RADIO FM CONVERSION

[BRUCESTUDE]

HAS ANYONE HAD THEIR AM RADIO CONVERTED TO FM? WHAT DOES IT ENTAIL, AND WHAT IS THE COST. ALSO, WHO IS A RECOMMENDED VENDOR?[?]

[stude freak]

Yes, there is a business that does it if i can find it i will send it to you. You send them your radio n they use it n upgrade it to modern stuff.Looks original but all new inside.

[gordr]

Here is the website for a guy who does conversions:
As far as I know, the finished radio LOOKS stock. You change from AM to FM and vice versa by switching the radio off and on again.

http://www.taymanelectrical.com

Gord Richmond, within Weasel range of the Alberta Badlands

[Mike]

I hope you will consider restoring the stock radio; and using a portable for FM, CD's, or what ever.
Some of those conversions are simply crap.
I do like these folks:

http://www.wonderbarman.com/

Mike M.

[JDP]

The $400 conversion I had done would drift so bad on FM that I almost could not use it. If I had to do it again, I'd install the hidden stereo system under the seat with the remote control.

Studebaker On The Net http://stude.com
64 GT Hawk
64 R2 4 speed Challenger
63 R2 4 speed GT Hawk
53 Street rod

[BRUCESTUDE]

THANKS FOR THE INPUT GUYS. IT SOUNDS LIKE FOR THE PRICE,(A LOT LESS ACTUALLY) I COULD GET A NICE HIDDEN STEREO AND USE A REMOTE. I HAVE SEEN SPEAKERS THAT FIT INTO THE DASH AND PACKAGE SHELF OPENINGS NICELY.

[N8N]

I have a Sparkomatic (yeah baby) 70s vintage FM converter under the dash of my '62. I also replaced the speaker with a newer speaker with a better cone and bigger magnet. Sounds OK, but it's difficult to listen to the radio in that car anyway with the glasspacks and all.

I will likely be going the hidden stereo route in my '55 coupe once I figure out where to mount the front speakers. I think the head can go under the driver's seat. Haven't decided what to do with the display yet. Maybe hide it in the glovebox, or mount it to a custom panel replacing the speaker grille (but was thinking of making that a gauge panel.) Kick panels would be logical for the front speakers but I don't want to lose the vents. I did find a radio delete plate so I'll be pulling the stock radio out this weekend. Shame, too, looks like it's got a new speaker cone in it, but I would have had to find a DG-250 or stickshift and a starter if I wanted to use it (yes, that actually makes sense if you think about it - car was converted to 12V with a Flightomatic.)

nate

--
55 Commander Starlight
62 Daytona hardtop

http://home.comcast.net/~njnagel

[Mike]

Nate,
Of course 6 V from 12 isn't a big problem. On tube type radios, the positive ground often isn't, either. Get dispensation from whomever replaces the capacitors etc. first; but I've seen old Ford radios work fine with reversed battery.
Mike M.

[Skip Lackie]

I second JDP's comment. There may be "good" FM conversions around, but the one I got cost plenty and drifts so bad on FM that I've gone back to listening to AM in that car. Sometimes complete FM receivers designed for cars show up on ebay. Many were made in Japan in the 1970s by well-known companies like Panasonic, and work well. You do need to add a multi-pole switch if you want to use the same speakers and antenna as the AM unit.
Skip

[Jeff_H]

I rebuilt the tube radio in my '53 and used a solid state vib unit. Those are polarity sensitive unlike the old mech ones. So, I got a neg ground one since I have the car on 12v neg ground. To get the 6v power from 12v I built a switching power supply (I am a EE). The 8 tube '53-'55 stude radios pull about 7-8A at 6.5v. The 6 tube ones are less. Then, I had a couple NOS FM converters I acquired at a auction and used one of those. Its probably vintage late 70s or early 80s. Its a little unit with a fm dial and tuner that I mounted to the bottom of the dash under the stock radio. The antenna cable plugs into it and it then has a antenna cable that plugs into the am radio in place of the antenna wire, so its in-line with the antenna. I think the unit I have is a Kraco. Not exactly the best brand of auto electronics.... Mine tends to drift some too. How these things work is there is a 2 position sw that either passes the antenna signal thru to the am radio or in the fm position it acts like a receiver and takes in the fm, turns it to audio and then modulates it to am and sends it back out to the am radio. You tune the am radio to a dead spot on the dial. So, now both the fm converter and the am radio are drifting.... Actually, its not too bad once everything warms up but from a cold start it takes a few tweaks of both the am and fm stuff. My '53 has so much wind noise, etc that after 50mph or so I can't hear the radio anyway so I don't use it much.

Jeff

'53 Champion Hardtop