aftermarket stereo

[john pickens]

Thinking of adding amp, cd changer and speakers in the carpeted tool well
cover behind seats in my C2 roadster-it's a replacement anyway.. Anyone done this? Any problems with overload
of the electical system? Only using a modest amp-probably less than 100 watts. Thinking of using power window circuit for power. Thoughts? Thanks.

[Dave F.]

Re: aftermarket stereo

Have you considered buying an iPod, downloading hundreds of songs you want, and transmitting them to your car stereo via an FM transmitter that plugs into your cigarette lighter? I do this with all of my cars, and save the extra expense required for audio upgrades, and listen to what I want - when I want. Best of all, you don't butcher your classic car's dash etcetera, not to mention not hauling around a bunch of compact discs..

[William V.]

Re: aftermarket stereo

Years ago I put an eight track in my 66 and installed the speekers in the jack/storage well and the 8 track in the glove compartment. Worked well and I suggest doing this if you go back in time 30 years. Today I suggest doing what Dave suggested.

[john pickens]

Re: aftermarket stereo

I would like to hear more about the FM transmitter.

[Dave F.]

Re: aftermarket stereo

It's a fairly simple device available at Circuit City, WalMart, etc. I got mine through the store at Apple.com, and it is made by Monster. It has 3 preset channels and can be tuned to others as needed. It operates from the cigarette lighter and plugs into the headphone jack of the MP3 player, mine being a 6 GB iPod mini. Capacity is approximately 1500 songs and also can be used as a data tranfer module between computers. An amazing little device, it simply broadcasts what is on your MP3 player like a radio through your car stereo system.

[David W.]

iPod iTrip

There is an easier solution and that is a device called iTrip sold anywhere you can buy an iPod. It attaches to the top of any iPod. You set your FM radio to a very low end on the FM dial (whichever one picks up the signal like 88.5 or 88.7) and through the magic of modern technology the radio will play your iPod tunes as sweet as you could ever manage. Will work on any car. I think they are $39.95. I use it for my old Corvettes as well as as my 2005 300 Hemi.

[Harry Sadlock]

Re: iPod iTrip

Davids solution is one of the best. There has been concern that the cigarette lighters used to drive cell phone chargers and other electrical devices can cause overheating then start a fire.

In what David has described you simply use the iPod, powered by it's own batteries, tune your radio to the station and start to listen. Simple and quick.

Harry

[Dave F.]

Re: iPod iTrip

It is the same function. I use the monster transmitter because of greater flexibility in choosing which FM station to use. Both are the same price ($39.95)

[Dave F.]

Re: iPod iTrip

Actually, the only heating that occurs is the lighter coil itself - the lighter socket is merely a contact.

[John H.]

Re: iPod iTrip

There was concern several years ago about the current draw through lighter sockets when used for multiple in-car accessory devices (including such things as perk coffeepots ) causing enough heat buildup in the housing to cause fires in the surrounding plastic instrument panel materials. Casco then added a bi-metallic U-shaped strip to their OEM and replacement/reproduction lighter sockets which would expand and dead-short the lighter to ground and blow the fuse if it got too hot in order to avoid setting instrument panels on fire.

This is NOT a safety feature if you use one of those replacement/reproduction Casco lighter sockets in a C1, as the Corvette lighter circuit didn't get fused until 1963; if one of those revised lighter sockets gets hot enough in a C-1, the bi-metallic strip will dead-short, and will also burn up the harness all the way to the starter solenoid, possibly setting the car on fire. If you have one of these newer lighter sockets in a C-1, you can remove the hex nut, remove the U-shaped bi-metallic strip, and re-install the nut. Or, install a fuse in the feed to the lighter. Photo below shows the bi-metallic strip as it comes in the revised Casco lighter socket.