The original package tray for my '68 H/O was gone when I got the car; it was originally optioned with the single rear seat speaker that sits on the passenger side.

Legendary's catalog appears to show package trays with either no cutouts or double cutouts. Does anybody have a picture of an original '68 package tray, even if installed in the car? Was there a visible cutout for the rear speaker? I don't even have a good basis to know what "right" actually is.

Unfortunately my other '68 supreme had the package tray cut for some 6x9's, so that's a useless reference.

Thanks in advance!

 

The correct package shelf for a stock rear speaker car is a mesh shelf with a single cutout. The dual cutout ones are because everyone installs aftermarket stereo speakers. Unfortunately, it appears that the dual cutout version is the only one anybody sells. In the factory configuration, the single speaker was on one side and the other side was reserved for the optional defogger.

 

Thanks Joe. That's what I suspected.

 

What Joe Says...

My '68 442 stock package tray had the rear speaker on the passenger side and the aforementioned defogger on the driver side. It was falling literally to pieces from dry-rot, so I bought the one with mesh and two holes. I'm debating whether to re-install the defogger, as the car is not likely to be out in any inclement weather once my resto is done.

 

Thanks for the info and picture. Were the cutouts on the original package tray different from side to side for the speaker vs the defroster? (If you could even tell).

 

You are welcome

Though the shape of the cutout in the sheet metal is different between the speaker and defrogger holes, the holes in the package tray itself were the same, as I recall.

 

Not sure if it is year specific, but I was a stereo installer all throughout the '80s and cut out way too many rear package trays for speakers than I want to remember. The 6X9 holes in the metal deck were often smaller than the aftermarket speakers so many times the hole was trimmed to match the speaker size. This was also very often the same treatment that the driver's side received resulting in a 6X9 hole on both sides. After the metal was trimmed, a serrated steak knife was the weapon of choice to cut the cardboard. As I recall though, the package trays had cut-out markings stamped into the boards and the cut-outs matched the holes in the metal. A 6X9 stamped cutout on the passenger side and holes for the defroster on the driver's side.

 

Notice that the defroster could also be mounted in the middle. A friend had a '69 Cutlass with his defroster mounted in the middle from the factory. My '68 defroster was mounted on the left side, took forever to clear the glass on the passenger side.

 

The metal package shelf has two factory punched out locations, the speaker hole on the right and the defroster hole on the left. They are different shapes. There is no factory punched hole in the center.

 

I'm looking at the wiring pictured for the defroster. Brown to ground and red to the plug for power. So tracing the power wire forward does it connect to the rear harness under the carpet or run solo up to and then I assume attache to the HVAC panel ?

And, Is this defroster setup correct for a 69 Cutlass S ?

 

Anyone have a picture of the factory defroster? I have an aftermarket one in the middle. I tried to figure out the PUI catalog and ended up with a Supreme package tray, useless to me. The previous owner fit a piece of carpet in quite nicely, I think will velcro it in.

 

Well, I hate to say it, but this photo proves me wrong.

Note that there is a second punch-out for the defrogger in the center of the package tray stamping. I certainly do not recall ever seeing that on any of my XX77 or XX87 cars. Now I'll have to check all of them.

 

When I got to this stage of my resto, I found the purple/hot lead for the defrogger running loose on the passenger side of the floorboard, parallel with the electric antenna leads. My car had received a "lick and a promise" of a restore by the P.O. When I got to this point in my resto, I pulled the purple wire forward to the dash area, then ran it down the driver's side, inside of the plastic sheath, in order to give it some modicum of protection. I don't know whether this is "correct," but it is what I did.

 

I have this option in my 70 442 and the purple wire did run inside my plastic sheath.

 

Thanks for posting Tom. I guessed correctly .

 

To help answer my original question, 442Fred sent me pics of the fouranado package tray that has rear speaker but no defroster. As mentioned and verified via pics, the package tray only had a cutout on the driver's side for the speaker.

Thanks everyone for the discussion, good stuff.

 

Hey Luke, I can look if it will help you to see if I have an un-molested pass side shelf to get dimensions etc from

Brett