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8 Track am radio help

Aussieguysyd

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Good Evening Gents

Just wondering if anyone could answer my question in regards to a 8 track Am radio.

I purchased a radio from eBay , the seller has got a 100 percent rating with thousands of sales. Was told on the page the radio works and the 8 track works no issues with a technician checking it before selling.

I received the unit and had it checked by an auto elect . I could not get the AM radio to work. through speaker or the 8 track .

It was bench tested as im restoring my 70 charger .

Not sure if the problem is not having it connected to my cross over box ?

Any help would be appreciated as I paid top money for the unit .

Thanks
 
Never worked on an automotive 8 track radio from that era but ..
Is there some sort of antenna connected when testing the radio ?
Does the 8 track tape need to be ejected to make radio work ?
 
Good Evening Gents

Just wondering if anyone could answer my question in regards to a 8 track Am radio.

I purchased a radio from eBay , the seller has got a 100 percent rating with thousands of sales. Was told on the page the radio works and the 8 track works no issues with a technician checking it before selling.

I received the unit and had it checked by an auto elect . I could not get the AM radio to work. through speaker or the 8 track .

It was bench tested as im restoring my 70 charger .

Not sure if the problem is not having it connected to my cross over box ?

Any help would be appreciated as I paid top money for the unit .

Thanks
I’ve never had issues with the radio part myself but did have a bad speaker which was inop and replaced that and tunes were playing. Maybe it’s that easy? Good luck brother
 
A few possible issues here. Obviously you need an antenna cable plugged in for AM. You need a clean head to read the 8-track tape, and the motor/reels turning to do so. And you simply need the speaker outlet wires connected to the proper Ohm-rated speakers. Has this been done ?
 
I had a very similar issue with an 8 track built by Barry (of barrys8trackrepair.com fame): wanted to test it before putting it in the dash, connected the wires, and nothing. Scratched my head what was wrong, wrote Barry, till I accidentaly touched the case on the transmission shift lever.

It is important to keep in mind that with all wiring connected, the case must be grounded.

I first tried to fix my original unit, it kinda worked, but volume started to fade till it was barely audible. I strongly recommend doing a conversion from Barry. 55 yo coils & amps WILL die on you. There are two options, 1. use oem speakers and 2. modern sound. I went with option one, and I can play my collection of US-bought 8 tracks all day without crosstalk, or fading. Oh, and I also have bluetooth, all without a single extra button to mar the perfect factory look of the radio.
 
I had a very similar issue with an 8 track built by Barry (of barrys8trackrepair.com fame): wanted to test it before putting it in the dash, connected the wires, and nothing. Scratched my head what was wrong, wrote Barry, till I accidentaly touched the case on the transmission shift lever.

It is important to keep in mind that with all wiring connected, the case must be grounded.

I first tried to fix my original unit, it kinda worked, but volume started to fade till it was barely audible. I strongly recommend doing a conversion from Barry. 55 yo coils & amps WILL die on you. There are two options, 1. use oem speakers and 2. modern sound. I went with option one, and I can play my collection of US-bought 8 tracks all day without crosstalk, or fading. Oh, and I also have bluetooth, all without a single extra button to mar the perfect factory look of the radio.
Do you know if a '69 AM 8track player fits in a none 8track AM radio plate? Seems to me would need more room? And/or If an additional power wire needed?

My GTX is not close to numbers matching, so looking for options that I would have liked if ordering car way back. Lol. With the full understanding there is some sticker shock for the cost of such a unit today.
 
Do not power up these radios without having all of the speakers connected properly through the cross over box. You can damage the output side of the radio. Make sure you ground the radio case and connect the antenna properly when bench testing. Also, make certain the cross over box is functional. Most of them need repair after 50 years.
 
Contact Richard Blankenship R and B Vintage Auto Radio
1-615-390-1139
 
Do you know if a '69 AM 8track player fits in a none 8track AM radio plate? Seems to me would need more room? And/or If an additional power wire needed?

My GTX is not close to numbers matching, so looking for options that I would have liked if ordering car way back. Lol. With the full understanding there is some sticker shock for the cost of such a unit today.

if by plate you mean the bezels, I can confirm they are different. You can buy an 8 track bezel online, easy to find. On the other hand, while I cannot confirm, I am almost sure the radio and 8 track use the same mounting points in the metal dash support.

For wiring I have attached a pic of my now defunct original 8 track (wasn't worth the shipping cost to the US to have it done by Barry, so I bought another one from the States).
Hope it helps!

20230711_161959.jpg
 
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