Bird Songs

I have been puzzling about the radio.  I don't really listen to AM radio, and I don't care about having a stock working radio in the car.  I wouldn't listen to it.  Since this car is for driving, not for showing, any audio system in the car should be suitable for what I want to listen to.

I like having the gauges occupying the radio space in the dash.  For around $600, I could get a good "look alike" radio to fit in the dash that would have FM and aux inputs, but I don't want to spend the money and I don't want to give up that cool gauge panel.  Instead, I've pursued putting together a "headless" audio system that can play music from my iPod or one of my family's many iPhones.  The iPod Nano that I got for Christmas has a pretty good FM radio, so I really don't need a separate radio in the car.  Not only that, I deliberately removed the antenna and had the hole filled before the car was painted.

On the 200 mile trip to Uncle Toronado's house, my son wanted to play some music.  We listened to his iPhone though a clever little plastic horn that sounds reasonable indoors, but not on a noisy freeway.  This experience brought home the benefit of having some kind of audio system on long trips.  I decided that since everything else is almost done, it's time to raise the priority of having tunes in the car.

Placing and powering amplifiers in the car is easy, now that the car is 12V.  There is plenty of room under the dash. The tricky part is the speakers.  I can put a good high power  co-ax 6x9 speaker in the original hole in the dash, but stereo listening requires two additional speakers.  I decided to go for a 3-speaker setup (left, center/dash, and right).  9 months ago, I planned to cut holes in the footwells, and weld metal "architectural" speaker boxes into the inner fenders.  I even planned out how to use '56/'57 cowl vent grilles to disguise the speakers.   This idea was so attractive that I bought a set of good used speakers and metal speaker boxes.  When it came down to it, however, installing them looked like a lot more work than I had originally thought, and there were other things on the car that I'd rather work on.  The more I thought about cutting big holes in the footwells, the more uncomfortable I got with the idea.

Then I saw a motorcycle stereo system on sale at Amazon, which suddenly opened up a low-cost and relatively easy alternative.  The motorcycle speakers are small, but they come in their own attractive chromed enclosures which can easily be mounted under the dash, and maybe even swiveled out of sight when desired.  Overall, the system on sale had good reviews...  the fidelity is marginal, but a loud old t-bird is not a good environment for critical listening anyway.  I picked up the motorcycle system for $50, spent another $20 on a good used 6x9 coaxial Pioneer center speaker, and $45 for a center-channel (monoblock) amplifier.  I spent another $35 for two replacement knobs that match the other knobs on the dash.  Total investment is around $150.

It has taken a month or so of occasional evenings to work out the installation, but Nell now has a working audio system.  Last week I installed the speakers and wired up the entire system on the floor of the car, just to make sure everything would work together.  It's not a premium car stereo, but it seems to get reasonably loud.  My iPod can drive the stereo amp into overload, however, and it's not nearly as loud as the "600 watts" on the box would suggest.  I'm guessing it will play about 20 watts (RMS average) tops.  The monoblock amp for the center channel has a lot more muscle, but I keep it turned down to blend with the stereo speakers.  Overall, the system has a sweet midrange and not much else.

The 3" full-range speakers were designed to mount to motorcycle handlebars.  One bolt attaches them solidly to the footwell, and allows them to be positioned towards the driver.

The passenger side speaker is just as easy to install.

Today I installed the amplifiers under the dash, mounting them to a bar I made that connects to the original radio brackets. I didn't install a power switch, but simply connected the fused power leads to the "accessory" position on the ignition switch.  I figure it doesn't draw much power, and I can easily pull the fuse if I need to turn the system off.

Next, I adapted the remote volume control from the motorcycle stereo to fit in the position of one of the original radio knobs.  This was pretty challenging, involving a little fabrication and some tenacity shaping things to fit. 

 The volume knob is by the heater controls.  The knob on the other side is a pull switch, which will eventually control the fog lights.  I like the look, but I may invest in a couple of used chrome bezels to make the new knobs blend in better.

My son and I went for a test drive this afternoon.  The music is pretty clear, if not full and lush.  The center dash speaker provides all the bass and some of the highs, while the stereo speakers provide the midrange and stereo effect.  While not really hi-fi, it will make long trips more enjoyable.  And, when played at full volume (just short of overloading the motorcycle amp), it's just loud enough to be heard clearly on the freeway with the top off.  It will be plenty loud with the top on.

It's been a good day.   I think I needed some success and enjoyment from the car today.

Dad's health is slowly failing.  He still lives alone in a cluttered upstairs apartment, but he fell a week ago and had to call 911.  After consulting with the family, I talked his doctors into directing him that he can no longer live alone.  They also said that he can no longer drive.  My sister and I are taking him to visit potential assisted living places tomorrow.  My goal is to get him moved within a week.

I'm wrestling with what it means to honor my Father in this situation.