72 K20 radio selection

[slocityk20]

I know there are a plethora of posts about radio questions. But i want some hard cold facts on what you guys think. I have a 72 K20 that has absolutely nothing for a radio. No wiring, no radio, no speakers, no cut dash.

Question at hand is, should i try and get an original radio? If i send it to Gary does he send a wiring harness with it? If i find a radio that doesn't "work" can Gary make it work as part of his conversion? What mounting brackets do i need for the truck? What has been your guys luck with retro sound vs custom auto sound? I do not have a fuel tank behind the seat anymore so my thought process was to build a box and put the speakers all behind the seat in a box so i don't have to cut door panels. What do you think? Anyone done that? Pictures?


Im new here guys but have been researching a lot about stereos and I have a blank slate to work with so I want to make the right decision. This is my first classic and I want to start off making good choices for the build. I have searched the forum and have seen and read plenty of posts just looking for some hard facts.

I really appreciate everyone on this forum and the wisdom you shed down on the younger crowd who want to keep the hot rod life alive!

[darrellyates]

Well, first of all, I certainly do not qualify as a "younger" guy...

I used a Retrosound radio, because I wanted it to look close to stock but be able to play music from my I Phone. True, a converted "stock" radio would do this as well; but the Retrosound actually cost less money.

I made a sub box for a 12 inch shallow mount Pioneer sub. I used the gas tank as a pattern, and used the top and bottom bolt holes to mount the sub. There is actually room for 2 subs, using the recommended cubic foot (converted to cubic inches) size for each sub, but the wife kind of put her foot down on the amount of bass. I used 2 12 inch subs in my son's regular cab GMC (2003) and she thought there was way too much bass, so I only put one in the '68. I cut MDF into curves to duplicate the rest of the curve inside of the cab, covered that with thin metal to complete the curve. I finished sealing off the corners with more MDF, and mounted 5 1/2 inch coaxial speakers in there to add a little "fill" sound behind the seats. I used 6 1/2 coaxial speakers up front (I prefer the crisper sound of 2-way speakers, just personal preference) for the main speakers. I used Polyfill in the sub box after sealing all the seams, and then used a single 5 channel NVX amplifier.

Sounds plenty good for an old man (mostly classic rock, Styx, Kansas, Boston, but some newer stuff and some heavy metal too...).

Will try to post some pictures, my jpeg files are pretty big, may have to reply a couple of times.

Best of luck. Just take you time, have a plan, and follow it. In the audio section here, you will find lots of posts that I am sure have better sound than mine does.

[darrellyates]

And finished...

If you want a better picture of the actual sub box now that's it's finished and installed, I can lower it on the lift and take one. I did cover it with carpet to match the floor, and you really don't even notice it. Seats go all the way back, and I put the sub behind the driver seat (on purpose). I didn't really want it visible, and you have to put it pretty low in the box, to keep the front flat.

So, you really don't see it, just hear it, and then feel it when you crank it up. Since the wife doesn't like the "feel it" part, I put it behind the driver seat only.

Again, best of luck!

[D.PASSMORE]

You can still find NOS shaft style cassette radio decks on EBay. You can set them up to play from your phone with assorted small add on equipment. Also, a lot of Amps and speakers on EBay too. If your gas tank is still in cab, there is a few companies or members that sell speaker corners mounts for the rears and you can find the front speaker kick panels enclosures rather easy. This is a lot better than sticking them in your doors. You can mount the amps under the seat, just make sure the air can run across the top and bottom to keep it on the cool side. Also, these cabs have atrocious noise, so ensure you have a good sound barrier to get the most out of your system.

[slocityk20]

Thank you guys so much for your responses ! Keep them coming! Darrell if you could post a picture of the thing actually constructed and in place that would be great!

[darrellyates]

Originally Posted by slocityk20

Thank you guys so much for your responses ! Keep them coming! Darrell if you could post a picture of the thing actually constructed and in place that would be great!

