind the cross-flow ventilation louvers in the steel lower door panel.

To reinforce the speaker screen to make it strong enough to grip self-tapping mounting screws, we built the area up with JB Weld.

In order to allow the speaker screen to rest flush against the inside of the door, these pointy things had to be cut off with a die grinder.

The cross-flow ventilation vents were eliminated, but they provided a perfect template to drill the mounting holes in the speaker screen before discarding them.

Screws were driven in from the front side of the speaker grille to provide mounting studs for the Clarion 6x9 speaker.

After experimenting with several methods, we determined the best way to install the Clarion 6x9 speakers was to assemble them completely to the speaker screen (mounting plate) with nuts and attach the speaker wires.

Extreme care was used to slide the Clarion 6x9 speaker down into place. This meant rotating its position to enable it to fit.

Once the Clarion 6x9 speaker was almost within its mounting position, a dinky Snap-on scratch awl was used to line it up completely by drawing the speaker into place (trying to peek at it through the holes also helped).

Maybe not exactly what the real pros use, but we used plumber's putty to pack around the entire circumference of the Clarion 6x9 speaker to waterproof it and seal it like an enclosure...what the heck, it seems to work real well.

Be warned, there's an infinite amount of razor-sharp edges within the door. Gloves might have helped, but that's what girls wear.

Here one can't see the Clarion 6x9 coaxial speaker mounted behind the cross-through ventilation louvers. Reusing the original chrome screws to mount the Clarion 6x9 speakers was the finishing touch.