1986 Vauxhall Carlton CDi, Daily use of a 37yr old car.

[Tepper]

I can probably modify the broken Sharp unit to have Bluetooth if you're interested - might take me a little while though!

[sutty2006]

1 hour ago, Tepper said:

I can probably modify the broken Sharp unit to have Bluetooth if you're interested - might take me a little while though!

If I get a Philips unit working would you be able to convert that? I have one left to try. Failing that I could rewire the sharp back up 

[Tepper]

Should be able to, yeah. Or another option is to use a broken Philips, gut it and put a whole new amplifier/BT board in the casing. You'd lose the display and a few other features though so probably best to start with a working one if possible.

[sutty2006]

I recon one of them is repairable but I’ve never stripped one down. 

[Wibble]

Codes are easily got, cost £11 to get mine I think. Can’t remember where but just googled radio code.

[Tepper]

16 hours ago, sutty2006 said:

I recon one of them is repairable but I’ve never stripped one down. 

See how you get on and drop me a message if you want me to look at one 👍

[uk_senator]

On 7/24/2023 at 6:45 PM, sutty2006 said:

A little upset this evening. The sharp tape deck has failed. Ruthie said her tape broke on Friday but it’s the deck that’s broke the tape. 
 

I need options folks! These dash boards don’t like taking full size CD players, so I’m happy to replace it with something that’s Bluetooth or has usb/jack aux point. Or is it possible to have this one modified so it can be Bluetooth etc? 

Has that deck ever been cleaned? I use an Allsop 3 head cleaner on all my tape equipped cars & home tape decks, & have been for the last few decades, to good effect, or, you can strip it & clean the head & rollers with cotton buds & alcohol manually.

That said, tape snappage/unraveling can also be down to stretched belts & other more serious issues, so it may or may not work in this case.  

[sutty2006]

We have radio!!!

 

for the first time since 1989, FM radio comes through the ultimately crap gm speakers! 
 

 

ok, so it’s not a 751, but it’ll do for now! 
 

where can I get a tape deck cleaning kit from? Or does anyone have one we can run through this bad boi?

 

[Wibble]

54 minutes ago, sutty2006 said:

We have radio!!!

 

for the first time since 1989, FM radio comes through the ultimately crap gm speakers! 
 

 

ok, so it’s not a 751, but it’ll do for now! 
 

where can I get a tape deck cleaning kit from? Or does anyone have one we can run through this bad boi?

 

EBay have them, nearly got one myself until I found my replacement radio which works fine.

 

[High Jetter]

It used to be said that cleaning tapes wore the heads, so cleaning fluid on buds was best.

[Spiny Norman]

3 hours ago, sutty2006 said:

We have radio!!!

 

for the first time since 1989, FM radio comes through the ultimately crap gm speakers! 
 

 

ok, so it’s not a 751, but it’ll do for now! 
 

where can I get a tape deck cleaning kit from? Or does anyone have one we can run through this bad boi?

 

Oooh! Fisher C Box too, very thrusting 80s exec! 😛

If you can be arsed digging it out the dash again I'd take the top off and go for Q tips and isopropyl alcohol to clean the tape heads and rollers, they'll likely be more manky than a head cleaning cassette alone can deal with.

[sutty2006]

Today saw a small amount of time to wash and polish the Carlton. 
 

 

[grogee]

14 minutes ago, sutty2006 said:

Today saw a small amount of time to wash and polish the Carlton. 
 

 

I'm partying like it's 1987. Fleetwood Mac on the turntable and West Coast Coolers in the fridge. 

That looks fantastic. Glad you have some tunes on board now. 

[sutty2006]

Went to cinema. Guy did the right thing and parked with “his kind”

 

 

safety in numbers right? This car park in N-U-L is a bit dodgy, and I’m surprised it was still here when I got back, the golf wasn’t. 

 

[High Jetter]

5 hours ago, grogee said:

I'm partying like it's 1987. Fleetwood Mac on the turntable 

Rumours are everywhere!

[grogee]

10 hours ago, sutty2006 said:

Went to cinema. Guy did the right thing and parked with “his kind”

 

 

safety in numbers right? This car park in N-U-L is a bit dodgy, and I’m surprised it was still here when I got back, the golf wasn’t. 

 

Do you have any special anti-theft technique? It's something I worry about with my Maestro. 

I've got some old locking things, a crook-lock style thing and a handbrake/gear lever lock. But you could break into the car in seconds and if you had a cordless drill you'd be away in under a minute. 

[wesacosa]

5 minutes ago, grogee said:

Do you have any special anti-theft technique? It's something I worry about with my Maestro. 

I've got some old locking things, a crook-lock style thing and a handbrake/gear lever lock. But you could break into the car in seconds and if you had a cordless drill you'd be away in under a minute. 

Hidden kill switch?   Hide a couple of airpods somewhere or one of those cheap sim card based trackers. Coupled with some ironmongery not sure what else you can do really 

[EyesWeldedShut]

Durite battery isolator - properly fitted so that the bad bad boys cannot just swap the terminals over quickly with a spanner. Ideally needs to be close to the battery to keep the new cable run as short as possible.
If you have any kit that you want to stay powered on fit a fuse or a resettable breaker (better)  in a new earth link from the battery -ve. Ideally needs to be close to the battery to keep the new cable run as short as possible.
Don't get a cheap Durite copy - I melted one in a Series 2A with a bad starter - too much current, switch went bye-bye.

