At the risk of being shunned for not keeping the original sound system installed in my 66 Special; I have decided that the Sonomatic radio is not enough. But, I do not want to cut the dash. :blast: Does anyone know where i can find an aftermarket MP3 stereo that will fit nicely in the radio opening of a 66 special? Thanks, Flybyspam
I do not, but I do have a suggestion Remove the liner for the glove box. Put the radio you want in the now empty spot. A bonus is that the glove box locks. If an MP3 is what you want, I'm sure you could get a remote for it that would work even when the glove box is shut. A really clever person could even get a non-functioning sonomatic, and wire a new radio inside it's case so that the internals are new and the externals are correct
That's funny, though, that a THIEF can still take the radio OUT from BEHIND the glovebox! It will "STILL BE LOCKED", THOUGH! :laugh: :TU: (you have to THINK like a criminal to PREVENT a criminal from DOING the crime! There are NO ways to STOP crime, only to SLOW THEM DOWN, TEMPORARILY!:Smarty: ) People don't usually think about that, though, do they?:laugh: (No offense, Chris! I've seen the glovebox systems, and they ARE "COOL"!:TU: I'm just here to help with ideas, too.:bglasses::TU: If you want to be "practical", then don't "waste" the glovebox space, JUST for a radio. If you don't want to "cut the dash", then consider alternative places that you won't "waste" space, either: 1) If you have a "console", then consider installing the radio within REACH for control/changing discs! Perfect size, no big loss of storage. It's "out of sight", if you close the console LID, too!:bglasses: 2) In the Trunk (the Trunk locks, TOO!:laugh: :TU: ) Get a remote control system, and you can use it that way. The good and bad: The Good is that no one knows it's there. There's PLENTY of places to mount it out of the way! The Bad thing is that you have to stop to change discs... 3) If you have an "armrest" in a Split Bench seat, you can make a special holder built into the armrest. When you fold it DOWN, the radio is right there to control, at your fingertips. When you fold it UP, you don't even see it. You can even use "extra" material to fold over the top to HIDE the stereo, but the armrest still looks ORIGINAL!:Brow: :bglasses: :Smarty: If you need to know "what FITS", it depends on WHERE you want to install it. Once you figure THAT out, THEN you can go to the radio shops, with the measurements of WHERE it's going to be, and match the radio to those dimensions.:Smarty: Check Wal Mart at "Clearance" stuff!:bglasses: I just bought a Sony AM/FM/CD Player with Remote, and 2 matching Sony 6x9 Rear Speakers (200W each) for less than $200!:jd: :Smarty: :laugh:
I understand that Scott, I just figured that it would be natural to have to build something to hold the new radio in place since nothing is there but cardboard when the liner is in place, and it would be difficult if not impossible to remove it from underneath without a hacksaw...just a suggestion is all
I've seen some folks mount their stereos right under the dash. This enables them easy access. Yes, thieves can see it and take it very easily, but that's just a chance you take for wanting good sound. My dash was already cut when I got my convertible. Do you think I tried to install a factory radio back in it??? NOOOOOO!:grin: I threw a high power Sony CD player in there with a set of 400 watt Pioneer 6x9's with a 300 watt amp under the passenger seat. I also have 4 speakers up front totally hidden. Do I have a problem with cutting dashes? No, unless it is irrepairable. Find a good used dash bezel you can hack up. The problem with that is, most of the time you have to actually have to cut the dash frame itself...not just the bezel...so I dunno. I guess that's why there are aftermarket stereos that fit into these spots. Kenwood makes a stereo that fits in these knobbed radio slots. Scott, don't you have one of these? or 3??:grin:
:grin: ALL of my Skylarks get KENWOOD stereos! Actually, I've just been adding all AM/FM/CD Players, BECAUSE the "knob" type are: 1) getting harder to find (I don't think they're even being manufactured anymore, because most "NEWER" cars don't have "knob" type radios, and usually they only come with CASSETTE players). At least the KENWOOD "knob" type cassette players have CD control! (that means you just install the radio in the dash, so you can listen to AM/FM, or Cassette tapes, but if you PLUG IN (with 2 RCA plugs) a CD Player in the BACK of the radio, you can listen to CD's, TOO! For those who don't know.:Smarty: :TU: :bglasses: 2) not as NICE LOOKING as the "SMOOTH" faceplates of the NEW style radios! (wait til I get pictures of the interior of my "GSX" with the new Kenwood I just installed!:eek2: :jd: ) I don't know much about the '60's cars/how the dash is to modify/work with, but the '70-'72 is easy; just to modify the bezel, install the radio into the bezel, and put the WHOLE THING in the dash, and be done with it!:bglasses:
unhacked bezels are probably getting hard to find, though...imo, if you want to have the head unit there, trade your bezel with someone who has one that's already cut up.
Again, please don't misunderstand me, I DON'T/WON'T "modify" a perfectly good bezel! Most of the ones that I've "bought" (came with the cars), have already been "cut", before I got them.:blast: I agree with you, David, to find a "practice" bezel, before destroying a GOOD one!:TU: :Smarty: :bglasses:
Just for reference, here is what I did on my car. That radio is very close to being unstealable, unless one had a power saw or something.
I agree to try to search for some other bezel to hack up. This is what I did with mine. Note my original bezels were really trashed so I found some good replacements.
:bglasses: :eek2: Zach and Ivan: Those are the TWO COOLEST "FULLSIZE" DASHES that I've ever seen! Very Smooth, guys!:TU:
Just for the record..... 66/67 Skylarks/Specials do not have a "bezel" to modify. They are very different than the 70-72's. The "bezel" starts at the drivers door and ends at the passenger door. You would have to ruin the entire dash to squeeze a stereo in. In my 67 driver, I have a cd changer in the glove box, an amp under the passenger seat, and the stereo laying on the floor for now. Not sure what I'm going to do. I planned to make a console of some kind, but I'm now thinking of just reverting back to a simple "knob type" radio in the factory hole. I never turn it on anyways..... I'd rather hear the pipes. :Brow: Seriously, I bet I haven't even turned the stereo on in 3 months. In my old 67 driver (high school days), I hung the stereo under the dash beside an amp/equalizer and filled the back seat and package tray with speakers. lol ou:
radio in a 62 SKYLARK With the 62 Skylark there is not bezel per se its all metal as you can see from the pic Does anyone have any experience with the JCWhitney direct fit radios http://www.jcwhitney.com/autoparts/ProductDisplay/c-10101/s-10101/p-214555/mediaCode-ZX/appId-428272 Who makes them etc etc , are they any good? I was thinking of just using a decent walkman through the cassette . Are there any alternatives from mainstream like Kenwood that are decent. The opening is 43/8" x 23/8" with the knob holes 61/4" Center to Center. Since a CD is 4 3/4" wide ,well you see my conundrum :Smarty: I would have to use a disk changer otherwise, and I dont really want to spring for that .
