What Radio are you using that DOESNt require cutting dash

[SGKent]

adjustable shaft Pioneer super tuner with other things plugged in thru the aux.
_________________
"Most people don't know what they're doing, and a lot of them are really good at it." - George Carlin

[raygreenwood]

A cool modern/retro stereo.

https://www.thedrive.com/news/the-cassette-deck-on...tvEDNuXFjA

Ray

[ALLWAGONS]

So after much Teslaing, I went a different route. I had a everything I had removed from my type 34 30 yrs ago, and had stashed it away. I installed a 4 way 100W amp and a 10" JBL sub under the rear seat, ran the wires through the grooves into the spare tire well under the seat to a pre amp with 2 aux inputs and a front jack input and onto some Pioneer 100w shelf speakers that fit into the parcel trays under the dash. Since I don't have a head unit, I power it on with an on/off small push button that fit in a hole on the dash under the radio plate cover that the PO had made.

Now I have clear sharp high treble, low vocals that sound clear and nice deep low bass. The shelf speakers aim up, so I can clearly hear all music. Anything from Dire Straits "Sultans of Swing" to Patrick Hernandez's " Born to be alive" No drilling except to affix a board for the amp and the fuse boxes. I installed a Bluetooth receiver with AUX outputs, but it had a lot of static. I was very disappointed that Bluetooth music cannot be adjusted with an eq. I went around that with the Apple lightning plug to 3.5 mm jack plug adapter.

I was surprised that my old 64G Ipod had better sound and more volume than my Iphone 14, both streaming and in phone music. My dash still looks nice and plane and I have great sound. Total add on cost $20 Just FYI.


Thank You all for all your input.

Martin
allwagons
_________________
I'd be UNSTOPPABLE if not for Law Enforcement and PHYSICS.

I recycle old cars and parts, other than when I rot, that's as Green as I am going to get.

Thanks to my Tesla driving neighbors, I feel more relaxed driving my SUBURBAN and old VW's.

Everything sounds good on paper!

[NASkeet]

Another option is to create a bespoke bracket to mount an audio unit beneath the dashboard, which is easier to reach without leaning forward or stretching; especially if wearing a static lap & diagonal seat belt. One can then use the centre aperture for three 52 mm accessory gauges.

I personally favour a Blaupunkt Toronto SQR46 or SQR48, which when new in the early-to-mid-1980s cost about £300.

They feature an audio-cassette player with auto-reverse, plus long, medium &SHORT wave band plus FM-VHF radio; all with output to four speakers, with balance controls front to rear & side to side.
_________________
Regards.

Nigel A. Skeet

Independent tutor (semi-retired) of mathematics, physics, technology & engineering for secondary, tertiary, further & higher education.

Much modified, RHD 1973 VW "1600" Type 2 Westfalia Continental campervan, with the World's only decent, cross-over-arm, SWF pantograph rear-window wiper

Onetime member, plus former Technical Editor & Editor of Transporter Talk magazine
Volkswagen Type 2 Owners' Club (Great Britain)

https://vwt2oc.co.uk

[metahacker]

[Shonandb]

I found that a 20 year old single DIN Sony with a removable front plate slid right in and sounds decent. I have 2 speakers in the front kick panels and a Retrosound dual tone in the original speaker space under the dash as well as 2 speakers in the rear cabinet under the bed.

Something mello


Link



or something a little more lively...


Link

_________________
*******************************
76 Westy with a 2.5L Subaru SOHC + Vanagon (010) Automatic Transaxle
Build & Trip Thread: https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=758760
Previous 1973 Panel Bus:
Click to view image

[ALLWAGONS]

Thanks for the suggestion. But that unit is 7" by 2". Your installer or the previous owner probably enlarged the opening. Yes, I have seen those too! Maybe just maybe I will have to do the same.

Martin
allwagons
_________________
I'd be UNSTOPPABLE if not for Law Enforcement and PHYSICS.

I recycle old cars and parts, other than when I rot, that's as Green as I am going to get.

Thanks to my Tesla driving neighbors, I feel more relaxed driving my SUBURBAN and old VW's.

Everything sounds good on paper!

[tonysantacruz]

I got this cheapo option in Amazon last year, replaced the stock radio, which got ungodly amounts of interference.

https://www.amazon.com.mx/EBTOOLS-Bluetooth-Est%C3...b&th=1

No need to cut the dash, fits perfectly within and the guy installed it in less than 30 minutes.

[jtauxe]

On my 1975 single cab, built to European spec, the radio model was specified on the M-code plate, as Blaupunkt Ingolstadt. I managed to find one for sale from Germany, and it fits just fine, even on the non-padded dash.

