CustomAutoSound

[RIVNIK]

 My '65 been without tunes for about 25 years. Hasn't been a problem as I obsessively keep my ears tuned for my next mechanical problem to arise. Now Im thinking of installing a new system & hoping to hear from anyone with a CustomAutoSound 740 radio. Removing original radio revealed a rat's nest of wiring done by PO (apparently to add rear speaker to single speaker system). In the process the original radio was re-wired to an unidentified yellow wire emerging from lg harness directly behind radio which provides continuous power.  Cannot determine what that wire was originally for.  CustomAutosound radio requires two power hookups, one from source w continuous power, the other from source charged when ignition is on. Any suggestions where I should tie in for power when key is on? AC is kaput, probably for the distant future. I realize it's not proper, but would it be a mistake to commandeer power wire to blower fan for the radio? Any help is greatly appreciated. As you may have already figured I have limited electrical experience.         Drew

[1965rivgs]

Hi Drew,

  The original power supply for the radio is the yellow wire. If you have a blue wire in the same general area that would be your original rear seat speaker wire.

Tom Mooney

[protrash63]

Do NOT use power from the blower fan as it should be a switched source depending on how they did the circuit. You potentially would have to turn your fan on to run the radio.  To make things simple I would go to the fuse block and search for BAT+ and a switched circuit. Sounds like you already have a constant source, so find a switched source.

[XframeFX]

I suggest keeping circuits separate. I use a relay for switched 12V.

 

This product may be more than what you want. It's more for modern vehicles with CAN buss systems:

https://www.rostra.com/source-power-automatic-12-volt-power-supply.php

[RIVNIK]

Thank all you guys!                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             Tom, my schematic shows a yellow power wire as you informed. However, the plug on the back of the radio (which appears to be the original), has 1 brown, 1 green, & 1 black wires protruding. I have since disconnected & removed the wires that were diced & spliced into it, but I'm pretty sure the yellow wire you identified as power was spliced to the green from the connector. There is no blue wire as I'm pretty sure the rear speaker(long gone) was added by a PO, undoubtedly the one who created the mess under the dash (with whatever gauge & color wire he could find at the time. I located & removed the tiny-gauge clear rear speaker wire he installed years ago).                                                                                                                                                                                                 Protrash, practically everything on this car works without the key on, including the radio( before I disconnected it) & windows( is that proper?) I was considering the possibility of tapping the power source to the blower switch, not from the switch to the blower motor. However, I will follow your suggestion of going to the fusebox for a switched power source as that is obviously the way to go.            Xframe, I must look into & consider this product. Even with a fairly new InterstateBattery, anything like an interior light left on seems to drawn down the battery power quickly. (one reason I replaced my clock w an oil gauge) Might have a leaky drain somewhere.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               For peace of mind I may also consider shopping around for a competent local installer. As many of you know, going underdash is not much fun for an old guy. Anyhoo, thanks again, I look forward to more info, & especially anyone with CustomAutoSound experience.      BTW: anyone else PO'd by a PO? 

[NC1968Riviera]

1 hour ago, RIVNIK said:

practically everything on this car works without the key on, including the radio( before I disconnected it) & windows( is that proper?)

It's interesting you mention this. A couple of members in my Buick club mentioned the other day that their windows operate with the ignition off. (a 72 Riv and a 65 Skylark). Nothing on my 68 Riv works with the ignition off.

[1965rivgs]

7 hours ago, RIVNIK said:

Thank all you guys!                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             Tom, my schematic shows a yellow power wire as you informed. However, the plug on the back of the radio (which appears to be the original), has 1 brown, 1 green, & 1 black wires protruding. I have since disconnected & removed the wires that were diced & spliced into it, but I'm pretty sure the yellow wire you identified as power was spliced to the green from the connector. There is no blue wire as I'm pretty sure the rear speaker(long gone) was added by a PO, undoubtedly the one who created the mess under the dash (with whatever gauge & color wire he could find at the time. I located & removed the tiny-gauge clear rear speaker wire he installed years ago).                                                                                                                                                                                                

  The yellow wire and the blue wire I referenced are in the vehicle harness. If the car was originally equipped with only a front speaker then the connector at the radio had a yellow wire which is power into the unit and a green and black wire which are the power and ground for the front speaker. See the pic below.

