What's inside?

[noKYspider]

Theft is one issue. A while back I had a $100 head unit that got ripped out of my Grand Prix when I worked downtown. The car wasn't in a bad spot, it just was an easy target I suppose. The incident caused $600 in damage to my car because they broke out the window, stole the head unit, and screwed up the inside. One thing I'm trying to avoid is a similar situation here.

Another reason is that the modern radio just doesn't look right in the old console for my tastes. I want to keep the old look and have the best of both worlds I suppose.

All of that and I bought the car to waste my time and money on so playing around to find the "best" location for the radio is fine by me. If I'm not doing something like this project I'll start thinking about stripping the car down and taking out all the old bondo for a repaint sooner rather than later. Unfortunately, neither my wallet nor wife will be happy about that route.

[81SPIDERMATT]

The issue will be switching the receiver source to FM or iPod once I run out of cell coverage.

really... i would think about that.... the blue tooth option should still work between the phone and the radio out of cell coverage.... i think

[noKYspider]

The issue will be switching the receiver source to FM or iPod once I run out of cell coverage.

really... i would think about that.... the blue tooth option should still work between the phone and the radio out of cell coverage.... i think

I'm sure the cell would still link but it won't be able to download any content from pandora or any mobile apps.

[noKYspider]

Tonight I made the plate I was thinking about for the radio to mount above the passenger's footwell. I took a piece of aluminum sheet metal, cut it slightly wider than the box that comes with the radio that it slides into, measured the bends that were needed, riveted the box to the plate, screwed the plate to the bar that runs left to right under the entire side of the dash, and epoxied the plate onto the bottom of the cowling drain pan. Below are some photos I took during the installation. The radio sits at a slightly downward angle so it can slide in and out as needed for installation and removal. The angle was also needed because the bar is slightly lower than the pan so everything worked out great. The radio is out right now while the epoxy cures but I'll get some shots of it soon. Just thought I'd give an update.

[OldBlue]

Good idea. How did it come out? Any more pics?

[noKYspider]

Good idea. How did it come out? Any more pics?

So far the bracket is working well. I'd imagine in a car that was quiet it might rattle but with the radio going and the wind blowing there's no way you could hear rattles. I still need to mount the speakers in the foot wells and wire a constant power source from the battery but otherwise everything is functional. No new photos right now but I'll put some up when everything is finished. Thanks for checking the project out!

[azruss]

from the pix, it looks like you have an early spider. your under cowl location i think would work. you would need to remove the cowling and take a good look at where the wiper motor is to make sure you dont have interference. dont think this is a show stopper. i would put the bolt head up top and the treads underneath. you will need to tar up the bolt head so you dont get a leak. as others have said, that is the drain area for rain in the cowling vent.
I wouldnt go under the seat. that is such a popular area for amps, that is the first place a thief would check. how about under the back seat.

[FiatBen]

You mentioned newer radios not looking right in the older cars. Somewhere online, or maybe TV, I saw something about a place that makes retro-looking radios/stereos that have all the new features. Now that I think about it, probably on one of those car make-over shows on Speed or Discovery. Perhaps too late for you since you've come up with a solution, but maybe someone else will want what you want and can find the link.

[4uall]

this may help
http://www.vintagecarradio.com/

never mind I looked up Fiat and got this There are currently no products in this range

1965-77 only (god damn it!) http://www.retrosoundusa.com/products/category/id/1

[noKYspider]

Those are cool if that's what you're looking for but I didn't want anything digital in my dash at all. For me, going through the extra effort to hide the radio was as much about looks as it was about security (maybe even more so). Aside from not having a constant power source yet and having to reset everything each time I drive the car the custom setup works well for me. That and I enjoy tinkering on the car so this was a fun little project that fit within my skill level.

[FiatBen]

Hey noKYspider, noticed in your sig that you have a '75 Ocean Green Spider. My very first Spider was exactly that. I loved that color. Got any pics posted anywhere on here?

[noKYspider]

Hey noKYspider, noticed in your sig that you have a '75 Ocean Green Spider. My very first Spider was exactly that. I loved that color. Got any pics posted anywhere on here?

Here are the photos of the car. http://www.flickr.com/photos/79353296@N04/

[FiatBen]

Hey noKYspider, noticed in your sig that you have a '75 Ocean Green Spider. My very first Spider was exactly that. I loved that color. Got any pics posted anywhere on here?

Here are the photos of the car. http://www.flickr.com/photos/79353296@N04/

You have a Vega wagon!?! How cool is that??

[noKYspider]

You have a Vega wagon!?! How cool is that??

No, it was at the place I bought the car. It's for sale though.

http://cincinnati.craigslist.org/cto/3235307876.html