classic radio

[overtontriumph]

Hi Everyone.
I'm getting a little sick of listening to Talksport on my original radio so I would like to change it.
Luckily, I have an original Sharp ar 946 that has FM so I want to fit this as it was manufactured in 1972 but before I do this I need to have some questions answered.

1. Can I use the original aerial that is connected to my MW/LW radio?
2. Can anyone recommend a company that can add an MP3 connection that does not charge silly money?
3. Are there better speakers that can fit into the underdash space on my Mk2?

I don't want to add new speakers elsewhere in the car. I just want to get the best from original equipment.

Many thanks

Phil

[Charles H]

Original aerial will work fine. The connection is the same. Can't answer the other questions....sorry.

[Steve G]

I tried fitting a pair of small diameter speakers under the center grill in the dash, it was better than the original speaker, just.
I got fed up with it in the end and got hold of a spare parcel shelf and fitted a pair of 6x9 speakers in the back.
This was back in the early 90's and I tried using an amplifier and a personal CD player which was OK and then fitted a CD player with a rotating cover to hide it.

It's tricky fitting much unless you start cutting trim panels about. I did think of fitting some small diameter speakers in place of the eyeball vents on the dash. Something you could always remove later on if you wanted to.

[SimonO]

I've seen thin flat speakers that fit beneath the front seats which also have bass amps. Hidden and good sounding, just need someone else to try them first as not cheap!

Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk

[Alec]

Hello Phil,

I caught a report on the news a day or so ago where they were talking about the imminent demise of F.M. radio, the only signals will be digital in the very near future. You might like to check before you go to the trouble of installing your F.M. set?

Alec

[johnconradlee]

They've been threatening to turn off FM for a while but I don't think take up has been as quick as expected so hopefully they'll delay it.
Ive got a Fujitsu Ten spindle mounted FM radio cassette fitted in my Mk1. Its a shiny chrome type one where the needle for the tuner runs along the cassette player flap so looks reasonably period despite being a decade and a half too new. The belts in the tape are worn so tapes don't work, however a cassette adaptor works fine and means i can listen to MP3s. I've mounted two of these speakers; http://www.maplin.co.uk/p/40w-4in-shiel ... aker-l68aw ; side by side on a plywood bracket behind the perforated hole in the radio panel and they sound pretty reasonable. With a bit of thought you should be able to do something similar on a Mk2.

[overtontriumph]

Thanks for your comments everyone.
I am aware of the fm issue and I have been researching this issue. While it is true that the government is threatening to turn off the fm frequencies, it may be some time before they do. In respect of this, there are several alternatives to add DAB and DAB+ options to existing radio sets. The easiest is to have an auxiliary connection point added that allows you to have a mp3 player connected which has the DAB option already installed. The other option is to connect a DAB receiver into the existing system and there are several companies out there that do this. The down side of this option is that the aerial is windscreen mounted and not really suited to you if you want the car to look original.
Because of this issue I will look at the mp3 option first as they cost about 30 quid from Amazon. I like my music with plenty of bass so am not sure if the under seat speaker option is right for me but it could provide good vibrations!
I have a friendly sparks who does whole-house entertainment systems so I will keep everyone up-dated with any new options that enable me to keep everything looking original. In the mean-time I will get the radio installed and start working from there.

I would like to thank everyone who has offered their help on this issue and the many others I have had this year. Merry Christmas to everyone!

Regards

Phil

[overtontriumph]

Ok then. back with the saga.
I have removed the radio facia and have found a metal backing plate which holds the radio in place. I cannot see any way to remove this and thus enables the radio to slide out. Am I missing something here or do I have to remove the centre console as well?

Regards

Phil

[Steve G]

I think you have to remove the wooden panel. If memory serves me correctly you have to remove the gear lever gaiter/surround trim and then there are some screws along the bottom to remove. There are also some around the ash tray.
When I fitted my head unit I made a new wooden trim panel to take the modern din size to suit all the modern stuff.

The plate you can see might be screwed onto the back of your wooden panel, I don't think there are any other mounting cages behind it.

[kevinw]

One I might know the answer to. I had a very similar radio that I fitted into a slightly later Ford Escort. These older style radios are held in place by the spindles. Pull off the twiddly bits and beneath you will see a brass nut of about 0.5 inches across the flats remove these and the radio will come free. I've never looked too closely at how the radio mounts on a mark 1, but you may, as has been said, need to remove the fascia to extract the radio, but on some cars, everything was a sort of sandwich affair that all came loose once the nuts were loosened.

If you can power it all up before reassembling, you will probably find a little adjustment on the back of the radio that will "tune" the antenna (aerial). Find a weak station and adjust the "trimmer" until you get the best (or least worst) reception.

Kevin