What's everyone running for replacement dash speaker. Just got a factory radio for my '72, and the original speaker is kaput. Not looking for anything terribly fancy/expensive ($50-ish) as it is just AM radio, but would be fun to have it be functional. Thanks!
IF you're willing to spend a little more than $50, Kicker has always been good to me. BestBuy appears to have some from ~$70. My personal choice was Alpine, but that was also when I was 17 and living at home so I could throw that kind of cash around.
Doesn't make much difference what you buy, with the 1½ watt amp will sound the same. Back in day a general replacement speaker at Radio Shack, Western Auto, etc would have been $6-$7. Might try Pep Boys. Specs are 5"x 7" 3.2 ohm, a 4 ohm will be fine. It's monaural, only need one speaker.
You should do what Craig Selbey did & put a dual voice-coil speaker in there. Then connect an actual stereo to the front outputs...
While that works for STEREO, for single channel, it's a useless endeavor. Radio Shack used to sell the dual voice coil speakers. In the '70s when I installed factory AM/FM Stereo, used one in front of my Cobra. Had a hard time finding it in stock, finally found a store that had three. I asked manager & she said restock orders were always short. Her trick was making order for only items that she'd been shorted previously. Said the warehouse would always send at least part of that order.
That's why I said connect it to a stereo. Why would anyone want a AM radio from the '70s in their Maverick? It's not cool like '50s AM radios...
Thanks for the tips, wasn't sure if there was a difference being older. I just picked up a cheap ($30 for 2) 5x7 pyle 4ohm. Someday I might install a bluetooth stereo hidden under the rear package tray with 2 speakers, and 2 up front in the kick panels. But there's far more important things to do to the car than that. Plus the car's too loud for a stereo anyway.
I thought it probably used 8 ohm, so checked Ford Master Parts. Ford radios were almost always either 4(3.2) or 8 ohms. Delco radios were usually 10 ohm. 1940s/'50s toob radios were usually 4 ohm. Back in '09, I built a tube radio in a 1936 Silvertone cabinet, used tubes usually found only in TV(mostly seen as worthless by radio restorers). That has universal matching transformer, so I used a speaker from a 1980s Color TV console. Play it almost every day. You'll have to excuse my dust; first time it's been turned around in probably five years. Radio originally operated from batteries (set on shelf above chassis), it's what's known as "farm radio" for areas without electricity.
Figured I'd post an update. Got the radio tidied up yesterday. Just a cheap speaker, sounds alright though. Drilled two new holes and tack welded some 1/4" nuts as mounting flange was different. Also had to sand down the screws so they didn't hit the dash, no big deal. Bit of a pain removing the defrost vent, but not terrible. Cheers!
Not harmful to this old radio is it? It was just the cheapest 4 ohm one (technically pair) at the store. Sounds fine, not that I'll actually listen to it/the one AM radio station I get, just fun to have original working radio.
Radio could care less, a 4 ohm load is a 4 ohm load. Out of the gate, I'm about 50% surprised radio worked. AM only are usually fairly reliable, the AM/FM Stereo of the era were lucky to last five years. Over the years I've been inside the one in my Cobra probably a half dozen times.
