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Anyone have a sterio in their Buyeye?

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Ted_Merendino

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Hi Guys,

Has anyone installed a sterio in their Bugeye? I'd like some tunes in the car and I'd like to hear about some of your setups. At this point, I'm thinking about 2 6X9 removable speaker boxes behind the front seats linked to a basic cd player deck mounted somewhere by the dash.

I have heard I should upgrade the generator to an alternator. Does that make sense?

Thanks,
Ted
 
I made a panel that is lockable (glove box lock that hooks to the loop for the spare hold-down strap) behind the seats (an interior boot lid?) and mounted 6 x 9s in that with disconnects for the wires when I want to remove it! I don't have it in the car right now, but it is in the garage ready for whenever! And I have a bit of a theft deterrent for stuff left in the boot too.
 
healeyboz said:
Not really a big fan of tunes over the motor sound.
Click to expand...

In my B, I don't have a radio. I would hate to drown out the music of the twin SU's and the lovely note of the peco exhaust!
 
/bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/iagree.gif That's why what I described above is now sitting in the garage!! /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/grin.gif
 
Ted_Merendino said:
I have heard I should upgrade the generator to an alternator. Does that make sense?
Click to expand...

Does that make sense? No, not to me anyway.

Stereo will only take a very small amount of power, so doesn't need an alt.

Th eonly reason I can think of why someone would suggest that is because (most if not all) modern stereos are neg earth, so if you've changed to alternator you will be neg earth so it's OK.

Solutions are
1) change to neg earth with dynamo
2) mount the stereo so that it does not contact the body or dash (don't forget the stud on the back for steadying the unit is earth as well!)
3)It may be possible to get a unit switched over to be pos earth, but it probably isn't worth the cost or hassle of doing it.
 
Well, I would differ with Johnj, only because current output from a generator (dynamo) does not provide the constant output that an alternator does and provides little to no current at idle. Why are all modern cars equipped with alternators instead of generators? Because they are more efficient than generators! As far installing a radio with a generator, that should not be a big concern though, it will still work! I would suggest you power it off the battery to avoid power drops at idle speeds! The generator will charge the battery! As far as pos. or neg. ground (earth), that is the main concern! There are (were?) radios available that were either pos. ground, or "switchable"! I had an old Motorola in a BE that had a neg. to pos. switch on the back!
 
I have a stereo in my sprite. Once I started getting in the habit of driving to work with the car, the stereo became more and more important. I used a bracket similar to what was posted above, but with a little more cosmetic appeal and placed it right in front of the shifter (tight fit). However, if I ever get around to redoing the interior, I'd use the original midget style center console box and adapt a radio to fit, it's a much better look.

As for speakers, the DPO cut up the rear deck and put two 6x9's in there. These speakers must have been made with recycled newspaper as they sound horrible, but it was a good enough stop gap. The only problem with placing the speakers back there is that the top muffles the sound.
 
I've had a sterio in my bugeye with a gen for yrs without any problems. I have a neg ground system. I had a good woodworking friend make a box that sits on the tranny tunnel and looks nice. I found some self contained Jenson speakers that fit in the space above the wheel arches. I had speakers under the dash that worked really well and improved the sound on the highway, but they restricted the access to the dash and I am not reinstalling them.
 
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