Slidebar radio

Hello , anyone hear or try this brand of radio ?

Is it a direct fit in the original bezel ? (I have a 68 Skylark)

Maybe a little more expensive then other aftermarket radio but looks great and nice features options

Thank you

 

Hello , looks very interesting to me , my only concern is : Does it fit in the original radio bezel ??

Anyone here ever bought this ?

Thank you

There's also another model with cassette ??

 

Ask them for all dimensions and see if it will fit your bezel. I would be doubtful, but you never know.

 

What I'd like to do is replacing my aftermarket radio whi is under the dash and put this one in the original bezel . That would be, for me, the best of both world .

 

^^^ This is what you need to do to determine if you'd need to cut up your bezel. I know I've read of it commonly being required with newer units generally.

 

Hi, I have the RetroSound in both my Camaro and Buick. They fit nice w/o any dash cutting and have a ton of options. It's all digital and comes with an overlay for the old am look. Knobs are almost exactly like the gs, if you paint the centers black.

 

Custom autosound fitx a 1965 Buick (Re: Slidebar radio)

Dear Donald and V-8 Buick audiophiles,

I don't know about the slide-bar version of the Custom Autosound stereos and I can't be sure about the fit for a 1968. I can tell you that the Custom Autosound 630 stereo fits very nicely in a 1965 Buick Special. Here is the thread of how I modified my 630 to look more realistic in my trusty wagon:

http://www.v8buick.com/showthread.php?268438-FYI-Custom-Autosound-mods-for-improved-authenticity

Here are some photos of how the installation turned out in my wagon:



Here is what the stereo looks like when turned on:



I used it today to stream music from my smart phone using Bluetooth. It is indeed a really nice way to have a modern stereo system that looks like it belongs in your classic Buick.

If you have any questions - shoot!

Cheers, Edouard :beer

 

I have had Custom radios installed in my 67 GS 400 coupe and convertible. Just finished the convertible last week. Also installed their kick panels with speakers in the convertible. Each car also got a new 4 x 10 dash speaker. Sound is great and they fit like a glove. :laugh:

 

More options (Re: Slidebar radio)

Dear Donald, Chuck, and V-8 Buick audiophiles,

I can't answer with certainty your original question, but I've had 2 Custom Autosound stereos in my trusty wagon - the first purchased back in the 1990s. I've never had a problem with the fit. Here is what that first stereo looked like:



It didn't look as period appropriate, but you can see the fit is very nice. So if Custom Autosound says they can make their sidebar radio fit in your Buick it should look fine. They custom prepare every radio so that it does fit.

There are two alternative approaches for your information. If you still have the original radio, you could go with a hidden radio like Custom Autosound's secret radio:

http://www.casmfg.com/Secretaudio.htm

Another solution if you have a decent original radio is to have it backfitted with a modern electronic module. For example here is an outfit that installs the Aurora FMR AM/FM module into an existing stereo:

http://www.taymanelectrical.com/

Here is more information on the electronic module itself:

http://www.tech-retro.com/Aurora_Design/Automotive_Home.html

However all those schemes require that you have a original stereo that looks good enough to leave in your dash. The Custom Autosound stereo looks great because ti is new!

My trusty wagon also has Custom Autosound kick-panels and speakers. When painted to match the interior of your car, they also look great!



You can see the kick-panel just under the steering column.

I hope that's more food for thought! :Smarty:

Cheers, Edouard :beer

 

Today on My Classic Car they had a segment with Custom Auto Sound and they were showing new slide bar radios that look like the OEM equipment but are the modern internals. I did not see them when I was purchasing my latest one a couple of months ago but they said in the session that they have over 400 models that look OEM and were featuring 55-57 Chevys. Their web site advertises these slidebar radios only for Corvettes, Chevy trucks and Mustangs. The face is original until you slide the bar and then you get the digital lighted face which is what the blue box you originally are showing is about.

I have the 230 models in both my 67 GS 400's and they fit the factory opening perfectly.

You may need to call them and see if they make the slide bar model for our 67 Skylark/GS 400's

Chuck

 

I'm about to buy a USA-630 Buick radio . Will update this post later this spring... car is in storage until may !

Oh BTW , we received 70 cm (28 inches) of fresh white snow last wednesday alone !!!!! :shock:

 

I'm looking to do the same later this spring -- noticed the newer model is 630 II -- with better specs.

 

I just installed the 630 in my 1969 Skylark last week, I fabricated a plate that bolted to the two brackets the original radio bolted onto, I also used the metal strap to attach to the back of the radio to make it more stable. I also added an amplifier to the radio it plays really well from a USB stick, I haven't use my Ipod yet.

 

I installed the same unit in my 68, no bezel issues (both oem & aftermarket).

 

Custom Autosound 630II ?? Where?? (Re: Slidebar radio)

Dear Donald, bostoncat68, jaye, Tony, and V-8 Buick audiophiles,

Huh? There isn't anything on the Custom Autsound website yet. So what is a Custom Autosound 630 II? I so wish they would put the Bluetooth support into the stereo directly instead of an add-on. Right now you cannot see the information on what is playing and you cannot even know when the stereo has connected to your Bluetooth device except that the music starts playing. Custom Autosound is seriously behind their rivals, but their stereos look more period correct than their competition. For those who want Bluetooth, Ken Harrison has updated their stereos with Bluetooth and they look reasonable in a 1960s-70s car:

http://kenharrisonradios.com/

Cheers, Edouard

 

This is the 630II in a 1969 Skylark.

 

Thank you for the picture ! Looks very good andit confirms that fill in the original bezel

 

Donald,
I'm not sure if the 68 radio is exactly like the 69 however, the 69 has two tabs that are part of the dash that the radio attaches to then it has a brace on the bottom that attaches to the dash frame. The face plate is plastic is just for looks. With the slide bar radio the two tabs will not bolt to the radio. I fabbbed a plate that the radio knob stems & face plate fitted into, then installed the nut on the knob stems & tightened. The faceplate then is secured using the two tabs from the dash, then the strap on the rear of the radio bolted to the dash.

 

I just received my radio this week !


And here's the "before" picture !!!