  If the radio was originally equipped with both a front and rear speaker there is a jumper harness which integrates with the fader and  connects to the connector I described above and the colors change. In this case, the 12 volt power is brown and the green and black wires are still speaker feeds but they are blended with and adjusted through the fader control. Sounds like you have what`s left of the original front/rear speaker harnesses.See the second pic.

Tom

[protrash63]

Weird situation you describe there with everything powered up....usually the fuse block is cut up into sections and they slightly overlap. Constant hot, switched hot, accessory ....perhaps in a PO screwing around they jumped parts of the fuse block?  May be inadvertently somewhere else in the harness, therefore heating up sections not normally used in certain key positions. Speculating!

[XframeFX]

3 hours ago, protrash63 said:

usually the fuse block is cut up into sections and they slightly overlap.

Below is not directly applicable to Drew's '65. But for my '63, I keep a laminated placard of the Fuseblock in my glovebox to reduce contorting my neck for any length of time. Pink section is hot 12V with a #10 red feed on the back. Green section is fed by a Pink wire to a header on the back. I added 2 circuits off the switched header in positions "Spare" and "Guide 5A". The latter has a relay to a marine sub-fuseblock also split in two for switched and hot 12V. Lots of room for 12V accessories now.

1963 Riviera:

 

Edited October 2, 2021 by XframeFX (see edit history)

[Wayne R]

With all my Buicks and other classics ,over the years i have just left  the stock factory radio in place ,but fitted  a modern CD player,

in another  position   like under dash, in glove boxes, etc,  but i like to use only user friendly  CD players as most  are full of

buttons and i find very hard to use.

Always hot wired from cigarette lighter wire  with a in line fuse, so i can use anytime  with ignition off.

i actually go to my garage  now and again ,sit in my Buick and listen to music ,from my favourite CDs.

Photos  from 65 Riviera  10 years ago, and my present  64 Electra with a 2008 Corolla  CD, its fantastic to use.

Also  i always like to keep the original radio in place --in case i sell later on,  and i dont consider my car  a show car.

Edited October 3, 2021 by Wayne R (see edit history)

[gungeey]

6 hours ago, Wayne R said:

With all my Buicks and other classics ,over the years i have just left  the stock factory radio in place ,but fitted  a modern CD player,

in another  position   like under dash, in glove boxes, etc,  but i like to use only friendly user  CD players as most  are full of

buttons and i find very hard to use.

Always hot wired from cigarette lighter wire  with a in line fuse, so i can use anytime  with ignition off.

i actually go to my garage  now and again ,sit in my Buick and listen to music ,from my favourite CDs.

Photos  from 65 Riviera  10 years ago, and my present  64 Electra with a 2008 Corolla  CD, its fantastic to use.

Also  i always like to keep the original radio in place --in case i sell later on,  and i dont consider my car  a show car.

Nice cup holder

[RIVNIK]

Thanks for the pics Tom,  The plug into my radio is indeed the one pictured in pic #2. At the time I could not figure out what the heck was going on under there, but your pics now make it clear. The maze of wire I found was obviously the PO's recreation of the rest of the rear speaker circuit. Why he used 6ft of wire instead of 1ft is anyones guess. Must've misplaced his dykes!(did I spell that right?) Now it looks like I was mistaken about the yellow power wire being connected to the green from the plug. Obviously it was spliced to the plug's brown wire.                                                                                                                                              BTW: brilliant idea, Xframe, w the laminated fuse guide! Once I figure out what's doin' w my fuses I'll get on that. I'm a little disappointed, though, that nobody here has tried a CustomAutoSound radio. After some research they seem to the the premier maker of aftermarket sound custom tailored for specific cars. I gave up CDs some time ago, what I want to listen to is music off my iPod Nano & SeriosXM. the CAS radio offers those features plus the ability to add CDchanger, amp, & other accessories. They also offer dual coil speakers for front & rear, producing 4-speaker sound without worrying about extra speaker location.   As always, thanks for the great info & pics! Keep 'em coming!       p.s. Sorry to call attention to it Wayne, but how many others besides Wayne & I have the lower left corner of their glovebox lid pried up or chipped off? It's the curse of the poorly designed glovebox!      Drew

