B3 Radio?

[Phil363]

so in all the craziness of this thread Hank is fixing me up a 608...does that sound like it will fit right from your researching?

Bottom line up front ... perhaps???   Update later in the day .. see post#41 Hank says it does.

 

When I look at the tables in my last post a 608 Motorola radio went into a 1953 Plymouth car.   A 1953 model 609 motorola went into a Dodge Car.  They both have the same foot print for dials, buttons, and radio station window. 

 

While the outline of these radios looks like they would fit the cutout that both you and Jeff have, I would take some measurements of your cutouts or a tracing and send it to Hank for comparision.  There could be some variations in the measurements between your year vechicle and the cutout to fit the 1953 radios.

 

As a side note it was the Model 813 Philco and Model 607 Motorola radios that went into the 1951 / 52 Dodge vehicles.  The 813 & 607 models both have the same layout of Control Knobs, buttons, and radio station window as the model 608.  

Edited June 2, 2015 by Phil363

[ggdad1951]

good point.  Jeff, is your delete plate off?  I've had mine on and off so may times I worry I'll break the tabs off!

[Jeff Balazs]

I modified the drivers side of my dash for an instrument panel the same size and position as the glove box door. I wasn't ever going to put a radio in so I got a little crazy......

 

Jeff

[52b3b Joe]

I have a mopar 820 in my truck. Nobody ever questions the radio as far as correctness, but I always get a lot of people asking about its location! I have two speakers in the truck, an Ipod hook up on the radio, and insulation in the cab. I don't have the radio much past 1/2 volume to hear it going down the road. The tires howling are the loudest part of the truck! As a side note, the 820 didn't fit the factory cut out and the dash was modified to fit the radio. 

[48Dodger]

To downplay this whole radio debacle....

 

Radio's in these trucks are just for decoration anyway.

 

It's too loud in the cab to be able to hear anything coming out of their speakers. Drivers often wear ear plugs.

 

And....there are no free hands available to play with a radio anyway.

 

 

Everyone knows those babies were meant to be blasted when you had the beast parked at the beach!....

 

And as far as the Civil Defense thing.....even the antique radio collectors can't prove what year they actually started making radios with the two triangles.

The offical time period is 1953 to 63 but exceptions are found pre and post of those years.

 

And for those who don't understand what those civil defense marks are: They are the two triangles on the dial face. During world war 2 the Japanese pilots used civilian am radio transmissions to track targets in Hawaii, the United States pilots did the same thing to Germany. So not to give the Russians (or any enemy) target references during the cold war CONELRAD was formed...in case of an national emergency all radio waves would go dead except am 640 and am1240. The government would toggle every few minutes between the two stations so we could get info but not guide ememy pilots of bomber planes, etc. If you were a high powered radio station (largest adience,that sort of thing), you were awarded the job of broadcasting by switching your signal over to 640 or 1240 then using a common signal feed from CD Headquarters. Truman started the program in 1951, and since it wasn't that hard to print triangles on the radio face, a few radio makers jumped the gun and printed them early. So its hard to say what year your radio is by the CD markings. 

 

48D

[HanksB3B]

Thanks for the CD explanation 8Dodger..but one thing is not true...these tube radios can absolutely be heard and heard well while driving they are a lot more powerful than you would imagine. My only complaint is that around here no-one has an AM Radio Oldies station. Talk radio and sports are not a problem (and you know I still say a baseball game on a tube will take you back to the past) but I sure wish there were some Oldies.

 

Hank   

[Buttiman53]

I have a 1953 B3B that has just three holes where the radio goes; no slots for dial, buttons, etc. (see below - the button to the left is for the window washer). Given the wear marks, some radio was obviously installed there at one time. The antennae is still on the truck.

Is there a model of radio that fits my hole pattern? Seems like the dial and button assembly would have to be located entirely "outside" the dash. Don't want to cut my dash if I don't have to. Thanks.

[Merle Coggins]

I've never seen a radio that would fit that pattern. My guess is that there were some other switches in those holes, with possibly a name plate over them?

Merle

[Plymouthy Adams]

I also think something other than a radio was there...my guess would be a three in one gauge setup that was likely in a box of some sort..the holes are large enough for the oil and heat tubes to be run...

[48Dodger]

Could have been vintage aftermarket heater controls too.....but I would put my money on the triple gauge set up.

48D

[Weishaarkc]

Here's the radio in my 51 B3B.  Not sure if its factory or not but it was there when I bought the truck.  I haven't tried to use it because its a 6 volt radio and my truck is 12 volts, but I'd love to have one that worked.  Until then I just drive around with my dewalt battery charger radio in the passenger seat.

The writing on the radio says VH1383230 DPCD Cavity No. 1 and with a quick google search nothing really came up.

[ggdad1951]

If you can get pics of the back or top...should have the model number on there someplace.

[Dodgeb4ya]

That looks like a model 606 1951-52 Plymouth radio.

[Brent B3B]

just for giggles I bought a 607 off e-pay (not quite a match)

then I found a local guy that has some radios

i made a cardboard cut out of the cutout in my B3 dash and matched it up.

the 812 fits in the dash cut out

 (hard to hold the phone and radio)

now, I just have to figure out haw to mount it although I am not really a fan of it against the white

 

[dpollo]

On 5/4/2015 at 6:26 AM, Jeff Balazs said:

The real question is what radio fit this cut out?

 

Jeff

 The radio from a 51 to 52 Plymouth fits the holes in the dash  but I do not know where the power supply unit (separate) is to be mounted. The speaker would be mounted behind the screen in the dash.   Your truck has the same as my 52  Deluxe cab.

[Brent B3B]

On ‎3‎/‎12‎/‎2017 at 8:12 AM, dpollo said:

 ........but I do not know where the power supply unit (separate) is to be mounted. The speaker would be mounted behind the screen in the dash.   Your truck has the same as my 52  Deluxe cab.

possibly, but it is only a 12" supply cord coming off the left side of the radio. I would need about a 12"  supply extension cord to make it to the center of the dash. 

I am thinking that drawing Hank has show might be something after all.... if anyone has a 812 manual, I wonder if it shows a truck option?    

[JBNeal]

Have ya looked into swapping the radio guts for a solid state upgrade, also getting a newer size-appropriate speaker?  That may solve a few problems as well as allow for some upgrades like USB or MP3 access

[Brent B3B]

24 minutes ago, JBNeal said:

Have ya looked into swapping the radio guts for a solid state upgrade, also getting a newer size-appropriate speaker?  That may solve a few problems as well as allow for some upgrades like USB or MP3 access

thought about yeah.... looked into no. I have to admit, I'm kinda like Jeff, don't know that I really want one but, I want to be apart of help solving the mystery if possible.

shoot, if my truck weren't so bouncy I would look for  http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/news/2014/04/record-players-were-the-infotainment-systems-of-the-1950s-and-60s/index.htm

got's me some early Johnny Cash vinyl

Edited March 13, 2017 by Brent B3B

[dpollo]

I suspect an extension cord arrangement was made to get across the dash.  In my own truck, the noise it makes and my diminishing hearing makes a radio kind of useless.  I am glad my truck has the factory dash cut-out.  If it ever had a delete panel, it was long ago lost.  I have chosen to fill the space with the tuner section of a 51 Plymouth radio and even though I have the other parts including the proper antenna, I doubt that I will ever use them.

[48Dodger]

Jim, Mark and I saw a "Highway Hi-Fi" record player at the wrecking yard in Williams last year......its the only one I've ever seen.

The guy wanted to sell the whole car...I just wanted the player, lol.

48D