Topic: New to the forum

[Brians66vert]

Hello everyone,

This is the first forum I've joined, so please educate me if I post something in the wrong place.

In April, 2020, I purchased a 1966 Mustang convertible, which looked, to me, pretty clean and original.  I took it to a Mustang restoration shop and they gave it a good look over and they said it was 90-95% original.  That's what I'm beginning to find out.

I'm probably going to have more questions in the future, but I thought I would start with this one.

I was looking in the trunk for date codes and it's a power convertible top, and while pulling back the trunk pad at the top, so you can see the power top motor, I noticed a speaker through that hole on the passenger side, with wires going to the speaker.  It's hard to reach, but I think the wires are connected.  No speaker or wires on the drivers side.  I fired up the radio, but no sound out of that rear speaker.  I tried to adjust the back knobs on the radio, but no change.  Front speaker only.  Should that rear speaker be functional?

Thanks in advance

[jwc66k]

Welcome to the forum. The speaker is not a normal option for a convertible. To determine what the wires do, you are going to have to do some disassembly of the car. The first thing to do is remove the door sill plate on the passenger's side and see if the wires continue to the front of the car. If they do, remove the passenger's side kick panel, same check the wires stuff. The next step is tricky, if the wires continue, they would most likely follow the lower lip of the dash towards the radio. From there, you are on your own. There are a number of possibilities. The good news is, if you don't want the speaker, you have accessed the wire route and can remove it. Pictures would help.
Jim

[Brians66vert]

Thanks for the response.

Should I try to make it work? Is this seen on other early Dearborn '66 convertibles?

I think pics are attached

[Coralsnake]

That is going to fall into the 10 percent that is not original. Its not a Ford part.

You can choose to keep the modifications if you like,

[196667Bob]

Yes, welcome to the Forum.

The important thing to note here (even if the speaker were an original Ford one), is that as Jim noted, Rear Speakers were not available for Convertibles either as an original Ford Accessory, much less a Factory Option.

Bob

[jwc66k]

Should I try to make it work? Is this seen on other early Dearborn '66 convertibles?

Electrically speaking, no - unless your radio has an auxiliary speaker capability. Inexperienced "technicians" hook a remote speaker to the existing speaker wires and can't understand why the radio sounds "different". It has to do with speaker impedance. Back in the days of my youth, we all used to add another speaker all the time. Then I found out the "what and why".  I won't into Ohms law, but consider removing it.
As stated, not a Factory option on any 66 Mustang convertibles. Hardtops got a rear speaker with a dealer added reverb, door speakers were used with the 8-track system.
Jim

[J_Speegle]

First welcome to the site hope that the information and support here will be helpful as you keep or return your car back to its original condition. Hopefully you looked around before you joined and understand that our focus here is just that - Plenty of other forums and sites for the daily driver and slightly or more extremely modified cars.

...........Should I try to make it work? Is this seen on other early Dearborn '66 convertibles?

Given our focus here and since its sort of a waste given where its mounted I would suggest removing it and the wiring

[Brians66vert]

Thank you all for the info!

OK.  Speaker and the wiring is coming out.  I'm sure it will be easier to remove it than it was to install it.

No, my radio is just AM.  No auxiliary speaker capability.

And yes, I looked around this site a lot before I joined.  A massive amount of great information.

My original thought was to buy new modern parts, but from what I've been told about how original this car is, I don't think I want to go that route.

Thanks, again