Okay, so its time for the stereo. I have done some research and come up with a plan. Looking for opinions from you guys.

What I want:
(1) A high quality modern head unit with Bluetooth, a CD player, Sirius/XM capable, plus IPod and flash drive capabilities with ability to change display colors to match gauges. I don’t want a flashy, neon lit-up head unit.
(2) High quality 6 x 9 speakers for the rear with a low profile above the package tray and a clean, simple grill.
(3) Front speakers, but this is always a dilemma: You really need front and rear speakers for best sound, but finding a reasonable place in the front is tough, especially since I do not want to hack up door and kick panels. Looking at a single 4x10 dual voice coil to mount in the stock speaker location on the dash cowl.
(4) High quality amp
(5) Ability to add subwoofer and sub amp later

What I came up with:
(Looking for pro’s and con’s on these units if any of you use them):
Head Unit - Kenwood Excelon KDC-X994… http://www.crutchfield.com/s_113KDCX994/Kenwood-Excelon-KDC-X994.html?tp=5684
Rear speakers - Kenwood Excelon KFC-X693… http://www.crutchfield.com/s_113KFCX693/Kenwood-Excelon-KFC-X693.html?search=KFC+693
Front speaker - Retrosound R-410N… http://www.crutchfield.com/p_068R410N/Retrosound-R-410N.html?tp=99&tab=features_and_specs
Amp - Kenwood Excelon X600F… http://www.crutchfield.com/S-LMjVp4Or2DU/s_113X600F/Kenwood-Excelon-X600F.html

So, I think I’m good on the head unit, 6x9’s and amp as far as compatibility, RMS vs peak, sensitivity, etc. But, the 4x10 dual voice coil seems to be the weak link. They are rated at RMS range 2-90 watts with peak 150, but the 6x9s are rated RMS range 2-130 watts and peak 300. The amp is rated at 100W RMS x 4 at 4 ohms and 300 W Peak x 4 at 4 ohms.

Question 1:
Will the Retrosound R-410N fit in a 70 Camaro in the stock dash location?

Question 2:
Is there a way to use this setup but limit the output to the 4 x 10’s?
OR
Is there another 4x10 dual cone that handles RMS up to 100 RMS and 300 Peak.

Question 3:
Regarding the 6x9’s: IMHO components speakers sound best, then coaxial next. After that are the 3-ways. The best 6x9’s Kenwood sells are 3-way. Back in the day, Coaxial 6x9s with a huge magnet were the ticket. I‘m not up on the new technology so what do you look for in a 6x9 these days? Looking for opinions on the sound quality on the Kenwood Excelon KFC-X693 and if there is a component 6x9 option instead?

Question 4:
How good is the display on the Kenwood Excelon KDC-X994 head unit on a sunny day?

Q1: You might have to modify the bracket to get the R-410N to fit. At the same time, you might consider doing a pair of 4" speakers and make a plate to mount them to. Do a search on dash speakers, as several members have done this. That'll give you more options without cutting up the car.

Q2: Yes, there's a way you can limit the power; it's called a volume control! :) (sorry, couldn't resist! ). Actually, you've got several things you can do. One of the first is to use the crossovers built into the X994 to limit the amount of bass going to the 4x10. That way you'll get the power working for you, rather than against the speaker. That 4x10 won't be able to play anything below 120Hz, so any power at that frequency or below will make the speaker go nuts, but you won't get any sound, just distortion. Using the crossover will make the amp only play above that. You can also use the fader and amp gain, but remember the front stage is the more important of the two sets of speakers. If all (or most of) the sound is coming from the 6x9's, you'll get fatigued pretty quickly and will eventually turn off the radio. You won't know why, but you will. Then when you're back to normal, you'll turn the radio back on and wonder why you turned it off. Then the cycle continues.

Q3: The X693's will sound great. Remember above, the front 4x10 is actually more important. Putting in component speakers in the rear for (basically) fill is IMHO a waste of time and $$$. If you want to spend more, get a sub, run the front stage of the amp to the 4x10, the 6x9's off the X994, and bridge the rear stage of the amp to a sub. Trust me on this one!

Q4: You can adjust the contrast so that it'll look fine. Alot of shops use these on motorcycles as they do well in sunlight.

Hope that helps you.

I had the same concerns about chopping up the interior. I only drilled one hole in my sheet metal and used an old school cassette deck to avoid chopping the dash.
It works with an MP3 player via cassette adapter.