[telriv]

The cup holder you referred to in pic #1 is actually one of those N-E-S-W thingy's.

 

Tom T.

[protrash63]

5 hours ago, RIVNIK said:

Thanks for the pics Tom,  The plug into my radio is indeed the one pictured in pic #2. At the time I could not figure out what the heck was going on under there, but your pics now make it clear. The maze of wire I found was obviously the PO's recreation of the rest of the rear speaker circuit. Why he used 6ft of wire instead of 1ft is anyones guess. Must've misplaced his dykes!(did I spell that right?) Now it looks like I was mistaken about the yellow power wire being connected to the green from the plug. Obviously it was spliced to the plug's brown wire.                                                                                                                                              BTW: brilliant idea, Xframe, w the laminated fuse guide! Once I figure out what's doin' w my fuses I'll get on that. I'm a little disappointed, though, that nobody here has tried a CustomAutoSound radio. After some research they seem to the the premier maker of aftermarket sound custom tailored for specific cars. I gave up CDs some time ago, what I want to listen to is music off my iPod Nano & SeriosXM. the CAS radio offers those features plus the ability to add CDchanger, amp, & other accessories. They also offer dual coil speakers for front & rear, producing 4-speaker sound without worrying about extra speaker location.   As always, thanks for the great info & pics! Keep 'em coming!       p.s. Sorry to call attention to it Wayne, but how many others besides Wayne & I have the lower left corner of their glovebox lid pried up or chipped off? It's the curse of the poorly designed glovebox!      Drew

   RIVNIK, I have used a CAS radio in my 66 chevy pickup. I think it is a piece of overpriced junk. Not user friendly with strange menus. It is low powered and the RCA feeds for an amp were crappy and had to be cleaned.  I'm not impressed and I am currently looking for an old school Pioneer single DIN like I used to run years ago.  If fitting the dash is the priority then go for it, but performance wise no bueno. IMO

[Wayne R]

RIVNIK and protrash63 and Telriv---no problem  yes correct about glove box  lids, i have  just recently  changed the spring 

in my Electra glove box lid, as   car came all broken  hinges  and missing parts--no liner--so i changed spring to about half the   tension spring rate,

Was actually  not that easy to repair ,as most parts there are plastic  and have to be placed in the correct position.-, for lid to fit correct.

i never ever touched the Riviera .

Also the cup holder  are  PeP  Boyes  about 30 years old probably  still available.

About my radio in the Electra convertible i fitted  new speakers in front and rear stock  factory position.

and will keep original factory speckers in case  sell later. 

[RIVNIK]

THANK YOU Pro!   Just what I wanted/didnt want to hear, iffn' you know what I mean. I will direct my search for sound elsewhere. If anyone else has experience with hidden modern sound systems please chime in. Thanks

Edited October 3, 2021 by RIVNIK (see edit history)

[gungeey]

20 hours ago, telriv said:

The cup holder you referred to in pic #1 is actually one of those N-E-S-W thingy's.

 

Tom T.

 

Tom you need new glasses

[telriv]

Could be LOLOLO

 

Tom T.

