Welcome! Please use the navigational links to explore our website.
PartsASAP LogoCompany Logo Auction Link (800) 853-2651

Shop Now

   Allis Chalmers Case Farmall IH Ford 8N,9N,2N Ford
   Ferguson John Deere Massey Ferguson Minn. Moline Oliver

Tractor Talk Discussion Forum

Converting Older Fender Mount Tractor Radio to FM

Welcome Guest, Log in or Register
Author 
Kyle

01-22-2004 06:33:07




Report to Moderator

Has anyone converted their older style fender mount 12 volt radio's to FM? I have the box style radio with a flip down lid. I am wanting to restore this tractor and keep it original but want a FM radio. Mine is a late 60's Motorola. The depth of the box is short and causing me problems finding a replacement. I only have 4 1/2" to work with. I havn't been able to find a FM car radio short enough to make it work. I don't care what the face of the radio looks like as long as I can make it fit the box. I appreciate any information or opinions on this. Thank you.

[Log in to Reply]   [No Email]
Kyle

01-24-2004 03:54:17




Report to Moderator
 Re: Converting Older Fender Mount Tractor Radio to in reply to Kyle, 01-22-2004 06:33:07  
Thanks for the suggestions everybody.



[Log in to Reply]  [No Email]
big man

01-23-2004 22:46:23




Report to Moderator
 Re: Converting Older Fender Mount Tractor Radio to in reply to Kyle, 01-22-2004 06:33:07  
rush isn't a predominate f m host so why change it



[Log in to Reply]  [No Email]
Joe Evans

01-23-2004 05:28:46




Report to Moderator
 Re: Converting Older Fender Mount Tractor Radio to in reply to Kyle, 01-22-2004 06:33:07  
Kyle: I'm a radio listening fool. I spend a ton of time on my mower and have slugged down multi hundreds of hours of radio time. My fetish is for AM--talk radio and ball games. NEVER found a portable radio that suited my standards. Wised up one day--it had been staring me in the face for years!--my Ford Ranger has an unbeatable AM/FM stereo set with incredible AM reception. Well...went to a salvage yard and bought a Ford radio just like my Ranger's. It was pricey, expected it to be, but never regretted spending the money for an instant. Got the adapter plug for the radio's outputs at a car stereo hack shop and wanked around with the leads so that I can wear stereo headphones with background noise reduction capability. Made them myself. Block out the whiney mower deck noise and listen to the Buckeyes! Now I've got a hot set up! Even has a digital clock. You certainly can do the same by installing an auto radio in your existing box.

[Log in to Reply]  [No Email]
Fred OH

01-23-2004 04:52:52




Report to Moderator
 Re: Converting Older Fender Mount Tractor Radio to in reply to Kyle, 01-22-2004 06:33:07  
There are several small portable radios made that would fit in the dimensions you require. Just an extension of the antenna, speaker and power leads as needed...the rest of the space could be used for a larger speaker. If it looks kinda ugly...close the door. Fred



[Log in to Reply]  [No Email]
Joel

01-22-2004 18:19:38




Report to Moderator
 Re: Converting Older Fender Mount Tractor Radio to in reply to Kyle, 01-22-2004 06:33:07  
Check Hemmings Motor News, there are several companies that can convert your AM radio to solid state FM and maintain your original appearance.



[Log in to Reply]  [No Email]
Rich[Wi]

01-22-2004 17:58:23




Report to Moderator
 Re: Converting Older Fender Mount Tractor Radio to in reply to Kyle, 01-22-2004 06:33:07  
Have you looked at the early-80s Chevy radios? I had a 83 Cavalier with an AM/FM in it and as I recall it was pretty large as far as height and width but there wasn't much depth.



[Log in to Reply]  [No Email]
jim

01-22-2004 14:27:26




Report to Moderator
 Re: Converting Older Fender Mount Tractor Radio to in reply to Kyle, 01-22-2004 06:33:07  
Kyle - When you do make the switch , you might consider installing plug-in earphones instead of a speaker. The ear-phones will help protect your hearing while allowing you to listen to your music. This arrangement has worked well for me for years.



