thank you much BB

Bullet Bob wrote:

I had a Custom Auto Sound...JUNK.  Moved up to the Retro Sound Model 2.  Good sensitivity, selectivity, comes with Bluetooth, two USB inputs, two Aux inputs.  Works very well...Me happy.  Haven't checked the price lately but I got mine for $329, as I recall.

BB

 

Yea... what BB said.   The FM part of my Custom Autosound is useless... i.e. crap

Ditto on the Custom Auto Sound. It plays tapes OK  but I was never impressed with the sound quality, I guess in a convertible you can't expect too much.
 I got it long before the USB  technology and would like to be able to use thumb drives.

My kickpanels in the Cougar are shredded, and I'm trying to decide if I should get the panels with built-in speakers, or just cut out the fender wells and put buckets in for some good 6" speakers.  Anyone else mess with this before?   (I'm not sure that Mustangs have the perforations in their plastic kick panels that Cougars came with, but otherwise they are identical)

Also, who did you have do your radio conversion, Red351?  That sounds like a cool way to go, if you can make your old AM-jammer run through some actual stereo speakers and have modern capabilities...
 

Last edited by Technomancer (3/22/2016 4:27 PM)

Technomancer wrote:

My kickpanels in the Cougar are shredded, and I'm trying to decide if I should get the panels with built-in speakers, or just cut out the fender wells and put buckets in for some good 6" speakers.  Anyone else mess with this before?   (I'm not sure that Mustangs have the perforations in their plastic kick panels that Cougars came with, but otherwise they are identical)

Also, who did you have do your radio conversion, Red351?  That sounds like a cool way to go, if you can make your old AM-jammer run through some actual stereo speakers and have modern capabilities...
 

The kick panels with built in pods don't allow you much depth for a true quality speaker.  You can get speakers that fit, but if you want better sound you need a coaxial, triaxial, or component speaks (separate mid/bass and tweeters).  Good speakers are too deep for the pods in the kick panels, and will hit the sheetmetal behind them preventing proper installation.  My solution was to take a piece of 1x oak and cut rings that matched the OD of my speaker grills and the ID of the hole needed for the speaker.  I then drilled 4 holes in the spots for the speaker mounting screws.  I bonded (Q-Bond, awesome stuff) clips for the screws to the kick panel pods and bought longer screws so that I could just sandwich the spacers with the speakers.  I filled the grain, primed, and painted the rings with semi-gloss black, and it all just pretty much blends together.  The speakers stick out 3/4" more than the pods would have them, but I don't find it makes the footwell cumbersome, even with a clutch pedal.  I did relocate my high beam switch for more optimal placement, but it was all screwed up anyway from a previous floorpan job (not by my hand). 

Now I used components for the front, so I also had tweeters to mount.  High frequencies are very directional.  Bass can come from anywhere, which is why a subwoofer in the trunk is the same as one in the back seat or door.  Low frequencies are actually more felt than heard, and the only way you can direction find them is if you can feel the air moving as the speaker hits.  You want the highs to hit your ears, or else they will sound like they are coming from elsewhere.  To accomplish this I made mounts for the tweeters that slip over the A-pillar trim and mount the tweeters in the best possible line with my ear.

When these cars were new, car audio was an afterthought.  Speaker placement was not optimal.  In modern cars the audio system is an integral part of interior design, with big names like Bose, MacIntosh, etc. building systems for many marques.  If you want a truly good audio experience you have to be willing to move stuff around a bit.  If your goal's just "better than it was" that's easily accomplished.  I was bitten by the audio bug while still a teenager (no I wasn't one of those kids with the awful base listening to equally awful music).  I like a clear, well rounded sound free of distortion, and yes, of course, loud.  I designed my first system at 19 for my K5 Blazer and learned a lot for that project and from that project.  That system, even for a first attempt, staged well and sounded great.  Now I just want something that sounds at least that good in my Mustang, making long trips a possibility. 
 

Hi guys,

I need some help with my Retrosound Model 2.
I have installed it in my 70 Stang and am getting noise and static when the car is running.
I have it wired as shown in the instructions and with the car off and the key in the  accessory position, sounds 100% great.  With the car on, I have noise and static.
I purchased thru Crutchfield. Called them. they were not sure what to do. they suggested trying Ferrite Cores on the leads, tried that, no difference.

I contacted Retrosound, suggested putting in a relay between the ignition power and the radio.  did that, no difference.
I had a similar noise with the Custom Autosound radio, not as bad, but when it died I wanted an upgrade and went to the Retrosound.
Custom Autosound has a Noise Filter to go off the alternator.  I tried that, no difference.
No noise when I use my iPhone for music, only when using the radio.
I have gotten good at removing the dash panel, 15minutes or less.....LOL

I would like to know if anyone has had a similar experience and what to do to correct.

thanks
gerald

We just put a full custom audio sound system in my wife's 68 slomaro convertable. Put a couple 3 inch in the dash where the mono speaker was, 6x9 in the kick panels with zap co amp. Not super impressed with the sound at this point. I will have to address the lack of base by putting in a 10" sub hidden in the trunk. I'm with you on not cutting it up.  My radios was $150 and you can hook your devices to it to play music from.

HI TKO
thank you for the info.
I am not running an amp, so very likely the alternator.
I guess I could temporarily disconnect the alternator connection and then run and check again. That is as well as testing the diodes as you have suggested.
Good info.
thank you, I will update the link when done. 
Hopefully this weekend, because next week I get my shoulder operated on and will not be doing much for a couple of months.
Cheers
Gerald (JR)

HI TKO,
Since I am not running an amp, it went to the battery and alternator.
Simplest test I found on Youtube was to test readings at the battery. Car not running I have 12.6 volts at the battery, running I have 14.2.  I switch to AC readings on the meter and I have 30 on a 200 scale.........
Not sure what other tests to do for the diodes, if not taking the alternator apart.
The numbers on the current alternator are 15V-65A-9AF-1030.
If I had to replace it or rebuild it, there are a lot of alternators on the Mustang websites of various amperage.
All help and assistance will be greatly appreciated, from all
thanks
Gerald (JR)

 

Enclosures will not help project any sound other than bass.  Highs played by tweeters are highly directional sounds and project outwards from the cones; there is no reverse wave to redirect back to the occupants like there is with bass and lower midrange frequencies.  If you're not getting enough volume you need more power, provided the speakers can handle it.  Check the RMS power rating for the speakers.  If you are relying on the head unit for amplification you are only going to get maybe 50 watts RMS at most.  An amplifier can take you to more like 100-150, which will make it a lot easier to hear, though you will be cognizant of the sound coming from behind you because the dash speakers probably won't handle any more power and will get drowned out by road noise. 

This is why I prefer to run a component system in the front and 6x9 triaxial speakers in the rear.  This provides a sense that the sound is coming from all around you.Component systems use separate tweeters and mids.  This allows you to mount the tweeters high and the mids low (kickpanel or door).  Your ear can tell where a high frequency is coming from, but not so much for midrange and not really at all for bass, so you mount the tweets in the dash or on the A-pillars and the mids where they'll fit.