Conersion of orig AM radio to AM/FM + options by Aurora

[62cutlassconvert]

Anyone else done this and what do you think?

I’ll be having my original Cutlass AM radio converted over to AM/FM, 4 speaker outputs at 40w ea, with a sub out cable, and aux input done by Aurora dealer- Turnswitch.com. They will also do a conversion to full Bluetooth and MP3 device control if you want to go that far. They are really nice to discuss the conversion with and seem to have good speakers for a variety of cars-original or conversions. Very good explanation and video of conversion on the website. Looks like a great way to have the original radio in your dash with modern performance. If you are not familiar with the conversion check the website. Aurora also has a website but they do not sell direct.

[jensenracing77]

Should work good. They just take the factory controls and hook them to modern radio circuitry on the inside. A friend of mine converted an AM to AM FM himself. The only problem was that the AM screen was also the FM screen. You just had to set the presets when you found the radio station you wanted. Not sure if they replace the screen to another dual band screen or just leave it AM like my buddy did.

[mikepoe59]

I’ve done this on my 61 Buick. It works pretty good. I used another dealer – they kept the original face and dial, and included the MP3 connection. I’m happy with the conversion and will likely do something similar for my Jetfire.

[62cutlassconvert]

Hi Mike,

Did you get the Aux input for whatever device-MP#, tape, IPOD, etc with volume only from the radio or did you go for the USB input which allows you to control flashdrive/USB devices from the radio itself?

PS: thanks for the loan of the wheels.

Thanks
Layne

[joe_padavano]

If you primarily play MP3s, I wouldn’t even bother with converting. There are several stand-alone stereo systems for older cars that use either bluetooth or a memory card to play MP3s. These units can be hidden anywhere and use either a small remote or your phone to control them.

[62cutlassconvert]

I like a couple of local FM stations that I play both at home and in the car and I don’t want to mess with a phone or remote while I’m driving so the AM/FM conversion makes sense for me. The USB input conversion option on these radios takes it a step further and you can control the MP3 player functions from the radio head volume knob-volume/search/start-stop etc so again no remote is needed. With the AUX input only you can control the volume and change between the radio and the device input from the radio head volume control but no other functions. I checked out the ‘hidden radio” option and like it, but don’t like the need to use a remote.

[mikepoe59]

Layne, I think my conversion has the AUX input only. I actually haven’t used it much – I’ve relied more on the FM stations that I like. I’ll play around with the AUX input and let you know what I think…and glad the wheels came in handy!

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