Early S1 80" Car Radios

[jedwards]

Gentlemen,
There is an interesting thread on the UK Series 1 Forum about what radios were offered as optional extras with a S1 80".
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They don't seem have a definitive answer, but options may have been different with our Complete Knock-down cars, here in Australia.

Can anyone shed some light on what car radios were offered here with S1's?

regards
Jeff

[cjc_td5]

Haha, radio in an 80"? They were lucky to have a windscreen wiper!

[1950landy]

I fitted a radio in my 80" when it was fitted with the 1/2 cab hard top , mounted the speaker next to my right ear & still could not hear it when driving. Took it out after the 1st trip.

[gromit]

I have a couple of valve radios that could possibly be fitted.
Large amp draw and high voltage in the unit mounted under the bonnet (to get the valves to work).
Takes some time for the valves to warm up and get any sound from the radio.

As suggested by 1950landy it's probably a pointless exercise.


Colin

[JDNSW]

From all the literature I have on early Landrovers, it is clear that radios were never offered by Rover on the 80", and probably not on any Series 1, or perhaps even on 2/2a.

This, of course does not mean that radios were never fitted to them, possibly even by dealers. But while car radios were first available as early as the 1920s, I cannot recall having ever personally seen any type of car fitted with a radio by 1953 when the 80" ceased production. (By this time cars were becoming quite common - of the six families in our street, only one did not own a car, although none were postwar.)

I fitted my Series 1 with a radio in 1963. It had several rather bulky steel boxes that places had to be found for. The 6" speaker in its steel case was bolted to the hardtop just behind the driver's top seat belt mount. Yes, it had seat belts - it was ex SMHEA, who had all vehicles fitted with seat belts from about 1950.

This was a valve radio, although transistor car radios were just becoming available - I fitted one to my S2 not too much later. The valve radios were large, often temperamental (mainly the vibrator power supply), took several minutes to warm up, and took nearly as much power as the headlights, meaning that with the relatively small generator in Series Landrovers before S3 (except diesels) , a long night drive with the radio going would see a crank start next morning!

[B.S.F.]

Extra equipment 80" 48-53
.W.

[whitehillbilly64]

Original posts.

A radio is listed as an option in the Land Rover Parts Catalogue for 1948-53 models.
Can anyone shed some light on which model and make of radio this is?
How was it mounted?

I've previously tried to find this out and not really got any where. I believe that is fitted with a clamp on to the hand rail bar and was made by PYE.
I'd love to know more. There is a list of replacement valves etc. in the back of the 80" parts book but no pictures/ diagrams sadly.

I think you will spot a PYE radio in the opening photo in this . It was fitted just inside the drivers door above the accelerator pedal resting against the upper side of the Footwell. Other photos confirm that a radio antenna was mounted on the windscreen bracket running up to roofrack end above the door,
The Great 1953 Trek: PHOTO ALBUM 1.

Looking again at the parts books, the radio itself was fitted to the dash panel with a clip and bolts , and it seems the separate speaker was fitted to the hand rail

The Rover Company used something like the Pye P24CR.

whitehillbilly

[JDNSW]

Some people obviously have more documentation than I do!

Sounds as if they were available, at least in the home market.

[B.S.F.]

It seems that the 54-58 models were only available.as complete units.
.W.

[gromit]

I'll have to check what models my valve radios are.
One came out of an Austin Somerset I drove in the UK and the other came from a boot sale (so no idea if it works).

They've been in a box since I moved here back in '97, I might struggle to find them......



Colin