FM conversion and dual speaker bracket

[burdar]

Let me start by saying anything speaker/radio related is a foreign language to me...

My 68 Dart has an AM thumbwheel radio and one speaker in the dash.  I'm planning on sending the radio out to be rebuilt and converted to FM.  The radio will have new speaker wires and I'll be able to connect up to four speakers to it.(I'm only going to hook up two)  The radio will have 45 watts per channel.  Also, I'm going to do away with the original speaker in the dash and install a dual speaker bracket.  That bracket will let me install two 4" speakers in place of the original speaker.

From what I've read, a 2-way speaker is just two speakers in one...a sub and a tweeter correct?  How do I go about choosing a speaker.(2-way/3-way/watt rating exc..)  I assume I need to look at the wattage rating of the speaker so it will work with the 45 watts the stereo will put out.  I just want to be able to listen to the radio and won't be cranking it up.  Will a couple cheap 4" speakers work?  I assume even the cheapest speakers will sound better then a reconed original?

[MEK-Dangerfield]

Darren,

  A two-way speaker is a woofer and a tweeter. A 3-way adds a mid range to it.

I don't imagine there are any 4" speakers out there that can handle much power, but by the sound of what your radio puts out, it should be do-able. You might want to check out Crutchfield dot com.

I know this is an A-Body, but E-Bodies had a depth limitation with dash speakers unless you wanted to hack away at the dash frame. So be aware of the dimensions too. 

[burdar]

The dash frame doesn't have a speaker grill...it's all metal with holes punched in it.  The speaker mounts from underneath.  The only limitation is that the heater controls are directly under the speaker.  I think there is a decent amount of space there though.

So, is 45 watts per channel a lot?(again, it's a foreign language)  As long as the speaker wattage is close to 45 I should be OK?

[Bullitt-]

So, is 45 watts per channel a lot?(again, it's a foreign language)  As long as the speaker wattage is close to 45 I should be OK?

 
Not especially but if I get that your putting two small speakers in one small opening it's not going to give any kind of stereo effect & like Mike said the quality of 4" speakers is limited & the size limits range of sound reproduction.
I would much rather see you stay with 4x10 single coaxial front & add a 6x9 coaxial rear for better sound. You would want speakers with max capacity of around 45watts each if only using two, split that in half for four speakers.

Read the two sections under Features
http://www.abt.com/about/Buying_CarSpeakers   

[burdar]

There is no package tray in a convertible so I have no way of cleanly mounting a speaker in the rear.

Why split the wattage in half if going with four speakers. The stereo will support 45 on each channel.

I always have the option of adding two more in the kick panels if I want to.

[Bullitt-]

That's the math 45 per channel one left one right, if you went with 4-speakers there would only be 22.5 max available to each.
Didn't know it was a vert, go with the kick panel option but I wouldn't expect much from the dash alone. 
There's always the powered sub in the trunk option, heard one in a Miata & was impressed they could get so much in such a small package. 

[burdar]

It still doesn't make sence...I hate math.  If the radio has a total of four channels @ 45 watts on each channel....I hook up one speaker to the first channel and the second speaker to the second channel.  To me that means I have 45 watts to each speaker.  Then I have two channels that I'm not using where I could hook up two more speakers.  With four speakers and four channels...each speaker hooked up to a separate channel, shouldn't I still have 45 watts to each speaker?

[Bullitt-]

No you have a stereo with 45watts per channel,(not per line out) 45 left & 45 right.. if you only use one each L&R speaker you would deliver up to 45watts each, if you add 2-more speakers the 45watts are split. One could argue that the potential for delivering all 45 watts to a speaker is still there if you adjusted the fader all the way but you would not normally operate in that mode & the fact is you would not be listening at such levels. Of course most any quality speaker will have a rating as great as your maximum output, you just need to stay close as possible for good volume.

I checked into 4x10 speaker adapters, all I could find was for 2-3.5"

[burdar]

The brackets were designed for two 3.5s but people have been mounting 4" below the bracket.

[Bullitt-]

I made my own adapter for the Challenger out of some scrap 1/4" Melamine and weatherstrip for a couple of tweeters.

something like this 


 

[burdar]

Here's what I ended up with.  The speakers were rated at 60watts so I should be good there.  In all, I have $56 in this setup.  It should sound a little better then a factory re-coned speaker and it cost less too.  I haven't test fit it to the dash frame yet.  I might have to add some foam around the top to insulate it from the frame.  Thanks for the help.