TAC Tech => Audio => Topic started by: 5th T/A on December 30, 2022, 07:46:29 PM
-
I think there was a discussion on TAC not long ago about upgrading sound systems and I said it wasn't that important to me. So here I am being a hypocrite doing an audio system upgrade. My 1980 TA came with a factory AM/FM four speaker stereo. While it would pick up AM and FM, it never went into stereo mode. In my opinion the audio quality was poor. Although it was a long time ago, I purchased new a 1973 TA, 1975 TA and 1978 TA all with the factory AM/FM two speaker stereo, in my memory they sounded much better. I pulled out the factory radio, sent it to a shop that specializes in old car radio repair. They found a bad multiplexor chip and replaced it, total repair including shipping was only $100.00. With my repaired radio installed I was able to get stereo reception, but in my opinion the audio quality was disappointing. I connected up a set of 8-ohm home stereo speakers and the audio quality was still unacceptable.
I remembered I had a 15-year-old Kenwood radio sitting in my basement and wondered if I could use it. I wanted to keep my car stock looking as possible, no cutting on the dash or doors. I was able to remove the plastic tray located under the ashtray in the console and mount the radio there. If I ever decide to remove the radio I can reinstall the tray. The radio is a Kenwood KDC-HD545U, Am, FM HD, CD player and USB port for external audio devices. I had to fabricate a mounting bracket using aluminum angle stock.
Radio mounted in console, had to drill three holes in console mounting bracket.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52597225645_000bddcf75_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2o8QwJ2)IMG_1037 (https://flic.kr/p/2o8QwJ2) by Lawrence Alexander (https://www.flickr.com/photos/188552644@N06/), on Flickr
Console from the front. I used foam gasket to fill the gaps on the side.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52597060804_e26d570286_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2o8PFHW)IMG_1038 (https://flic.kr/p/2o8PFHW) by Lawrence Alexander (https://www.flickr.com/photos/188552644@N06/), on Flickr
I ordered new 6X9 speakers from Crutchfield, Kenwwod Excelon KFC-X694 $119.99 for the pair.
New rear speakers compared to the old. I wanted to use my factory flush mount grills. The new speakers had a three-prong plastic trim at the top of the tweeter (far left speaker) that had to be trimmed so it would not hit the grill. If I would have used spacers to drop the speaker down the right-side speaker would have hit the tire jack mount and come really close to hitting the spare.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52597065339_d0ee6bb221_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2o8PH58)IMG_0970 (https://flic.kr/p/2o8PH58) by Lawrence Alexander (https://www.flickr.com/photos/188552644@N06/), on Flickr
New front speakers compared to the old. The new front speakers had much larger magnets making them a tight fit. I had to rotate the left front speaker 180 degrees so the spade lugs pointed to the front of the car, otherwise they would have hit the back of the instrument cluster. The new speakers came with a filter to cut of anything below 800 HZ. When I tried to run without the filter low frequencies would over power them.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52597246235_02685faea7_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2o8QCR2)IMG_1005 (https://flic.kr/p/2o8QCR2) by Lawrence Alexander (https://www.flickr.com/photos/188552644@N06/), on Flickr
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52597079574_d01cba65a7_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2o8PMiy)IMG_1006 (https://flic.kr/p/2o8PMiy) by Lawrence Alexander (https://www.flickr.com/photos/188552644@N06/), on Flickr
Trying to stay compatible with my radio I purchased a Kenwood Excelon X302-4 power amp, also from Crutchfield. I hoped it would fit under the console, but it was too big. I ended up mounting ti in the trunk, right behind the seat. Since the amp draws a lot of current, I used an 8-gage power conductor directly from the battery. I had custom made conductors from CE auto Electric https://ceautoelectricsupply.com/. They have an online cable configurator that is easy to allow you to choose the wire and heavy-duty connectors. I ran the wire under the drivers side kick plate where the factory ran the wiring for lights and rear window defroster. This means I had to remove the back seat. I ran the signal cables from the power amp to the radio above the drive shaft hump, between the carpet and the insulation. The driver's seat had to come out for that.
