Speaker Locations 1969

Q: Speaker Locations 1969

When a 1969 convertible was ordered with an AM/FM radio, did the speakers get located in the kick panel or behind the back seat? Was the back seat location an extra cost option? My car originally was ordered with an AM/FM but when I bought it the dash and kick panels were butchered for aftermarket equipment.

A: You’ll need to specify if you mean the AM/FM monaural radio, or the AM/FM Stereo Multiplex radio. AM and AM/FM came standard with one (1) speaker, mounted in the front center dash. You could order a single rear seat speaker option with those two radios as well. In convertibles, the rear speaker was on the right side. It hung on the rear seatback support in a cardboard housing facing the window, with the speaker grill in the topwell and the speaker and housing hidden behind the topwell.

AM/FM Stereo or 8-track stereo cars had the 4-speaker system, with the kick panel mounted fronts. If AM or AM/FM monaural radios were installed with the 8-track, the radios played through the dash speaker, and the other 4 speakers played the tapes. The rear speakers in convertibles had 2 through the topwell, on the left and right.

This was different than the stereo systems installed in A-bodies. Surprisingly, the 1969 LeMans, Tempest and GTO stereo only had one front and one rear speaker, with the stereo signal cut that way. I think even the Grand Prix was the same.

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