FE 1956 - Help required!!!

[kelzastar]

Hello,

I'm new here, so I hope I'm posting this in the correct section.

My better half has a 1956 FE and has mentioned on a number of occasions that he would like to put a CD player (or FM stero at the least) in to the car. He does not want to alter the interior and has mentioned having it put under the seat or in the glovebox. My question is could I purchase any stereo to be hooked up or being that its old does it need something specific? It currently has an old pump radio (I think thats what its called) inside and thats it.

I was looking at something like this: http://www.supercheapauto.com.au/online-store/products/Kenwood-USB-MP3-CD-Player-KDC-U346.aspx?pid=220862#details  but to be honest I have no idea what I need to buy!!

Can anyone offer any advice or suggestions?
Your help would be much appreciated. Thanks in advance

[Glenn 'Stinky' Stankevicius]

Any modern (or old) radio/CD will work in an FC, under the seat will make it hard to reach not to mention the challenge of changing a CD whilst driving  .
If you fit it in the glovebox, you may need to cut the back out of it so that the stereo fits in and you can run cables. Another alternative is to use some bracketry to hang it under the dash, but that puts it in plain sight.

[kelzastar]

Thanks so much for your help. You mentioned any CD player would work in a FC, would this be the same for a FE?

I did think about the whole changing cd problem, I think with most of the cd players these days you can connect an ipod so he could sit that on the seat next to him. At any rate I'm sure he could come up with a creative way to make it happen.

[fe-ambo]

I put a cd player in each of the old cars in the glovebox and speakers under the dash. When the vehicle is on show I keep the glovebox shut and it all looks original.

The cd player you showed would be fine in your FE. Its not a high quality cd player but quite suitable for the average person. I actually put one the same in my car.
It has MP3 player in it which is great. You can record hours and hours of music on each cd so the need to change cds isnt an issue.
It has a remote control, by having this it makes it easier to adjust the volume or change songs without having to lean across the car whilst driving.
It has front access to ipod connectins and memory sticks which is a good feature.

Cheers
Paul

[Glenn 'Stinky' Stankevicius]

Thanks so much for your help. You mentioned any CD player would work in a FC, would this be the same for a FE?

Yes, FE/FC will work, they all operate on 12 volts of power.

[kelzastar]

Thank you all so much for your help.

I might have to tell my partner about this forum (after his birthday). After looking around I think this is the place to gain valuable advice regarding his FE. I know he is wanting to get a whole heap of work done on it and you guys sound like you could be able to point him in the right direction!

[CraigA]

I used an amplifier under the drivers seat and just had a plug for an iPod coming out onto the front seat next to the driver. When I wasn't using the iPod I just tucked the cable away.

Completely invisible when you wanted it to be and simple installation.

Your biggest problem will be speakers. There's not a lot of room in an FE/FC for them so I used box type units and had them mounted under the front seat, facing towards the rear seat. Sound was still ok and sort of hidden away.

The alternative is to replace the standard grille speaker with a later model one. A 6" x 9" unit should bolt straight in but the downside is that you only have one speaker.

[jack_fc]

Mine is mounted well back under the dash - driver cant change cd while driving, but can operate most other functions easily by a remote. Some minor ingenuity is needed to fabricate brackets for player - not real difficult!
There are many relatively cheap cd players sold with a remote.
Player cant be seen from front seat or outside; can just be seen if you sit in the back seat.
6 x 9 speakers on rear parcel shelf (if you're handy, you can mount them under the shelf without disturbing the fabric - totally invisible) and small (4"?) speakers mounted behind the original front speaker grille.
Hope this helps

cheers, jack

[snuff69]

I have my CD player in the glove box and 4" box speakers mounted up under the dash, and I ran some wires under the floor covering and under the back seat and I have some good quality 6" speakers in boxes I just sit on the rear floor for cruising and I just take them out and pop the wires under the back seat and it is all invisable. I've got a stick on internal arial under the glove box, so radio reception is not great but not too bad   Dave

[RET]

It's pretty trivial to make up a plate that fits the 6"x9" mounting holes of the original speaker that you can fit a pair of 4"x4" speakers to. I've got this arrangement in my modified FE (with some 6"x9"s mounted in the rear parcel-shelf as well).

Having said that, you mentioned that your partner's car has a valve radio already, and if this works you probably don't want to mess with it. The original speakers had a different ohm rating, you can't just wire a valve radio up to a set of modern speakers. If the old radio is just for show and doesn't actually work, then the original speaker is no real use to you either for the same reason. Don't throw it away though if it's in good order.

In my stock FE, I had my valve radio modified slightly, so it has a 3mm mono microphone jack hidden in it. This allows me to plug my iPod into the radio with a 3mm stereo to 3mm mono cable, and have it play through the original speaker, using the radio's internal amplifier. It's pretty cool.

If I get a chance over the weekend I'll take a couple of pics of both set-ups.

cheers
RET