Modern radio

66furys

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I have read and researched, and the singular radio I found was a rebuilt on Ebay, and could not get a reply on fitment. It surprises me that there is no am/fm modern to fit the dash on this 66 fury. Simple two knobs and a display window....wth is so hard. Anyone found a replacement that will fit the dash on the beasties? thanks And of course, mama mopar probably had three hundred variants of fitment for just the C body.....
 
This of course wouldn't have the same look. Back in the 90's I got an extra radio bezel for my 68 NYer and trimmed the holes out so that a modern DIN radio would fit. In my current 68 NYer I built a wood console that sits on the hump and the factory radio resides in the dash.
 
What about using a bluetooth adapter with the original radio? I did something similar in my old chevy, but I'm not sure if it would work for mopars. Just throwing ideas out there
 
I have read and researched, and the singular radio I found was a rebuilt on Ebay, and could not get a reply on fitment. It surprises me that there is no am/fm modern to fit the dash on this 66 fury. Simple two knobs and a display window....wth is so hard. Anyone found a replacement that will fit the dash on the beasties? thanks And of course, mama mopar probably had three hundred variants of fitment for just the C body.....
"WTH is so hard"? Back then, every car's instrument panel was different and NOT flat. Curves, angles, peaks etc in the middle of the instrument panel area where the radio was. With a specific-to-the-car shaft spacing, usually, too. NOTHING universal, which is what all of the later "modern" radios are. NO "fit kits" to adapt them, either. ONLY upgrades from the factory were to AM-FM mono until the 1968 model year when 8-track tapes became optional, which required a different bezel, too. THAT is what is so hard!

Wanted FM, an under-dash unit to "adapt" to the in-dash unit. If you wanted a Stereo 8-track and FM Stereo addition, that was in an under-dash (or hump mount, in the case of Pioneer) unit. THAT was how it was done back then. Of course, had to add the stereo speakers. Usually in the front kick panels or cut-up the door trim panels for some 5.25" round speakers, plus the dual 6x9s in the rear package tray deck.

Back then, no "head units" or need for "amps" as sub-woofers hadn't been invented yet.

A different world back then, as to "auto sound".

Respectfully,
CBODY67
 
In many cases, the shaft spacing can be the same, but it is the subtle differences in the bezel area that make the difference.

For example, many of the pre-'67 C-body instrument panels might look like they could easily support a different or aftermarket in-dash unit, but when the flat aftermarket faceplate is put against the panel, THEN you notice lots of the subtle things I mention. We all want a factory-look radio to result with the aftermarket unit, but it might end up looking "hacked-in" many times. Some might do a better job than others in the addition, but still not completely "factory".

In the case of the '67-'68 Chrysler "thumbwheel" instrument panels, that subtle peak in the middle can be an issue. Better to use a flat piece to make that transition, which can also related to some diferent support structures behind it. Radios need a "back brace", by observation, for both radio chassis stability AND as a chassis ground path, for good measure. Even with a manufacturer flat panel, a radio with physical pushbuttons, due to the vertical angle, would still show the bottom of their pushbuttons "to the public".

On the 1969-'73 Chrysler panels, such negative tilt resulted in a few subtle differences. One is the pushbuttons were installed upside down, leaving what would normally be the shiny top surface to still be in plain sight when installed upside down. The other subtle difference is that the "dial" area is slanted rearward at its top to maintain a vertical orientation. Otherwise, an C-body radio would fit a C-body instrument panel.

For the 1974 model year, Chrysler standardized their B- and C-body radios into the flat panel orientation, which worked with a dedicated radio area of the panel. This opened the door for many aftermarket companies to offer "factory look-alike" products for dealers to sell to customers.

Then, with increasing technology and such, Gary Tayman and Aurora Designs entered the picture. Many companies were doing "retro look" radios with modern guts, but AD took an existing radio chassis and put modern guts in it. With better and higher-power audio amps, plus Bluetooth, USB, etc. in the mix. After first hearing of these conversions, it now seems that Aurora Designs has a USA-wide network of locations which can do these conversions.

