Projects Stealth installation of a RetroSound radio

I've been going backwards and forwards on a radio choice for my 49 Chrysler Windsor. Hidden or not? Well the solution turned out to be rather convoluted and involved an original Mopar model 810 and an Apache1 radio from RetroSound.

The first problem was that the cut outs are no way near anything standard:



So I bought a model 810 on Ebay for $25, a giant beast of a tube AM radio:



After gutting it out (and cutting it in half!) I had to figure out head unit placement and screen visibility:







So with some major modifications, the buttons stripped out of the face unit, some custom aluminum mounting brackets, angled wedges (Ikea leftovers) and an old fashioned muscling into place she's in.

Rear shelf speakers are Koropp drive in speakers on cords long enough to pull out and hang on the outside of the doors:



Here's the LCD peeking out from behind the dial:



And the whole dash with new RetroSound knobs:



Shelf speakers in place:



I now have USB, SD card and aux. input for anything with a headphone jack.

Though the unit is not specifically manufactured to go in this type of dash it is adaptable enough and small enough to go behind the original, when it's off you can't see anything out of place, the LCD is soft grey and subtle so even when it's on it's still very subdued.

I highly recommend the product and the support from Mike and the boys at RetroSound has been nothing but stellar.

If you have an old Mopar this is a great way to go.

 

looks great, I picked up a retrosound unit for my wife's Metro but have not installed it yet, thanks!

 

That's really cool! Any pictures of the retro sound unit when you got it out of the box? And pics of it installed in that radio housing?

 

I don't have those photos, between trying to solve the mounting issues and arguing with my wife I didn't take any.

In my frustration I just made a platform for the radio that was angled with the plastic wedges from Ikea, then cut and drilled a piece of aluminum to make an L bracket that excepted the strap screw on the back of the unit.

It's wedged tight and a string of zip ties forms an adjustable cross strap between the shafts of the two knobs.

The station select buttons don't do anything other than make a very satisfying "c-lunk".