Is it wrong to replace original audio equipment for new in classic/modern classic vehicles?

[EddieCochran]

Is it wrong for a classic/modern classic vehicle owner to change the original radio/cassette/8 track player and speakers for brand new equipment?What's everyones' opinion?

[bangernomics]

If you’re using it then why not, it’s always been the case that stuff got updated. I’d say the only thing to do is avoid doing something that can’t be put back again if possible.

[Royale80]

I took the original Philips out of my Royale as the tape player didnt work. Put in an oldish Kenwood CD player with cd stack in the glove compartment. Everything can b3 easily put back if wanted. Original Philips in my Senator works fine so does the Ford one in th3 Sierra. I have the opinion that I travel in the car and if I want better sound or some other improvement I will do it.

[Royale80]

 

3 minutes ago, bangernomics said:

If you’re using it then why not, it’s always been the case that stuff got updated. I’d say the only thing to do is avoid doing something that can’t be put back again if possible.

We all did it years ago. I remember buying my first car a Mk 5 Cortina in 86 and rushing straight to Argos to get a Sharp cassette player which you could rewind to the last or next track. All the boys had one!!

[HMC]

I don’t think so. If wishing to keep a certain look there are new head units that look suitably retro; that or keep the original and hide the new one somewhere like the glovebox, which I did with a ‘64 S-type I had some while ago. I hid the speakers cunningly and an amp and sub under the passenger seat but kept the original (and shit/ broken) radio it it’s normal place. It was sort of part of the centre console so was the most practical and also stealth solution.
 

I see no bother whatever as if you keep hold of the original the next owner has a choice and even rivet counters can’t be upset with that.

[Mrs6C]

It's nether 'wrong' nor 'right' at the end of the day, just personal choice as to what you want the result to be. I have some cars with original factory installations and some have aftermarket units. I don't mind. It's whatever suits my requirements for the car, really.

The 1979 GT4 has its factory radio cassette and speakers that I would not want to change because the rest of the car is original and I want to keep it that way. It also maintains the 'period sound', if you like. The Sky4 'Forthcoming' album on tape sounds just great in there.

The 1973 Sovereign has an eight track that I want to keep for the same reason. I must get round to changing the rubber drive band though because Herb Alpert and The Tijuana Brass are sounding a bit distorted these days...

The 1965 Spitfire didn't have a radio when new and had some 1970s mono. speaker unit fitted in the 1980s, with MW and LW only. It has long push-buttons to change channels. One of these gets pushed in by the gearstick in 1st gear as it has a long throw, so it's not very useful! I would be happy to swap that out for a more modern unit if it can cope with + earth, as I don't plan to change the car over to - earth!

 

 

 

[anonymous user]

I was delighted that the Austintatious has a cd player fitted so that I can listen to ZZ Top

[Royale80]

This is the one we all had in our motors-£279 on the bay!!!

 

[Tamworthbay]

What I wouldn’t do is cut the dash to fit a modern stereo. There are several retro looking fully modern stereos that can fitted to older cars without cutting big holes.

[loserone]

https://smile.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07XVMBKW4/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_RMdaFbTTMVY05

 

Could buy a decent car for that!

[captain_70s]

Ye-olde car radios sound like shite and there is fuck all on AM radio these days. 8-tracks are an awful design.

I have modern(ish) audio in my cars. The Dolly came with a modern(ish) CD player that looks like garbage but has an aux input so I've kept it around. I plan to fit a period looking and functional radio + 8-track player for period correct hilarity and have a modern mini-amp with 3.5mm jack in the glovebox. The Acclaim has a radio cassette player of unknown era and provenance which I listen to my iPod on using a cassette to aux cable adaptor. It does the job and doesn't look out of place. Me and Girlfriend_70s did our first West Coast roadtrip with just the stock AM radio and I'd made sure to swap it out before the next big trip...

My goal is to keep things looking "right" while providing half decent audio. I try not to hack about original panels for DIN installs because it's a shame to butcher un-molested parts when pre-fucked ones can often be sourced.

[Zelandeth]

Varies a bit by car I think, and also what you fit.

When I put a new stereo in the Saab I went out of my way to find one which was as understated as possible and which allowed me to customise the lighting colour so I could match it to that of the dash lighting.

