Old vintage aftermaket radios

[miketyler 15]

So how many of you guys ran 8-tracks back in the day? I fought this audio decision on my car going back and forth between a current Alpine unit or old school. Ultimately I went for aesthetics and went with a stock FoMoCo AM/FM with aux input, preouts for sub and external amp, and a power antenna wire (thanks Danno)

 

Like old jukeboxes though (my other hobby)I still love the old car radios of the day. I went thru several cars in my youth and as memorable as the cars were to me, so were the steros units I had in them.

 

I loved the big old Pioneer SuperTuner TP-900 with the brushed aluminum front and the big dial that had a cool, yet eerie green glow with the individually illuminated selector needle. It was so cool listening to "Night Moves" by Bob Seger or "Fly like an Eagle" by the Steve Miller Band. :thumbup1:

 

I had bought my Tp-900 unit brand new and was one of the few things I bought new. Had put it on layaway at a little stereo shop near my home. I set up a slide mount for this so I could use it between my car, truck and even my boat. I have lots of memories of that radio in my vehicles back in the day, chasing girls (one of which would bear my son), hanging out with my friends with trunk open tunes blaring, and engaging in some truly meaningful and inspiring beer drinking.

 

Interestingly enough, the unit was stolen and I picked up a TP-9001 (the cassette version) at a garage sale for $25! A steal! I did luck out later on though and recovered the 8track (long story) but maybe the most memorable experience with it was sinking my boat at Grapevine Lake one summer afternoon after really abusing my boat. Alas, the SuperTuner was going down for the last time but was still playing Styx as the boat went under.

 

Three days, 2 divers, and $600 later, we did locate and resurrect the boat but the SuperTuner had played its last tune. I still have that unit today and have bought an almost NOS unit off of ebay some time back. I dont know that I will put it in any vehicle but it sure is cool to have. I'll post up pics of the 900 as it sits today and a few other radios I have collected.

 

For the sake of illustration, here is what a Pioneer TP-900 looks like

 

Edited August 9, 2012 by miketyler

[DRASTiK 22]

Very clean. I like the circle station indicator. Hell, I'd pimp that bad boy in my stang ;-)

 

 

 

 

some truly meaningful and inspiring beer drinking.

 

Ahh yes.... too bad I can't remember the inspiring thoughts I had during the drinking though.

[miketyler 15]

Yes, its old school and is distinctive as the old cars we were driving then. I'm surprised more guys didnt chime in on this. I need to unearth my original that sat on the lake floor for three days. Its got lots of patina LOL

[bnickel 10,004]

well I'm not quite that vintage but i've got an older Alpine cassette unit that I bought in the late 80's or early 90's that I'm debating using in the cougar and I've got a similar vintage JVC unit in the stang right now. The only reason I'm debating using the Alpine is because it has a dead channel, right rear IIRC, and I'm not sure where I can get it fixed, I would also like to see if it's possible to add pre-amp outputs and an aux. input to it as well. if i can't add the RCAs then I do have the option of running of the Coustic 2 channel amp I bought at the same time as the Alpine and I also have a 2 channel Alpine that I've acquired in the last few years that I could use as well but I'd still have to get the deck repaired at any rate.

 

 

I plan on running a pair 4x6 components in the doors, 6x9's in the deck, 3.5's in the stock dash location, possibly some kick panel speakers of some sort and an 8" or 10" sub in the trunk or some under seat subs under the back seat and a CD changer in the trunk as well. All of these speakers is I want to use is the main reason I want to see if RCA's can be added to the Alpine since it would make it much easier to run 1 or maybe 2 amps to power them all using a crossover network or whatever.

 

 

I'm kind of an audiophile but not a serious one, I just like what I like and I like it loud and undistorted is all. I went to school to be a sound engineer since I wanted to work in a recording studio but ran out of money and wasn't able to finish school. I learned a ton about sound while I was there though and I found out I'm one of those weird people who can hear above the normal range of a CD (or any digital recording), or at least I was back then anyway so when I hear a bad sounding car stereo it really drives me crazy and makes me want to kill people...:gun_bandana:...LOL

[mymachone 13]

well I'm not quite that vintage but i've got an older Alpine cassette unit that I bought in the late 80's or early 90's that I'm debating using in the cougar and I've got a similar vintage JVC unit in the stang right now. The only reason I'm debating using the Alpine is because it has a dead channel, right rear IIRC, and I'm not sure where I can get it fixed, I would also like to see if it's possible to add pre-amp outputs and an aux. input to it as well. if i can't add the RCAs then I do have the option of running of the Coustic 2 channel amp I bought at the same time as the Alpine and I also have a 2 channel Alpine that I've acquired in the last few years that I could use as well but I'd still have to get the deck repaired at any rate.

 

 

I plan on running a pair 4x6 components in the doors, 6x9's in the deck, 3.5's in the stock dash location, possibly some kick panel speakers of some sort and an 8" or 10" sub in the trunk or some under seat subs under the back seat and a CD changer in the trunk as well. All of these speakers is I want to use is the main reason I want to see if RCA's can be added to the Alpine since it would make it much easier to run 1 or maybe 2 amps to power them all using a crossover network or whatever.

 

 

I'm kind of an audiophile but not a serious one, I just like what I like and I like it loud and undistorted is all. I went to school to be a sound engineer since I wanted to work in a recording studio but ran out of money and wasn't able to finish school. I learned a ton about sound while I was there though and I found out I'm one of those weird people who can hear above the normal range of a CD (or any digital recording), or at least I was back then anyway so when I hear a bad sounding car stereo it really drives me crazy and makes me want to kill people...:gun_bandana:...LOL

 

I too have extra ordenary hearing or at least I did at one time. when I took my army physical , I had to go through the heard test 3 times . They said I was hearing sounds I should not be able to hear . They finanly said well you can't see worth a crap but you sure as hell can hear ! YOU SEE , i HAVE NO DEPTH PERCEPTION , AM NEAR SITED IN ONE EYE AND FAR SIGHTED IN THE OTHER AND i ALSO HAVE A STIGMATIZUM.

[bnickel 10,004]

I too have extra ordenary hearing or at least I did at one time. when I took my army physical , I had to go through the heard test 3 times . They said I was hearing sounds I should not be able to hear . They finanly said well you can't see worth a crap but you sure as hell can hear ! YOU SEE , i HAVE NO DEPTH PERCEPTION , AM NEAR SITED IN ONE EYE AND FAR SIGHTED IN THE OTHER AND i ALSO HAVE A STIGMATIZUM.

 

 

 

haha, that's kinda funny because i have a mild astigmatism myself but my vision would actually be better than 20/20 otherwise though.....still it sucks to be able to almost read something far away but the letters just turn blurry when you try to focus on them. I was able to pass my last drivers test eye exam without my glasses though. I had to squint and open my eyes real wide and squint again and I was able to read enough of them to pass the test....YAY!!!!!! first time in my entire life that I haven't had the glasses restriction on my license.... not that I ever actually wore them when I was driving anyway :scared:

[snafu 10]

I love the style of that TP-900! One of those outfitted with modern guts would be awesome.