Topic: Did 1969 AM-equipped have door speakers

[AJ]

The Marti for my ‘69 says originally equipped with AM radio.  Am I correct it should not have door speakers ?

Car had door speakers when bought in’79.  I’m confused cause holes in doors are bit of a hack job..don’t look like a clean factory cut.  But the Deluxe door panels look factory speaker with nicely radiused openings Also factory grills and speaker wire harness. 

If AM cars didn’t get door speakers, someone did a nice job.  But I’ll be undoing their nice work shortly unless someone here advises otherwise.

[Bob Gaines]

The Marti for my ‘69 says originally equipped with AM radio.  Am I correct it should not have door speakers ?

Car had door speakers when bought in’79.  I’m confused cause holes in doors are bit of a hack job..don’t look like a clean factory cut.  But the Deluxe door panels look factory speaker with nicely radiused openings Also factory grills and speaker wire harness. 

If AM cars didn’t get door speakers, someone did a nice job.  But I’ll be undoing their nice work shortly unless someone here advises otherwise.

AJ unless it was a AM 8 track it wouldn't have speakers in the doors. AM 8 track and AM FM were the radios that triggered speakers in the door. I put speakers in the doors on my 69 Mach I in 1970 when I got it so if that happened to me one year after new what do you think could have happened 10 years (1979) from new on your car? That was a number 1 priority putting a stereo in your car back then for almost everyone I knew. The metal door shells were hard to cut a hole. The deluxe door panels were easy by comparison. 

[J_Speegle]

+1  Am only = no speaker in door

Sounds like the post owner that added the speakers and modified the door and door panel didn't hack the door panels like most to fit aftermarket speakers and grills. Your door panels are likely nicely done since the person doing the conversion wanted it to look factory and they simply used the factory prepunched speaker outline that was designed into the factory door panels. Highlighted by the arrows in the picture below

[AJ]

Bingo!  That (very likely) explains the nice radiused openings in my panels.   Fwiw ,  door panel restoration guy Gene Painter says no problem to fill them back in when he restores the panels. 

[7Lscjracer]

I take it the original AM radio is missing and you have an aftermarket unit in its place?
Are original speakers in the doors, and has the dash speaker been left in place unplugged?
Your door speaker setup is all original parts because none of it was available repro in '79 of course.
It's possibly a dealer install from new, but could also be an owner install using original salvaged parts.
You could always add in an original AM/FM unit.
Nothing wrong with accessorizing a car in my opinion, but if you want it all assembly line that can't be faulted.
I added all that same stuff using original parts and have an original AM/FM radio installed and an original AM 8 track on the shelf since it's less appealing to me.
Car makers published big thick books of dealer accessory installation instructions for the shop to install items sales staff pushed customers to buy to improve the plain Jane lot car they were buying, or to equip cars the way a customer wanted since they missed out on, or didn't want to wait for a factory order.

[Bob Gaines]

I take it the original AM radio is missing and you have an aftermarket unit in its place?
Are original speakers in the doors, and has the dash speaker been left in place unplugged?
Your door speaker setup is all original parts because none of it was available repro in '79 of course.
It's possibly a dealer install from new, but could also be an owner install using original salvaged parts.
You could always add in an original AM/FM unit.
Nothing wrong with accessorizing a car in my opinion, but if you want it all assembly line that can't be faulted.
I added all that same stuff using original parts and have an original AM/FM radio installed and an original AM 8 track on the shelf since it's less appealing to me.
Car makers published big thick books of dealer accessory installation instructions for the shop to install items sales staff pushed customers to buy to improve the plain Jane lot car they were buying, or to equip cars the way a customer wanted since they missed out on, or didn't want to wait for a factory order.

Back in late 1970 I cut the holes in my 69 doors , notched the door panels which were already to be punched out and added after market speakers . It was a common thing to be done. I think I got speaker grills from Ford the first time and the second time on another car I used a aftermarket grill . I used a better speaker in the dash as one channel and the door speakers for the other.Others cut out interior quarters or the trap door of a fold down.  My point is that it was VERY common for this to be done to a car back in the day. It was cheaper to use after market parts rather then the more expensive Dealer parts typically.