Hmm- this is a new one on me.
Is the kit still available somewhere?
mad_machine wrote: as an aside, if you want to add gages to your 900. There is a factory kit that puts them in the radio's position. The radio then goes down to that little cubby in the console where it fits perfectly
The junk yard option is a good idea too. I already plan to go to one to get an abs accumulator, a stereo could easily be added to the list!
Knurled wrote: I used to would have gone to the audio/electronics shop and said "Gimme a head unit with USB and bluetooth" and he'd throw something my way for $100ish. Then I realized that junkyards pull aftermarket headunits and usually have a stack of them on the shelf and they are cheap enough that if they don't work, you're not out much money. Some stock head units too... that SAAB looks like regulation 1/2 height DIN which a lot of other OEs also used. Ford especially, although on a lark I had a Yugo tape deck installed in my T-bird, because I thought it was hilarious. (And it was $2 at a Hamfest)
I think you can just use a regular single-DIN gauge panel, and re route the stereo wiring down to the console. (At least that's what I was planning to do.)
In reply to WildScotsRacing: Thank you! That's a neat idea. (I actually thought I saw a dot after the R at first, but then I decided it was just my monitor.)
paranoid_android74 wrote: Crutchfield tells me the stock radio is a 2" tall DIN style. That is a pretty standard aftermarket size, no?
I'm crosswiring my computer case and DIN sizing. That is single DIN, which is roughly the same size as a half height 5 1/4" drive bay.
I don't know if "half DIN" even exists except for some equalizers. Some cars did have "2.5 DIN" height head unit monstrosities (Mazda) which is fun.
Stealthtercel wrote: In reply to WildScotsRacing: Thank you! That's a neat idea. (I actually thought I saw a dot after the R at first, but then I decided it was just my monitor.)
The "." after the R is there, but don't know why they used it. Way back when, most head units had this function, just different brands labeled the button differently. Some has MON/ST, or RNG for "Range", or DIST for "Distance". I think some stereo shops also used the function in mono when running a pink noise test to get a baseline crossover setting before making detail adjustments in stereo.
paranoid_android74 wrote: Hmm- this is a new one on me. Is the kit still available somewhere?mad_machine wrote: as an aside, if you want to add gages to your 900. There is a factory kit that puts them in the radio's position. The radio then goes down to that little cubby in the console where it fits perfectly
they show up on ebay every so often.
^That's pretty damn cool.
Yes it is!
Lucky me, the DIN-and-a-half radio-cassette Jeep/Chrysler engineered into my ZJ now only gets AM radio (on one of four speakers).
I have enough left-over car audio units pulled from various chassis that I could have my own salvage yard shelf. But no DINx1.5. I might have the strength to do a straight-up swap, but I'm not in for rigging a half panel.
Fortunately, my cheapo Baofeng corner worker radio has awesome FM reception and a killer battery life if I'm not transmitting.
And now, back to our original programming.
I may still be in the market for something single DIN. I messed with the one in my car over the weekend, and the results are meh.
I found two new cassette tapes for the trial. The player played both equally reluctantly. I hope the cassette mechanism just needs to be cleaned and lubed, and that I can do the job myself.
The metal carrier itself needs a little work too- power and sound cut out intermittently.
And the units I've been watching on flea bay are selling for more than I'm willing to pay. Go figure...
Local car swap meets can be a great place to find a cheap deal on a vintage unit. I paid a whopping $2 for this last spring:
I still don't know if it works, but you can't go wrong for the price.
Another good vintage-appearing radio that is now discontinued is the Kenwood EZ500:
It plays CD's and MP3 CD's, and it also has a line-in on the back to plug in anything with a standard headphone jack. I have one that's destined for my Trans Am.
I love my ez500. They need to bring it back with some sort of remote mount USB drive port.
Can the backlight be set to green on this thing?
Dusterbd13 wrote: I love my ez500. They need to bring it back with some sort of remote mount USB drive port.
Yes. Red and green switchable for button illumination, text is whitish.
Yep, red and green. I originally bought it for my 2002 WRX, so that was an important feature for me.
I would love it if they brought this thing back with Bluetooth functionality and a USB port.
Crutchfield is my generic go-to starting point because they include the necessary kits and wiring to do the job with no fuss. I do not like fiddling trying to rig up a stereo. I do see they have quite a few units with CD and USB input for your car for under $100. That's pretty hard to beat.
This thread is relevant to my interests, as I am sure that the Becker in my W126 is going to give me fits. The Blaupunkt Adelaide looks like it might be the winner.
Ok, this is good to know, thank you!
I have several possibilities I'm watching on Ebay. We shall see...
SilverFleet wrote: Yep, red and green. I originally bought it for my 2002 WRX, so that was an important feature for me. I would love it if they brought this thing back with Bluetooth functionality and a USB port.
Waiting to see what you go with for my own info. I've got two 80s model volvos and one we out a newer brandish looking pioneer with all the Bluetooth bells and whistles, it's neat but I like how my other Volvo has a period correct headunit that works when it wants. might just get another old radio and one of those Bluetooth cassette adapters
Sure thing! I'll post what I end up with. I'm kind of waiting on eBay auctions to end right now...
I guess I should amend my OP- I am picky about what I put in and the way it will sound. Especially from all the time I've spent scrounging used radios on the Internet!
I dread the speaker shopping phase.
chiodos wrote: Waiting to see what you go with for my own info. I've got two 80s model volvos and one we out a newer brandish looking pioneer with all the Bluetooth bells and whistles, it's neat but I like how my other Volvo has a period correct headunit that works when it wants. might just get another old radio and one of those Bluetooth cassette adapters
In reply to paranoid_android74:
You and me both. My cars both have weird speaker sizes, and I am afraid that changing them will have little effect on sound quality.
If you use modern technology, I think you are crippling yourself by keeping it retro.
I purchased a pioneer DEH-X6700BT for the honda odyssey. The bluetooth works amazingly well, and the convenience of cordless technology is hard to beat. You aren't driving a show car, so what advantage is keeping an accurate time piece?
For speakers, infinity reference and alpine components are my go to. Memphis Belle are some fantastic speakers as well.
This thread is starting to make me miss the system I built for my old Mazda 323 Hatch, back in the early '90s. High end Sony head unit, Sony XM-4520 amp driving a matched set of Infinty high-mids in the stock lower dash location and tweets on the door sail panels, the set split through it's matching 4 Ohm 12 db passive crossovers, and a pair of Infinity low-mids in the door panels running parallel through 6 db passive crossovers, a second XM-4520 driving a pair of high-end Sony 3-way 6 x 9 rear fills and a pair of Stillwater Designs Competition Series 12 inch subs in a precisely sized sealed box (development prototypes with 80 oz magnets, Kevlar-stitched rubberized fabric surrounds, and cones made from some uber stiff but uber lightweight "stuff") in mono parallel with a scratch-built 12 db passive crossover. Ten speakers total and not a single component was visible, it was a literal stealth system. Total RMS wattage was theoretically 400 Watts. But the power was just for the clarity of sound. The channel ballance, combined with the speaker placement and the interior geometry of the car created a soundstage that was so wide and so deep it matched the location of being stage center, row six of an orchestral concert hall. It was staggering. It was so precise that when listening to a max quality CD recording of say, John Williams conducting the Boston Pops or London Symphony, it was possible to pinpoint the exact loaction of every single instrument in it's real-world position in three dimensions. Oh dear, I am beginning to feel the urge to replicate this in SWMBO's Focus...
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