Adambravo Posted June 10, 2016 Share Posted June 10, 2016 So... when I bought my '63, I was given the original AM FM radio, but the car had been fitted with a Custom Autosound radio and trunk-mounted CD changer. About two years in, the radio simply stopped working; since the CD changer still worked, I got another CAS radio. Four years later (about a month ago), that radio died as well. I had the old radio tested--which, at some point, had some amplifier added to it--but they are unable to get any sound out of it. As I have an FM transmitter for my iPhone, I don't really need anything fancier than decent AM FM sound; I figure I have a few options and wanted to sound out some opinions... 1. Send the original radio to get out and have it rebuilt with new, modern innards. No idea where to get this done or what it costs. 2. Buy a new, old-looking radio. I've heard mixed reviews on CAS, and have seen something different from OPGI (Retro Sound?) 3. Keep the current, non-functioning radio where it is and get a working radio fitted elsewhere (trunk, under-dash), with a remote. No interest in doing that. 4. Find an original radio. Seems rather difficult, although I did see one on eBay for $375. Suggestions/recommendations/experiences? Thanks in advance... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riviera63 Posted June 10, 2016 Share Posted June 10, 2016 Hi, You already have the radio. Even if a radio bench tests that it is working, there is a good chance it will not work correctly when you get it in the car. I was given that advice and that with 50 year old radios to get it redone as it will save time and trouble. I had an original AM-FM that I had refurbished. He replaced all old parts that had dried up or quit working, did a more modern enhancement of the bass/treble, added a pig-tail so that I can play my MP3 player or I-Pod through it, thoroughly cleaned everything inside and out, touched up the dial selector and sold me a better rear speaker that fit correctly with the correct OEM style connector. This was all done for less than $350. I am very happy with it. Getting the innards replace with more modern components will be more costly. My thinking was that I like the stock look and for as often as I drive the car this was the way to go moneywise There are many reputable people out there that refurbish OEM radios. I can give you the contact information for my guy or I'm sure that many of the forum members have someone they can recommend, possibly in your area. Good luck. Bill 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adambravo Posted June 10, 2016 Author Share Posted June 10, 2016 Bill--Thanks for the info. I think my first choice is to keep the original look--I just have no idea who would do what you describe. Sure--send me your guy's info; hopefully someone here has a contact in the metro Detroit area. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riviera63 Posted June 10, 2016 Share Posted June 10, 2016 This is the busy time of year so whomever you go with will probably have a back log. When I sent mine in it was 2 months. The guy that did mine was: Precision Stereo Repair, Robert Pacini, 315-797-5219, e-mail is oldstereo@hotmail.com. He is located in New York. He was recommended to my by a fellow ROA member. Give him a call and talk to him directly rather than e-mail. He is a very nice man and will explain everything in detail that he can do and prices. He will also send you info detailing what he does and shipping information. Bill 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bodayguy Posted June 10, 2016 Share Posted June 10, 2016 I did the Retro Sound stereo from OPGI, plus matching speakers. No complaints. It doesn't look as nice as the stock one, for sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
petelempert Posted June 10, 2016 Share Posted June 10, 2016 I was really tempted to upgrade the radio in my 63, just as I've upgraded things like the distributor, AC unit etc. Things that look original but improve performance. Also, I love music and was hot to make the sound in my Riv as good as possible. But I had a last minute change of heart. I bought a refurbished factory AM radio/speaker from another ROA member mentioned on this thread for a very fair price. I installed it. It's magical. The slight crackle and hiss of the AM technology, the funky programming and the elfin green light emitting from the old school radio are sublime. It's so delightfully 60's retro tech. Music has never been more accessible and we've become a little jaded. Before you get all thermo nuclear with your sound system, take a relaxed drive on a cool weekend summer night around 11 PM with the old school radio. Welcome to the 60's brother. Riv on. PRL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CheezeMan Posted June 10, 2016 Share Posted June 10, 2016 Adam, I had my '63 AM radio redone by an old radio guy from Farmington Hills area of Detroit. He removed all the old stuff and replaced with modern solid state electronics, which also "upgraded" the AM to AM/FM, MP3 4-way stereo (front/back) and sub-woofer connectors. He also upgraded my speaker (the only one in the car) to have stereo in the stock location. However, it is bone stock on the