What You need to know about sounds systems, to keep from smoking them!.

Second most important:
Neve cross phase the POSITIVE & NEGATIVE aka hook them up backwards.

Third most important:
You only get one shot with the wires that hook up to the speakers. They must never touch each other or ground. Not always true! But live by this rule to be on the safe side.

Never power up a radio with naked wires laying around, tape, use wire nuts or connectors but always INSULATE them!

Radios inside a metal building will not pickup stations good. Shielding electronics in metal is called a Fairday Cage IF building has a good ground radio will not pick up any stations.

Be genital but Clean antenna connector with rubber pencil eraser. Keep antenna mast clean of wax and oxidation. clean with Brillow or bright pad.

Never bench test a radio i just sent back to You! Install it in car and make sure all connections are 100% right recheck then hook battery ground back up.

When in dought chicken out! and ask for help.

SPEAKERS: Are the tires of a sound system, done right they will give about five years of use. but are easy to blow, and the sun loves to munch on them.
Disk Jockeys SCREAMING will blow speakers for you!
Over power speakers once and they are DEAD. But UNDER~POWERING blows more speakers. You keep turning up volume to get some punch and distort the amp driving the speaker's voice coil side ways in the gap and bam she's gone taking out the amp with her!
Look for speakers that have a SPL rating of 98 DB or above with ONE WATT of power NOT the 150 watt speakers!
6X9" and 6 1/2" are the best sounding speakers! You may add a 15" for more bottom end. They need to mounted solid. I use MDF board to add support to the rear package tray area.

Use glass or hard surfaces to reflect sound. Small twetters can be silicone glued to in place so as to point right at Your ears as much as possible. Sun visor, windshield, door post, or just about anywhere but be careful the silicone glue will pull paint off metal it works great on chrome & vinal. Most of the time it will rub off with no trace. But be careful and do not damage a classic!

Never belive any thing a salesman tells You!

If you say to YO self I am going to do this an quit STOP IMMEDIATELY! there is hopefully tomorrow or it wont matter any way.

Do not think that you a some kind if genus ALL the good audio stuff was discovered in the late 1800's and early 1900's septing this digital stuff and that's just P.F.M.

If you belive the DSCBEs test reports then you will never know that TUBES are the best sounding amps!

INSTALLING A RADIO WHEN YOU GET HER BACK FROM TONY MAC:

NEVER BENCH TEST RADIO INSTALL IT IN THE CAR!
TO INSTALL: Disconnect battery's ground lead, Take a pencil eraser and gently CLEAN ANTENNA connector's small tip and large barrel. Volume & Tuning shafts use two set of nuts, one to hold shafts to radio and one set to hold radio to dash! Do not let shafts slide back into radio! Only using outside nuts can cause BIG PROBLEMS!!! Hook up ALL wires, Make sure radio is OFF, Reconnect battery's ground lead and turn on Key, and then turn on Radio, Wonder Bar Radios have a tube that controls seek, when they are first turned on and you push the seek button they will move the dial pointer a short distance on dial and stop if you push seek again it will move the same short distance and stop until tube worms up. Raise power antenna and clean mast with isopropyl alcohol let dry and then. The ANTENNA TRIMER control will need to be adjusted to match radio with CAR'S antenna, it will be close but for best reception it has to be done in the car I will mark radio so you know what to adjust gently turn to tighten and back of a few degrees to best spot. To Adjust how many stations seek stops on adjust sensitivity control, the small slide switch in middle of the seek button for proper operation.

AFTER INSTALL: If it is a TUBE unit it will take about 30 seconds to one minute to warm up. If car is in 40žžžž¼ƒ or less temperature let car heater warm up radio before turning on, it is possible for tubes to brake glass from heating up if it is cold enough! If it is a solid state radio you may turn on immediately.

ADDING POWER AMPS:

As large power amps need more amps to run on than it takes to start the car! You will need to add 2 wires [size from 10GA to 00Ga depending on size of amp with FUSES on both wires at the battery! so as they can not touch metal with out going through a fuse!] going to the amp then on to the the radio with a 16GA or larger! These new wires from the battery becomes the power leads for ALL the sound system! Grounds on radio shaft and antenna will need to be insulated from car ground! iPod, CD Players etc should also use these for power IF not using their own battiers. This STAR GROUNDING is BASIC AUDIO 101 it's the way recording studios tie all their grounds together to stop the NOISES caused by GROUND LOOPS! It keeps out as much bad stuff: motor pops, alternator whine, plug wire EMI, CBs, heater blower fizzle, with out the need of filters that help but don't work! When the bass notes start to dime headlights a second battery is going to be need! Power Caps do 1/1,000,000 as much as adding a second battery would and cost twice as much.