It had a pretty nondescript late 80s unit though which could just as easily been aftermarket, it wasn't really integral to the look of the dash.

The Jag on the other hand is a different matter, where I definitely still have the factory system which looks the part.

If I were to upgrade this I would almost definitely be looking to consider thoroughly hiding the new unit either in the glovebox of armrest storage compartment (much easier with mechless units being more readily available these days).  That's purely because I think a modern unit would look jarring if fitted here.  At the end of the day though I use the car and enjoy music...so concessions will be considered to that end.

The car's where it's the biggest challenge for me isn't older ones like this though but more modern cars, especially from the 90s where they started to become more properly integrated into the dash.  Seeing an off the shelf stereo and the necessary blanking plates etc just always looks utterly wrong.

Less necessary too given how much more common and in sockets and decent power amplifiers were as the decade progressed anyway.

[Lord Sterling]

Weigh up the pros and cons.

If you're using your classic everyday or every other day or going on long journeys then why not. As long as the original can be refitted with ease.

Changing radios is a pet hate of mine. I can change them all day long but when an OEM radio has been "upgraded" with some cheap generic CD/DAB receiver it takes away the sound quality and looks cheap. But this is generally with everyday usable cars, like the Zafira I've got, it came with a crappy aftermarket CD player which got whipped out and I chucked in an OEM Vauxhall CD player.

As yours sounds like a 'proper classic' as said, as long as you can easily put back the original then, yes change it.

[Peter C]

Im my W123 I now have an original Becker radio/cassette player because classic and I rarely drive the thing. Whenever I do, I use a Bluetooth speaker and play music from my phone.

In my W124 on the other hand, I have a modern head unit, upgraded speakers, an amp and a fuck off 1000W sub in the boot. Admittedly, the installation is completely reversible.

Old ICE sounds shit compared with modern stuff. It’s your car, do as you please my friend.

 

[Kiltox]

I really want the head unit that Porsche have released for the 986/996 that looks like the original but has CarPlay etc. It’s about £1600 though!

[dave j]

The dash has been cut in both my camper and the Beetle so they have a modern cd player in them. Both were already cut before I owned them. As I hardly ever listen to the stereo I would have preferred a period one or a blankng plate but Im not bothered

[Kiltox]

I’ve got one of these in the X5 at the moment because I don’t particularly want the mammoth task of replacing the factory head unit - it works surprisingly well for a tenner!

IULONEE FM Transmitter Bluetooth 5.0 Wireless Car Audio Radio Adapter MP3 Player Hand free Car Kit with Mic QC3.1A USB Charging Ports USB Flash Drive TF Card for i0S and Android Devices (Black) https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07X2XGN7V/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_PHiaFbXB1T60W

[Shite Ron]

As others have said, it is your car to do as you please other peoples opinion of your car are not important. For me modern stereos look out of place and detract from the experience. I do however understand how good it is to have quality music when driving. My Granada has an original Philips turnolock and the sound is great, my mk 4 Cortina Ghia estate has the original p21 and that is not so good but looks great. My Cortina S has a modern CD radio and I find it visually offensive, I plan to replace it with a period radio with I pod / smartphone lead conversion, these look to be easy to do or relatively cheap to buy ready converted on ebay. I have recently bought several old radio cassettes on ebay to swap the rest of my cars back to period correct units. Not necessarily what they had when new but a top end radio from 1978 in a 1978 car is what I want. I cannot comment on the quality of the I pod conversion as I have yet to fit one!

[MarvinsMom]

generally i would say that it is wrong, very wrong indeed to replace a period radio with some modern thing in a classic car.

this crime gets more heinous with the more classic the car.

i like to see either OE or a period radio in a car. For instance, there is nothing nastier, to my eyes than  seeing a Rover 75 with some aftermarket headunit grafted into the dash board especially since the early versions of that car had a rather nice shaped unit fitted in the factory. Same also with the Lexus, the radio in that was designed to blend into the  car, and an after market one looks gash....

with cocopop, the orange mini, and also with Marvin they both have Sony X-pold? head units in their dash boards filling up the holes left by the long gone original units. 

we think that they are late 1990's ones, so in a 97 mini or 89 metro, they aren't not far away from when the car was built.