outside. All of the controls and push buttons work as before. Someone could stare at it all day and not realize it was a fully modern radio. Still looks and functions the same as original. You gotta see his train set in his basement. Awesome! Here is his business card info: Donald Mustunis donstrain@comcast.net 48617 Declaration Dr. Macomb, MI 48044 248-247-6280 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riviera63 Posted June 10, 2016 Share Posted June 10, 2016 9 minutes ago, petelempert said: I was really tempted to upgrade the radio in my 63, just as I've upgraded things like the distributor, AC unit etc. Things that look original but improve performance. Also, I love music and was hot to make the sound in my Riv as good as possible. But I had a last minute change of heart. I bought a refurbished factory AM radio/speaker from another ROA member mentioned on this thread for a very fair price. I installed it. It's magical. The slight crackle and hiss of the AM technology, the funky programming and the elfin green light emitting from the old school radio are sublime. It's so delightfully 60's retro tech. Music has never been more accessible and we've become a little jaded. Before you get all thermo nuclear with your sound system, take a relaxed drive on a cool weekend summer night around 11 PM with the old school radio. Welcome to the 60's brother. Riv on. PRL Pete, Glad to know the radio still works. Sounds as if I should have charged more.......! The transcendental experience you are describing alone was worth the asking price. What you have touched on brings back a lot of good memories. The only problem is I can't stay awake that late any more! Love the "elfin" green light. Those were good times to be a kid with a car. BIll Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jframe Posted June 11, 2016 Share Posted June 11, 2016 I went with the Custom Autosound in my 65 to replace the factory am/fm, and I love it. Just need to learn how to keep it from resetting my mp3 player back to the very beginning every time I shut the car off. Used their speakers front and rear as well, and couldn't be any more pleased. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rodneybeauchamp Posted June 18, 2016 Share Posted June 18, 2016 Hi, Ed chimed in on a similar topic a few months back and gave a link to a company that will upgrade the original OEM Buick radio to AM/FM/MP3 and does phone as well. The company has a great YouTube promotion and shows you what it does, how it works etc. I think Ed said it does Cappachino but couldn't find that bit. Really worth a look before you decide, and they have an agent down under too! It stopped me going out and spending on a unit that I would have to hide away and all the other stuff to fit. just mtbw Rodney Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adambravo Posted June 18, 2016 Author Share Posted June 18, 2016 Rodney, Thanks--but Ed who? I'll need a little more to go on... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RivNut Posted June 18, 2016 Share Posted June 18, 2016 Take a look at this conversion that's featured on the turnswitch.com web site. They've posted this to YouTube. It's long but worth watching. I thought it was amazing. Now to figure out how to put four speakers in my '64 that don't show to detract from originality. Or, as you'll see in the video, it can be set up to use the original front and rear for a '64 or later using the original front and back speakers. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PWB Posted June 19, 2016 Share Posted June 19, 2016 (edited) Another solution to not affect your cars originality is to cruise with this Bluetooth speaker. 10 hour play time. Drop it in my back seat. No cables. Use my cell phone or iPod to transmit FM or MP3's. Its got great bass - better than the Bose portable. http://www.nyne.com/product/nyne-bass/ I have black seats - don't even notice it sittin there. Love it. Edited June 19, 2016 by PWB (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Desoto Bob Posted June 30, 2016 Share Posted June 30, 2016 It seemed like a Desoto Radio was impossible to find but Custom Autosound was able to build one that fit. I got the USA-630 and am very happy with it. However, it did take about four weeks to receive since it was on back order. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turbinator Posted June 4, 2018 Share Posted June 4, 2018 On 6/10/2016 at 4:13 PM, Riviera63 said: This is the busy time of year so whomever you go with will probably have a back log. When I sent mine in it was 2 months. The guy that did mine was: Precision Stereo Repair, Robert Pacini, 315-797-5219, e-mail is oldstereo@hotmail.com. He is located in New York. He was recommended to my by a fellow ROA member. Give him a call and talk to him directly rather than e-mail. He is a very nice man and will explain everything in detail that he can do and prices. He will also send you info detailing what he does and shipping information. Bill Bill, did you remove the dash to take the radio out? Thank you. now that winter is over ☃️⛄️, are you driving your Riv to meet in Kansas City? Red Riviera Bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riviera63 Posted June 4, 2018 