70FuryWagon
Member
My 70 Custom Suburban came from the factory with an AM radio with one speaker in the center of the dash. I guess sometime in the 70's a previous owner replaced the factory radio with an "Arthur Fulmer" in-dash stereo AM/FM 8-track player. When I got the wagon the radio worked, but the 8-track was DOA (I took it apart and found that the belt had bonded to the brass capstan on the motor, so I carefully peeled off the belt, turned it inside out, tested the unit, and sold it on eBay). I did not want to spend a fortune on a stereo system, but simply wanted something that sounded better than what the original center dash speaker (and the 3" x 5" television speaker stuffed in the passenger side air vent kick panel) could provide. I settled on a 52 watt x 4 Sony CD player with more features than I thought possible for under $100 (Iphone compatibility, USP port, AUX front jack etc.). I did not want to cut speakers into any panels, so I went with a pair of twin speakers (each box has a pair of 6.5" woofers and a pair of 2" tweeters) that can be set up as left and right together or front and rear together. I went with the latter as the Sony unit has a setting that turns the rear speakers into subwoofers. The speakers are held in place with velcro, so I can easily remove them or change their position (put them on the tailgate or change the direction the sound is aimed). I ran the wiring in a loom on top of the transmission hump and have enough extra wire so the speakers can reach the tail gate. The sound is good, but not too loud (a separate amp could boost the sound levels, but I don't want a lot of equipment in the wagon that might entice someone into breaking in). The entire system cost me around $150. The hardest part of the project was removing the 8-track, as gobs of silicone glue were used to hold it in place (I broke the faceplate getting it out).
