For those of us who own 46-48 Mopars, the stock radio opening - with the vertical face and knobs side-by-side underneath, is a challenge. I have a DeSoto dash in my ’48 Plymouth, with a Vintage Air AC unit and ductwork behind it. Thus, the stock radio, which is 6V vacuum tubes and the size of a boat anchor, was a no-go. I also wanted modern features like Bluetooth and USB input, but I really hate the look of radios (or gauges) that are screwed on under beautiful old dashboards. Fortunately, Retro Sound makes radios with detachable shafts and faces that solved the problem. I got the Hermosa Model with ivory buttons and knobs, as I’m eventually going go with ivory controls all over. The radio is very compact, so I didn’t have to detach the face and relocate the body elsewhere, although that is an option. I only had to fab a small bracket to position the knobs and anchor the unit. The top bracket is attached to a stud behind the dash speaker grille. The unit is in there solidly. There are also a number of bezel options to fill out the dash opening around the radio face. Retro Sound also includes retro-look stick-on numbers for the face, but I haven’t yet decided whether to cut them out individually and orient them vertically. All in all, a modern solution to an old design problem that doesn’t look bolted-on.
E.F.VaBeach... Very clean; very well done. As a long-running radio pro, I've seen some horrible, butchered, install jobs that make both me, and my engineer pals, cringe ! This is perfect !! Congrats on your sense of "style"...making form & function blend perfectly !!! PS: Although you've solved your install problem, some may still be looking for a fit for their car. One of my favorite "hidden install tricks" is the use of a factory option "tissue dispenser". In fact, the newest issue (Feb. 2016) of Street Rodder has a multi-page Tech Article showing how that can be accomplished if anyone reading this Thread wants to check-it out. Jonnie www.legends.thewwbc.net
Very nicely done!! I especially like the ivory knobs.....they coordinate so well with the shifter and the instrument pane background. The Desoto dash panel looks beautiful too. Is the 'engine turned' trim original to the DeS? Thanks for posting....... Ray
Thanks for all the positive comments, guys, I really appreciate it. Ray - regarding the engine turning, a portion of the stock dash was finished that way, so I tried to keep the theme when adding/modifying. Attached is a pic of the small speaker box I fabbed for the floor tunnel (where to put front speakers was also a problem). It's a bad pic with bad reflections - the box is actually a nice old chrome speaker cover and I engine-turned some side panels to keep the theme. I thought about modifying an old floor heater and hiding speakers in it (along the lines of Jonnie's tissue box comment above) but it took up too much room and blocked the down-flowing AC vents. Also, if you look between the AC vent and steering wheel, you can see the Bluetooth mic. The USB port is in the glove box. Hiding modern components really challenges your imagination !
I must admit that your install is much cleaner, however I found this radio with a chrome/silver face and was able to fit it into a spare stock dash/radio grille......its not perfect but the colour blends in and I was able to get rid of the under dash hanging thing that had been there since the mid 70's.......lol.......yeh, have had the car since 1971, its been rodded since 1973.........regards, andyd.
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