I'm sorry, AutoSound and RetroSound...

"Ramblin Rover - The Vivisector of Solihull" (RamblinRover) 08/25/2014 at 22:37 • Filed to: None

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You just don't look this *right*. Not for what you cost. For that, I will buy *this* shit and wire it up insanely on my own - I don't even care whether it's working. It's not me, it's you. (Ramblin just bought something. $25 + shipping).

For reference, AutoSound (AM/FM + aux, $160+ shipping)

RetroSound (USB, aux, AM/FM, $260):

norskracer98-ExploringTheOutback > Ramblin Rover - The Vivisector of Solihull 08/25/2014 at 22:42

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Nope so wrong. Wouldn't that OEM one only get AM though or would it still get FM?

Telumektar > Ramblin Rover - The Vivisector of Solihull 08/25/2014 at 22:46

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Dat Art Deco radio, hmmmmm!

lone_liberal > Ramblin Rover - The Vivisector of Solihull 08/25/2014 at 22:50

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Love the CONELRAD markings on the dial!

Ramblin Rover - The Vivisector of Solihull > norskracer98-ExploringTheOutback 08/25/2014 at 22:51

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OEM is AM only, and doesn't have the five memory buttons of the deluxe model. I prefer the look without the memory buttons, TBH, and it's what was correct for the car. Depending on the extend to which it works, I may well cannibalize an FM circuit out of another radio, or even the whole thing. If I can find a semi modern unit that uses any kind of rotation controls for manipulation, I can cannibalize the original tuners, knobs and faceplate. As long as standard pots and coil controls are used, I can make something that'll work.

At the end of the day, I'll either have an AM unit with some modified pre-amp setups + aux and a dual mode volume knob (otherwise untouched), a unit hybridized with a flea-market AM/FM that looks stock and adds aux, or something totally monstrous with a modern unit hidden away and a home-made control cord to interface the knobs - a complete Frankensteinian abomination. Not sure yet, depends on how the stock head breaks down.

Ramblin Rover - The Vivisector of Solihull > lone_liberal 08/25/2014 at 22:54

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I know, right? The modern units just aren't right, either - that round-ended tuner screen shape goes completely to waste. ¶___P in chrome to pad out a clearly square radio shape? Don't make me laugh.

norskracer98-ExploringTheOutback > Ramblin Rover - The Vivisector of Solihull 08/25/2014 at 22:55

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Ok, I love the looks if these old radios things. So much better than the computers that are center consoles in cars today. Just looks so much cleaner.

lone_liberal > Ramblin Rover - The Vivisector of Solihull 08/25/2014 at 22:59

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It's easier to put something more modern in later cars like those of the early 70s since by then the openings were square/rectangular. You just have to match how far apart the knobs are. In earlier cars it's next to impossible unless you use a hidden unit. The new ones just do not have all of the character of those old gems.

Ramblin Rover - The Vivisector of Solihull > norskracer98-ExploringTheOutback 08/25/2014 at 23:00

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Some baboon cut the dash up where this goes to put in something more modern... which is now gone as well. Part of needing a new radio is needing a reference to repair the dash where it goes. Might as well do things *right*.

Idiot didn't even cut away both sides, just one. The q shape to the left to accommodate the tuner is intact, so at least I have something to mirror.

Ramblin Rover - The Vivisector of Solihull > lone_liberal 08/25/2014 at 23:02

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As someone cut out the hole where this goes on one side to put in a later (squared) unit at some point, I can honestly say the later universal types are dead to me. RAGE

Ramblin Rover - The Vivisector of Solihull > Telumektar 08/25/2014 at 23:04

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Newer radios: do you have a long oval tuner screen and pointless decorative fluting below? No? GTFAC, my good sirs.

norskracer98-ExploringTheOutback > Ramblin Rover - The Vivisector of Solihull 08/25/2014 at 23:09

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Stupid people. What was this out of?

Ramblin Rover - The Vivisector of Solihull > norskracer98-ExploringTheOutback 08/25/2014 at 23:13

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'63 Falcon Ranchero. This is waaaayyy down on the list of "daffy things done by previous owners", though. Currently topping that is replacing the entire skin of the roof with hand-formed sheet metal and hiding it with bondo - without replacing the windshield seal. That one's a real thigh-slapper... and face-palmer.

norskracer98-ExploringTheOutback > Ramblin Rover - The Vivisector of Solihull 08/25/2014 at 23:17

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I can't even...

Ramblin Rover - The Vivisector of Solihull > norskracer98-ExploringTheOutback 08/25/2014 at 23:23

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There's also another spot on the body that was patched, and the back side of the patch still has some kind of auto paint on it. Metallic sea mist green. The patch wasn't an exact fit, so was floated in with about a quarter inch of bondo in places, sticking through holes in fingers. DERP

Hey, at least with the windshield they added to the existing seal with caulk, right? And tried to repair the roof's drip edge (though only in about 4" segments at a time: further DERP).

At least I've still got most of my bed trim, save for the corners that break between the bed edge and the back edge of the cab. What I still can't figure out is how the damn tailgate had the inside surface dished in so hard it almost matches the outside, and the bed doesn't have anything to match.

Denver Is Stuck In The 90s > Ramblin Rover - The Vivisector of Solihull 08/26/2014 at 00:35

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I cant tell if you like Retrosound units or not

Ramblin Rover - The Vivisector of Solihull > Denver Is Stuck In The 90s 08/26/2014 at 01:02

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I do, in principle, but I've decided that *for this application* they just don't look as good. They look better than the AutoSound, but they're that much pricier, and they're not quite right. The first time I looked at them, it wasn't so bad, but the fill-in curved edge just doesn't look as good as the original round display, and it's something that has become more of a nagging issue as time wears on.

twochevrons > Ramblin Rover - The Vivisector of Solihull 08/26/2014 at 09:15

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This. My MGA has a gorgeous (and entirely non-functional) Motorola AM radio, complete with CONELRAD markings, which means that it is likely to have been original to the car (radios were a dealer-installed option, so there's a huge variety of "original" radios). Hilariously, although it proudly states that it is "transistor-powered" on the front panel, it means that very literally. The only transistors in it are for the step-up converter that produced the 100V (or thereabouts) plate voltage for the vacuum tubes. It'd be nice to put a working radio in there, but the original looks so great (and has a fantastic patina). Plus, with that exhaust note, who needs music?

Years ago, I remember seeing an advertisement in a classic car magazine for vintage-styled radios made by Becker, a high-end German manufacturer, that looked almost exactly like their '50s and '60s models that were fitted to many BMWs and Mercedes-Benzes. It looked the part, and even had navigation built in! I seem to recall it being phenomenally expensive, though. From their website, it doesn't look like they produce it any more, but the product page is still up: http://www.mybecker.com/deDE/hauptnavi…