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Hi all:

Been tinkering with the Cyclone over the last few months.

Was tired of cruising without any tunes (am radio was not connected).

I located a brand new, 60's vintage FM 8 Track Player/Recorder (yes, recorder), so I installed it to compliment the AM radio since the radio bezel could not be opened up to accept a traditional AM/FM 8 track radio.

http://cubeupload.com/im/sabatona/8track.jpg

After finding a replacement 8 Track belt, the player works perfectly....

I made a special wiring harness (with in line fuse of course) to connect the AM and the FM/8 Track systems to the speakers and power.

I then replaced the dash speaker with a dual speaker, and I added 2 4" round speakers to the front of the console on each side.

I was also able to find a dual antenna Y connector on E Bay so I could connect the 1 radio antenna to both systems.

Everything is now installed and works great, plus although not stock, it is period correct for the vehicle.

While it looks low under the dash, it is not in the way at all for driving...

I am now in the process of refurbishing some 8 track tapes (new felt/foam and new magnetic tape spices) so I can have an assortment of tunes to listen to....

That's different for sure. 8 tracks sucked as far as I'm concerned. Make sure you have a matchbook cover for the fine tuning.

Lip Ripper wrote:Make sure you have a matchbook cover for the fine tuning

I was going recommend the same These are things us old farts know about

See Ya,
Mike

8 tracks are like anything else....you need to understand them to optimize them.

Once the tapes are serviced, and the head on the player is adjusted properly, they produces reasonable sound quality for the period. no matchbook covers required

The dual exhaust from the 390 does sound better than the stereo for sure....

Since I am restoring the Cyclone for show, having a period correct stereo system ads to the interest at shows, especially when it works.

I installed a new retro stereo in my Torino and its coming out....since I disconnect the battery when the car is not in use, the new stereo is a PITA as it looses its settings each time.

A NOS AM/FM 8 Track is going in the torino this winter.

good deal,i bought a 66 caliente,289,4 speed back in the eighties.it had a 8 track player under the dash.it had a waylon jennings tape in it.

I mounted an 8-track player in the glove box of my first 65 Cyclone back about 1971. I made a switch panel that would allow me to switch the stereo channels from front to back, side to side or corner to corner. It was neat to go down the road and play with the switches, making the channels move all around the car, especially with a song like "Here Comes the Sun" by the Beatles. My first experience with surround sound! Of course, the down-side of the 8-track was when a tape would malfunction and you ended up spending an hour pulling a hundred feet of tape out of its innards.
Jim