Rodney Mini did have an old-ish one fitted when i got it. it didn't work and i pulled it out. and i've not replaced it with anything.for no other reason, when underway Rodney frankly is too noisy to be able to hear it.

[Toe]

I did read somewhere that the heyday of in car stuff was the early 90's as the quality of the components were higher, no idea if it's true, probably not but I try to keep to the general age of the car, which for the Saab is a nice early 90's Kenwood and CD changer, the Daihatsu is original but here the units varied with probably what was available and maybe this happened with other manufacturers but at the end of the day if the "style" of the radio is in keeping with the car then it's good enough for me

[bunglebus]

Depends a lot on the car. Modern stereos look shit in old dashboards, so hide it and have retro grilles over modern speakers. 

Having said that, I like tunes in my cars and Pioneer is my preference. CD/DAB head unit in my Passat is definitely an upgrade, and the illumination complements the existing lighting.

Pretty sure you can get old inoperative stereos converted to have a modern amp and iPood connection fitted to the back. Sling your MP3 player in the glovebox and no-one's any the wiser

[Yoss]

Both Skodas have newish DAB radios with CD players because I need 6 Music. All other radio stations are unlistenable. The Triumph has the original stereo from the Felicia complete with Skoda logo on the tape hatch. Notice the word tape. That's why I kept it. I have lots of old tapes of John Peel and Mark Radcliffe shows from the mid 90s and this is the only place I can listen to them, there's nothing in the house anymore. But also I bought the car in 1995 which is the era the tapes are from. I can drive around pretending it still is. However on the Triumph the stereo is sort of hidden between steering column and  drivers door above my right knee so it's not visible if you peer in from outside. All three are are just slipped in and fitted with same square black connectors so they can be swapped between cars in minutes if necessary. 

[sierraman]

6 hours ago, EddieCochran said:

Is it wrong for a classic/modern classic vehicle owner to change the original radio/cassette/8 track player and speakers for brand new equipment?What's everyones' opinion?

C’mon Everybody tell us what you think Alba or Goodmans?

[Out Run]

I had a fairly standard Nova SR with modern HU in the glove box. Same with a Volvo 360 turbo. All very hidden, obviously.

My 1992 MR2 has Focal Utopia components In the doors, hidden behind the cards. Tweeters in the standard locations and behind the OE grilles.

The crossovers and a Genesis Profile 5 amp live in the ‘frunk’. The only real giveaway is a 7” Pioneer HU in the standard location.

But IMO, that’s no so bad and like others have said, if you use the car, ya want ya tunez.

[Out Run]

1 minute ago, sierraman said:

C’mon Everybody tell us what you think Alba or Goodmans?

Bossman or Pyle IMO.

[sierraman]

I’d say replace them, old wireless’ in cars used to be crap until the mid 90’s. Only issue is those fiddly buttons you get on aftermarket radios. 

That said on newer cars I hate seeing aftermarket radios where the proper fitted set should be with those wanky plastic filler things in that never fit properly. There’s just no need for it when you can pick up a set from the breakers for £20. No need to upgrade a set these days either unless you are mad on having DAB. I’d have thought the market for crappy 20w CD players is pretty much dead now.

So in summary if you’ve got an old crappy set in an old Toyota Corolla or whatever then yes but if you’ve a Focus then just no...

[Out Run]

There’s no need to change the audio in newer stuff.

[Asimo]

Many classics had no audio kit when new so interesting bodgery is required.

 

 

 

[Dick Cheeseburger]

6 minutes ago, Out Run said:

There’s no need to change the audio in newer stuff.

Depends really. My MR2 is 2003 and the standard audio is appalling. I've ditched the standard double din unit, fitted a single din adaptor with storage cubby (perfect for the phone to fit into) and am currently running a 2013 Alpine head unit. I can't standard the look of most 'modern' aftermarket gear, but Alpine still looks relatively understated and smart, whilst not sounding shite.

[Jazoli]

 

14 minutes ago, Out Run said:

There’s no need to change the audio in newer stuff.

Yes there is! I've changed the headunit in most cars I've had, even moderns, the kit to put a double din android auto in my insignia cost £200 but its was worth it as I have *cringe* full connectivity, I put another of the same headunit in the wife's 307 too as it didn't have Bluetooth