1976 BMW 2002 Set Up ?'s

[Spanky33 0]

Hey everyone, I recently purchased a 1976 BMW 2002 and I would like to outfit it with a nice system. The car itself is a little restricting due to the amount of noise it makes and its size. My main question is about power consumption. Right now the car has the stock alternator in which produces either 35a or 45a, I'm not sure which. How much amperage would I need to run a little 10" sub such as the SA-10 and a set of front speakers run off of an amp? The mounting location accepts what appears to be a 4" speaker. I would also like to get some opinions on a real good set of 4" speakers for lets say around $200, a little more wouldn't kill me but I'd like to keep it relatively budget. My last question is has anybody on here ever worked on these cars and if so is there a link to a build log. I searched quite a few times and came up empty handed. I'm just looking for ideas for a build. Any help I can get is greatly appreciated, thanks. 

[///M5 2,833]

I doubt you'll find a build log. I've never seen one and definitely would have remembered. Uber fun cars to drive.

That being said, the BEST money you can spend will be on sound deadening. Saving a dB in noise is equivalent to getting one in output although it is actually even more satisfactory.

There are no 4's that will do anything. Share up what you have for mounting locations with some pictures and such and we can come up with an idea.

If you aren't upping the alt, you are going to need to be VERY restrictive on efficiency.

[Spanky33 0]

That's a bummer, I thought for sure someone would have done one. The thing about the sound is that most of it is coming from my engine not the road. These things make a lot of noise at high rpm. Is there a way to help with that? I've attached a photo of my door where I want to mount the speaker. I took the speaker off and even if I make a larger hole a bigger speaker still won't fit because there's all sorts of metal back there. I thought about kick panels but with the amount of clutch work in this car I don't want to cramp that area. Even in a tiny little car like this a set if 4" speakers won't produce enough sound? I'm not expecting great mid bass from them but it's still sound right.

[S.DeYoung 968]

Pictures would be nice. That is a drivers car, you should want to hear the engine screaming down the road. If not, you can sound deaden to help with road and engine noise.

 

Don at sounddeadenershowdown.com can help you with your quieting the cabin goals.

[Spanky33 0]

Heres the only photo I have of it right now. It's a cell phone shot so kinda blah but I'll get some more tomorrow before work. It's also pretty dirty, the trials and tribulations of living on a dirt road. the second photo is of the door mounting location. I can't really see myself adding more weight than I have to so I think I'm gunna skip the deadening and allow the beast to scream if it pleases. the speakers are more for times when I'm putting around in the city or freeway driving when the noise is relatively low. I could also cut some space for some speakers in the rear deck if I wanted. Maybe some 6x9's for some midbass and the 4's up front for the detail? I don't know I'm just trying to get this thing all set up so I can just enjoy it.I also found a bolt on Bosch alternator that has an output of 85a. Is that enough to run 600w to my sub and another couple hundred for my speakers? Its a 50 amp difference from the stock alt.

[///M5 2,833]

That car needs deadening. Some weight won't kill it.

It will be WAY easier to make it quieter to improve the stereo than to make the stereo louder so you can hear it. WAY.

There has to be some room behind that door card. If not perhaps you build out an enclosure from the door. It is flat so it'd be easy.

[Spanky33 0]

I know it will be but those little 4's pack a bit of a punch at full tilt even at 4000-4500 rpm I can still hear the music well. Not perfect but clear enough. I'll deaden the doors and the firewall either way I just would rather not add too much more. Is that sufficient to keep noise down at least some? you'll have to trust me when I say it is VERY cramped back there. building a box off the door is an idea but I'm attempting to keep some semblance of originality to the car. What about the 4's up front and 6.5's in the center console? Shitty Imaging but I'll get some output that way.

[///M5 2,833]

Mixing 4's and another size driver makes no sense. Put your drivers in the middle and you will have mono more or less.

You need an acoustic barrier more than deadening, but a package of course is the best.

As for the space, I realize there isn't much room. I did mistype above though, i didn't mean to imply an enclosure but just an elevated baffle to move the driver away from the door to increase clearance. Add a little map pocket to it and it can even look nice and be close enough to stock.

[Spanky33 0]

Ah I see. I should have realized what you meant by that. The problem is the window, when it's rolled down it almost hits the magnet for the 4 so even with a 3/4 inch baffle to push the speaker out a larger speaker would still hit the window. I can't allow myself to cut a bigger hole out of that door. I understand that I could have a great system but in this case I'm building a system that is secondary to the look and performance of the car. What I'm looking for is advice on how I can make the best out of the situation I have which is 4" speakers in the front door panels and maybe 6.5's in either the center console or the rear deck. I looked on SDSD and he has some vinyl sound barrier that I can use for the firewall and I'll deaden the doors as well. The only remaining issue is how to get the best sound out of my options.

[///M5 2,833]

Your door cards are shot, cut em up. If your car were a restored cherry it'd be different. Putting a 4 down there won't work for shit. If it has to stay stock just forego the stereo completely.

[Spanky33 0]

Sorry m5 but your being an ass. I understand you want my car to be a certain way but that's not the way I want MY car. The door cards are most definitely not "shot". And either way I've repeatedly stated that I DON'T WANT TO RUIN THE INTERIOR OF THIS CAR. The previous owner actually did completely restore the interior and the motor. Cutting up an old car to put bigger speakers in is a joke. So again does anyone have a recommendation on a pair of 4's and whether or not to add larger speakers elsewhere. You can keep saying that 4's won't work but I have sat in that car at 65 miles per hour with those speakers doing just fine to keep up. And how does mixing driver sizes not make sense. That's the whole idea behind a three way speaker set up is it not?

[///M5 2,833]

I was going by the picture you posted....

Either way, you CAN have a larger driver without enlarging the hole. Just means more than a 3/4" spacer.

3 way passives are awfu. 3 ways also do not have two different drivers playing the same frequency. When doing a comp set passive you also need the drivers to be spaced very close....which doesn't happen in the center of the car.

I you are happy with you 4's keep them, you were the one that asked how to make it better.

[Spanky33 0]

I am I'm sure there's ways to make this system better than it is now without making drastic changes to the interior. You seem to know your stuff but your stuck with the one idea. What if I set my crossovers on the fours relatively high, say around 150 and used a set of larger drivers to compensate for the lack of midbass only? At what point does sound become localizable(sp?)?

[///M5 2,833]

Around 60Hz, perhaps less depending on response of the car.

Btw, I'm not stuck, just realistic. You are the one that is "only" interested in a 4.

[gprestonmoto 89]

Kinda hard to help your situation man. There's no way to make a 4" speaker perform like a real driver. You don't need to fab some 6x9's or 8's into the doors to get some good sound, but you will need to run at LEAST a 5.25". I wouldn't. I'm working with my 88 Cadillac with factory 5.25"s and I'm going to put 8's in the car. That just means I have to get creative with making the install look as factory as possible. You asked how to make good sound, not how to stuff 12 pounds of shit in a 2 pound bag.

 

Get some decent components and get to work. Those are the simplest door panels I've seen, this isn't rocket science.

Edited October 31, 2013 by gprestonmoto