OK... I want you to know, I backed my NEW GMC out in the rain to get these pictures for you today.... :-)

There isn't a lot of room in the truck to make pictures, maybe you can see how it looks/how I did it.

Again, best of luck...

[darrellyates]

Originally Posted by slocityk20

Thank you guys so much for your responses ! Keep them coming! Darrell if you could post a picture of the thing actually constructed and in place that would be great!

Last point... As you can see, I did line the entire truck, from firewall to where the inside wall around the rear window, with dynamat. Well, actually, the NVX equivalent. I put all the wires under another layer of this, used like tape to both insulate it and more importantly, to hold it in place. Then the carpet was glued to this underlayment.

Front speakers are in the normal, off the shelf kick panels with the pre-formed holes for speakers. So, nothing special there. I've seen more attractive custom kick panels, and custom door panels, but I didn't want to mount speakers in the doors, as I really didn't want to deal with the speaker wires. I know, there are ways around that, but I'm basically cheap.

Lastly, the Retrosound unit is actually pretty small. Much smaller than the factory radio, and with the Vintage Air, there isn't a lot of room under dash. I also mounted the computers for the LS under the dash, so it's getting pretty busy under there. I did raise the aftermarket console 5 inches, and put the amp under it. It's open in the front and back for air flow, and I've driven it pretty hard without overheating.

Again, best of luck with whatever you do.

[slocityk20]

I greatly appreciate you taking time to help me out. When you bought the retro sound stereo it came with all the mounting hardware and wiring harness you needed?

[darrellyates]

Originally Posted by slocityk20

I greatly appreciate you taking time to help me out. When you bought the retro sound stereo it came with all the mounting hardware and wiring harness you needed?

yes. It comes with a plug in the back of the radio. You can wire that up directly with speakers, and so forth. Very straight forward. I used the RCA outlets rather than the speaker "wires" and ran those to the amplifier. Again, wiring is very straight forward. There is a "hot" wire for the amp, or any remote turn-on. Works for the amp, a power antenna, anything you want to hook up to it.

You have to pick your face plate, and knobs when you order the radio. There is a chrome outer faceplate you can use, or not. I didn't use it on mine, as I have the factory holes for the shaft. I've seen it both ways. There are decals to put on the faceplate that look very stock, and then there are LED's inside when you turn the unit on.

Again, I like it. Others will undoubtedly have other opinions. I have read reviews from the custom auto sound that are not favorable. I cannot speak to that, as I've only used the Retro Sound unit.

My only real thing I'm disappointed with is the lack of a remote control. I got spoiled by the remote on the Pioneer head unit I've used in other vehicles, and sort of miss that feature. However, I do like the two-shaft look, and am content with the sound.

Best of luck!

[HO455]

I had Gary convert the AM radio in my Burban. He uses the Aurora conversion. You can look them up as well as Gary's site for more information. I got the AM/FM/USB set up but no Bluetooth. It has worked out well. I have two 3x6 speakers in the stock dash location and two 6x9's in the doors.
A couple of side notes. If your short of space under the dash an aftermarket radio will free up some space. And using analog buttons for selecting stations on a digital tuner works but it is not as accurate as an all digital radio.
Link to my installation scroll down about half way
http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...698377&page=12

[slocityk20]

HO455 When you ordered your radio from Gary and you got it back, does it come with the wiring for the radio? Also can either of you show me how the actual radio mounts into the spot in the dash? Are there rails?

Any more information and pictures would be great!

[HO455]

It came with a harness similar to what you would get with any aftermarket radio. (Last photo) I had to lengthen the wires to the door speakers.
I'm not sure about rails but the factory radio is held in place with a bracket on the rear to a tab under the dash. ( photo 1). The front is secured by cups (photo 2) that center the control shafts in the dash cutouts. (Photo 3) Mine looks different as the dash was hacked out for a newer radio so I made an adapter plate.
I hope this helps.