Speakers, sunroofs and stainless bits

[secondtimer]

I thought I'd post a few links to what may prove to be useful odds and ends for others here, some parts etc I have found have worked for me when originals can't be found:

If you've changed to an electric pump and need a decent stainless steel blanking plate for your mechanical fuel pump aperture you can get them from Smiffy who specialises in all things shiny for Mini's: info@smiffysbits.co.uk. There may be other bits he has that are of use but haven't checked.

My aftermarket sunroof was shot and I had a mare tracking down either parts for it or a suitable replacement. Webasto do the Hollandia 100 pop-up which only called for a small bit of extra trimming to the steel and now in it looks superb.

Lastly, the old centre dash speaker issue - I am now 99% sure that the original size speaker that went in the hole no longer exists, but I found a pair of 3.5" two-way speakers that drop into the oval hole just right. With the grille over the top you'd never know and it gives you the equivalent of a dual-voice sound up front without wrecking your door cards, and for less than £20!
I found these on ebay from a company called Thompsons Ltd which have the right depth and recess etc.

[GrahamFountain]

I found a pair of 3.5" two-way speakers that drop into the oval hole just right.

Got a pic of how they fit?

Graham

[Galileo]

I thought the centre speaker was a pretty common 4x6"? I was thinking of having some old school back parcel shelf speakers, a couple of small pods either side of the parcel tray with an underseat sub. Or I might just enjoy the sound of 16 valves singing!

[Toledo Man]

I was thinking of fitting a pair of speakers on the rear parcel shelf. Either the 70s style small pod speakers (seen a pair of Pioneer ones on Amazon) or the 3 way bass reflex jobbies that were common in the 80s & 90s. I never thought of fitting a pair of speakers in place of the single centre speaker. That would be something worth considering for a 4 speaker setup.

[GrahamFountain]

I've already got speakers in the back shelf that came with the car. But I too often have squeakers in the back seats too. So I have to turn the volume down to solo levels - so low I can't hear it. Hence, I want some front speakers now - the CD player's got four speaker outs and a front/rear fade control (obviously it will have a good mixer stage - it's a Kenwood). But I'd rather not cut up the door cards.

I had thought about something like these on the front shelf under the dash: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Pair-of-4-ABS ... 1428550081. But that will reduce the space for CDs. So, despite the separation being a bit less than standard for stereo, a pair of these 80mm speakers in the middle of the dash might just work.

But I want to see how they fit first, and if there's any opportunity for angling them to enhance the separation: you can fake it a bit with some anti-phase crosstalk (up to 25 percent, IIRC), but that really needs to be done in the pre-amp stage. And that would be difficult with what I've got.

Graham

[GrahamFountain]

or the 3 way bass reflex jobbies that were common in the 80s & 90s.

Did I not see a photo of those posted a little while ago. I had a few sets exactly the same, because they were a bit rare in fitting between the seat-belt unit and the hood on the TR7 DHCs, and they wend well on the sides of the parcel shelf of the FHCs too.

Graham

[Mahesh]

Unfortunately my door cards are already cut out, but I was going to do a full 5.1 surround sound, with the centre speaker under the grille.

Change of plans now, going to use the grille for a flip up sat nav and a/v screen. Just got to sort out hinging and stay to keep open, looking at some meccano type toys for a tiny gas lift (bonnet type) to sort both problems.

[Galileo]

Change of plans now, going to use the grille for a flip up sat nav and a/v screen. Just got to sort out hinging and stay to keep open, looking at some meccano type toys for a tiny gas lift (bonnet type) to sort both problems.

I was thinking the very same thing! I do like a good gadget, as long as it's hidden I don't mind 'ruining' the period look.

Something like this -> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dEJhH-w ... t4Networks

[GrahamFountain]

I had thought about something like these on the front shelf under the dash: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Pair-of-4-ABS ... 1428550081.

I decided for just over 20 quid I'd give these a go. I'm still waiting for the speaker cable I ordered at the same time, but I tried one on the RH shelf and it fits quite well:

I'll see if they need fixing down properly when they're wired-up. They're only ABS, so I should be able to screw through the shelf into them, without making a total pig's ear of it. But I'm hoping I can wedge them in with some sort of material/bubble wrap or whatnot. I think the one on the passenger side is going to be the most in need of fixing somehow.

Graham

[alolympic]

I found a pair of 3.5" two-way speakers that drop into the oval hole just right.

Got a pic of how they fit?

Graham

I'd be very interested in seeing a pic too, as I was thinking of buying a 6"x4" for the same space.
The other place to fit a pair of speakers is in the kick panels. Mine are mounted in speaker pods that are then screwed in to the trimmed panels that I made to fit in the kick panel. Sound is very effective and a pretty standard location for installs these days I believe.

[80Sprint]

Or I might just enjoy the sound of 16 valves singing!

Yep , that's what I do along with the induction roar of 45's and a straight through stainless system. I ditched the radio long ago as I couldn't hear it so I listen to the sweet sounds of a Sprint.

[Toledo Man]

The only thing putting me off fitting some 3.5" speakers in place of the centre speaker would be the lack of stereo separation. I've got a pair of 3-way bass reflex style speakers on the way so I'll be posting on my resto thread. The previous pair I bought were not as described and totally unusable. Fortunately, the seller gave me a full refund and even paid for my return postage so there are some decent ebay sellers out there.

[GrahamFountain]

The wire finally turned up. So I've installed the 4" speakers on the shelf under the dash. They fit perfectly, wedged in by the heater air tubes there and don't rattle at any volume I care to use.

As to their sound, they're 20 quid speakers in 4 inch plastic cubes - not a good aproximation to an infinite baffle. So they lack both bass and treble, and sound muddy compared directly with the Kenwood speakers. But they're better than defening the kids in the back, I supose. I'm just happy to have found something that solves the problem without hacking away bits of the car.

Graham

[marko]

Anyone fancy going halves on these? Look at this on eBay http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/262562274569