I know there are companies out there that convert your original car radio from am only to am/fm and can add Bluetooth and an Aux input for IPods ect. What I am looking for is how this is done. I have had a hand in every aspect of the rebuild and would like to still be able to say that at the end of it as well. I have researched the subject quite a bit and still have no concrete info to start with. I don’t wish to have just an IPod running to an amp, or an FM modulator or a hidden radio with a remote. If anyone has some good info, please share?
I think most places use the same pre made circuit board that does the AM FM Bluetooth thing. Where they buy the board is what you need to find out. The rest of the job is restoring the faceplate. They may also use the original tuner to find the stations the new circuit board processes.
There’s am/fm radio kits on amazon and ebay, but they are mostly cheap kids science projects. But you might turn up a better one. The ham radio sites or the local ham club might be a start, a lot of those guys (at least my old friend) are still into building their own equipment.
You can get some information on circuit boards from this guy's site: https://www.billtheradioguy.com/home.html
Does anyone know where to buy just the board at a reasonable price? Should be able to get them from the manufacture at a tenth of the cost of the conversion from somebody.
This guy did my radio in my 49 Ford... https://www.randbvintageautoradio.com/radio-conversion.html He uses this hardware... http://www.tech-retro.com/Aurora_Design/Home.html
I will be redoing all my speakers/stereo. I'm just going to leave my old stereo in dash, but it will just be there for looks, and install one of these bluetooth amps under the seat. Your streaming device communicates directly with the amp. https://99carstereo.com/bluetooth-car-amplifiers/ Who needs a headunit anymore, your phone has all the interface you use these days anyways
Jeffrey Huntoon in Costa Mesa Ca. Hot Rod Electrical did mine. 56 Ford radio still looks stock but has everything I wanted added. He gets work from all over the world. I've even heard he added a warm up buzz to a 30's radio to show as a stocker for a customer with a high $$ Concours car.
You may have to try Egay, and use separate boards, eg, FM tuner, Audio amp, etc. , and link it all together. The tricky part is converting the original knobs, etc, to switches that can control the inputs to whatever you are trying to control . Then you have the problem of quality of components, some of those pre-made boards aren't real flash, e.g. distortion, etc.
There are cheap boards and good boards. I was looking into the same thing, but the price of the boards is about the price of the radios from Retosound. Parts: http://www.tech-retro.com/Aurora_Design/Home.html Places: http://www.turnswitch.com/radio1.htm http://www.radiosforoldcars.com/newradio0F.htm New: http://www.vintageautoradio.com/ind...category_id=4&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=67 https://www.retromanufacturing.com/
Some good info in here so far. Thanks you all for the help and direction. Yes, I would like to try and tackle this myself. So I am looking for suppliers of the board ect.
I too would like to convert my Buick radio myself. It sounds like you cannot buy the Aurora board unless you are a dealer who does the conversion. My next thought is to put the electronics from a modern aftermarket radio into the old case and make the old knobs and push buttons work some how.
I found a few places to buy the Aurora boards too. https://www.vintagecarradio.com/stereo-conversions.html http://www.mikehaganantiqueautoradio.com/stereo-conversions.html?mode=list
I have used the redirad for a few years and it works great. I know it is not what you really wanted but does work I would also add the Customer service is great
My husband is doing this for me right now on my 1957 Chevy [It is very cheap at less than $50 and simple] The original Chevy radio is untouched in my car ,and I don't want to modify it. Because the Chevy doesn't have an accessory position on the key, we're trying to come up with a simple failsafe solution [ we love sitting in the car at the beach listening to music ] I have photographs of the whole project ,and will post my 1st thread here once it is finished [a tech thread] Mimi
It's pretty trivial for a tech to add an input jack to an original radio, that way can keep it stock and still listen to podcasts, streaming audio, iTunes, whatever you like. And with that wooly vacuum tube sound.
Truck64, I suspect there are more Hambers than me who would like a trivial explanation of how to add an input jack to an old radio. You can post it here if you don't care to start a new thread. Thanks. Phil
Simply put,you just have to tap into the signal path between the tuner and amp with a switch. Wire one side of switch to the tuner, the other to your input jack. Where and how you mount the switch and Jack is up to you. You may have to add a resistor to balance the line level.