Got the car with the a "modern" radio installed. What is my dash supposed to look like? I am assuming someone customized a new plate to accommodate the install.

The car did not come with original radio. I will still have a radio, but I got to find something that compliments the dashboard better than what I got.

Any ideas? or solutions that you have done?

 

Wow, that really is fugly.

I left my stock radio installed and functional and slapped a modern deck out of the way.

 

Unfortunately, I'm willing to bet that the stock dash has been hacked under that black plate. There are companies that will convert stock radios to modern electronics, including MP3 inputs.

And in response to your other question about the melted hose, we can see in this photo that you do have an aftermarket A/C unit, so the hoses are not stock. Note that you have a heater-only factory control.

 

Yes! Out of the way. Also, (unlike my previous owner) do not cut anything. Make sure that your radio can be taken out and no one is the wiser.
The previous owner thought he was being cool, by putting the radio in the glove box. Problem was, he cut a hole in the glove box to install the radio. He also broke the console in 3 different places to install the remote. He also cut and ruined the package shelf!
You have enough room under the dash to place the front speakers and you can install your back speakers under the front seats.
What do the say about camping in the wilderness these days?... Take nothing but pictures and leave nothing but footprints...
Basically, Don't leave a mess.

 

Yeah, I had a feeling that this might be the case. I will tackle the dash after I get done going through the mechanicals.

About the AC, I had no idea what factory AC in these cars looked like. But now I know what I have. Thanks again


That is definitely my goal. I am looking for a clean install no matter which route I go.

Thanks for the picture. It will help me brainstorm on where to but the new deck.

 

Be cool and put it in the glove box.

You can be really cool and also have a super-sano install with a factory underdash 8 track housing.

https://classicoldsmobile.com/forums...-housings.html

 

Hi, I was in a similar quandry with my 74 AMC... I did not want to hack up the stock radio opening. I've seen many cars over the years with the dash all chewed up, so I went with an under dash mount.. check this out..

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Under...ssoriesQ5fGear

It turned out much nicer than I thought it would. It mounts to the lower edge of your dash. The housing is a nice grained plastic and could likely be painted to match your interior color, with the right kind of plastic paint. It worked out very well for me. And it was cheap too.. **LOL** Cheers, Mike

 

Unfortunately, I have an aftermarket A/C in the way. I might try something like that though.

 

Thanks for the link. It will help me figure out what my options are.

 

Defiant1, for the time being you might consider removing the black plate the radio is mounted in and painting it to match your dash. IMHO this would look better than the black plastic that is there now. It would be cheap too.

 

Those old Alpine units generally didn't require much hacking. They'd fit in the factory nosepiece opening and I think they all had adjustable shaft spacing. You might get off lucky and find a good dash behind that faceplate. I'd think the worst you'd get into would be someone wallowed out the shaft holes to accomodate the Alpine.

That faceplate is generic and purposely long, and you see it's been cut out to fit the Alpine nosepiece. The face panels that came with aftermarket radios were generally too short to cover the entire shaft opening on GM cars and would leave a half-moon opening uncovered.

 

There are also the Custom Autosound radios that look fairly stock (with chrome ***** and nose, etc.) and fit the original opening. Some have cassette, ipod and USB drive support. I am thinking about going this route in a few years.

 

You can also the hidden version that uses a hand held remote to operate. You can install under the seat or in the glove box.

 

I've got a CA USA-630 and some front speaker kick panels on the way. The 630 has some great features with the aux inputs for ipod, memory stick etc, two pairs of RCA outs for more power later, and looks more stock than the other "****" radios out there. My rear ashwells were already cut so I'll be putting new speakers there as well. I'll post pics when I get them in.

 

Here's my 2009 Pioneer DIN CD Deck in there.
It's good enough for me, and yes the dash was already cut to get it in.
I'm not real big into the classic radio's. If I'm going to spend the money
I want the newest gizmo's for my sound system. So do what makes ya happy.

I ordered all new wood grain metal backed trim and cut out the DIN rectangle and mounted it.

442Completed6Copy.jpg

Here's the BEFORE pics when I first bought the car off my Uncle last year.
1970Olds442clone17.jpg

 

That looks nice!

 

Look at Aces' second pic and you'll see what I was talking about with the half-moons left uncovered by the faceplate.

 

Yes, those will still show even with the new woodgrain inserts.

It's BARELY noticeable though, and unless you've really got a #'s matching 442 it's not going to hurt it.