For the front:
A pair of 4" spakers mounted in the original dash speaker frame and a pair of tweeters on the A pillar (to widen the front sound stage) with a passive X-overs splitting them.
You'll want to add bass blockers to the circuits for the 4" speakers in the dash. (They don't know what to do with a bass signal.)

I used Infinity 6x9s in the rear.
Good luck finding a clean, simple grill. Most of them are flashy, open faced things which look better in a ricer.
I found a set of simple grills on ebay because I hated the look of the grills that came with my speakers.

I added a sub and amp after I had all of the other speaker configuration figured out to my liking.

Note: I am NOT an expert in sound systems but I have installed a few into these cars and this was the best alternative I found to avoid hacking and still get a decent sounding system.

Thanks guys...great information. So based on the feedback, here's my new plan:

I will look at 4" Kenwoods for the front and build a plate to hold them in the dash. I'll select a set that is consistent with the amp's RMS and peak ratings. I have a brand new set of Kenwood component tweeters that will go great with the 4"ers and I'll mount them as Twisted suggested. I'll filter out the bass for the front and run it off the amp's front circuit.

For the back I'll go with the 6x9's I mentioned...they also have a nice plain grill that comes with them. I will run those right off the head unit's power. I assume they will still sound good even though Im not using the amp to run them?

I will go ahead and get the subwoofer now and will bridge it off the amp's rear circuit.

Questions about the subwoofer:
- What wattage sub should I look for to run it bridged off the rear circuit of the Kenwood X600F amp?
- Can I mount the sub in the trunk in a dedicated cabinet or does it have to face into the passenger compartment for good sound? I like what Ace did with his, but since this is a show car I don't want to put it in the rear deck.

Am I on the right track with this plan?

OK, let's back up a bit.

Speakers and power handling, while good information, aren't all that's cracked up to be. It's sort of like ricer horsepower, if that makes any sense. You can blow a speaker just as fast (and usually faster) with not enough power than with too much! Why? Distortion. Distortion to speakers is the equivalent to knock and ping to a car's engine. Too much and it'll blow. When an amplifier doesn't have enough power, it puts out the signal as DC voltage, which cooks the voice coils and blows speakers. The X600F can do 150 watts cleanly and easily, but for the most part you'll be putting out less than 30 watts depending on your musical taste and volume levels, as well as the fact that music is dynamic and doesn't have spots where it's full signal for extended periods of time.

Now, as far as the sub goes, yes you can install it in a separate box in the trunk and it'll sound fine. If anything you'll probably hear the bass better with it in the trunk as opposed to the rear deck due to the way the wavelength of bass notes works. A 50Hz note has a wavelength of 22.5'. What does that mean to you? It means that the full sound of the woofer playing a 50Hz note won't be heard until you're 22 1/2' away from the speaker. Not really going to happen in a car, eh? That's why you often will hear a bass system in a car from a few car lengths away really well; you're hearing it better than the people in the car! But they're FEELING it better. So how can we cheat? Easiest way is to face the woofer towards the back of the car so that it can bounce back and then go into the cabin of the car. Also means you need to make sure there's no rattles, as they'll show themselves pretty quickly.

Look for a sub that can handle 250-300 watts RMS and is a 4 ohm sub if you're just using one. Build the box based on the sub's specs, and you should be good to go!

OK, let's back up a bit.

Speakers and power handling, while good information, aren't all that's cracked up to be. It's sort of like ricer horsepower, if that makes any sense. You can blow a speaker just as fast (and usually faster) with not enough power than with too much! Why? Distortion. Distortion to speakers is the equivalent to knock and ping to a car's engine. Too much and it'll blow. When an amplifier doesn't have enough power, it puts out the signal as DC voltage, which cooks the voice coils and blows speakers. The X600F can do 150 watts cleanly and easily, but for the most part you'll be putting out less than 30 watts depending on your musical taste and volume levels, as well as the fact that music is dynamic and doesn't have spots where it's full signal for extended periods of time.

Batman...Thanks for the info on the sub, but sorry, I'm confused on what you are suggesting I do or not do in the above quote? What you said makes perfect sense, just not sure what part of my plan you are refering to. Was that in response to my comments about the component 4" speakers and tweeters and matching them to the amps output, or where you referring to running the 6x9s with the head unit?

