Vintage tunes

Right now we're about halfway through installing a vintage-looking Retrosound receiver in the Porsche. (And by "we" I mean intern Matt.)

Personally, I'm looking forward to replacing the modern head unit that came in the car with something that looks more period correct. Look, the new one has knobs--and can read a USB drive. While the sound of that flat-six is hard to beat, this might be nice on long trips. For example, I can now take CarCast with me. Anyone else into vintage-looking audio equipment?

My MGB has the original, AM-only radio.

Original speakers too, so it sounds terrible.

I wish that I had kept the AM radio out of my first MGA.

I found some 12v computer speakers. Set them up with my ipod. Works well and its very hidden.

I like to maintain a vintage (period) look when it comes to audio equipment. I bought a Europa this past summer with an original dealer installed 8 track AM/FM radio. Not surprisingly it sounds like crap, plus the speakers are baked and there's no room in a Europa to carry around a couple dozen 8 track tapes. In an effort to improve the sound, I've searched online for vintage looking radios, but most seem to have an American OEM look, which wouldn't be right for my Lotus. Modern stereos look very out of place vintage cars. I think I'll change tactics and search ebay for a high end 70s vintage AM/FM cassette deck. Actually, it may all be a fools errand; I put 4000 miles on the car this past summer and never turned on the radio on once. Nothing makes music like that Twin Cam.

I admit, this started because of looks. The car came with a modern, silver head unit that just stood out. To be honest, it looked terrible. I started looking at vintage Blaupunkts and then gravitated to the modern units that look old. We'll see how it turns out.

In reply to Bainford:

"Nothing makes music like that Twin Cam. "

LOL!! My brother has one with the Weber heads.

Do you guys remember the Blaupunkt radios on a flexible staulk? Kinda cool. Here's one in a 911.

For my wife's Fiat, we have a NOS Fiat-branded AM radio.

I did a little surgery inside so there's now a (hidden) iPod charger/input. Next step is further surgery to cut out the pitiful amplifier circuits and use an external amplifier.

But it's absolutely perfect looking -- knobs, mechanical display and buttons. I need to do something similar for my MGB, but haven't seen a great-looking BMC radio.

The retrosound units are too new looking! Matt

I have the Standard-Triumph AM unit for the my TR-4. I think I may try something similar to what Treb did.

My bugeye had the option of a radio....Motorola.. AM only with one speaker mounted underneath it...and of course, it doesn't work..but it still gives it that old vintage look.

Treb wrote: The retrosound units are too new looking! Matt

The unit is in. For the Porsche, the look is just about spot-on. Looks like a mid-'80s aftermarket unit. For an early MGB, yeah, maybe a bit too new. It needs those spring-loaded push-buttons and a faux cassette deck door.

Anyone seen the new Becker Mexico. They are difficult to get here and expensive but oh so cool.

http://www.mybecker.com/enUK/Automotive+Archive-Mexico+7948.html

We installed a 'vintage style' head unit a couple of years ago and it does make long drives more pleasant:

I had to take apart the unit to relocate the posts so they would fit through the existing post holes and I had to fiddle with the mounting depth so that it looked right but still cleared the wiper mechanism. The knobs are from the original Volvo dealer installed radio, with some slight modification to the control posts. The face plate is also the OE plate with some grinding to fit of the slightly larger control nose. It turned out much better than we had hoped and most folks at car shows don't even notice it's not the original radio.

That said, if I were to do it again with current technology, I'd leave the old radio as-is and hide a power amp somewhere with an input to plug in a smart phone. We don't even use the radio or the USB connection in the stereo now. We just plug the phone into the AUX input and play either mp3's or streaming radio. The phone is the gps as well and directions come through the radio speakers.

59 Bugeye,

With the speaker in the bottom, that sounds like the radio in my first MGA. It must have been a dealer option, because the MGA has a factory speaker grill in the dash which was unused. At low speed, turned up to 11, it was just audible above the rusted-out muffler. In 1966, it wasn't vintage; it was junk. I wish I had it now.

Ken

I'm talking cheap, but just wired them into a fused switch and tada.

Decent for LD trips. I later dropped in a cig lighter styled power cord and picked up a cradle for my older ipod.

When driving an iPod touch is rubbish. With the old ipod I can whack a button and change the tune.

André - I like your approach... I've been reluctant to change the original system in my 83 ZXT because everything works, but a MP3 or IPod far outclasses old cassette tapes... I use a FM radio transmitter to link my MP3 through the car system at the moment...

Eh thats what I bought from Crappy Tire for $10 and it works, but only with the older ipod.

The new one is too snobby to work take power from it.

Yeah... radio mounting in a Spitfire/GT6 can be tough. The unit we have in the Volvo actually came from one of our Spitfire friends who felt the unit was too wide to fit well in his car. In our Spit, we were less concerned about originality and I installed a more modern DIN unit connected to a trunk-mounted power amp with box-speakers behind the seats. Unfortunately, with the top down (which is most of the time) sound quality is muffled. Eventually, I'll probably convince the other half to let me cut the doors for additional speakers.

I'd love to get another 80's Becker Radio if/when I get another 80s classic. Reminds me of one that I had in my first cars. Get a decent tape adapter and you can take CarCast with you on these, too.

What no love for an 8 track?

Andy Reid wrote: Anyone seen the new Becker Mexico. They are difficult to get here and expensive but oh so cool. http://www.mybecker.com/enUK/Automotive+Archive-Mexico+7948.html

I had seen one, but thought it was a little overpriced.

Just had a poke around their German website and it looks like the car audio stuff has been discontinued. The "new" Mexico isn't available anymore and the Grand Prix I sold in the UK before moving over here is also marked as NLA. Instead, they're mumbling stuff about in-car navigation...

I think they are still available but hard to get here. I see them on ebay.co.uk and amazon.co.uk

Still got an 8 track in the old Lambo and an original style AM in the MGA coupe.

Andy Reid wrote: I think they are still available but hard to get here. I see them on ebay.co.uk and amazon.co.uk

Used ones are relatively easy to get, compared to new ones. Getting Becker Radios in the UK has been a bit of a nightmare for years now, due to changing importers and (at least when I left) no importer at all. Actually I'd look in Germany for one but of course I don't have a language barrier there .

I guess the reasons they didn't sell that well is that they mainly appeal to the grown-up sound quality market in car audio circles. They're very good (I'm a bit annoyed I sold my Grand Prix with iPod connector before moving over here) but dare I say it? A little overpriced, which is probably why they didn't sell that well.