Car radios with mechanical seek

[Jesda]

This fascinates the hell out of me. I thought the motorized door that covered the audio knobs on the Q45's Clarion/Bose head unit was awesome. This is even "more-awesomer"

http://jesda.com/2011/03/26/vintage-fac ... l-working/

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QRNJXdwtua4[/youtube]

In 1959 any radio was an option and most people opted for the standard AM Pushbutton Radio. Of course there was no FM or Stereo in 1959 but you could get a rear seat speaker!

Ford did offer a rare option that is present and working in this car. It is called a Town and Country radio and used a motorized mechanism to turn the dial until a signal was acquired. The “T” bar closed in on the stronger stations when in Town where more radio stations existed. The “C” button settled for the weaker signals it could locate on the open road of the “Country”. Pretty rare option and especially unusual to find one that looks this good and actually works! Don’t plan to plug in your IPOD though!

Becker Mexico:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eWNC6qdt-D4[/youtube]


Are there more like this?

[Bubba1]

Very cool. I don't remember the mechanical seek as an option but I remember the mechanical preset station buttons was an upgrade item in the early-mid 60's. If you pushed the preset button slow enough you can watch the bar move to your station. Of course AM only radios were standard on most cars in the early-mid 60's, so there were not many choices to listen to back then.

[TgduMg]

Jes. I can't believe a Cadillac aficionado such as yourself that's not familiar with the Delco Signal Seeking AM/FM Stereo radio. It was an available option on Cadillacs and probably Olds Ninety Eights and Buick Electras as well. IIRC, my dad's (he would always tell momma he bought the Caddys for her, and she did drive the wheels off of em) 73 Laredo Tan SDV had that radio. Oddly optioned, it had the sunroof, 60/40 Saddle Leather front seats (driver power, passenger manual), rear window defogger, and passenger door side view mirror. The really odd thing about it is that it did not have the front fender mounted and rear package shelf lamp monitors that most Caddys of that era did. Also, many Cadillacs of that year had the power mast radio antenna (the switches for the sunroof, rear defogger, and antenna were grouped below the Cadillac script in the center of the dash) But ours had the windshield embedded antenna. That 472 V8 burned rubber really well though.

It looked exactly like this one (same color combo).



Those were the days. But I'm a member of Team Nissan now!

Danisiti 1

[Bubba1]

Now that's a land yacht.

[Rev_D21]

I had one of those as a 'rental' car while a shop did some paint work on my old Datsun. What a freakin' car! It even had flames painted on the hood.

[Jesda]

Jes. I can't believe a Cadillac aficionado such as yourself that's not familiar with the Delco Signal Seeking AM/FM Stereo radio. It was an available option on Cadillacs and probably Olds Ninety Eights and Buick Electras as well.

Pure magic. The scissor mechanism inside is clever as heck.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NZzDZVkWLa0[/youtube]

Mechanical things are so much fun to look at an observe. Its what I love about my turntable.

[Mr1der]

Dear Jesda, let's start a webseries.

I'll force you not to look like a dear in the headlights.

[Encryptshun]

I used to have a working Wonderbar radio out of a '55 Chevy Bel-Aire. 'Twas my dad's. Unfortunately, after he passed my mother forgot that I'd "claimed" it and put it in a yardsale when she sold the house.

Someone bought it.

For 50 cents.

I threw up when she told me.