• Sign Up! To view all forums and unlock additional cool features

    Welcome to the #1 Dodge, Jeep and RAM Forum dedicated to FCA owners and enthusiasts. Register for an account, it's free and it's easy, so don't hesitate to join the SRT Forum today!


Who here remember outfitting your car with aftermarket audio

Purerock105

1000 Posts Club
Member ID
#1718
Messages
1,160
Reactions
2,456
Likes
162
City
Reno
State
NV
Country
United States
Vehicle
16' Corvette Z06, 17' Shelby GT350, 17' Raptor
#1
...that was almost as equally important to any functional drivetrain mod?

I lived in Charlottesville Va in the 80's. Home of Crutchfield Electronics. Their mail order catalog was a thing, but back then, they still had a showroom/store. Needless to say, I dropped lots I cash with them.

In dash cassette decks. Clarion, Pioneer, Alpine, Blaujunk😂. I remember getting one of the first in dash CD players from Sony. CDX-R77 around 1989.
maxresdefault.jpg
I had Kicker and SAS Bazookas. 500watt amps. All that non-sense.

Good times. 🍻🇺🇸😂
 


Stormtrooper1320

Poster Club Hall of Fame
Founding Member
U.S. Marine Veteran
Member ID
#1068
Messages
10,407
Reactions
34,574
Likes
352
City
Bran
State
Non-US
Country
Romania
Vehicle
Panzerkampfwagen 150
#2
...that was almost as equally important to any functional drivetrain mod?

I lived in Charlottesville Va in the 80's. Home of Crutchfield Electronics. Their mail order catalog was a thing, but back then, they still had a showroom/store. Needless to say, I dropped lots I cash with them.

In dash cassette decks. Clarion, Pioneer, Alpine, Blaujunk😂. I remember getting one of the first in dash CD players from Sony. CDX-R77 around 1989.
View attachment 11552
I had Kicker and SAS Bazookas. 500watt amps. All that non-sense.

Good times. 🍻🇺🇸😂
Oh man.....I had an awesome Pioneer indash am/fm cassette deck in my '74 Cuda.....WITH....auto-reverse. Yeah...that's right....auto-reverse. No flipping over the tape for me. I also added one of those cool underdash amplifier/equalizer combo units for more power....and then these awesome Clarion 6x9 rear deck speakers. So between working around military jets and helicopters, blasting tunes, and working on loud cars, I was living large in the 80's.....and 90's......and well.....you get the idea.
I also shopped a bit from that Crutchfield catalog over the years. The last stereo pieces that i bought from them were to replace the factory stereo in a 2001 ram 2500 I used to own. I never put the stereo in the truck, and the pieces are still sitting new in the box in my garage.
I know the Alpine stereo in my Challenger isn't the best one out there, but it sure sounds a helluva lot better than what used to come in cars. So, for me, it's pretty good, and I don't see a reason to change it.
Maybe someday I'll find a use for the other stuff in the boxes......maybe.
 


tkracing1

3000 Posts Club
Founding Member
Donating Member
Member ID
#970
Messages
3,125
Reactions
16,371
Likes
252
City
Bay Area
State
CA
Country
United States
Vehicle
2017 challenger
#3
I installed a few of these back in the day... building boxes for Rockford Fosgate subs. Screen Shot 2020-02-01 at 7.18.00 AM.png Screen Shot 2020-02-01 at 7.22.37 AM.png
 


DGatzby

6000 Posts Club
Founding Member
Premium Account
U.S. Air Force Veteran
Donating Member
HFCOTM & HFCOTY
Member ID
#797
Messages
6,693
Reactions
42,593
Likes
402
City
SW Twin Cities
State
MN
Country
United States
Vehicle
2019 Dodge Challenger Redeye WB
#4

Stormtrooper1320

Poster Club Hall of Fame
Founding Member
U.S. Marine Veteran
Member ID
#1068
Messages
10,407
Reactions
34,574
Likes
352
City
Bran
State
Non-US
Country
Romania
Vehicle
Panzerkampfwagen 150
#5
I installed a few of these back in the day... building boxes for Rockford Fosgate subs. View attachment 11556 View attachment 11558
Whoa...a tape deck with DBX noise reduction. You didn't find many of those. For whatever reason it never caught on. Maybe because the units that had it were pricier. My home tape deck (a Yamaha that I bought on a deployment to Japan) has DBX and the others. It's an awesome tape deck that I only ever used for recording tapes when cd's first came out. Once you could get an in car cd player, I don't think I ever used it again. It's packed away in it's box for years.
 


