radio won't fit

H

hbiehl

Junior Member
I just replaced my wiper motor in my 53 F100 with a 12 volt motor. Now my original radio will not fit. It too is a 6 volt. Any advice on what to do? Should I replace it with around Marine radio? Or a clock? Or is there a way to modify the radio to fit that I am not thinking about? Please help.
 
I know my opinion is in the minority but I say with tech these days (smart phones + high quality Bluetooth speaker) there is no longer a need for a radio. Now if it’s a true daily driver, maybe. But for me driving a few times a week I just make sure my speaker is charged and off I go. Or I cruise in Flathead silence. I like the clean no radio (and speakers) look.

I realize that doesn’t help you but that’s my thoughts on radios in a classic!
 
Unless you are lucky, there is absolutely nothing worthwhile listening to on AM these days. You have lots of choices : aftermarket "look-a-like" radios, the above Bluetooth setup, and others. I had collected a lot of stuff I liked over the years on CD's, so I have a hidden CD player.
 
Put a modern radio in the glove box and download your music from a CD to a flash drive and put it in the radio. I have a small radio (Sony from Walmart) in my '40 and that's what I do. Almost all new radios have the flash drive option. Remove the radio face/dial from the radio and put it in the dash to fill the hole. Those after market radios can be had for less than $100.
Mount the radio in the top part of the glove box and you still have room enough to put other things in the glovebox underneath of the radio.
 
J Franklin said:
So TJ, Now I gotta learn how to download music!
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First download the CD music to your computer and then transfer it to the flash drive. If you are like me, find a kid in your neighborhood to come over to help!
 
Wasn't the "round dial" radio a one year only deal for 1955? IRC, the '53 car radios had everything in a "conventional" (all in a row) alignment.
 
I like having NO Radio. Easier to work under the Dash. Strange noises are more apparent.
Although being 76 with crappy hearing and aching joints does not help.
 
What I did on my 52 F-1 was I had an original radio which had a huge heavy chassis to it with all the original tubes and other components in it, well that all got taken out and replaced with digital components and circuit boards, which meant that the huge chassis could now be shrunken to a very small size and light weight. I would recommend going that direction. You gain a really functional radio, Bluetooth, AM/FM, USB charging point and or thumb drive. Lots of way to listen to music take or make a phone call and save lots of room to boot. It was done by an Aurora Digital conversion they specialize in taking old car radios and converting them to digital units.
 
hbiehl said:
I just replaced my wiper motor in my 53 F100 with a 12 volt motor. Now my original radio will not fit. It too is a 6 volt. Any advice on what to do? Should I replace it with around Marine radio? Or a clock? Or is there a way to modify the radio to fit that I am not thinking about? Please help.
Click to expand...

Is it the original radio? I know the earlier radios for '48-'51 pick-ups are model specific and are shaped like an L to fit in the dash.
 
I use to use a blue tooth speaker and all my music was on my phone. If you want you can even blue tooth Sirius FM.
Had a bunch of 1930's music on my phone and when we parked our Model A at a car show or just a parking lot gathering I would have period appropriate music playing. Chap
 
I use a blue tooth speaker and Spotify on my radio if I'm at a show or Sunday picnic easy to take my tunes with or just put speaker in the trunk
 
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