Hi everyone: I have been searching for a stereo to put in my 53, but I want it to be completely hidden, as I hate the look of aftermarket stereos in the dash boards of cl***ic vehicles. Has anyone purchased the speaker set ups from Cl***iccarstereos.com? Also, I was curious if anyone has installed a bluetooth only unit, and wired that to their speakers, and whether entire bluetooth unit would mount completely in the glove box. Iv been looking at this Kenwood amp and bluetooth unit: https://www.cl***iccarstereos.com/kenwood-compact-4-channel-amp-with-built-in-bluetooth.html and these speakers for the dash: https://www.cl***iccarstereos.com/hertz-energy-1953-1954-ford-dual-dash-mount-speaker.html Still undecided about speakers in the back.. I know practically nothing about stereos, so any and all advice is appreciated. Thanks.
There is thread about using a gain control with RCA jacks to a power amp, and then to your speakers to basically use your phone as the source but retain the look of your original radio. I did just that except I added a bluetooth receiver rather than a plug for the phone. Here's the parts I used to make it work. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00JAPZRH2/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_***le?ie=UTF8&psc=1 https://www.amazon.com/Upgrade-Univ...uPWNsaWNrUmVkaXJlY3QmZG9Ob3RMb2dDbGljaz10cnVl
Here's a link to that amp from Sonic Electronix that has full specs including measurements and reviews. Looks like a nice amp for a basic setup. I would recommend mounting under the seat instead of in the glove box though to give it some breathing room for cooling. I'm guessing you're on 12 volts with an alternator? https://www.sonicelectronix.com/item_93348_Kenwood-KAC-M1824BT.html I don't have any experience with Hertz speakers but the specs are on point and the swivel tweeters are nice to open up the sound stage across the front windshield. I'd recommend turning them out left and right and aimed slightly toward the wind shield. That'll give you a more separated stereo instead of everything obviously coming from the center. If you listen to anything with heavy low frequencies (Rap, R&B, Funk, Electronic, Dance etc.) I'd recommend some P***ive inline crossovers (B*** Blockers) for this front setup, and let your rears handle the lows. They're like 10 bucks. For the rears, with a clean 45w per ch. RMS, an efficient pair of 6x9's or 6.5"s would fit the bill. Look through Sonic Electronix page for honest reviews on sound, its a good resource with a lot of reviewers. I buy all of my equipment from them and they've always price matched for me. Customer Service is top notch. Hope this helps a little....If you have any specific questions, I'd be more than happy to help as well. Beautiful car by the way....you're sort of a reverse or negative of my color scheme, even though my wheels show up really blue in pictures, they are close to the color of your car.
You can also look at hide away marine stereos. They usually have a remote control as they are remotely mounted. I have one in my Cobra.
I had a cl***ic car stereo radio and cd changer in my 56 a few years back and remember it as a cheap POS. When it quit working, I ended up giving it away and installed a blue-tooth Kenwood unit under the back seat that works just great and at about ⅓ the cost.
I have been looking onto the same thing as I am getting ready to start working on my '53 again. I found this bluetooth solution that looks pretty good. Small footprint and it can stream bluetooth as well as play files off USB. https://www.amazon.com/Memphis-Cl**...luetooth&qid=1571414540&s=electronics&sr=1-10
Thanks everyone for the input. The more I think about it, mounting it under the seat would probably be a better solution than mounting in the glove box, I didnt think about that. And yes, I converted to 12 volt.
When I said under the seat, I meant in the back seat frame. The white wire on the right is for my iPod, I have since replaced it with a USB Jump drive. The radio is on the p***enger side so I can use the remote easily.
A friend in the business in Costa Mesa Ca. installed AM-FM- BlueTooth in my stock radio. Completly stock appearing. I only have the dash speaker since I'm 75 and it's good enough for me. I plug in my I-Phone which has Sirius radio in it and I'm back in the 50-60's anytime I want. No BOOM BOOM for me.
There is several people around the county that do this. Usually there is someone at a Goodguys event in the trade section as well. They keep your factory AM part and add a board for FM and they can add blue tooth or RCA pre outs for an amp. Old car radio in Tn comes to mind. https://www.facebook.com/Old-Car-Radio-664711710222788/ https://www.vintageautoradio.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=54&Itemid=64 https://www.vintagecarradio.com/stereo-conversions.html http://www.tech-retro.com/Aurora_Design/Home.html
I just finished mounting two large aftermarket speakers in the factory cutouts of the package tray and one in the factory location at the top of the dash. Hid all the wires in the top of the truck cavity and ran under the interior carpet to the glovebox. I’ll be mounting a very late model kenwood receiver/amp in the glove box with a remote control setup. The limited amount that most of us drive our cars, the glovebox is rarely used. I’ve hooked it up to test the sound quality and it sounds absolutely amazing.
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