Anybody have any suggestions or experience with an aftermarket Car stereo that fits in the stock location in a 1970 cutlass?

 

I bought a Custom AutoSound deck several years ago and sent it back because it had so much internal noise. They may have corrected whatever was causing the issue in the years since then. I installed a Sony AM/FM/cassette deck from the 90s, Custom Auto Sound kick panel front speakers, 6x9 rear speakers, and an amp under the drivers seat. I have been very happy with it.

 

Retrosound and Custom Car Audio are others. You can also get your stock radio upgraded to accept bluetooth and stereo conversions.

 

Here's a retro-Cutlass model made by Antique Automobile Radio - bit pricey but decent.

I have one sitting in a box that I used for a short while but ultimately went with a Custom Auto Sound 740 model for higher power. Best thing is the tiny chassis takes up literally no room under the dash.

https://www.radiosforoldcars.com/pdf...Oldsmobile.pdf

ANTIQUE AUTOMOBILE RADIO, INC. 700 Tampa Road Palm Harbor, FL 34683 USA 727.785.8733

Sales@RadiosForOldCars.Com www.radiosforoldcars.com

 

That's something I noticed with a new radio I put in the Jeep. It was maybe 1/3 the depth of a "regular" radio and was much lighter, and that was with all the modern features (Bluetooth, USB port, AUX port, microphone, etc). I was pleasantly surprised at how light it was as I didn't need to use all of the supports the factory and previous aftermarket radios needed to keep all that mass from bouncing around off-road. So yeah, modern technology is gonna be a lot lighter and probably smaller than the old stuff.

 

I have a retrosound long beach model. It fits and works great. It isn’t the most powerful stereo I have ever had but the blue tooth connectivity is great. And if you want more power is has low level rca connections for external amplifiers. Over all its a really good unit. And there is no rf noise that I can hear.

 

Thanks guys... I was leaning towards the RetroSound Hermosa model. It looks like the Long Beach model without the Sirius.

 

Occasionally old school 2 shaft aftermarket stereos show up for sale. While obviously not stock, or even remotely stock looking, they are much cheaper.

About 6 months ago I sold the Kenwood stereo and CD changer I had in my car back in the 90s. I go to lots of swap meets and flea markets and occasionally see them.

I heard Custom auto sound bought all the tooling from Kenwood when they ceased production of the tape deck radio with changer controls. I don’t know if that’s actually true, but I have seen the custom auto sound stereos and their functions are pretty similar.

I took it out when I installed a DIN style radio using an mounting plate made to replace the factory plate (I had a friend who was pretty good fabricator). That stereo then went into my brother 63 Impala, he reinstalled the factory AM radio when he sold it. I teased my sister in law that I was very surprised the radio and changer worked, since it had been stored for ten years with a bunch of Kenny Cheasney CDs still in it!!! BTW, those old factory radios were massive and heavy!!!

 

I'm certainly not opposed to putting the "old 80's -90's" style in the car. Of course I owned a few and got rid of them saying, " I'll never use them ". But, I see them on ebay for over $100 and I'm a little leary on pulling the trigger and getting junk to tell you the truth. So, for a little more a least I would get new.

 

Did you cut your dash for a din radio?
I always mounted mine under the dash.

 

The 69-69 cars had a plate that bolted to the dash. Cars that were radio delete used a plate like this. I had a buddy fabricate a plate just like this, then machined a opening for the din radio. It worked well.


What started this project was the Pioneer stereo I installed when I was in high school (I’m not quite old enough for 8 track, but listened to lots of Led Zepplin on cassette!🤘!) It took some effort on the eject button to eject a cassette. Eventually the tabs on the radio plate broke, or the screws that held it in place stripped, I don’t remember what the actual damage was. I bought a replacement dash at a swap meet, and installed the “new” radio plate.

That was my first dash removal of a 68-69 car. I think I still have some of the scars on my back from the seat mounting studs.

 

This is the setup in my car

 

This is how the AAR unit looked in my '72 Cutlass

 

Thats a pretty slick setup!!!

 

I just received my RertroSound Hermosa set up for my 66 Cutlass. Have you received yours yet and started install? My car comes out of storage next week. Looking forward to install with some tribulation. Took out my stock radio and speaker last fall before car went into storage.

Wayne

 

. I was torn between the Autosound and the RetroSound. Ended up ordering the RetroSound Hermosa this morning.

 

I am sending private message.

Wayne

 

Well my RetroSound Hermosa Radio is installed. It's been a battle for me but with the install of the hidden antenna I am up and running. I am still worried so I have until October for my warranty to be available. Now I can test it and see if I want to keep it. Is there anyone on this forum that installed the RetroSound Hermosa radio in a 1966 Cutlass. I would appreciate an update.

Thank You

Wayne

 

Funny... I was just thinking about how you made out with the install Wayne. I'm happy with it so far.

 

Why a hidden antenna, why not use the stock one?

 

The stock antenna plug is not compatible with the harness of the RetroSound radio. The hidden antenna was not a problem. Just a little more work. Reception is excellent in my area which has a lot of interference. Now I just have to clean up the presets.

Wayne

 

Modern electronics, well post 90,s anyway. All the electronics now are on a couple of chips instead of discreet components and most importantly the old amplifiers which weighed a ton are now also chips, same power or more even.