409 powered 55 T-Bird repaired & UPDATED

Clyde Waldo

Well Known Member
Supporting Member 6
T-BIRD RADIO UPDATED

Don't think this will be of much interest to many but I am so pleased to have a more modern radio that I can hardly contain myself. The old T-Bird had one of the last of the vaccum tube automobile radios and technology has passed them by many decades ago. I didn't want one of the new replacement radios because they cost way more than I wanted to pay and they had so many features that I would not use. I just wanted a more modern AM/FM radio that had very good reception and performed well. The only automobile radio that I saw that I thought could be modified to fit the T-Bird was a DELCO radio out of my 1992 Buick Century parts car. The DELCO radio had a tape player that occupied the lower part of the radio and that had to be removed since the T-Bird ash tray was in that space. The volume control and station select controls had to be moved to the T-Bird location.

I am happy with the modified radio. It looks good and the digital display color is green and so matches the color of the car and the cost was zero.
 

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blkblk63ss

Well Seasoned Member
Supporting Member 5
Look's good clyde , look's like a factory install, now you really can go cruising !!!
:):)
 

Clyde Waldo

Well Known Member
Supporting Member 6
IMG_1095 copy.jpgIMG_1097 copy.jpgIMG_1124 copy.jpg MORE ON T-BIRD RADIO UPDATED

A few pictures to show what was required to modify the 1992 Century radio to fit the T-Bird. The first picture shows early in the process. I cut the black panel to fit the dash opening and wanted it to fit flush with the dash. The tape player has been removed. The two round holes to the left are where the volume/balance (top) and station select (bottom) controls were located.

The next picture shows the several circuit boards and an added bundle of wires from a circuit board to relocate the station select control. (Older radios used mechanical linkage to change stations.) Had to remove the volume control from the same board and add a shorter bundle of wires (8 wires for the volume control and 9 wires for the station select control.) I learned early on to wire the radio to a battery, speakers, and antenna to see if the modification just made was successful. After the first new wire bundle was added the radio didn't work - frustrated - all that effort. Used a magnifying glass and found a solder bridge on the circuit board and fixed it and the radio worked and had renewed hope. The second wire bundle to move the other control resulted on the radio not working correctly - two terminals on the control touching - found it with magnifying glass - move on with high hope of success. The remaining work was to cut away the radio housing that interfered with the T-Bird ash tray and to repackage. There was no room on front for the bass treble controls so I set them mid range, tucked that circuit board inside and closed the entire thing up. Last picture shows some left overs.
 

blkblk63ss

Well Seasoned Member
Supporting Member 5
Wow clyde, you either must be bored , or you have a lot of time on your hand's. :scratch Did not know that was that much work involved.:eek:eek
 

Phil Reed

Well Seasoned Member
Supporting Member 10
Way to go Clyde!!!!! Your radio speaks "volumes"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AND..............you added the optional 55-57 T-bird SS dash trim!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:clap:clap:clap
 

blkblk63ss

Well Seasoned Member
Supporting Member 5
Did the t -bird knob's not fit the delco radio, or did you not want the bird knob's????
 

Clyde Waldo

Well Known Member
Supporting Member 6
Appreciate the comments. :)

As for the knobs on the Delco radio, automobile radio controls have two types of shafts, split shaft and D shaped shaft. Just my luck, the Delco has D shape and thunderbird has split shaft so thunderbird knobs won't fit the Delco. :(

The thunderbird knobs are repoed in both types so I'll get some that fit the Delco some day, meanwhile the Delco knobs will have to do.
 
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