Amp with power cables, the cables are super flexible, making it easier for routing.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52596836491_78adc5c287_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2o8Nx3t)IMG_1127 (https://flic.kr/p/2o8Nx3t) by Lawrence Alexander (https://www.flickr.com/photos/188552644@N06/), on Flickr
Power amp mounted in trunk. Almost have to look for it to know its there.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52597107544_cc2249de8c_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2o8PVBN)IMG_1133 (https://flic.kr/p/2o8PVBN) by Lawrence Alexander (https://www.flickr.com/photos/188552644@N06/), on Flickr
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52597108939_9675968742_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2o8PW2R)IMG_1136 (https://flic.kr/p/2o8PW2R) by Lawrence Alexander (https://www.flickr.com/photos/188552644@N06/), on Flickr
For some reason the radio display looks blurry in pictures but is much sharper in real life. I have roughly 960 songs on my iPod and phone, can use either one. I like the quality of HD FM, but content is lacking.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52596357657_844041195e_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2o8L5GH)IMG_1160 (https://flic.kr/p/2o8L5GH) by Lawrence Alexander (https://www.flickr.com/photos/188552644@N06/), on Flickr
The face plate can be removed if I want the car to look more original. The sound quality is way beyond my expectations. I hear things in recordings I never knew existed. The bass is extremely powerful and punchy. Good bang for the buck, about $450.00 total invested. More time to install it than you would think, but my labor is cheap. I told my wife if i want to listen to loud high-quality music I can go to my rear garage, sit in the TA and not annoy her.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52596367612_23e2ebcba7_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2o8L8Em)IMG_1161 (https://flic.kr/p/2o8L8Em) by Lawrence Alexander (https://www.flickr.com/photos/188552644@N06/), on Flickr
My wife thought this was funny, a lot of trunk time.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52596368947_ea7aeccc91_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2o8L94n)IMG_3684 (https://flic.kr/p/2o8L94n) by Lawrence Alexander (https://www.flickr.com/photos/188552644@N06/), on Flickr
-
Nice. That’s a huge improvement over the stock system. Nice install too. Does that Kenwood have the option of adding an iPod cable to the rear? I had a pioneer of that vintage and using the cable I could keep my iPod in the glove compartment completely out of sight. I recall paying about $60 just for the cable but it was nice to just leave it in and not see it at all. Enjoy.
-
76455, I see where you are coming from. It would be nice not to have the cable sticking out the front of the faceplate. Reading the documentation I see no option for a rear USB cable. I could just load all my music onto a USB memory stick and not have a cable at all, but haven’t tried that yet.
I should also mention the antenna cable was an inch short of reaching the new radio. I ordered a 12” extension cable. I am still waiting for delivery.
-
Great job. I too may go down that rabbet hole. I have a stock settup that I never hooked up. I dont listen to music like I did when younger, part of it being I have more hearing loss now :???: Since my son has started driving he keeps telling me 'we need to get some music'. It may be in order this spring.
-
Great instalation! Those new speakers had to be a huge improvement. I love my tunes too!
I put an amplifier in my trunk with a blue tooth unit that has rca cables that feeds my amplifier. They also make BT amps but I already had my amp. I then just use my phone for music. The only draw back is controlling the volume is with my phone, not as easy as a knob on the dash...
-
Great instalation! Those new speakers had to be a huge improvement. I love my tunes too!
I put an amplifier in my trunk with a blue tooth unit that has rca cables that feeds my amplifier. They also make BT amps but I already had my amp. I then just use my phone for music. The only draw back is controlling the volume is with my phone, not as easy as a knob on the dash...
For what it’s worth to whomever, some Bluetooth amps (like mine) have a wired remote to control volume, changing tracks and play/pause. Some Bluetooth amps do not though.
These are two other ideas I ran across when building my system I thought were interesting
https://www.etsy.com/listing/1086714362/in-dash-bluetooth-audio-for-your-classic
Mark 3 - Secret or Hidden Audio Device - Classic / Vintage Car Radio - 4 Speakers & RCA Pre-amp outputs https://a.co/d/53wPSks
-
Great job, I put mine in the glove box (had to cut the back) I have a none functional 8 track player and kinda like the look (for a 71).
Just be careful with a large amp not to draw fantom power and drain the battery.
-
I was working im ny trunk as you did and got STUCK! I couldn't get up and out! :D :D :D
-
Unfortunately or maybe fortunately, my dash was already cut and an aftermarket system already installed, which was low quality anyway, so I upgraded as well. When I had the dash out during my restoration I went ahead and bought a front speaker replacement, Kenwood speakers. I'm not impressed though with the sound I have coming from this system, just hasn't been a priority yet to figure it out. It works.
Good job on the placement of yours, I didn't want to mess with my console as I plan on putting the 8-track system back in and routing that through the input system of a new radio so I can just change to AUX on the radio and play the 8-track.
