Hey guys,
I cannot stand the stereo in my 68 cutlass. Guy I bought it from got it "upgraded" with an aux input and apparently better amplifiers. The aux input sounds like crap and the amplifiers clip all the time.

I want to upgrade the stereo with a decent deck, but am trying to figure out where to put it. I personally don't care about removing the am/fm radio and cutting the dash, but will it affect resale? My car is a resto-mod and has a 6.0 EFI motor and TH400. So the originality is obviously gone already... will cutting into my dash to put a decent stereo in do any worse?
I know it's taboo to talk about cutting up and modifying anything with these 60s cars, but since I've already done the drivetrain, cutting the dash shouldn't be any affect, right?

Let me know what you think
Jim

 

No need to cut up the dash.
A lot of people are installing an amp under dash and just running a cord out of the ash tray or something to plug in their ipod or iphone.

 

It probably won't affect your cars value. Make yourself happy.

 

You're not cutting the dash. You're cutting the radio plate which just bolts in and you can buy a clean uncut one for about $40. You want a cut one and save your uncut one? $15 + shipping.

 

Just do this:

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BTW, that's the interior of a 1979 98 Regency. Looks stock to me

 

Thanks guys.
I actually thought about building a complete center console but decided against it unless I was going to redo the entire interior

AllyOlds, where do you buy radio plates?

Thanks guys
Jim

 

From the pile of extra 68 crap in my basement


J/k but I do have at least one good uncut one as well as one or two that have been previously modified

 

Yeah, do some more research on stealth radios, glove-box mount, trunk remote heads etc. That's just hiding your goodies. The after-market offers retro-radios that at a glance appear to be push-button, AM's that fit the factory dash holes. These are killer units with digital display, aux inputs etc. You don't have to cut it if you like the old-timey look.

Funny, I spent 12 hrs fabricating brackets and face plates to put an E-bay original AM radio back into the dash where they chopped it for a 1-din unit. My pipes are so loud you couldn't hear da tunes anyway! I like the 60's experience seeing simplified, clean dash bits. The old chrome 12 lb. radio is fun to poke the buttons and hear that awful mono. My son was puzzled how to set channel presets?

 

Set the station manually then pull out the button you want to set that station to and push it all the way in and then release. It will now be set to that station. Sometimes you have to do it a couple of times to get it set in real good.

I agree with you. In my '68 I have just my original am/fm radio and the original 8-track player, hooked up to an new replacement 4x10 front speaker and I think it sounds fabulous. Definitely not for the audiophile, but then in a 1968 Cutlass Convertible nothing much is going to sound good anyway. I can still hear Bob Seger singing "Get Out of Denver" from the 8-track when I am cruising down the freeway at 70 (or 75 ) with the top down and that is all I care about. If it was a nicer system I don't think I could hear it any better anyway. Now a closed car like borrone821 has might be a different matter.

 

oops, the comment about my son (25) being puzzled by radio push buttons was meant to be funny how a digital child simply can't imagine a mechanical method to preset. He was amazed by how simple it is. Actually, he sat in there carefully setting them all to horrid stations. Perfect!

I think my audio nightmare began when the seller had cut the doors for 6" fronts carefully mounting these babies below the window crank where you hit your knuckles EVERY time rolling down the window! Oh good, huge 6X9's were stuffed in the rear deck. They called out to thieves saying "come get me, the owner is an idiot". The rear grills were so high they touched the back glass. Ugh! Billy-Bob stereo dude minus a gun rack.

So, head, subs, amps, wiring, speakers, panels and package shelf were ripped out. New CS (repop) door panels and rear tray fit nicely. The dash and interior now looks factory clean. I removed failing seat belt retractors and went with quality old-school GM lap belts. People my age enjoy the feel of fishing them out and messing with the manual tension. Old guys clip in, in about 15 seconds where youth fumble around and look concerned. Ha!

That's the whole thing, to experience the car as it would have been rolling early 70's style. The drivetrain, brakes and suspension is a whole-nother story as modernized. Retro-Rod is probably off. This is a Franken-Rod.