Stereo in Older Volvo's

  • Thread starter Thread starter Mwveenhu
  • Start date Start date
M

Mwveenhu

I have a 1980 240 DL and I was looking around to buy a receiver for it
with maybe a tape deck, but I searched ebay and google/froogle and
found nothing at all. Are they fairly reliable and just hard to find
or did they all die out early? Anyone know of one I could purchase?
 
Mwveenhu said:
I have a 1980 240 DL and I was looking around to buy a receiver for it
with maybe a tape deck, but I searched ebay and google/froogle and
found nothing at all. Are they fairly reliable and just hard to find
or did they all die out early? Anyone know of one I could purchase?
Click to expand...

Have you tried calling Crutchfield at 888-955-6000 ? They probably know
more about what fits what than any other company around.

John
 
Look out for radio/tape players of the following types which are original
fit for 240s. CR-4020, CR-4021, CR-4023, CR-4024, CR-4050, CR-4051 and
CR-4053. The last three feature an AVI decoder for German traffic
information.

All the best, Peter.

700/900/90 Register Keeper,
Volvo Owners Club (UK).
 
Peter said:
Look out for radio/tape players of the following types which are original
fit for 240s. CR-4020, CR-4021, CR-4023, CR-4024, CR-4050, CR-4051 and
CR-4053. The last three feature an AVI decoder for German traffic
information.

All the best, Peter.

700/900/90 Register Keeper,
Volvo Owners Club (UK).
Click to expand...


Those OEM units are pretty medicre. When I was looking for a
replacement
for the failing OEM unit in our 240, I used Crutchfield.com, because
they provide
a wiring adapter (which you still have to splice on yourself). I was
looking
for units that weren't made in China or Malaysia, because of the awful
working
and environmental conditions there. I found two models: one from an
established
European brand (Kenwood?) that was made in Indonesia (iffy, for me) that
looked
right at home in a 240, and a Sony "Explod" AM/FM /Cassette / XM-ready
unit that was
made in Thailand. That one is a bit garish, but Thailand has actual
unions, and
it works just fine, even with the OEM speakers. It even has a remote
control, for
some reason...


--







http://freevision.org/michael/index.html
 
I would avoid the OEM equipment.

I have used Clarion decks to good effect, usually with Infinity
speakers.

A good stereo shop can easily provide you with whatever hardware and
odd bits you may need to DIY: it ain't rocket science.
 
Mwveenhu said:
I have a 1980 240 DL and I was looking around to buy a receiver for it
with maybe a tape deck, but I searched ebay and google/froogle and
found nothing at all. Are they fairly reliable and just hard to find
or did they all die out early? Anyone know of one I could purchase?
Click to expand...


The original ones were junk, most of them are probably in the landfill
now. Aftermarket units are readily available which are far superior,
mounting kits are made for both the lower and upper dash position.
 
Both Sony and Kenwood are Japanese brands. The Kenwood you are thinking of
makes dishwashers and kitchen electronic equipment. For what most people
want and need OEM is plenty good enough. Later 200s, 700s and 900/90s all
use Alpine audio equipment, Alpine being one of the European respected
names.

All the best, Peter.

700/900/90 Register Keeper,
Volvo Owners Club (UK).
 
Peter said:
Both Sony and Kenwood are Japanese brands. The Kenwood you are thinking of
makes dishwashers and kitchen electronic equipment. For what most people
want and need OEM is plenty good enough. Later 200s, 700s and 900/90s all
use Alpine audio equipment, Alpine being one of the European respected
names.

All the best, Peter.

700/900/90 Register Keeper,
Volvo Owners Club (UK).
Click to expand...

You miss the point. The OEM stereos may have been adequate when new,
but they don't wear well, so any used ones are likely to be junk, and
if you're going to buy a new stereo, the Japanese brands have more
features and, for brands like Sony at least, longer lifespans. The
only conceivable reason to buy an OEM model is if you want a box-stock
240.




--







http://freevision.org/michael/index.html
 
Perhaps that is what the enquirer really wants Michael.

All the best, Peter.

700/900/90 Register Keeper,
Volvo Owners Club (UK).
 
Peter said:
Perhaps that is what the enquirer really wants Michael.

All the best, Peter.

700/900/90 Register Keeper,
Volvo Owners Club (UK).
Click to expand...

He wrote that he wants a stereo which is "original *fit*" (emphasis
added).
I see nothing in the original message to indicate he wants to get an
actual
OEM unit, just one that will easily replace it.



--







http://freevision.org/michael/index.html
 
Surely Original Fit and OEM are synonimous (the same or similar meaning)?
Just my pedantic English pomposity (LOL), Michael. Part of my Lecturer era,
a few years ago, was to make sure that my students understood what they
said. The problem is the slight transliteration that occurs when words cross
the pond.

All the best, Peter.

700/900/90 Register Keeper,
Volvo Owners Club (UK).
 