-
Unfortunately or maybe fortunately, my dash was already cut and an aftermarket system already installed, which was low quality anyway, so I upgraded as well. When I had the dash out during my restoration I went ahead and bought a front speaker replacement, Kenwood speakers. I'm not impressed though with the sound I have coming from this system, just hasn't been a priority yet to figure it out. It works.
Good job on the placement of yours, I didn't want to mess with my console as I plan on putting the 8-track system back in and routing that through the input system of a new radio so I can just change to AUX on the radio and play the 8-track.
Rich, when the time comes, let me know. Easy way to convert the output from common ground to a line out
-
Great job, those speakers look really nice and are a big improvement. An amp is needed to for better sound in my opinion.
Also, been there, done that:
My wife thought this was funny, a lot of trunk time.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52596368947_ea7aeccc91_k.jpg)
-
BTW, I vote you keep those wheels. Kinda make it unique in a sea of snowflake and honeycomb.
-
BTW, I vote you keep those wheels. Kinda make it unique in a sea of snowflake and honeycomb.
I run rally’s on mine, not a fan of snowflake. Depends on the color of the car in my opinion. I prefer rally’s most the time.
-
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52909113386_da4be8c424_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2oBp35S)2023-05-19_07-46-33 (https://flic.kr/p/2oBp35S) by Kerry Grubb (https://www.flickr.com/photos/156399515@N07/), on Flickr
I went the lazy route :lol: I bought this JBL about a month ago. Its only about 8" long or so and about 3" in diameter. Sound is amazing. Probably sounds better than most of the high end home stereos I had when I was younger! I dont have an ipod or other music device, just use my phone. My car is pretty loud inside but this does the trick for me. At cruising speeds around 60mph the car noise is at its minimum and the sound from the speaker is fine. Anything else is about like riding a motorcycle with a radio. I am adding more sound deadening and such to the 79. Hope it will be a bit quieter.
-
I agree with you completely about this JBL speaker, I have the same one. Hard to believe the sound that comes out of a small footprint. They do make smaller and larger versions of the speaker. I use it when outside doing yard work, you can comfortably listen to it 40 feet away. I thought about using it in my car, then one thing led to another.
-
Yea, I started with the smaller one. It sounds really good and is loud enough for what it is, but it just couldnt cut the muster in the TA. I gave that to my grandson and he uses it all of the time. This charge 5 seems to do the trick. The next bigger was too much like a boom box.
-
Interested in getting a stock or stock looking one to fill my dash hole. After trying out a blue tooth speaker on the dash I quickly realized I am unable to drive a manual without being able to hear the engine, stalled trying to get up the driveway.
-
The retro stereos are similar in appearance to the stock units, but just off enough that I would not use one, but I am super picky. My only beef is that they have Pontiac written across the front. The originals never had anything like that.
-
Zach, I am not sure how much driving experience you have with TA. I think with a little more time you will get used to how the clutch engages, and it won't matter how loud the music is.
-
Zach, I am not sure how much driving experience you have with TA. I think with a little more time you will get used to how the clutch engages, and it won't matter how loud the music is.
Very little experience. Dad taught me stick in this car when I was 16 a few years ago and it’s the only car I’ve driven with stick. Issue is I normally put the clutch in when I hear the engine dying, tach doesn’t go below 1000 so it’s my crutch.
-
You need to get out and drive more, it will become second nature :grin:
-
Agreed. A little time and it’ll be second nature.
The retro stereos are similar in appearance to the stock units, but just off enough that I would not use one, but I am super picky. My only beef is that they have Pontiac written across the front. The originals never had anything like that.
Kerry I agree with you about the retro sound radios. Not my taste but to each their own.
There is this one that looks like a stocker but is modern. I almost got one but they’re so expensive (even more now than when I was looking) and I haven’t heard good things about how they operate especially for the price.
I’ve always been curious about this one though. Never seen it in action anywhere nor seen how the display looks. Says they’re out of stock now but if I didn’t find a factory unit I’d have probably tried this.
https://joltparts.com/products/rfz184
-
You need to get out and drive more, it will become second nature :grin:
With short summers I am driving nearly everyday, I can tell I am getting better at least. My crutch is sticking the clutch in when I hear the engine dying, tach doesn't read below 1000 so it is confusing sometimes. I like to listen to the engine anyways so not having a radio isn't much of a down side, and I will know if something decides it is time for a replacement and I will hear it fall, crack, etc, etc. Car ain't perfect but it runs great. :-D
-
I have that JBL speaker as well. Best combination. Keeps the stock audio unit and can play music library via Bluetooth. How can you lose?