Danny G Posted January 9, 2020 Share Posted January 9, 2020 Anyone have any experience with these autosound radios that Classic Car Stereo sells? Look pretty nice, was thinking of picking up a non DIN bezel and using one of these in lieu of the more modern stero unit. https://www.classiccarstereos.com/1980-1986-ford-truck-radio-usa-630.html?rrec=true Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
salans7 Posted January 10, 2020 Share Posted January 10, 2020 I will definitely look into them when my truck is running and driving, the price point isn't bad for what you get and I don't need anything crazy in my F350 as long as it has some sort of Ipod or Aux cable ability. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ford F834 Posted January 10, 2020 Share Posted January 10, 2020 This was one of Christopher Lott’s trucks. He didn’t say too much about the stereo except it was as you would expect from a regular modern head unit and approximated the look of the original... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FuzzFace2 Posted January 10, 2020 Share Posted January 10, 2020 I will definitely look into them when my truck is running and driving, the price point isn't bad for what you get and I don't need anything crazy in my F350 as long as it has some sort of Ipod or Aux cable ability. I have the Radio SST 280 and CD Changer 250 that I picked up used for a different project that other than bench testing have not used yet. I also picked up 2 other new off brand radios I could use in it but I am not that close yet. Now for the truck I picked up I think it was a 86+ factory AM/FM/Cassette and used 2 speakers I had laying around and it works pretty good for not having carpet on the floor to keep road noise down. I don't think the SST 280 has BT or a way to use a cable but I have not looked at the radio in over 5 or 6 years. Dave ---- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
salans7 Posted January 10, 2020 Share Posted January 10, 2020 I have the Radio SST 280 and CD Changer 250 that I picked up used for a different project that other than bench testing have not used yet. I also picked up 2 other new off brand radios I could use in it but I am not that close yet. Now for the truck I picked up I think it was a 86+ factory AM/FM/Cassette and used 2 speakers I had laying around and it works pretty good for not having carpet on the floor to keep road noise down. I don't think the SST 280 has BT or a way to use a cable but I have not looked at the radio in over 5 or 6 years. Dave ---- I wonder if it's possible to use the OEM knobs with the aftermarket radio though? Those knobs being replacements would bother me, the same way the chrome door panel trim bothers me on the 85-86 trucks (there's no silver edging on the bezels or the vents like the older trucks to tie it in). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ratdude747 Posted January 12, 2020 Share Posted January 12, 2020 Just bought an NOS one off eBay (discontinued USA-1 unit, box marked "f-series 74-86"). $75 shipped from Canada, hasn't come in yet. Will follow up once I have it installed. Replacing a half-fried Sharp shaft's type radio. They seem overpriced, but given that line-in hookups weren't a thing back when shaft-style radios were in mainstream production, there isn't much choice if you want to hook a media player up without a transmitter or tape adapter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Lewis Posted January 13, 2020 Share Posted January 13, 2020 Just bought an NOS one off eBay (discontinued USA-1 unit, box marked "f-series 74-86"). $75 shipped from Canada, hasn't come in yet. Will follow up once I have it installed. Replacing a half-fried Sharp shaft's type radio. They seem overpriced, but given that line-in hookups weren't a thing back when shaft-style radios were in mainstream production, there isn't much choice if you want to hook a media player up without a transmitter or tape adapter. That's one I'd been looking for to install in Dad's truck. Please let us know what you think when you get it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
66gtk Posted January 13, 2020 Share Posted January 13, 2020 That's one I'd been looking for to install in Dad's truck. Please let us know what you think when you get it. It's more expensive, but you can have your factory head unit completely redone with modern guts. https://www.joesclassiccarradio.com/conv.html http://www.classiccarradiorepair.com/ http://www.cruzclassicradio.com/#servicesanchor Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danny G Posted January 14, 2020 Author Share Posted January 14, 2020 Just bought an NOS one off eBay (discontinued USA-1 unit, box marked "f-series 74-86"). $75 shipped from Canada, hasn't come in yet. Will follow up once I have it installed. Replacing a half-fried Sharp shaft's type radio. They seem overpriced, but given that line-in hookups weren't a thing back when shaft-style radios were in mainstream production, there isn't much choice if you want to hook a media player up without a transmitter or tape adapter. Yea same units from what I understand. Let us know how it works out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ratdude747 Posted January 21, 2020 Share Posted January 21, 2020 Just bought an NOS one off eBay (discontinued USA-1 unit, box marked "f-series 74-86"). $75 shipped from Canada, hasn't come in yet. Will follow up once I have it installed. Replacing a half-fried Sharp shaft's type radio. They seem overpriced, but given that line-in hookups weren't a thing back when shaft-style radios were in mainstream production, there isn't much choice if you want to hook a media player up without a transmitter or tape adapter. Yea same units from what I understand. Let us know how it works out. Good: Works and sounds great. Looks good once installed. Works better than the vintage Sharp unit I had installed. Bad: -I had to cheat the install... in order to get enough shaft and radio face to the trim bezel, I had to mount the factory bracket flush (no "center" nuts or washers) on one side. I also had to trim down one of the ears on the faceplate "sleeve" due to such. I have two radio brackets (the stock 1984 one, and one out of a 1980 JY truck); both were the same stamping with the same issue. -Getting the knobs rotated so the rear knob is centered is nearly/effectively impossible. Want the pointers straight up when both are center? Good luck... I gave up after dealing with the former. -The included RCA to 3.5mm cable (line in) is too short to be useful. No big deal, just install a longer cable. -Do NOT bridge channels together for 2-speaker use... one part of the instructions say to bridge the Front and rear positives together (disable the F/R fader)... another says to turn the fader to full-front and use the front channels only. The latter is correct, the former results in loud popping which would have fried the radio had I not stopped and read the other instructions. -Schematics are in the printed manual, but too blurry to be of value. The online PDF has no schematic. Only a big deal if you're an electronics nerd like me (who does component level repair of such as another hobby) - Has a dorky "fake needle" overlay on the LCD. I popped mine off (held on with two blobs of black glue) since I care more about seeing what the radio is doing than looking closer to "stock" (like a radio with an aux button is going to fool anybody). IIRC screen covers without needles and markings are avialble (I remember finding them on ebay, or so I think?) -Clock display cannot be made default, must hit T/F button every time I want to check the time. I'd prefer that I'd be able to display the clock and only the frequency when changing sources or stations (how a lot of radios work) -Metal casing was hand filed/cut from the factory... "custom" indeed. Not a big deal, just something I noted. The install looks like the one posted earlier (same radio model). I'll reply with a picture. Good fit once all is said and done. Just some nitpicks on the fitment and user interface (and instructions). FWIW, I'm running 4 ohm sony speakers in my doors. Truck originally was AM, and a previous owner converted it to dual door speakers, which were blown to bits when I bought the truck. The old Sharp was quiet on the speakers... the new one has decent volume. Nothing obscene, but enough to not make me install more speakers (at least any time soon). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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