Funny story: When I got the radio, I first tested it on the bench, with 12 V input and a speaker. I kid you not that the first thing to come out of this German radio was Wagner's Ride of the Valkyries! That was a special moment.
_________________
John
"Travelling in a fried-out Kombi, on a hippie trail, head full of zombie..." - Colin Hay and Ron Strykert
http://vw.tauxe.net
1969 Transporter, 1971 Westfalia, 1976, 1977, 1976, 1977, 1971, 1973, 1977 Westfalias,
1979 Champagne Sunroof, 1974 Westfalia Automatic, 1979 Transporter, 1972 Sportsmobile, 1973 Transporter Wild Westerner, 1974 Westfalia parts bus, 1975 Mexican single cab *FOR SALE*, 1978 Irish 4-door double cab RHD

[raygreenwood]

[ALLWAGONS]

Has anyone tried the Memphis Audio headless unit. It is app based, am/fm/bluetooth. AUX for front and rear amp. $299 and come with one simple 5 button remote.
_________________
I'd be UNSTOPPABLE if not for Law Enforcement and PHYSICS.

I recycle old cars and parts, other than when I rot, that's as Green as I am going to get.

Thanks to my Tesla driving neighbors, I feel more relaxed driving my SUBURBAN and old VW's.

Everything sounds good on paper!

[raygreenwood]

[71whitewesty]

JBL bluetooth speaker. Throw it on the dash and you're done. Seriously, that's the best option. Doesn't use your battery, sounds great, awesome for campsites and even other vehicles.
_________________
71 Westy 1600 DP, all stock Bus 1
1970's Snow Trac 1600 SP (sold 12/2016)
1968 Tucker sno cat, sold 2021
1969 Tucker Sno cat 542
2017 VW Alltrac
71 tin top stock 1600 DP (project but runs)
Twin 71 White Westy, Bus 2, that I pulled from a 15 year slumber in a dry eastern WA field in 2015.
1966 Sundial Camper "Boomer"

[raygreenwood]

[metahacker]

i also faced a similar dilemma...and decided to make my own....

at first, i started somewhat out of necessity.... when the original blaupunkt died....i took it out and used the faceplate to hack up a quick solution with a circuit board i was playing with.

then i thought it would be fun to model a real solution like it.

it uses a class D amplifier chip so 98+% power efficient unlike the class A MOSFET that most use (typical for those is 25% efficiency up to 50% theoretical...which is why almost all car audio amps are mostly giant heat sinks)....
class D is perfect for playing music in a camper for hours and hours without wasting your battery.

it has a dedicated subwoofer amp in addition to the stereo amp..... so i get a full "aftermarket stereo" style setup equivalent to installing a bluetooth head unit and 2 dedicated amplifiers..... but it's just a tiny board on the back of the panel i made.

i'm working on a new version with a much higher power board

theoretical power on the new one is >200W stereo + >300W sub-woofer...
uses a Class D amp chip design from a U.S. company....


going to use multi-filament printing tech (e.g. colored labels)....

^ just playing around (probably will stick to black).

have been experimenting with some cool new knobs that should make it look nice (both some printed multi color ones and some others like Moog replicas)....should go well with the colored inset labels...

planning make a Vanagon version too.. since i built a T3 recently, it's going to need a cool stereo, too..

i thought about making more for other people, not sure whether anyone would want to buy something like this, though.

personally, i think it's really cool, though....the minimally invasive installation combined with ultra-power-efficiency and the equivalent performance of a head unit + 2 separate amps in such a tiny space really makes me happy.

[ALLWAGONS]

My dash is flat and not padded. The radio opening measures 7” across and 1 3/4” top to bottom. I currently have a radio delete plate that fits like a glove, making me believe, that opening has not been altered with.

_________________
I'd be UNSTOPPABLE if not for Law Enforcement and PHYSICS.

I recycle old cars and parts, other than when I rot, that's as Green as I am going to get.

Thanks to my Tesla driving neighbors, I feel more relaxed driving my SUBURBAN and old VW's.

Everything sounds good on paper!

[ALLWAGONS]

Awesome!

That's what I am talking about.

Thanks Again Guys!

Martin
allwagons
_________________
I'd be UNSTOPPABLE if not for Law Enforcement and PHYSICS.

I recycle old cars and parts, other than when I rot, that's as Green as I am going to get.

Thanks to my Tesla driving neighbors, I feel more relaxed driving my SUBURBAN and old VW's.

Everything sounds good on paper!

[raygreenwood]

Here is another really cool updated release.

Blaupunkt Franfurt RCM82 from Classiccarstereos.com

https://www.classiccarstereos.com/blaupunkt-frankf...GiEALw_wcB

All modern guts, late 1980's copy of the Blaupunkt Frankfurt AM/FM/ cassette deck with phone mic and bluetooth.

Thats a good looking deck! Very classic late 80's, Notice what is under where teh cassette would have been. But dang...$623

Ray

[Type2_Personality]

I installed this Alpine with removable face plate about 25 years ago after another break in and car stereo theft. This installed with no dash cutting. Looks like there are some similar, smaller type units available at Walmart and other retailers, but I don't know if they are a direct fit. Hope this helps.

_________________
1971 Type II ~ Adventure Camper
2nd Owner For Over 40 Years
Back To Stock ~ 1600 Dual Port ~ Single Carb
400,000+ West Coast USA Miles
Too Many Dead Shows To Remember

[raygreenwood]

Here is a used Blaupunkt CR-2001 ....late 70s through 1982. Am/Fm/cassette with volume and tuner knob. Very basic but good units. I think these were actually produced in Japan.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/124802154325

But dang...used...untested....as-is....$200

Ray