Hello

Would it be possible for a 70 Barracuda equipped with a R11 AM radio to come with a 3 speaker dashpad?

No. The 3 speaker system is stereo. The stereo radios have a left and right channels with a knob to adjust balance, also with 3 speaker wires coming out of the radio. An AM radio has 2 speaker wires coming out the radio.

Is it possible a worker made a mistake and put on a 3 speaker dash pad with an AM radio? Well yes anything is possible.

You could get an AM radio with a front and rear speaker

Only the AM 8track and AM FM E body had the 3 speaker dash in 1970.
Along with the 3 speaker dash came a special wiring harness and crossover box as well.

Greg

....OK so they are not SUPPOSED to come with a 3 speaker dashpad.

But, given some oddities when it comes to mopars, like missing torque boxes on HEMI cars, or HEMI fenders on cars that were not supposed to get em, etc.

Has anybody ever seen a 3 speaker dash on a car that came with an AM radio?

Nope.

This might just muddy the water....I "thought" that convertibles (at least b-body) got 3 speakers... BUT my car is coded for AM/8-track, so maybe I was wrong. I've never heard 3 speakers = am/fm or am/8-track

1970 E-body - R11 was the 'music master' - http://www.hamtramck-historical.com/images/dealerships/DealershipDataBook/1970/70_Challenger0023.jpg

1970 B-bodies, convertible has nothing to do with it. It depends on the radio type chosen.

IE - No radio ordered, no speaker at all.

My 1970 Fury has AM / FM with the three speaker dash.

My 1970 Sport Satellite has AM / 8-track with the three speaker dash.

Both are four doors.

To elaborate a little more ,It would be impossible for a 1970 E body with AM radio to have a 3 speaker dash , because 3 speaker dashes were used only on "stereo" applications . The entire reason for 3 dash speakers was for stereo applications , which also meant that ALL AM 8tracks and AM FM E bodies had 3 speaker dashes in 1970 .

Greg

To address purplebeepers question about B bodies ... ALL 1968-70 AM 8track B bodies will have the 3 speaker dash , and ONLY the AM 8tracks , since the B body AM FM radio in 68-70 was mono only it will simply have the single 4x10 dash speaker , unless a rear speaker was ordered (N/A on the 27 body of course )

Greg

In an E body?

ALL THE TIME

I've seen 3 speaker with an AM
I've seen 1 speaker with an AM/FM
I've seen AC pad in a non H51 car
I've seen 70 pad in a 71
I've seen 71 pad in a 70
I've seen a black 71 pad in a burnt orange interior car
I've seen Barracuda pads in Challengers and the other way around.
I've seen a /6 pad in a 440 SIXPACK car

Face it. These pads failed early and often and were changed out with the next best pad that fit.

I have NEVER seen a car with a factory incorrect installed pad. Think about it! The dash assembly is done all at once. If you use the wrong pad the parts won't work out. Much harder to mess up than a torque box.

Nope, and I've owned over 30 e-bodies since 1978.

The IP line would be set up for the build of the dashes and all the components and would be a sub assembly line with high senority. Likely you would work off the broadcast sheet for assembly and that is why the sheet would be on the back of the glove box.

Hemi Torque Boxes being put on some E Bodies that do not take them and some that should have them and don't is easy to understand if you have ever worked in an Automotive Plant. The Body shop is for newbies and low seniority so just keeping up with the extra parts going on like Torque Boxes and understanding the Build Sheet when you have just started would be common. Usually three days of training or less and you have to use two or more spot welders on every vehicle or chassie. Now you relying on an inspector that is ticked at you screwing up and is sick of doing your job and lets things go and just does not want to do his job of inspection or a repairman that is tired of a new employee every week or so and keeps the line running and sends it to reject for a fix that they would not do because it is just to hard to do it and would ship it with or without boxes.

Thanks for all the replies guys!!!

The thing is that I have a 70 cuda that is coded for the R11 radio.

And I just happened to find an original 70 Barracuda dash but it had the 3 speakers. Thought Id be able to use it maybe if there were those kind of screw ups at the assembly line, but since there were not, I dont think Id like to use it if my car is not coded for it.

wow - so if one person says its possible you would use it??? This was a strange post to find out R11 radios and 3 speaker dashes don't line up...

Not only one, but I sure wanted to know if it was a possibility but it clearly shows that IT IS NOT.

Its the same with torque boxes, or god knows which other things with these cars.....

I hate the way how repro dash pads look. They dont fit right, they look totally off. Repro dash pads stuck out like a sore thumb on restorations IMO. I am gonna give it some thought and maybe Ill buy the 3 speaker dash and use it, even if not correct, I would say its "more correct" than a repro dash. Maybe Ill upgrade the whole thing to an AM 8 track setup and have more fun blasting some Hendrix tunes with the nostalgic hiss and skip of the tape.

Offer to trade the one you found for the one you need & see what pops up.

Yep. Might also be a thing to do!!! Good idea.