I'm pretty sure this is a rite of passage: My first white van speakers

Viper GTS

Lifer
Oct 13, 1999
38,107
433
136
I just bought my first pair of "white van" speakers. I'm headed to a buddy's birthday party & they have more displays than audio systems. I had a spare receiver but no speakers so I hit Craigslist in search of the elusive white van speakers. Something that can handle some abuse for one night of alcohol fueled gaming and not be a huge loss if someone kicks a hole in them.

I found a pair of these for $20. Those reviews confirm that these are indeed genuine white vans, circa 1997. Mission accomplished!

Now the problem:

They wouldn't fit in my trunk so I put them in the back seat of my Mustang. I put my arm on the passenger seat to back out of the driveway from picking them up & managed to put my elbow right into the middle of the woofer dome. Whoops.

Now it's not totally destroyed, but it's got a definite dent. No tears or anything like that. Anybody have any advice on how to raise the dent? I've tried packing tape & It won't grip at all. Should I even bother trying any further? I've already confirmed that it is not accessible from the back short of drilling a hole in the cone itself & using a dowel or something to push it out.

Viper GTS
 

herm0016

Diamond Member
Feb 26, 2005
8,393
1,026
126
a dent in the dust cap will effect the sound very little. I would not worry about it.
 

EvilYoda

Lifer
Apr 1, 2001
21,200
9
81
Don't worry about it. If you really want to get it out, try a stickier tape like gaffer tape or the usual tool - duct tape. But yeah, it'll be fine.
 

Rubycon

Madame President
Aug 10, 2005
17,768
485
126
No vented pole piece? Ah shucks - these are white van speakers! :laugh:

Definitely do *not* worry about it! A mashed dust cap will make no difference in the sound especially when you consider the intended application! ;)
 

Viper GTS

Lifer
Oct 13, 1999
38,107
433
136
I figured it probably wouldn't affect the sound much but it bugs me that I hadn't even hooked them up before smashing one.

I tried again with the tape, turns out I wasn't being nearly violent enough with the removal. The key seems to be to give it a good yank. After a few good tape applications my trusty Dyson was able to restore it to nearly perfect condition.

:thumbsup:

Now to see how these things actually sound...

Viper GTS
 

Tiamat

Lifer
Nov 25, 2003
14,074
5
71
Don't worry about it. For the intended application, it will "do the job". This is the first instance that I heard of where someone specifically went out to purchase "white van" speakers :laugh: Let us know how they hold up!