[Log in to Reply]  [No Email]
Kent

01-22-2004 09:02:01




Report to Moderator
 Re: Converting Older Fender Mount Tractor Radio to in reply to Kyle, 01-22-2004 06:33:07  
Kyle, Go to www.crutchfield.com and take a look there. I am sure you could contact them and they could help. Kent



[Log in to Reply]  [No Email]
Steve from Mo - one thoug

01-22-2004 08:58:16




Report to Moderator
 Re: Converting Older Fender Mount Tractor Radio to in reply to Kyle, 01-22-2004 06:33:07  
OK, two thoughts.

First, I don't think the fender mount radio was factory installed.

Check with a salvage yard. I think Mazda used an FM radio that was not as deep as US cars accepted.



[Log in to Reply]  [No Email]
Dr. Evil

01-22-2004 08:42:30




Report to Moderator
 Re: Converting Older Fender Mount Tractor Radio to in reply to Kyle, 01-22-2004 06:33:07  
I did this to My old AM tractor radio about 2 yrs ago. I had to cut the back off the enclosure and add in about 6 inches to the length of the box to get enough room to get the radio and two 6 inch dia. speakers into the box. If Your going to have FM You may as well have Stereo! I used a car radio AM/FM/Cassette with a large power amplifier built in. Takes a LOT of power to hear over a tractor.

[Log in to Reply]  [No Email]
Brian in Ohio

01-22-2004 08:41:33




Report to Moderator
 Re: Converting Older Fender Mount Tractor Radio to in reply to Kyle, 01-22-2004 06:33:07  
I realize that you probably want to keep the vintage case of your radio, but you may be better off just replacing it with a newer one. If memory serves me, I saw an AM/FM fendermount radio with a cover like you talkd about. Perhaps you could swap the cases between the two. The other option is, go to an electronics shop, or car stereo place, take you case, and see if they can match a radio to fit your case. That would probably work much better than finding the converter that Ben spoke of.

[Log in to Reply]  [No Email]
Ben in KY

01-22-2004 08:02:05




Report to Moderator
 Re: Converting Older Fender Mount Tractor Radio to in reply to Kyle, 01-22-2004 06:33:07  
I don't think that converting your existing AM radio would be very feasible. There used to be small FM to AM converters that would tune the FM signal and send it into the AM radio on a certain frequency. You might still be able to find a used one of these. Otherwise...I would say keep looking for an FM unit that will fit in the hole. They make units for marine use that are water resistant.



[Log in to Reply]  [No Email]
[Options]  [Printer Friendly]  [Posting Help]  [Return to Forum]   [Log in to Reply]

Hop to:


TRACTOR PARTS TRACTOR MANUALS
We sell tractor parts!  We have the parts you need to repair your tractor - the right parts. Our low prices and years of research make us your best choice when you need parts. Shop Online Today. [ About Us ]

Home  |  Forums


Copyright © 1997-2023 Yesterday's Tractor Co.

All Rights Reserved. Reproduction of any part of this website, including design and content, without written permission is strictly prohibited. Trade Marks and Trade Names contained and used in this Website are those of others, and are used in this Website in a descriptive sense to refer to the products of others. Use of this Web site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy

TRADEMARK DISCLAIMER: Tradenames and Trademarks referred to within Yesterday's Tractor Co. products and within the Yesterday's Tractor Co. websites are the property of their respective trademark holders. None of these trademark holders are affiliated with Yesterday's Tractor Co., our products, or our website nor are we sponsored by them. John Deere and its logos are the registered trademarks of the John Deere Corporation. Agco, Agco Allis, White, Massey Ferguson and their logos are the registered trademarks of AGCO Corporation. Case, Case-IH, Farmall, International Harvester, New Holland and their logos are registered trademarks of CNH Global N.V.

Yesterday's Tractors - Antique Tractor Headquarters

Website Accessibility Policy