Share Posted June 4, 2018 43 minutes ago, Red Riviera Bob said: Bill, did you remove the dash to take the radio out? Thank you. now that winter is over ☃️⛄️, are you driving your Riv to meet in Kansas City? Red Riviera Bob Hi Bob, No, you do not need to remove the dash. There is a good diagram and removal instructions in the chassis manual. If I remember correctly, besides what was in the removal instructions, I also removed the ash tray assembly and the center AC vent. This seemed to give me more room and better access. I had planned on driving my Riv to KC for the meet and even had motel reservations. Unfortunately, life happens and I will not be able to attend. I am very disappointed as I had a great time at the 2 meets I had attended previously. Great times and great people. There is always next year. Bill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gord14080 Posted June 4, 2018 Share Posted June 4, 2018 Turn switch.com did my 1965 AM ,FM works perfect,he also supplied front speaker,10 ohm ,l am very pleased Thanks to him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pyntre Posted June 4, 2018 Share Posted June 4, 2018 turnswitch.com ???? Gary is a great guy and is easy to talk to , did a fantastic job on my 65 radio !!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NC1968Riviera Posted June 4, 2018 Share Posted June 4, 2018 You might also check out Gary Tayman at www.garytayman.com. He also puts modern components in classic car radio chassis's. I called him and spoke to him about his process and he seems like a decent guy. I have not had any work done by him nor have I heard or seen any reviews about his work. He offers a lot of options and prices for his work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott Mckenzie Posted June 5, 2018 Share Posted June 5, 2018 (edited) Quote I have an AM might Wonderbar radio and thought this might be worth a look. More information here and the price has come down some https://redirad.com/collections/all-products Edited June 5, 2018 by Scott Mckenzie (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turbinator Posted January 7, 2019 Share Posted January 7, 2019 On 6/10/2016 at 9:02 PM, jframe said: I went with the Custom Autosound in my 65 to replace the factory am/fm, and I love it. Just need to learn how to keep it from resetting my mp3 player back to the very beginning every time I shut the car off. Used their speakers front and rear as well, and couldn't be any more pleased. Mark, sent my 63 reddio to Precision Stereo repair in NY. The gent fixed the insides up so it works and I have better bass and treble. I bought the 6x9 3 “ magnet stock like speaker and hooked it all up. The reddio was adapted so I can run my iPhone stuff thru the reddio and speaker. Sounds real good for a 63 system, but nothing like todsy’s Modern vehicles. Turbinator 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dr914 Posted January 7, 2019 Share Posted January 7, 2019 I had mine converted looks like a perfectly stock factory radio yet bluetooth and a lot of power and really receives well. Great investment, Mark at S&M electro tech Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KongaMan Posted January 7, 2019 Share Posted January 7, 2019 1 hour ago, dr914 said: I had mine converted looks like a perfectly stock factory radio yet bluetooth and a lot of power and really receives well. Great investment, Mark at S&M electro tech When you add in the cost of the donor radio, you could be pushing $1000 for this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
65VerdeGS Posted January 8, 2019 Share Posted January 8, 2019 On 6/10/2016 at 1:13 PM, Riviera63 said: This is the busy time of year so whomever you go with will probably have a back log. When I sent mine in it was 2 months. The guy that did mine was: Precision Stereo Repair, Robert Pacini, 315-797-5219, e-mail is oldstereo@hotmail.com. He is located in New York. Rob Pacini at Precision rebuilt the my AM/FM radio last year. He did a great job and I'm very happy with the results. Rob enhanced the amplifier so the base/treble is better, and also added an Ipod jack so I can run tunes from my phone or MP3 player. The cost was quite reasonable ($275 or so). Anyhow, looks like there are various options out there so let us know what you decide to do, and how it turned out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turbinator Posted January 8, 2019 Share Posted January 8, 2019 21 hours ago, dr914 said: I had mine converted looks like a perfectly stock factory radio yet bluetooth and a lot of power and really receives well. Great investment, Mark at S&M electro tech Mark, looks original to me 100%. i bought a noise surpressor, BUT Crutchfield says it is a bad ( weak ground) or the antenna is not grounded. Delighted your sound is how you like it. Nothing like good sounding radio, a neat automobile, and your fa-vor-right gal on a Saturday night. Turbinator Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RivNut Posted January 8, 2019 Share Posted January 8, 2019 If you have a power antenna and it goes up and down, it's grounded. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turbinator Posted January 8, 2019 Share Posted January 8, 2019 On 6/18/2016 at 10:34 PM, PWB said: Another solution to not affect your cars originality is to cruise with this Bluetooth speaker. 