speaker replacement

[DH Comet]

Hi all,
Has anyone found a modern speaker that will fit in the dash of a '53 Kaiser?  I've tried a few now and they're all too big, particularly the magnets. I see that the original speakers are a really tight fit, just like they were designed for the space (!) but all the new ones seem to be too bulky.  I have thought of just putting a couple of speakers in boxes in the back, as I'd rather not cut the package tray, but I would rather have the sound coming out of the dash.

[kaiserfrazerlibrary]

Check with Lowell fiedler in MN; he rebuilds old radios including K-F types.  He's listed in the summer 2020 Membership roster edition of the KFOCI QUARTERLY.

[konrad]

Hi all,
Has anyone found a modern speaker that will fit in the dash of a '53 Kaiser?  I've tried a few now and they're all too big, particularly the magnets. I see that the original speakers are a really tight fit, just like they were designed for the space (!) but all the new ones seem to be too bulky.  I have thought of just putting a couple of speakers in boxes in the back, as I'd rather not cut the package tray, but I would rather have the sound coming out of the dash.

Can you measure the depth of your original speaker?  If it's 2.325" or less, then here's a speaker that may work for you:

https://www.classiccarstereos.com/antique-automobile-radio-6x9-dual-voice-coil-speaker.html

Here is a pdf on the dimensional and mounting specs for this speaker:

https://www.radiosforoldcars.com/pdf/SDC690.pdf

Another option I thought of...I bought a 4 pack of cerwin vega 2 way 6x9's for my installation, planning on mounting two in the back in enclosures on the package shelf, one in the front/center in a hafler circuit.  But it sounds as if the constraints in the dash may make that mounting difficult, from what you say...

Being of an inventive bent I had the thought that if one used a bit longer bolts for mounting the speaker itself, one could use washers or a collar of some type that fit over the bolt shank to raise the speaker from the dash far enough for the magnet in back to clear.  And of course you're now asking, but what about the grill...it will no longer fit then???

I have seen what amount to long nuts which can be used with an additional bolt shank to extend the reach of a bolt.  Screw the long nut onto the grill bolts, add another section of bolt shank to lengthen the overall length of the bolt, then secure it to the dash.  A section of some type of rubber/silicone gasket material could be added around the edge of the grill to cover the gap created by mounting the speaker grill a bit forward of the dash.  No, it wouldn't pass in judging, but it would let you use one of the speakers you've already purchased and would look respectable, depending on how much depth you need to add for the given speaker's magnet to clear behind the dash.

[konrad]

Fid, given all the radios you've repaired, and I know this likely doesn't equate to a serious study of Kaiser front speakers, but do you possibly have any input on the depth of Kaiser speakers, and/or of the space in the dash where they reside?