I have the key operated one in the Boxer mounted through the bottom of the dash - that's more to stop a parasitic drain that we've never found. @sutty2006 has posted someplace else on here about the other sort which the Disco/Defender mud wallowers use. @Dave_Q has mentioned the cheap Sim thingies someplace too (I've got one here but not yet wired it in)

Other simple thing is an inline switch on the low tension wire to the coil - that can be anywhere on the dash (hidden in plain view)

https://www.autoelectrical.parts/product/durite-0-605-20-battery-switch-100-amp-with-removable-key/

https://www.autoelectrical.parts/product/durite-0-605-50-battery-switch-250-amp-with-removable-key-and-lockout-hole/

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Mintice-Circuit-Automotive-Resettable-Protection/dp/B07HNV4DYC/ref=sr_1_44?qid=1693549810&s=automotive&sr=1-44&th=1

[sutty2006]

I fitted an isolator to the discovery and a disclok to the steering wheel. However I’ve left the keys on the bonnet of that all day while at work and it never got stolen. Shame. 
 

I don’t really fear the Carlton getting nicked. Thieves round here are more after high end stuff they can scan with a laptop and bingo, instant parts in a container car. The Carlton is no good to them, I leave cassettes on show, no fucker wants them anymore!

[grogee]

Inspired by @EyesWeldedShut but also patently ignoring his advice, I've gone for a Chinese remote control phat relay which I will hide under the battery tray to slow down theft.

It claims to be capable of 200A continuous but if it'll do 50A for a second that'll be fine to start the Maestro. 

Best of all it has a remote control for maximum pub bragging points. 

@MrBiscuits please can you come up with an idiot's diagram for some sort of battery back up for the clock using a rechargeable 9v battery - thanks x. The clock has switched/ignition live, permanent 12v, lights on +12v and earth connections. 

[MrBiscuits]

5 hours ago, grogee said:

Inspired by @EyesWeldedShut but also patently ignoring his advice, I've gone for a Chinese remote control phat relay which I will hide under the battery tray to slow down theft.

It claims to be capable of 200A continuous but if it'll do 50A for a second that'll be fine to start the Maestro. 

Best of all it has a remote control for maximum pub bragging points. 

@MrBiscuits please can you come up with an idiot's diagram for some sort of battery back up for the clock using a rechargeable 9v battery - thanks x. The clock has switched/ignition live, permanent 12v, lights on +12v and earth connections. 

Something like this would do it:

https://www.allaboutcircuits.com/projects/battery-backup-power-supplies/

You won't need the 7805 regulator as your clock's input already accepts up to full alternator charging voltage. Could connect your stereo permanent live too otherwise you might loose presets etc.

Pay attention to the bit about calculating the resistor value though - otherwise your battery gets too hot. I would also rig an extra switch that isolates backup unless the battery is isolated (if that makes sense) otherwise it might drain your main battery after a long time.

[grogee]

4 hours ago, MrBiscuits said:

Something like this would do it:

https://www.allaboutcircuits.com/projects/battery-backup-power-supplies/

You won't need the 7805 regulator as your clock's input already accepts up to full alternator charging voltage. Could connect your stereo permanent live too otherwise you might loose presets etc.

Pay attention to the bit about calculating the resistor value though - otherwise your battery gets too hot. I would also rig an extra switch that isolates backup unless the battery is isolated (if that makes sense) otherwise it might drain your main battery after a long time.

Great sparking as ever Kev, thanks a lot. 

[Zelandeth]

On 8/15/2023 at 9:18 PM, sutty2006 said:

We have radio!!!

 

for the first time since 1989, FM radio comes through the ultimately crap gm speakers! 
 

 

ok, so it’s not a 751, but it’ll do for now! 
 

where can I get a tape deck cleaning kit from? Or does anyone have one we can run through this bad boi?

 

Seeing one of those stereos not missing half its buttons and hanging about halfway out the dash of a very scruffy 1976 Duple Dominant II coach still messes with my brain a bit.  

It still mostly worked, though got grumpy when it got drowned on particularly wet days because the roof leaked.

That was our school bus, so was something I saw twice a day for six years.  

[sutty2006]

This is now 100% a daily (apart from tomorrow) until I get my next set of wheels sorted. Today I replaced the rear oil seal on gearbox. 
 

old
 

 

new. From JP automatic transmissions. 
 

 

hopefully that’s one more oil leak sorted. 

[sutty2006]

Carlton now has digital tunes. Kindly donated by a fellow shiter. Heroes don’t wear capes etc. 

 

 

just need to clean up the aerial connections now. 

[Ghosty]

WAITING FOR PERRING


PERRD

[sutty2006]

It’s been parked up for the best part of 6 weeks? Maybe longer? I lost count. Got fed up of driving the Discovery so picked it up. Started first turn of the key, not wet inside and drives lovely in comparison to the td5. Glad to be back in it for a few days 

 

 

[sutty2006]

I’ve succumbed. 
 

the Philips 752 is shite. Radio is full of static and the tape deck is naff. I know these cars don’t have a lot of room for CD players, so I spent 13 quid on this. 
 

it’s very shallow

 

it does FM. Bluetooth, usb etc.. 

 

looks easy enough to wire up too. 
 

m the FM transmitter I was donated will be fitted into the discovery, because the original radio just “died” and the replacement has a retarded tape deck. So it’s a bit of a shuffle round! 

[Wibble]

You’ve got to do what you’ve got to do! Don’t like the look in that age of car but it’s got to do what you need, so fair play.

[Conan]

I had that exact headunit in my Mazda 626. It is far better than it has any rights to be but it was getting bit flaky before I sold the car. I used the SD card slot for 80's tunes and the sound quality is about right.