10 hour play time. Drop it in my back seat. No cables. Use my cell phone or iPod to transmit FM or MP3's. Its got great bass - better than the Bose portable. http://www.nyne.com/product/nyne-bass/ I have black seats - don't even notice it sittin there. Love it. I had the same idea with the Bluetooth speaker. I bought BOOM. Don’t buy these as they are unreliable And I was fool who wasted his money Ultimate Ears Boom. You have better chance of getting border radio from Chula Vista before you get the BOOM to connect. Now, I bought an iLoud wireless speaker and only an audiophile with the ears of an Irishwolf hound would know iLoud was wireless. Ended up getting my 63 Riviera radio jazzed up from Precision Stereo Repair. Robert, the owner, takes good care of his customers. Precision gets an A+ plus from me. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turbinator Posted January 8, 2019 Share Posted January 8, 2019 On 6/18/2016 at 10:34 PM, PWB said: Another solution to not affect your cars originality is to cruise with this Bluetooth speaker. 10 hour play time. Drop it in my back seat. No cables. Use my cell phone or iPod to transmit FM or MP3's. Its got great bass - better than the Bose portable. http://www.nyne.com/product/nyne-bass/ I have black seats - don't even notice it sittin there. Love it. Bose has always been pretty good stuff. I had 901’s I guess when I was in college. I got some 301’s ? As well. Took a lot of power to drive them, but the Bose were very good. Settled on B&O after school, still have them. Thank you for the tip. Turbinator Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fraso Posted January 13, 2019 Share Posted January 13, 2019 I went through this exercise a few years ago because my factory AM radio quit working and I was looking for an alternative that would not require me hacking up my dashboard. I settled on the Aurora FMC-2 FM Tuner, which is basically a very small PCB added between the antenna lead and the AM radio circuitry. It includes and an auxiliary input (L&R RCA jacks) for an MP3 player and both the added FM tuner and MP3 functionality work well in addition to the AM radio. The connection cable from my phone to the radio doubles as the phone's antenna, which allows the phone to work adequately as an FM radio as well. See Radio Upgrades. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turbinator Posted January 19, 2019 Share Posted January 19, 2019 On 1/7/2019 at 8:08 PM, 65VerdeGS said: Rob Pacini at Precision rebuilt the my AM/FM radio last year. He did a great job and I'm very happy with the results. Rob enhanced the amplifier so the base/treble is better, and also added an Ipod jack so I can run tunes from my phone or MP3 player. The cost was quite reasonable ($275 or so). Anyhow, looks like there are various options out there so let us know what you decide to do, and how it turned out. Bill, you were right on with Precision Radio. Rob did a great job on my stock radio for treble and bass response. I can run my iPhone or MP3 player through the radio. The upgraded new 6x9” speaker sounds good. Turbinator Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fairlaneguy Posted February 20, 2020 Share Posted February 20, 2020 Adam - Even though this is an old post I had to chime in. I don't have a Riviera, I have, and restored, a 1967 Pontiac Tempest. The Tempest came to me with a retro-fitted AM FM Cassette (junk) that someone had cut the dash to fit. The sound was awful and I ended up welding in a new panel. I found a stock OEM radio here - https://www.vintagecartruckradios.com/tempest-lemans-gto-1961-1975/ and it bolted in and I've been pleased that my Tempest is as original as it had come from the factory. I'll bet that you can find a decent stock OEM radio that will look great and will sound as it did in '63. I always thought that part of the charm of a vintage auto was to enjoy things as they were when the car was made. If you want modern sound - get a Toyota. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
60FlatTop Posted February 21, 2020 Share Posted February 21, 2020 (edited) I have the factory AM/FM radio in mine. I think of it as being suitable for a person willing to lay out $4,000 to $5,000 in 1964 money for a car. I hardly ever turn on a radio in any of my cars. The cars are all quiet and smooth, I enjoy that more. A half century old sound system in any car would likely be due for original capacity, quality speakers. If not broken, the next step would be to replace the paper wound capacitors in the radio chassis. Beyond that is audiophile stuff. Maybe my ears are getting bad. One of my modern cars has sub-woofers in the seat bottoms. I don't even listen to that one. Maybe it's more than the ears going bad. Bernie Edited February 22, 2020 by 60FlatTop (see edit history) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RivNut Posted February 21, 2020 Share Posted February 21, 2020 I had the AM/FM for my 64 rebuilt to OE standards along with re-coning the two 6x9 factory speakers. Just about as 1964 as you can get. But I did install a Redirad as mentioned back in June 2018. Stock radio with stock controls and sound, but my choice of music. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hazdaz Posted February 22, 2020 Share Posted February 22, 2020 I have this head unit: https://www.classiccarstereos.com/1963-1965-buick-riviera-radio-usa-230.html Which unfortunately doesn't have bluetooth, but luckily does have an AUX jack. So then I use this AUX to Bluetooth adapter to connect my phone to the headunit wirelessly. https://www.amazon.com/TaoTronics-Bluetooth-Receiver-Microphone-Streaming/dp/B082Y4SNFF/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=TaoTronics+Bluetooth+Receiver%2FCar+Kit&qid=1582343581&sr=8-3 And I use a 3D printed mount so I can hold my phone in position so I can stream from it. In this photo its an older phone and my current set up doesn't need any wires connected. Right now I only have one speaker, but I'd like to solve that problem eventually. I don't know too much about amps and subwoofers, but its something I'll consider looking into eventually. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turbinator Posted February 22, 2020 Share Posted February 22, 2020 On 6/10/2016 at 3:07 PM, Adambravo said: So... when I bought my '63, I was given the original AM FM radio, but the car had been fitted with a Custom Autosound radio and trunk-mounted CD changer. About two years in, the radio simply stopped working; since the CD changer still worked, I got another CAS radio. Four years later (about a month ago), that radio died as well. I had the old radio tested--which, at some point, had some amplifier added to it--but they are unable to get any sound out of it. As I have an FM transmitter for my iPhone, I don't really need anything fancier than decent AM FM sound; I figure I have a few options and wanted to sound out some opinions... 1. Send the original radio to get out and have it rebuilt with new, modern innards. No idea where to get this done or what it costs. 2. Buy a new, old-looking radio. I've heard mixed reviews on CAS, and have seen something different from OPGI (Retro Sound?) 3. Keep the current, non-functioning radio where it is and get a working radio fitted elsewhere (trunk, under-dash), with a remote. No interest in doing that. 4. Find an original radio. Seems rather difficult, although I did see one on eBay for $375. Suggestions/recommendations/experiences? Thanks in advance... AdamB, what Bill Riviera63 is telling you is 100%. I used the same shop to have my Sonomatic fixed up to play mp3 from my iPhone, etc. bought a replacement speaker for the original in the back seat. Sounds good enough for me. The sound cannot be compared to a modern day car, but it is still much better than it was. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XframeFX Posted February 23, 2020 Share Posted February 23, 2020 I didn't notice this thread when I dealt with my Delco 980659 AM/FM Radio last winter. I previously had it repaired in the early '80s where I discovered the repair was "I just changed-out the core". I think I ended up with a '64 radio in my 1963 Riviera. Well, that radio failed after 30 minutes when I re-installed it after 30 years knowing about old capacitors when I turned it on. Replacing those old electrolytics brought it back to life but was awful especially FM! The distortion got worse after 30 minutes and it had a run-away DC bias that seemed like it was going to self destruct. I researched possible solutions. Aurora design products would've been the best solution. I would've taken that route if my radio remained dead. I also had a 1963 Buick Wonderbar and would do an Aurora Design conversion on that one since the days of AM is numbered. Wanting to keep my Riviera mostly original, I decided to 'Update' the original design. After building and trying mono amplifier kits (guitar amps), I installed a KEMO amplifier outside the radio cabinet next to the 12V Choke. I included a 3PDT toggle where the optional Fader control goes. This way, with the flip of a switch, I could compare the old amp with the new amplifier. Like Night and Day improvement! It turns out when the old amp's distortion got worse after 30 minutes, the original FM tuner got better! I installed an "Aux-In" 3.5 mm phone jack mounted next to the ashtray. The new amplifier allows use of a modern 4 ohm 6X9 3-Way Speaker. I popped the original C9 light bulb and soldered/epoxy in a 194 LED. The single spectrum light looks trick and is strong enough to see in daylight When I plug-in my cellphone to "Aux-In" with the toggle switched to the new amp (naturally), everything inside the original radio cabinet is bypassed except for the Volume control and LED dial light. The design is still crude. It could use a regulated PS instead of that Choke but I am totally pleased with the results. That one 6X9 in the back seat can really belt out the tunes. You wouldn't know it's Mono! As for preferring the engine's exhaust note over any car radio, I chose the Riviera years ago for it's styling and it's long list of options. Everythings' gotta work. Amplifier: https://www.parts-express.com/kemo-m033n-18-watt-universal-mono-amplifier-module--320-553 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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