Any recommendations on what 4" speakers to buy to work with this setup? I was looking and can't seem to find any high quality 4" component speakers. Everything I found was a coaxial.

This is what I found in my car
They used the original speaker shell to mount 4" speakers

http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w67/dale68z/71%20RS/71camaro042.jpg

http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w67/dale68z/71%20RS/71camaro045.jpg

Batman...Thanks for the info on the sub, but sorry, I'm confused on what you are suggesting I do or not do in the above quote? What you said makes perfect sense, just not sure what part of my plan you are refering to. Was that in response to my comments about the component 4" speakers and tweeters and matching them to the amps output, or where you referring to running the 6x9s with the head unit?

Any recommendations on what 4" speakers to buy to work with this setup? I was looking and can't seem to find any high quality 4" component speakers. Everything I found was a coaxial.

Sorry about that. Been fighting a cold all day and sometimes what makes perfect sense in your mind makes no sense in translation!

The 6x9's will work off of deck power with no issues. The 4" speakers in the front should work no problem with the X600F as well. What I'm saying is that you shouldn't get too wrapped up in power ratings, but rather you should go out and try to listen to the speakers you intend to buy.

As far as I know, noone is making 4" component speakers anymore. Just not that much of a demand for it, so the manufacturers will put their resources into other sizes. That said, try to find the best sounding 4" coax, and if you want extra highs, add them after the fact.

Here are a few 4" components, none Kenwood, though.

http://www.sonicelectronix.com/cat_i69_4--component-systems.html

Actually, here is a set of Kenwood 4" component speakers.

I've never bought from this place, and they show them as sold out, but perhaps if you called Crutchfield and gave them the model number, they can get them for you.

http://www.weisd.com/store2/KENKFC-P304.php

Batman...Thanks for the clarification.

Dale68z...thanks. I don't have the original bracket and your pictures were just what I needed for ideas to fabricate a new bracket.

AJ_72...thanks for the links. There are definately some good options in there.

Really appreciate everyone's input....now it's onward with the winter project :D.

Pioneer MVH-P8200BT iPod/iPhone Car Stereo Bluetooth This is the deck I put in mine. It alows for ipod, sd card, bluetooth built in, and colors to be changed or customized to whatever color you want.

I ended up putting 4x 6 speakers in the fron dash. kickers. mounted them long ways front to back. Punch 6x9's in the rear deck. only problem is, my car exhaust is so loud the stereo has to be cranked up pretty loud to hear it!!

Batman...Thanks for the clarification.

Dale68z...thanks. I don't have the original bracket and your pictures were just what I needed for ideas to fabricate a new bracket.

AJ_72...thanks for the links. There are definately some good options in there.

Really appreciate everyone's input....now it's onward with the winter project :D.
How did this go?

How did this go?

Sorry FlaJunkie..didn't see this until today.

Project went very well. I installed two 4" Polk Audio speakers in the original dash grill. See this thread for step by step with pictures: http://www.nastyz28.com/forum/showthread.php?t=202984

I mounted Polk Audio 6x9's in the rear deck and used a simple grill design to keep the look clean (No ricer grills!) Bought these off Ebay for $5 and bought some rubber edge molding for trim:

http://i1022.photobucket.com/albums/af346/jthomas646/100_2762.jpg


I put a Kenwood amp in the trunk and at first used it to run the front and rear speakers, but I needed more bass. I added an enclosed subwoofer to the trunk and ran that off two channels bridged. Then I ran the rear speakers off the head unit. Turned out the front speakers were too loud and the fade was poor so I switched it to run the front speakers off the head unit, with rear speakers and sub off the amp. That was the ticket. Now I have the right amount of fade, great bass and clean front sound. I didn't like all the sound coming from the front speakers and wanted to hear the rear as well.

Very happy with the results. Here's the head unit. Just installed some more gauges too: Vac, trans temp and Wideband A/F:

http://i1022.photobucket.com/albums/af346/jthomas646/100_2765.jpg

Look's good!

I bought a front stereo speaker from NPD that has two Kenwood 4 inch speakers in it and two 6x9 Retrosound rear 160 watters.

I just got a four channel 120 watt amp to install under the front dash.

I'll be using a Kenwood new single din HD radio, but I will be separating the head unit from the body to allow me to use it without cutting my dash.

I'll post pics when it is installed.