1949 Radio Speaker

Anyone out there with a '49 have any idea on this?

Best, James

I can check the back of the extra dash I have when I get home....

I think I am getting "bit" by the fact that my car is an early production car. A member who has posted photos of a re-wire of a '49 dash on Fliker...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/cwededekin ... otostream/

Shows that the top of speaker frame is full width with two holes and what looks like studs coming off of the inside of the dash. My car has no studs and that funky two part spring thing.

I am suspecting that they omitted the studs, a screw up, came with the work around and then latter got dashs with the studs.

So much fun....

Anyone who can help would be great.

Thanks, James

Well,

I thought that the top just rested against the upper-inner dash hence the springs. Well, the die-cast spear center two bolts apparently are used to attached the funky bracket with the copper/bronze spring finger.

However, I have no idea how the thing fits nor how the long round wire spring come into play.

I sure hope someone comes up with a photo that shows how this thing goes together. I also hope I can get to the die-cast spear nuts with the dash in place.

What a BITA this is developing into as it is stopped the dash work.

James

Sorry, I'm not going to be any help!

TIM!

You will be. Look very close at the top. Take off the two top nuts CAREFULLY and you will see the bracket I am talking about. It has springs of two differnet kinds so pull it apart slow so we can see how it goes togeather!

James

Sorry, I'm not going to be any help!

OK, weird.

The large bracket that holds the speaker is merely resting on the "L" shaped bracket you are asking about.

There was no spring like you have.

The main bracket that holds the speaker was just floating; not retained at all.

The studs necessary for the bracket are supplied by the chrome molding on the front side of the dash.

My picture "6" is a way to mount the bracket in such a way as it would actually be doing some good. Otherwise, I question what its function really is..

Boy,

This really is a mystery. Is the spring by any chance under the lower mounting and exerting a force causing the thing to "rotate" forward against the upper spring bracket ?

The wire spring hole spacing is exactly the same as the upper studs or the lower screw holes.

I am stumped!

Unless we solve this mystery, I am thinking that I will take the odd bracket and rivet it to the speaker mounting bracket and then just bolt it the die-cast spear studs and call it good. The wire spring, I will hang up in the shop as a reminder to take better photos and notes when taking apart a classic car.

James

I bought this extra dash on ebay as an eventual woodgraining project, so I don't know a lot about it. From the backside, it doesn't look like it's been messed with much, though.

I wondered if your spring wire would mount to the studs and then retain the the main speaker bracket up against your "L" bracket?

But then where's mine?

I found a MOPAR 804 User manual and installation booklet on eBay and ordered it. Since it says installation, lets hope it sheds some light on this...

Thanks, James

Well,

The MOPAR 804 radio instruction manual showed up today. No Joy!

It shows the same part that is in the master parts book. I also looked at an old beat up 1949 Desoto 4 door that was in the shop of a friend for a repair. It has the radio speaker housing that is shown in the master parts book and in the manual.

What we have turned up in a few cars is an un-documented speaker housing that is going to remain a mystery. No doubt a running change or shortage of some kind.

What I did was to place the cup washers over the studs that hold on the diecast molding on the dash. I then placed the odd bracket with the brass spring fingers up against the back side of the dash. I then placed the wire spring over that. I then used two nuts with lock washers on it all.

The only issue is that the wire spring puts a LOT of tension on those two studs and I worry they the diecast will fail with the studs coming out. Only time will tell on that.

I then slipped the top lip of the speaker housing under the wire spring. The housing had to slight marks that line up with the wore spring, that is why I did it this way.

Attached to this note you will see a close up of the upper mounting point. The bottom took a little pressure, not a lot, to line up and the thing does fit fine. Again, I just worry about the tension on those two small studs.

Thanks for everyone's help. If anyone ever runs across a 1949 Model, stick you hand under the dash and see if it feels like what is shown in the photo. If it does, then stick you cell phone camera up there and take a photo of it and email it to me.

Thanks all, James