8-track players and FM radios...

[tutone63]

When I bought my Lark, the previous owner had installed a rinky-dink CD player/radio combo under dash. The thing barely plays CDs and it is only really good for the FM radio. I had been contemplating 'upgrading' the sound system for a while now, but I cannot get over the look of a modern CD player under dash in a car from the early 60's, so I had avoided it.

THen, about a year ago, I came across an old 8-track player from the late 60's. I have always been a fan of those 8-tracks, and in my opinion, 90 percent of the music that is worth a dime came out either before or during thier popularity, and since I have an 8-track player at home and a mountian of cartridges, I picked it up with the intent of insalling it. But there was one problem: I really like having FM radio in my car, because I listen to certain shows on my drives. I have avoided installing it for that reason, until I could find a solution that allowed me to install an 8-track player and still allow me an FM radio without installing two systems or cutting up the dash face. Then this morning while rummaging through a second had box of 8-tracks that a guy gave me over two years ago, I found this:



It is an 8-track cartridge FM tuner. I didn't even realize something like this existed! I tried it out on my home Stereo 8 and it worked great! I thought some of the guys here might get a kick out of it. Now my problem is solved, my Lark is going to have a 'new' 8-track player installed! (I just hope the thing works as good in an automobile as well as it does at home!) Neato!

[Orestudeguy]

Hi, I remember those!! I too, still have a huge collection of four & eight track tapes. I also still have my Muntz 4 & 8 track tape deck
stored in it's original box that one of these days will find a home in one of my Studes, or maybe even my "56 Chevy.

[doug]

My Corvette has the 8-track player I installed in the sixties. The car hasn't seen daylight for 25 years and the 8-track will probably be the first thing to go.

[showbizkid]

Hey, those Muntz decks are pretty cool stuff! Impossible to find 4-track tapes these days, though, but still a cool piece.

I have a very nice late '70s Motorola 8-track deck with Dolby and key-off eject that I plan to install one of these days. It'll probably go in my LeMans rather than the Lark, though.

[Orestudeguy]

Hi Clark,
I bought the Muntz new oh so many years ago and never really wanted to get rid of it.
So now it's awaiting it's place under the dash of one of my rides. More of a "nostalgia thing" than anything else, but I'll wire up some speakers
and use it now and then.

[raoul5788]

Are the four track units mono?

[sweetolbob]

This discussion certainly brings back a lot of memories of the past. The tape whine getting louder and louder and the music gets worse and worse as the tape wears. And, of course, the best of all, the music fluttering to a stop as the tape winds around the drive capstan. Just glad the good-old-days are sometimes the good old days.

Kinda hard to beat the 2 gigs of converted vinyl and tape music on the USB stick that goes into my new in-dash Sony in the Avanti.

Bob

[DEEPNHOCK]

It's like magic...

I fell in love with the cassette adapters that you could plug into a laptop to get the audio from the laptop to go through the car stereo speakers.
Made it wonderful to watch DVD's on a trip
(except for the driver 'not' watching part)
Now, that magic is 'old hat' and 'passe`...
Jeff

[Jeff T.]

oh gosh... high school flashback. Led Zepplin and other 70s rock on 8 track. Somewhere I have my old 8tracks stored at my parents place. Eagles greatest hits anyone

Jeff T.

[tutone63]

My wife and brother in law have been trying to get me to upgrade to a usb stick, or at least an IPOD-type device...but I am having a hard time doing it. when I walk into my home, I am literally surrounded by music that I have spent over 20 years amassing, from 78 records, 45's 33's, cassettes, 8-tracks and CD's. I have a huge library, and while it would be nice to condence them all into a smaller format, part of the reason I enjoy them is the ambiance of the sound, and the experience of playing them. Plus, I am a "out of sight, out of mind" guy. Even if I did spend all the time to download all of my music into a digital format (and don't get me wrong, I should do it for posterity purposes) I would not think to play them, or I would have to search for a song in the computer, and I would forget what I even had downloaded on the thing, when right now I can look at my crates of records, cassetts, cds and 8-tracks, see all of the titles before me, and just grab and play. Maybe someday I will give into the digital age...but not today

[aarrggh]

I have an oldie radio for my Stude, It`s not a tape player though . . .

[sweetolbob]

My wife and brother in law have been trying to get me to upgrade to a usb stick, or at least an IPOD-type device...but I am having a hard time doing it. when I walk into my home, I am literally surrounded by music that I have spent over 20 years amassing, from 78 records, 45's 33's, cassettes, 8-tracks and CD's. I have a huge library, and while it would be nice to condence them all into a smaller format, part of the reason I enjoy them is the ambiance of the sound, and the experience of playing them. Plus, I am a "out of sight, out of mind" guy. Even if I did spend all the time to download all of my music into a digital format (and don't get me wrong, I should do it for posterity purposes) I would not think to play them, or I would have to search for a song in the computer, and I would forget what I even had downloaded on the thing, when right now I can look at my crates of records, cassetts, cds and 8-tracks, see all of the titles before me, and just grab and play. Maybe someday I will give into the digital age...but not today

Tutone

I can't argue with the ambiance of playing albums and early tapes, some of mine go back to 50's folk music and rock and roll, the sounds of my youth. But the winters in Michigan gave me time and the computer folks gave me the software to convert them to a digital format (MP3) which stores easily and can be played in my vehicles. Kinda hard to play the original formats in the Avanti. The USB stick lets me take it all with me on the road and I relive my youth to the sounds of the stereo and the short glass packs on the Avanti.

The radio just shows music by album, artist or any other option I choose. I won't go back in the car although I do play vinyl in my house.

Not trying to push but just suggest that there is a whole new world of music enjoyment available. The new stereo will also handle an Ipod and show it's contents if you would rather it than a USB stick. I use both.

For the record, Sony cdx-gt55uiw $105 at Walmart. Sounds a lot better than the price.

Wishing you into future eventually.

Bob

[rbruner]

I had one of those FM converters in an in-dash unit in a 65 Mustang. There should be an antenna connection on the side of your converter. There was a long skinny wire that plugged into it & then split off to the antenna.

[tutone63]

Tutone


Wishing you into future eventually.

Bob

...Yeah...the future...my wife calls it "catch up with the present," I guess that could be considered the future for me! Thanks for the info!

[65cruiser]

My 65 Cruiser had an "Archer" (read that Radio Shack) FM converter mounted under the dash that tied into the Stude AM radio. It was relatively unobtrusive and worked really well.