I bought a 1966 Corvair Monza Convertible. Cool Car, no audio system!

It comes with a modern radio that fits the classic car stereo face plate without cutting. (Concours USA6 = 60 wattx4.)

Because it's a convertible, I'm limited for space.

I have room for 2 4" in the dash and two 5 3/4 and beneath both seats, considering Pioneer's slim 10" or 12" subs (RMS 250/350 watt) since they're only 3-4" deep and would fit beneath the seat.

I don't understand all the ohms things and the difference between 1000 watt subs but rms of 250, and each sales guy tells me I need something different.

For instance, one said a mono block, another said a 5 channel, someone else said 2 amps.

I don't want to sell the family farm to put sound in this car ($1000 preferred). I want good, loud sound that will be heard over the wind.

PLEASE HELP! I need to figure this out soon.

Julianne  

Pioneers are SW-3041d

Shallow Design (3-1/2? Mounting Depth) * Carbon Fiber Dual IMPP Composite Cone * Aluminum Dust Cap * High Energy Strontium Magnet * Three-Layer ?M? Shape Fiber Woven Surround * 4-Layer, Long Voice Coil with EI Wire * 2-Piece T-Pole with Vented Pole * Cast Basket * Push Terminal * 12? Shallow Subwoofer * 1400 Watts Maximum Power * 350 Watts Nominal Power * 88dB Sensitivity * 18Hz ? 1kHz * 4 Ohms  

"I don't understand all the ohms things and the difference between 1000 watt subs but rms of 250, and each sales guy tells me I need something different."

The subwoofers would be capable of hitting 1000 watt peaks but could only sustain 250 watts with out damaging itself. it's usually just as damaging to a subwoofer to try and push it and underpower it as anything else.

"For instance, one said a mono block, another said a 5 channel, someone else said 2 amps."

Maybe a couple of them are right? I think the cheapest way to go about it would be a normal 4 channel amp that fits your speakers and a mono block subwoofer amp you should also be able to get relatively inexpensive.

"I don't want to sell the family farm to put sound in this car ($1000 preferred). I want good, loud sound that will be heard over the wind."

I mean, unless your getting some fancy speakers and subwoofers you can get by on using less fancy amps. Fosgate has some little amps that arnt terribly expensive that work. I had a few, nothing amazing but they did produce sound. You can get some little pioneer amps amazingly cheap too.  

i would go with a memphis 5 channel amp to power ever thing also look for rms that is continues power not max.  

I would go with a memphis bell 5 channel amp it's one amp not two wont take up space in your car. also bout the 4 ohm v.s. 2 ohms is power (example)you have a speaker 100 watt rms AT 4 ohms at 2 ohms it would be 200 watts rms. some amp are stable at .05 ohms meaning resistance. think of a funnel the more resistance the more power it needs good luck also go to the local shops. not best buy or circuit city. b/c most of the time they don't know anything bout the product they sell  

I can't believe that more people haven't replied to this posting. It's a serious thing when someone posts a request like yours in a forum like this.  I'd say that like many of us, you are really out to hot rod your radio and like any hot rod it will never truly be done, sooner or later.  What you must understand is that car stereos have become a very dynamic thing these days.  I.E. USB ports (& MP3 Players) are the replacement for the multi-disk CD players that we all put in yesterday.
A quick reply would be go ahead with the 60 x 4 dash install with updated coaxial speakers for the sizes and locations mentioned. Also get a conservative single amp to drive a sub or two.  A five channel amp is ok too. A Class "D" sub amp is good as an energy saver that doesn't tax your electrical system as much if you stay small.  
You should consider that a super big or multiple amps require extreme alternators and high end batteries to supply the power.  You could buy those right now but can you say that it would be a good investment. I don't know the specifics of your cars existing power requirements and what you feel is enough clean power for tunes.  Can you distinguish between top shelf and a reasonable car stereo? Do you desire to wake up with your ears ringing?  All these things will surface as you audition other car stereos and talk to their owners.
If you need a crash course in car stereos just show up fifteen minutes before your local high school rings the morning bell and make an appointment with the loudest cars.  These people love to brag and they may even know of some cheap second hand amps that you can throw in your car to start you on your adventure.  When your ready for line drivers, crossovers and bass enhancers I suspect you'll also be ready to alot the necessary cash.
Of course crime is also a potential threat so you'll need to touch on car alarms.  Kids? Grandkids?  What about video and 5, 6 or 7 channels of sound?  Maybe you will travel with a car club or some other event that would be enhanced by global positioning.
Keep reading and talking car stereo. Attend a car stereo competition and search out websites like www.installdr.com or read everything in this forum if you haven't done so already. You do have a subsciption to this magazine right?
You may soon find that your front speakers come from Israel, your amps come from Italy and your subs come from Germany. The journey will be part of your cars story. Personally I'd spend money On United States products but my friends and I have found an equal amount of junk on both sides of the creek so go slow and choose carefully.
Happy Corvair Trails.
Kenny  

I worked as a head installer and manager of an Audio Shop for about four years, so I know I thing of two. Just to quickly explain RMS ratings and Max ratings, just remember MAX rating is a hallucination, different companies come up with different ways of figuring that number, don't pay attention to it. RMS rating is what you want to look at. Matching the right sub with the right amp is very important, you should ask whoever you buy the equipment from if they go together well, I would explain, but you may not completely understand it.

The first thing you need to ask yourself is, "What type of music will I be listening to in my car?" If the answer is Rap and hip hop, considering your budget, Pioneer's Slim series subs are a good choice. I would get a pair with a mono block class D amp. You want to look at the RMS rating, don't be fooled with Max ratings and I would replace the 4" and 5 1/4" with coaxials.  I would no go with components because they would require an amp and you won't be able to afford it with your budget, the coaxials will work good just connected to your stereo. POLK, Infinity, and Boston Acoustics, is what I would recommend for the coaxials. Kicker, JVC, Sony, Punch all Suck when it comes to coaxials.

If you listen more to modern rock, mainstream, acoustic music, I would recommend going with a different type of Sub, while the Pioneer sub is good for Rap and Hip Hop they are not very good with music which is not bass heavy. I would recommend something like Elemental Designs SQ-10, which you can buy online from elementaldesigns.com These subs sound very clear and work great with this type of music. I would get a pair of 4" coaxials and a 5 1/4 components. I would buy a 4 channel amp, 2 channels for the components, 2 channels for the subs, and I would connect the coaxials to the stereo. MTX, Infinity, memphis, elemental designs, Boston Acoustics, are all good choices for amps. I would stay away from Sony, Punch, kicker. I installed them all, they work, but the others just work better.

Also, I would see if I could fit a 6 1/2 speaker instead of that 5 1/4 speaker. I hope this has helped some.