Sounds like an interesting project. I would definately switch polarity
first. I also have a BT7, and 20 years ago built a leather covered wooden
box to hold the tape deck under the heater. I fried 2 amplifiers before I
figured out radios were very sensitive to vehicle polarity. I then isolated
everything the best I could. This worked for a week or so, then metal
touched metal, and I welded another amp to what ever it touched.
I have since switched to neg. ground, and installed the stock radio out of
my brother's Durango, and have this wired to 2 cheap RadioShack box speakers
that rest in the door pockets. Back in the day, I made panels that covered
the door opening, and put 6X9s in them. Sounded great, but a lot of work,
and I want a more stock look now. Plan on switching to suppressor-type plug
wires if you haven't already.
What I really want, is a way to plug my walk-man type headphones into a car
stereo. That would eliminate the speaker placement problem, and would allow
me to actually hear the radio. A buddy did this in his BJ7, so I'll have to
ask him how he wired it, since the output voltage is much smaller to
headphones than to speakers. Most of the time the exhaust note is enough,
but I do like the radio once in a while.
Neal G.
-----Original Message-----
From: owner-healeys@autox.team.net
[mailto:owner-healeys@autox.team.net]On Behalf Of davidwjones
Sent: Wednesday, July 21, 2004 2:30 PM
To: healeys@autox.team.net
Subject: Healey Audio
All this talk about "best driving tunes" and antennas got me to
thinking.......(Danger! Danger!)
Starting with a BT7 that was built for concours, I have a spare rear seat
back-rest.... I also have a collection of high end audio components which
were removed from a previous daily driver. Tuner, power amps, flush mount
speakers and tweeters....
My thought was that with the roadster top not in the car, there might be
enough room back there to use the back-side of the extra seat-back as an
audio
board to mount an amp or two, and mount the tuner/CD player and speakers
though the face of the seat back... This would give me a sound system which
would be self contained and could easily be added or removed when needed..
My thought would be to make the system completely self contained on the
seat-back with the exception of a power and ground lead. (all components
and
leads properly fused, of course). I also thought that I'd rig a rubber sheet
into the space behind the seat when the audio was in place. (this, to insure
that the components don't accidentally ground out!!!!).
I was wondering if this arrangement were wired directly to the battery with
proper polarity, wouldn't that negate the need for a polarity converter?
Am
I asking for trouble in doing this? IE destruction of the audio components
or
potential burning wires?
-Also, the amps in question are somewhat large, though maybe not by today's
standards... 100W into 4 ohms. (Plus a 200W sub woofer driver amp which I
am
almost certain will remain in the box...) Do you think that (1) 100W /
channel amp would prove to be too much for the BT7's electrical systems??
Any errors in logic? Judgment? Any dire warnings? Anyone ever done
this?.....
David W. Jones
'62 Mk II BT7 tricarb
Cumberland, RI USA
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