Jack_Toepfer

3000 Posts Club
Founding Member
Premium Account
Donating Member
Member ID
#966
Messages
3,294
Reactions
6,589
Likes
252
City
Buffalo
State
NY
Country
United States
Vehicle
2016 Dodge Charger Triple Black
#6
I used to install systems in my HS parking lot. Making custom sub enclosures out of my garage. It was nice when BestBuy rolled into town because of their warranty... could blow up an Xplod sub every week, they didn’t care. Now, granted, that’s not what I was doing, but there were times I got some bad subs and they didn’t flinch.
 


OP
Purerock105

Purerock105

1000 Posts Club
Member ID
#1718
Messages
1,160
Reactions
2,456
Likes
162
City
Reno
State
NV
Country
United States
Vehicle
16' Corvette Z06, 17' Shelby GT350, 17' Raptor
Thread Starter #7
Installing was sooooo much easier back in those days too. Speakers and amps especially. Maybe some minor fabricating to get the decks in there. I remember Crutchfield offering the 'kit' for any deck they sold, to fit virtually any vehicle.
 


MiHiHemi

500 Posts Club
Founding Member
Member ID
#1016
Messages
805
Reactions
2,425
Likes
132
City
Parker
State
CO
Country
United States
Vehicle
2015 Challenger SRT 426
#8
This thread sure brings back some memories. I was so proud of my first new Pioneer cassette player and 6x9’s in the back of my ’66 Impala SS :) Pink Floyd sure sounded good.
 


Blkout

500 Posts Club
Founding Member
Donating Member
Member ID
#1095
Messages
852
Reactions
1,380
Likes
132
City
Warner Robins
State
GA
Country
United States
Vehicle
2016 Challenger Hellcat
#9
I'm not unhappy with the factory HK system in the Challenger however it sucks not being to play CDs or lossless files like FLAC. MP3s are just too lossy for any serious audio enthusiast.
 


Last edited:

BULL

Oh NO! Not that guy!
Staff Team
Founding Member
U.S. Marine Veteran
Donating Member
HFCOTM
Wiki Contributor
Member ID
#1079
Messages
14,585
Reactions
44,735
Likes
402
City
Weld County
State
CO
Country
United States
Vehicle
MY16 M6 Challenger Hellcat
HFCOTM
View Images
#10
My buddy in H.S. was forever getting some new unit and/or speakers and would slap it up under the dash of his then new used car. They ALWAYS sounded like crap, WHEN they worked, which was less than most of the time. He'd crank it up and the speakers would rattle more than they would make music.

Then we'd go cruisin', floor all 7 cylinders of the V8, making at least 100hp, getting 10mpg if we were lucky, smoke pouring out of the tailpipe.


What were we talking about?
 


OP
Purerock105

Purerock105

1000 Posts Club
Member ID
#1718
Messages
1,160
Reactions
2,456
Likes
162
City
Reno
State
NV
Country
United States
Vehicle
16' Corvette Z06, 17' Shelby GT350, 17' Raptor
Thread Starter #11
I knew those guys too Bull. 😂

Distortion much? Blown fuses. Etc etc.
 


BULL

Oh NO! Not that guy!
Staff Team
Founding Member
U.S. Marine Veteran
Donating Member
HFCOTM
Wiki Contributor
Member ID
#1079
Messages
14,585
Reactions
44,735
Likes
402
City
Weld County
State
CO
Country
United States
Vehicle
MY16 M6 Challenger Hellcat
HFCOTM
View Images
#12
I knew those guys too Bull. 😂

Distortion much? Blown fuses. Etc etc.


Rat nest of wires with electrical tape generally, but not really, holding the wires together...
 