[protrash63]

8 hours ago, RIVNIK said:

THANK YOU Pro!   Just what I wanted/didnt want to hear, iffn' you know what I mean. I will direct my search for sound elsewhere. If anyone else has experience with hidden modern sound systems please chime in. Thanks

Well, I admit I may be slightly opinionated being a musician for 40 years and love listening to tunes. Whenever I'm in the shop I'm cranking music to keep me going....100's of concerts and the tinitus to prove it!  😎  So, not an audiophile but a discriminating listener anyway.  If you want to keep the look go for it and do the hide away system somewhere else in the car. My .02

[XframeFX]

12 hours ago, RIVNIK said:

If anyone else has experience with hidden modern sound systems please chime in.

Being opinionated, who isn't after 40 years! My opinion is if Drew still has the original '65 Delco radio with B-U-I-C-K pushbuttons, I'd go for a quality Aurora Design conversion. It is hidden - yes, inside the original radio's cabinet! Pricey but will have original look with modern distortion free performance. Stereo only I think, so placement of speakers will be a project in itself unless you opt for a dual coil speaker or 2 speakers in a 6X9 fixture. They are available out there.

This conversion would add value to the '65 Riv, a hidden aftermarket stereo - not!

https://www.tech-retro.com/aurora-design/home.html

 

[RIVNIK]

Great idea X, I will look into Aurura today. Their ad looks intriguing, although it's mostly audiophile mumbo-jumbo, which reads like Greek to me. The priceyness will be the deciding factor.

[RivNut]

Turn Switch www.turnswitch.com has a dual cone 4 x 10 low profile speaker which should work in the 64 / 65 dash board.  They also offer a 6 x 9 dual cone speaker.  

Edited October 4, 2021 by RivNut
Effing predictive rext (see edit history)

[RIVNIK]

THANK YOU all for the great info!!!  Just got off the horn w the local Aurora Dealer, Tayman Electrical in Sarasota. Their AM/FM Bluetooth conversion looks like exactly what I want. Cost goes from $445 to around $750 depending on the various features you can opt for. Not much more than I would have spent w CustomAutosound. Also sounds like a 1st rate operation after talking to the shop owner/operator. Turn around time about 2 weeks. And thanks Ed for the lead on the speakers! Exactly what he recommended for the '65

[RivNut]

Hey Rivnik,  The speakers for which I posted a picture and a link are 10 ohm speakers, designed for older radios.  Most modern ones are 4 ohms.  Make sure when you talk with the folks who are going to redo your radio that you find out from them what ohm speakers you should be using.  You don't want to mix and match.

[Nick57]

Taymen electrical is who did the radio in my 64 Riv and my 60 Cadillac and I couldn't be happier with his work.  The only pain about the 64 is the fade knob is a stand alone unit so you have to use the tone to do both.  It's no big deal but you have to turn the radio on and off real quick to access the menu its something to know going in.  I used these speakers in my car.

 

Front  https://garytayman.com/abante/index.php?rt=product/product&path=36_38&product_id=124

 

Rear  https://garytayman.com/abante/index.php?rt=product/product&path=36_38&product_id=125 

[XframeFX]

Aurora Design amps can drive 4, 8 & 10 ohm speakers no problem. But, 4 ohm speakers would be optimal.

Also, when I mentioned "dual coil", I was not referring to dual cone. I believe 4X10 speakers are out there with two 4 ohm coils. Purpose is to combine into mono with right/left on the two coils or, drive with just 1 coil or, hook-up both coils in series and voila, an 8 ohm speaker!

However, to take advantage of Aurora Design awesomeness, a descent pair of 3-Way 4 ohm speakers is a must. Wind noise through my leaky vent windows easily overpowers my mono speaker.

Gary Tayman did auto radio repair, does only conversions now. Considered having him do my 1963 Wonderbar. There are a few conversions out there, but Aurora design does not gut the original electronics.

Go for the add-on options!