Enjoy!
CBODY67
 
The question is do you want "radio" or just to be able to have music? If it is just music there are options that do not involve the factory radio. My Barracuda has a box under the dash, Bluetooth and kick panel speakers, The factory AM radio still works through the single dash speaker.


Alan
 
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"WTH is so hard"? Back then, every car's instrument panel was different and NOT flat. Curves, angles, peaks etc in the middle of the instrument panel area where the radio was. With a specific-to-the-car shaft spacing, usually, too. NOTHING universal, which is what all of the later "modern" radios are. NO "fit kits" to adapt them, either. ONLY upgrades from the factory were to AM-FM mono until the 1968 model year when 8-track tapes became optional, which required a different bezel, too. THAT is what is so hard!

Wanted FM, an under-dash unit to "adapt" to the in-dash unit. If you wanted a Stereo 8-track and FM Stereo addition, that was in an under-dash (or hump mount, in the case of Pioneer) unit. THAT was how it was done back then. Of course, had to add the stereo speakers. Usually in the front kick panels or cut-up the door trim panels for some 5.25" round speakers, plus the dual 6x9s in the rear package tray deck.

Back then, no "head units" or need for "amps" as sub-woofers hadn't been invented yet.

A different world back then, as to "auto sound".

Respectfully,
CBODY67

I found an old Craig under dash cassette player which I can stick a Bluetooth cassette adapter into. I feed this to a modest 100W Pioneer amp with 8 ohm, not 4 ohm impedance, so I can use 8 ohm speakers. This conforms to 1970s stereo sound anyway, w the pair of 6x9 Kenwood triaxial speakers I had from my 1966. I suppose I can spend almost half a G on a modern stereo which will match the dash; they exist, but this simply isn't too high on my priority stack.....
 
I have read and researched, and the singular radio I found was a rebuilt on Ebay, and could not get a reply on fitment. It surprises me that there is no am/fm modern to fit the dash on this 66 fury. Simple two knobs and a display window....wth is so hard. Anyone found a replacement that will fit the dash on the beasties? thanks And of course, mama mopar probably had three hundred variants of fitment for just the C body.....
I went through the same thing with my 67 newport. I had an AM transmitter for a bit. Wasn't much good. I went with the Aurora designs radio. They take out your radio and put all new electronics in it. Looks the same but it has Bluetooth, am/fm and a line to connect a device physically. I also got all new speakers. It was worth every penny. Might as well skip all the crappy options and upgrade your old radio. Aurora advertises in the Hagerty magazine if you get it. My radio was done by some guys in Harrowsmith Ontario. Mrheaterbox.com is the website. Great guys and they do good work. They take in stuff from all over North America and abroad. Good luck.
 
You guys got my head spinning and it has stopped on reverse. Great points all.
 
To give concrete example of an option that does NOT play AM/FM and instead connects to your phone via bluetooth for ....$13

https://www.amazon.com/MakerHawk-Am...refix=25w+bluetooth+module,aps,84&sr=8-4&th=1

Has old school on/off volume knob and could be put under your seat if you don't want to see it. This would power 2 8 ohm speakers at 12v with about 12w per channel. It would also power newer 4 ohms speakers or other versions that would power a single speaker like center dash. I used one like this for workbench music. BTW for AM/FM there are some streaming apps on your phone that play live radio (https://www.audacy.com/)
 
(watching "Mobile Data" $$$ float in the air . . .)
 
The more things change the more they stay the same.
Under dash or glove box unit solution is alive and well.
Only now we have little remotes that rest in the abandoned ashtray we don't use anymore.
 
I have read and researched, and the singular radio I found was a rebuilt on Ebay, and could not get a reply on fitment. It surprises me that there is no am/fm modern to fit the dash on this 66 fury. Simple two knobs and a display window....wth is so hard. Anyone found a replacement that will fit the dash on the beasties? thanks And of course, mama mopar probably had three hundred variants of fitment for just the C body.....

Screenshot_20241114_171916_Chrome.jpg
 
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