"Secret Radio"

J

jon laing

Senior Member
I am considering installing an AM/FM "Secret Radio" in my stock 1939 Ford. I like them because they are hidden so the car still looks stock. Does anyone have experience with these radios? Are they any good? They are pricey so I do not want to buy one if they are a piece of junk. Any comments regarding the SST vs. SRMS model? Jon Laing
 
Why not use a regular 12 volt neg. grd. AM/FM radio (with an inverter if you are 6 volt pos. grd) and put it in glove compartment?? I have one in my '52 F1 - it also has a tape deck as I still have a bunch of old tapes!
 
Here is my very cheap set up for a "secret" sound system.

IMG_2354-rsmall.jpg


It's a headphone amp that came with a 9 volt battery in it that didn't last long running my radio speaker so I made an external 9 volt power supply out of 6 "D" batteries in a Radio Shack holder that last a couple of years. I have since replaced the CD player with an MP3 player that also has an FM radio in it. The output of the amp goes through the Radio Shack wire that combines the stereo signal into monaural. The wire that plugs into that goes to a switch in the top of glove box that switches the radio speaker between the stock AM radio and this system. (Switch on the right turns on the 6 volt LED to light the box at night.) The amp is just duct taped to the bottom of the box and a telephone cord style extension cord goes to the mp3 player.

DSCN1916_zpse9544c62.jpg


I just pull the player out when I want to use it and stick it to the radio speaker grill with Poster Tack, a tacky putty that holds it there but easy to remove to put back in the box. I'll paint the player to match the grill someday. When I want it truly hidden and "secret" I just get the music going and leave it in the box closed.

DSCN1918_zps22502946.jpg


DSCN1921_zpsf7657d95.jpg


DSCN1922_zpsda7ccbf0.jpg


So, with the telephone style extension cord I can hold the player in my hand, lay it on the seat beside me, or stick it to the radio grill for one finger operation while driving.

Works great. The headphone amp boosts the output from the source just fine to run the radio speaker. Total cost, not including the CD player or mp3 player, about $100.00, the cost of a 6-12 volt converter alone that you'd need to run any 12 volt system.
 
Last edited:
I grabed a 5L kerosin can and took all the paint off. Then made a faux rust paintjob. Fitted my car radio inside recieving radio signal from a dont-know-the-name device on wich we can stick the usb pen. Also opened 2 round holes on the front for a close fit for 2 small speakers. All is connected on the inside: the device reads the usb, sends signal to the radio and the speakers let Johnny Cash out.
I have it riveted beneath the dash. It looks like and old can and my daughter loves it. Hopefully it will ride on a 47 coupe.
Don't have a picture but I'll post one tomorrow.
Keep it up
 
Search for suitcase radios on the web. There's lots of info. Basically, you stuff a couple of speakers in an old era suitcase along with a small amplifier to power the speakers. Wire the car to plug into the suitcase/amp, run a headphone jack out of the suitcase to plug a MP3 player into.

This way you only have one power wire running in the car, and you can easily remove the setup at any time for aesthetics or security reasons. Hooked up in the car it just looks like an old suit case sitting on the back seat.
 
Thanks for all the great ideas but I am still interested in data on the two "Secret Radio" models. Anyone have experience with either one of them? Jon Laing
 
Yes I Have A Secret Radio In My 40 Coupe With Under Seat Speakers And Like It Very Much. The Draw Back Is Finding A Place For The Hidden Antenna For Good Reception.
 
azmodela said:
Search for suitcase radios on the web. There's lots of info. Basically, you stuff a couple of speakers in an old era suitcase along with a small amplifier to power the speakers. Wire the car to plug into the suitcase/amp, run a headphone jack out of the suitcase to plug a MP3 player into.

This way you only have one power wire running in the car, and you can easily remove the setup at any time for aesthetics or security reasons. Hooked up in the car it just looks like an old suit case sitting on the back seat.
Click to expand...

I basically did this but made a small wood box with a handle. I use the sirius radio because i dont do Istuff. I can use it in all the cars!
 
I listen to the sweet music of the flathead. I'll never understand why a guy would buy a car from a bygone era, then go and spend bukoo bucks to update it to the modern era.
I understand the new rice burners have an optional built in factory boom box! :D
 
With our 39 Convert, I tried all sorts of modern radios but i could not make the new 12 volt radios work for me. The reason why was the ground polarity was wrong. When I isolated the radio from the car so that the polarity was correct, then I had a roar coming out of the speaker. The roar probably was coming from my 6 volt to 12 volt inverter. I eventually gave up and I tossed a boom box in the rumble seat area and that worked well. I just didn't want to change the polarity or voltage of the 39 convertible. I wanted to keep it stock.
 
One of the nice benefits of my system that plays through the stock radio speaker is that the whole day of a car show I can play Glen Miller and other 40's hits on the "radio" adding to the effectiveness of the time machine to take onlookers back in time. Some warn me I'll kill my battery and are bewildered when I say the sound is not running on the battery.:cool:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top