The 1973–1987 Square Body C10 has limited factory speaker locations, but there are several clean ways to add quality audio.
Factory Speaker Locations:
- Center of dash: Single 4" or 6" speaker in some trims
- Under dash: Speaker grill below center dash panel
- No factory door speakers
Upgrade Options:
1. Dash Speaker Replacement
Replacing the original center dash speaker with a quality 4" or 6" unit (Polk DB402, Pioneer TS-A1606C) provides a significant improvement over the original paper cone.
2. Door Speaker Installation
The Square Body doors don’t have factory speaker holes. You have two options:
a) Cut door for 5.25" or 6.5" speakers — Requires template, cutting, and custom grilles. Gives the best possible sound from the door locations.
b) Custom kick panel pods — Build or buy fiberglass kick panel pods that mount small speakers at the optimal angle. No door cutting required.
3. Under-Seat Subwoofer
A compact powered sub under the seat fills in the low end that small dash and door speakers can’t reproduce.
Head Unit First:
Before investing in speakers, ensure you have a quality signal source. The Kissound 7" Double DIN or a quality single DIN unit dramatically improves the signal quality that drives the speakers.
Amplifier:
Square Body speakers often benefit from a small 4-channel amp — the factory wiring limits how much current can reach the speakers. A quality amp significantly improves volume and clarity.