OP
Purerock105

Purerock105

1000 Posts Club
Member ID
#1718
Messages
1,160
Reactions
2,456
Likes
162
City
Reno
State
NV
Country
United States
Vehicle
16' Corvette Z06, 17' Shelby GT350, 17' Raptor
Thread Starter #13
What did y'all use as your music reference to test your car audio system. I used Steely Dan "Aja" and Rush "Moving Pictures". Production on those albums was first rate. You could really isolate the instrumentation.
 


fubar569

1000 Posts Club
Founding Member
9 Second Best E/T
Member ID
#1073
Messages
1,145
Reactions
1,622
Likes
162
City
Bradford
State
PA
Country
United States
Vehicle
2018 Charger Hellcat
#14
Once upon a time I settled a bet among my circle at the time of who had the loudest stereo.

I had a 1997 Deville with an empty trunk and sonic electronix had a B1G1 on Kicker Comp 15's.

4 of those. A 10cuft. Box. A Directed 1100d. wired 1ohm.

I won. The end.

Before that...2 JL 12W0 with a kicker ZR360 in the hatch of a 1984 vette...and 2 JL 10W3 with same ZR360 in the hatch of my Talon TSi AWD.

Now? A lowly JL acs110lg-tw1 under the trunk flow of the charger :(
 


fubar569

1000 Posts Club
Founding Member
9 Second Best E/T
Member ID
#1073
Messages
1,145
Reactions
1,622
Likes
162
City
Bradford
State
PA
Country
United States
Vehicle
2018 Charger Hellcat
#15
I'm not unhappy with the factory HK system in the Challenger however it sucks not being to play CDs or lossless files like FLAC. MP3s are just too lossy for any serious audio enthusiast.
I play FLAC in my 18...
 


jroyk

Poster Club Hall of Fame
Founding Member
Premium Account
Donating Member
HFCOTM
Member ID
#975
Messages
12,018
Reactions
64,373
Likes
402
City
Sketchy
State
MI
Country
United States
Vehicle
2016 Challenger Hellcat M6
#16
In the late ‘60s, us average Joe’s usually installed 8-track Craig units under the dash with Craig or Jensen co-ax speakers on the rear deck. Rich kids had Lear Jet tape decks.
 


Hickster

4000 Posts Club
Founding Member
HFCOTM
Member ID
#781
Messages
4,892
Reactions
6,292
Likes
302
City
Seminole
State
FL
Country
United States
Vehicle
2018 Hellcat Challenger
#17
Well hail that 8 track I wood speak of but so much rolling smoke coming out of the winders//// Couldn't sea in or out. I think I can still hear it playing. That 1 tape played for years. Till all the pot ran out,, or did it?? Between the pot, homey grown and Evan Williams, we didn't care what it sounded like. Could have been bro Edgar and whitey sister Johnny Winters.
 


Blkout

500 Posts Club
Founding Member
Donating Member
Member ID
#1095
Messages
852
Reactions
1,380
Likes
132
City
Warner Robins
State
GA
Country
United States
Vehicle
2016 Challenger Hellcat
#18
I play FLAC in my 18...
Good to know, won't work in my 16. Been thinking about upgrading the head unit to a 18+.
 


jroyk

Poster Club Hall of Fame
Founding Member
Premium Account
Donating Member
HFCOTM
Member ID
#975
Messages
12,018
Reactions
64,373
Likes
402
City
Sketchy
State
MI
Country
United States
Vehicle
2016 Challenger Hellcat M6
#19
Well hail that 8 track I wood speak of but so much rolling smoke coming out of the winders//// Couldn't sea in or out. I think I can still hear it playing. That 1 tape played for years. Till all the pot ran out,, or did it?? Between the pot, homey grown and Evan Williams, we didn't care what it sounded like. Could have been bro Edgar and whitey sister Johnny Winters.
That “rolling smoke” made those 8-tracks sound like high-end stereo. (No pun intended).
“Johnny Winter And Live“ and “Get Yer Ya-Ya’s Out” got a lot of play in my ride.
 


Stormtrooper1320

Poster Club Hall of Fame
Founding Member
U.S. Marine Veteran
Member ID
#1068
Messages
10,407
Reactions
34,574
Likes
352
City
Bran
State
Non-US
Country
Romania
Vehicle
Panzerkampfwagen 150
#20
In the late ‘60s, us average Joe’s usually installed 8-track Craig units under the dash with Craig or Jensen co-ax speakers on the rear deck. Rich kids had Lear Jet tape decks.
We had some sort of under dash 8 track unit in my parents '70 Road Runner. I don't remember the brand but it sure seemed fancier than the factory am radio.
 




Top