Wiper noise with windshield antennas is caused by dirty blades! Dirty blades generate static electricity and that is what cause the noise! Clean blades and windshield with DAWN and put a good blade treatment on them.

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FACTORY CERTIFIED 1958 to 1975 DELCO RADIO SERVICE Crockett Sound Laboratory Tony Mac Crutchfield 729 Hwy 54 South Alamo TN 38001 USA CONTACT

The only Delco Certified Radio Service for:

Signal Seeking Wonder Bar. 1958 to 1975 Buick, Cadillac, Corvette, Chevrolet, GMC, Oldsmobile, Pontiac, Jaguar, Lincoln, Chrysler, Imperial, Avanti, Studebaker, Packard, Willys, Opel, Rekord &, John Deere units.

I work on ALL Delco Radios made before 1985. Including 1953, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1957 Corvettes all though I am not certified on Delco units before 1958 I do claim to be Heir Apparent!

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Offering:

Delco electronic specification radio restorations.
Speaker reconing: Replacing all the soft parts that age using Delco frame.

Show quality bezel cosmetology on most models.

Audiophile modifications:
Line Input to allow the Delco's to play iPods, CDs, Satellite radio, etc, using Delco's volume and tone to control sound.
Line Output to drive massive Watt power amps.
Custom made wiring harness for a near drop in installation of Hot-Rod audio components.
New High-Pro speakers set up to work with any make or model GM car made from 1953 to 1985.

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I do not offer parts or radios for sale, FM conversions, Antenna repair, or give tech advise outside of one of my restoration projects.

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Radios Restored by RSVP appointment only!
As of Jan/24th/2012 there are 33 units on my work list.

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PLEASE! do not send me a radio! Untill I give You shipping authorization.

To reserve a place on my work list please send a RSVP fee check for $25.00 [RSVP fee will be deducted from the basic electronic restoration fee, but not refunded] along with a one page 8.5" X 11" work order:

IF HAND WRITTEN ''PLEASE'' AT LEAST MAKE RETURN SHIPPING ADDRESS & CONTACT INFO ''READEABLE''!

First return shipping address, Your contact info, then info on what radio You will be sending (model # off radio if possible), a brief to the point description of known problems, a statement as to any work You wish to be done outside basic electronic restoration, any items You wish to purchase. Yes or No as to bezel cosmetology. Time Frame: Let me know Your situation, just starting a frame off no big rush. Or First girl friend back home to see Mom 30 years later works.
Give You check time to make it to shop then send an email with Your full name first thing in subject line. Stating that i should have received Your $25.00 RSVP fee and info letter, I will reply and, save that email for further contact. If i do not confirm receipt of Your RSVP or each shipment. Please send another email asking for it.

When i do have You send Your project for work, I will ask that You include a check for the remaing balance for the Basic Electronic Maintenance fee and any other work or items requested + $40.00 for return shipping & handling via UPS Ground with $1,500.00 of value on shipment with signature required in a 12" cube box 11 pounds or less.

Track Your unit with UPS's online tracking system, ''AFTER!'' it is delivered to shop email me to confirm that i have received Your project.

Historically October and, November is when most of my work orders come in, 60~80% at this time! Often taking till Feburay or later to work all of those off. Then after the spring Barrett-Jackson AZ auction and, Daytona 500. IF You wait till March to get on my work list, You may not receive You project back untill August or later. So IF You hope to have Your project finished by spring You need to be on my work list by early November. Because after having my head stuck in radios all winter come spring i am ready to get outside to watch the wind blow and, grass grow! Myself.

My electronic service skills come from going on my first TV service call with my Dad at the age of eight. Certified and, trained by RCA & Motorola on there audio products at 13, Delco in 1967 at the age of 14. Working with the top recording studio builders and, live touring sound companies in the world with 43+ years of on the job traning in electronic sound system service! AND, I still learn on every unit i work on!
P/S: I did not get Zenith's certification back in the day because they all ready had a TV tech in the area BUT i did do his audio work!

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West Tennessee Music Samplour
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In 1967 just as i turned 14 I was the only one Delco found in a nation wide search through all the schools looking for "young ones" to train as there upcoming radio techs! The next man on the list was 55. A few years later Dr. M.R. Bose was certified.
I was told by the time i was 50. GM expected a 1955 Corvette to be worth $20,000.00 and they wanted to make sure there would be factory trained techs to take care of there radios!