[RIVNIK]

I'm boxing it up, & I will let you know how it goes. Thanks for the heads up, Ed. I will run Turnswitch's speakers by Gary Tayman, but may go with the same type dual speakers, but ones that Tayman carries. (the same ones recommended above by Nick57.) Less expensive than Turnswitch & a perfect fit for the Riv..   Thanks again, & keep the great conversation going.           Drew

[RivNut]

I don't know if, when you do a conversion, the old 10 stuff is reused or whether it's replaced with newer 4 ohm stuff.  Just make sure you match your speakers to the head unit.  I was looking at the radio schematic for my '90 Riviera and it was driving me batty.  The front speakers were rated at 4 ohms and the rears were rated at 10 ohms.  What the h*ll.  As I studied it closer, I saw that the two fronts were wired in series giving a total of 8 ohms to the front.  8 and 10 are compatible with the head unit.  Had me going for a while.  

[Nick57]

Just double check my memory.  I think it was the 5x7 for the rear.  Measurements for the speakers are in the link.  Also I did have to file a couple of the holes just a little to get it all to fit over the posts on the rear speaker grill.  

 

http://garytayman.com/dvc.htm

[RIVNIK]

It's all Greek to me. Fortunately, Tayman will bench test everything & match the perfect set of speakers to my rebuilt radio. To help I included templates of my existing speaker footprints (or is it feetprint) for a correct fit. 

[RIVNIK]

   Installation was just completed of my '65 Riv Delco radio after being rebuilt by Tayman Electrical in SarasotaFl.  I am very pleased with the performance so far, although I should say I'm  judging it by mid-sixties standards. But I'm sure it's better than just about anything else offered at the time. I have not had time to learn all the many functions, I was so exited that it actually worked that I couldn't wait to tell somebody.  The electronics are made by Aurora Design. I believe there are a number of installers available, but I highly recommend Gary Tayman of Tayman Electrical. Very personable guy, does the work himself, will take the time to field calls & answer any questions. Turnaround time of 8 days, looks brand new inside & out, comes with color coded wire harness & easy installation instructions, uses original power source & antenna lead. Also retains all the original electronics & can be reversed.  I had to purchase a 3' UBS extension cord from Amazon (which I installed in the cigar lighter port), & four 12' lengths of color coded wire to run the rear speaker/speakers. I purchased the CustomAutoSound dual cone speakers from Tayman (cheaper than direct from company). They were a "near perfect fit". As Nick57 said, you can file on the holes a bit. I chose to heat the posts on the grilles & bend them outward ever so carefully. The important thing is there was enough room to accommodate the huge magnets on the new speakers. Now the hard part: at around $900. it aint cheap, but considering how it enhances instead of detracts (like most aftermarket radios)it was worth it to me.  If you want more info check out Tayman Electrical's website & watch Aurora Design's tutorial on YouTube. & if anyone is seriously considering going this route I have a$20. gift card good til Feb. PM me & I'll pop it in the mail to you.  Will let you know more as I learn more.        Rivnik

[XframeFX]

Pricey but it adds value to the 1965 Riviera!

Pictures? Especially the USB port and speaker before the install.

SM Turnswitch in MN does Aurora Design conversions as well. But appears conversions from there has the original electronics removed.

So, everyone on this post is to receive a $20 gift card with a PM?

[RIVNIK]

It's first come first serve, baby!  I know, it's like throwing a bone to a pack of hungry wolves, but relax, it's only $20 off $900. As of now it's got XFrame's name on it, so it's a race to the PM for the rest of you.        Gentlemen, start your Google Machines!                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               Sorry about the chronic lack of pics. I typically dive into a job & it's done before I think of it, or at least the chance of before & after shots is gone. I'm also afraid one of you will recognize details in the background & figure out where I live.   brrrrrrrrr!

[RIVNIK]

on a related note:  if you need color coded wire w stripes & your local source has only solid colors, stretch the solid wire out, lay it on a piece of newsprint, hold it down w the tip of a giant Sharpie, & have your assistant pull the wire through. You will create a perfect, indelibly striped wire.   yer welcome