The $20 radio

[mjanderle]

My ride is, well, not nearly as fancy as some that can be found on this site. That's Ok, as I'm shooting more for function than perfection. Which leads me to the hole that has been in my dash for the last 2 years. The PO took the radio that he had in there. No biggie, I'll get around to fixing that.......someday.

Well, some neuron in my head, presumably the radio-neuron kept repeatedly firing and I found myself poking around here looking for radio options. I found this one, the price sounded right, and the reviews were horrible. Perfect!

She showed up this past Thursday :



The installation wasn't too bad. Had to sneak the radio in from under the dash on the drivers side. Had to pull out the heater hose thingy.



Found some speakers in the basement that were in the house when we bought it. Worked out pretty well.



For the money it's not a bad little unit. Feels light and cheap with crapy wiring, but hey, it was $20.

 

[Sully73FJ40]

Got the same one in my 40. How I see it, if it dies from weather or being stolen it's no big deal.

 

[POTATO LAUNCHER]

I dig it!! I have had Kenwood, Pioneer, and other nice stereo head units in a number of Cruisers I have owned through the years. All of them would not stand up to the elements so I just gave up.
Walking through Kmart one day I spotted the Rampage Stereo Cassette $17.99, I have to say the same thing as above. Nobody has stolen it and it still works.

 

[Hugh Heifer]

Even has a USB? That's pretty sweet. Hook up a $15 amp and I bet it will sound great!

 

[dustinuhls]

I've been looking for something like this! My 40 is all original and has a broken, old knob style AM radio that doesn't work. I need some tunes and I don't want to destroy the dash to put in a modern style stereo head unit. I've contemplated the idea of mounting one in the glove box, but don't really care if I even have a CD player. I just want a radio at least, and maybe the ability to hook up an Ipod. Where do I find this, and what are the specs on it? Is it just a radio or can you hook up an Ipod? How much and where do I find it?

My ride is, well, not nearly as fancy as some that can be found on this site. That's Ok, as I'm shooting more for function than perfection. Which leads me to the hole that has been in my dash for the last 2 years. The PO took the radio that he had in there. No biggie, I'll get around to fixing that.......someday.

Well, some neuron in my head, presumably the radio-neuron kept repeatedly firing and I found myself poking around here looking for radio options. I found this one, the price sounded right, and the reviews were horrible. Perfect!

She showed up this past Thursday :

View attachment 621320

The installation wasn't too bad. Had to sneak the radio in from under the dash on the drivers side. Had to pull out the heater hose thingy.

View attachment 621321

Found some speakers in the basement that were in the house when we bought it. Worked out pretty well.

View attachment 621322

For the money it's not a bad little unit. Feels light and cheap with ****y wiring, but hey, it was $20.

 

[mjanderle]

Where do I find this, and what are the specs on it? Is it just a radio or can you hook up an Ipod? How much and where do I find it?

I got mine on Amazon, free shipping too :

Amazon.com: Pyle PLR14MPF In-Dash AM/FM-MPX MP3 Shaft Style Dual Knob Radio with USB/SD Card: Car Electronics

Also note, the knobs and face should actually be mounted a bit back from where they are, but the unit sat so nice between the mounting tabs that I just left it there.

The silver shafts on the knobs looks a little wonky like that, so I took some fuel line and slipped it over the them to make them black like the rest of the face.

Lastly, to get the face plate to sit I had to pull both dash pads and sneak it in that way. Worked out well.

Now when the truck is annoying me with all it's rattles and squeaks I just crank up some Zeppelin and roll!

 

[Alz Toy]

Looks good, kind'a 70's/retro to fit the year of your Cruiser.

 

[Sully73FJ40]

I got mine on Amazon, free shipping too :

Amazon.com: Pyle PLR14MPF In-Dash AM/FM-MPX MP3 Shaft Style Dual Knob Radio with USB/SD Card: Car Electronics

Also note, the knobs and face should actually be mounted a bit back from where they are, but the unit sat so nice between the mounting tabs that I just left it there.

The silver shafts on the knobs looks a little wonky like that, so I took some fuel line and slipped it over the them to make them black like the rest of the face.

Lastly, to get the face plate to sit I had to pull both dash pads and sneak it in that way. Worked out well.

Now when the truck is annoying me with all it's rattles and squeaks I just crank up some Zeppelin and roll!

I also got mine from Amazon with free shipping. Mine is mounted exactly like yours and the knobs protrude but thats okay because I don't have to reach as far.

This radio has a USB and a memory card slot that you can plug in for music. I doubt it will read a iPhone set up, but definitely a MP3 player.

They have a couple options on these PYLE radios. I decided to go with this one because I figured anything that looked technologically advanced ie digital screens would become a target to a teenager. I think the lack of a digital screen, no cd player, makes it less of a target to being stolen. Also it does look retro which blends it with the 40.

Anyways, I don't think it needs an amp to sound good. I'm not a big sound guy, but when it's cranked up on the $20 speakers I have, it sounds every bit as good as the speakers in my 2011 silverado, if not better.

 

[mjanderle]

Anyways, I don't think it needs an amp to sound good. I'm not a big sound guy, but when it's cranked up on the $20 speakers I have, it sounds every bit as good as the speakers in my 2011 silverado, if not better.

I'll second that. It actually sounds pretty good for money. 80 watts per channel and my speakers max out at 120 watts. Way louder than I need it...

The radio tuner dial is a touch finicky, but you get used to that.

I put a USB key into it today on the way into work. That sounded great, (Neil Young, anyone?) but I need to figure out how to advance songs. All in all, I'm pretty happy.

 

[4thHorseman]

I hope to put a tape player in mine. I am going to go back to the days of dupping tapes and period music of better days gone by. Simply nothing better than that for your second favorite girl. =)

 

[Tim71FJ40]

71 didn't originally have a stereo, so no hole. Thought about it a long time and bought some parts, then it occurred to me... wireless speaker with bluetooth and my phone or laptop.

 

[Gun Runner 5]

Something to be said for simplicity. Every time I disconnect the battery I have to
go through dozens of menu items on my Pioneer radio just to reset the local radio stations. ( and that is assuming I remember how. )

 

[Max.Powerzz]

71 didn't originally have a stereo, so no hole. Thought about it a long time and bought some parts, then it occurred to me... wireless speaker with bluetooth and my phone or laptop.

Do you have more info on this set up? I saw a similar stereo with iPod input at Wally world for $30.

 

[twoyotas]

I am diggin' the analog tuner dial