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There are a couple of very knowledgeable guys out there, and hopefully one will chime in. My 64 had a stock AM radio when I bought it and that got tiring pretty quickly, talk radio isn't what classic cars are about. I bought a Custom Autosound Secret Audio with dual cone speakers for front and rear. I reworked the ash tray in the console to take the control unit and it looked really neat. Trouble was, the buttons were too small to use easily, you couldn't read the little display and the radio itself was a piece of crap. I think the company stayed in business because they were the only ones making aftermarket radios that looked half like they fit the cars.
I toyed with the idea of getting my original AM radio rebuilt with a new board so it would look original but have all the latest features. The problem was that, as I understood it, you would have no idea what was going on since you would still have the original AM dial. No idea which FM station or MP3 track you were listening to.
The dual cone speakers were muddy at best, and all I can say about them was that they fit the openings.
A couple of years ago, I got fed up and bought a Retrosound Zuma and dual voice coil speakers. I couldn't be happier. It fit in the dash, and with the overlay that imitates the station frequencies, it looks almost original. I think the sound is great, and the USB input (now located in the console compartment) lets me play all the oldies I want. The only trouble is the frequency overlay on the display makes it difficult to read the information, station or song title, so a rebuild of my original radio may not have been so bad after all.
I understand that Custom Autosound has improved their product, but have no experience to share. All I can say is that a company that sold such crap for big dollars is lucky to still be in business.
The short of it is, go for dual voice coil (there are several suppliers) in the original locations, and, while the sound won't be equal to a new, high-end car, it is not bad at all. Besides, we all drive with the windows down any chance we get.
As far as adding small speakers below the dash and pointed down, I think you'll find that there is no room, especially on the passenger side. I have power seats, and putting anything under there isn't an option either.
Sorry for the long post, but there was a lot to say.
Terry
64HT
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