Peter said:
Surely Original Fit and OEM are synonimous (the same or similar meaning)?
Just my pedantic English pomposity (LOL), Michael. Part of my Lecturer era,
a few years ago, was to make sure that my students understood what they
said. The problem is the slight transliteration that occurs when words cross
the pond.

All the best, Peter.

700/900/90 Register Keeper,
Volvo Owners Club (UK).
Click to expand...

"OEM" Means the original equipment. "Original fit" means that no
alterations are needed to make a part fit. My Sony "Explod" is an 'OF'
unit (after the Crutchfield wiring harness was added), but definitely
not OEM.
 
Thanks to all of you for your help and in fact I thought about getting
that sony Xplod he is talking about (the very same one actually) and I
think I'll probably have it professionally installed since I don't
really want to do it myself. I already purchased a stereo install kit
for the radio and i'm getting ready to buy the receiver. Michael, what
other preparations did you have to make before installing the radio I
mean is there anything else I need to buy for an installer to put it
in?

Thanks much, Mischa
 
Mwveenhu said:
Thanks to all of you for your help and in fact I thought about getting
that sony Xplod he is talking about (the very same one actually) and I
think I'll probably have it professionally installed since I don't
really want to do it myself. I already purchased a stereo install kit
for the radio and i'm getting ready to buy the receiver. Michael, what
other preparations did you have to make before installing the radio I
mean is there anything else I need to buy for an installer to put it
in?

Thanks much, Mischa
Click to expand...

The short answer is "no".

Crutchfield.com sent me a wiring harness adapter and faceplate with
the stereo. I had to splice the harness to the stereo's wires with the
crimp connectors they provided, which I did separately a few days before
- it took about half an hour. The actual installation just required that
the stereo be attached to the new faceplate, the old stereo be removed,
and the new one installed. It was just one plug and one (I think) screw
for the faceplate adapter (too easy to steal!). The only hard part was
reaching waaay down in the dash innards to unplug the old unit
and then plug in the new one. I found I could only get one arm in there,
so I had to do it with one hand. I was happy to discover, however, that
what I thought was bad speaker wiring was actually just the old stereo
not functioning properly - the Sony plays through both of the tiny OEM
speakers 100% of the time, instead of the old one, which kind of
preferred playing through just the right speaker - or not at all. It
sounds better than I'd expected.



 
mjc said:
The short answer is "no".

Crutchfield.com sent me a wiring harness adapter and faceplate with
the stereo. I had to splice the harness to the stereo's wires with the
crimp connectors they provided, which I did separately a few days before
- it took about half an hour. The actual installation just required that
the stereo be attached to the new faceplate, the old stereo be removed,
and the new one installed. It was just one plug and one (I think) screw
for the faceplate adapter (too easy to steal!). The only hard part was
reaching waaay down in the dash innards to unplug the old unit
and then plug in the new one. I found I could only get one arm in there,
so I had to do it with one hand. I was happy to discover, however, that
what I thought was bad speaker wiring was actually just the old stereo
not functioning properly - the Sony plays through both of the tiny OEM
speakers 100% of the time, instead of the old one, which kind of
preferred playing through just the right speaker - or not at all. It
sounds better than I'd expected.
Click to expand...





Thanks for the Crutchfield referral. I went on their website and was
amazed at how easy and laid out it was. I called their 1-800 number
and within a minute was connected with a representative who helped me
find the Xplod stereo and a pair of pioneer speakers for the Volvo.
All for about 150 bucks. Another thing. I want to put a pair of
speakers in the rear doors as well, but there were none in my Volvo and
there isn't a hole in the door or anything. Would it be fairly easy to
cut out a whole and put a pair back there?


Thanks Much, Mischa
 
Mwveenhu said:
Thanks for the Crutchfield referral. I went on their website and was
amazed at how easy and laid out it was. I called their 1-800 number
and within a minute was connected with a representative who helped me
find the Xplod stereo and a pair of pioneer speakers for the Volvo.
All for about 150 bucks. Another thing. I want to put a pair of
speakers in the rear doors as well, but there were none in my Volvo and
there isn't a hole in the door or anything. Would it be fairly easy to
cut out a whole and put a pair back there?


Thanks Much, Mischa
Click to expand...

I honestly don't know. I forgot to mention that when I spliced in
the wiring adapter, I added four labelled 'pigtails' for rear speakers.
I just left them inside the bottom of the dash, but maybe the next owner
will use them. I had considered adding a rear speaker enclosure on the
back package shelf, or maybe rear speakers in the shelf. Hopefully
someone else here will be able to help you with the door idea. My guess
is that you'd need to go with surface mount speakers, but that's just a
guess...
 
Yep. I finished installing the stereo for the most part yesterday.
I'm just waiting on an install kit that I purchased on eBay. I used
rear speakers as well and found that it was incredibly easy to find a
hole behind the door panel where I could install speakers. I just cut
a 4" hole for the speaker with a saber saw and it was perfect. It's
really nice.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top