1970 Dart radio removal tips

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DrillNFill

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Hi all!
Im starting to work on the new-to-me Dart now that spring is finally here in the northeast. I'd like to remove the radio which isnt currently working, and id like to do it without breaking anything (especially the 50-year old plastic bezel). I understand that its not the original radio, my guess is a '73-ish that the previous owner installed. Any surprises I should be aware of? I felt behind the dash and I don't believe the radio is screwed in that little security tab back there.

Neither service manual i have has a clear diagram to show the number of screws behind the bezel, etc. Do you just remove the radio/ heater knobs then unscrew those two screws on the bezel? Is it pretty straightforward in there? Mounting screws and a few plugs? just want an idea of what I'm getting into back there before I do it.

Dart Radio.jpg


Any advice is appreciated!
Thanks, DrillnFill
 
Hi all!
Im starting to work on the new-to-me Dart now that spring is finally here in the northeast. I'd like to remove the radio which isnt currently working, and id like to do it without breaking anything (especially the 50-year old plastic bezel). I understand that its not the original radio, my guess is a '73-ish that the previous owner installed. Any surprises I should be aware of? I felt behind the dash and I don't believe the radio is screwed in that little security tab back there.

Neither service manual i have has a clear diagram to show the number of screws behind the bezel, etc. Do you just remove the radio/ heater knobs then unscrew those two screws on the bezel? Is it pretty straightforward in there? Mounting screws and a few plugs? just want an idea of what I'm getting into back there before I do it.

View attachment 1715723019

Any advice is appreciated!
Thanks, DrillnFill
My '70 Duster has the other type of dials. Had to remove my entire instrument cluster bezel to get to it, so you're already miles ahead! Just unscrew the bezel and you'll see a couple of tabs that are mounted into the metal dash. The radio is probably only attached using those. Mine had the rear mount as well.
 
unless somebody modified it, there are two studs coming out of the back of the plastic bezel that go through the heater controls and have nuts on the back. I have no idea why Chrysler did this because they are a ***** to get to. If you take the bezel out, you can screw the heater controls to the metal dash frame, ditch the studs (carefully), and the two exterior screws and the radio nuts will hold the bezel in place so you never have to do this again.
If you are careful, you can get the radio out without removing the bezel or damaging it. There is a bracket that goes from the radio to the bottom lip of the dash frame, remove it. unplug the antenna wire and the radio power wire. Pull the inner and outer knobs straight out and remove the nuts behind them (socket over the controls). The back of the radio should be slowly tilted down and pulled back into the dash until you can point the controls up and drop it out with the back of the radio pointed at the floor. On my AC cars you have to remove the AC vents and that makes clearance - you may have to do something regarding your floor heater vents to make enough room, but it has to be easier than an AC car.
 
I take the ashtray and its hanger out. The radio will just about fall in the floor after shaft nuts and rear support are removed. Astray collects the small parts in passengers floor.
 
unless somebody modified it, there are two studs coming out of the back of the plastic bezel that go through the heater controls and have nuts on the back. I have no idea why Chrysler did this because they are a ***** to get to. If you take the bezel out, you can screw the heater controls to the metal dash frame, ditch the studs (carefully), and the two exterior screws and the radio nuts will hold the bezel in place so you never have to do this again.
If you are careful, you can get the radio out without removing the bezel or damaging it. There is a bracket that goes from the radio to the bottom lip of the dash frame, remove it. unplug the antenna wire and the radio power wire. Pull the inner and outer knobs straight out and remove the nuts behind them (socket over the controls). The back of the radio should be slowly tilted down and pulled back into the dash until you can point the controls up and drop it out with the back of the radio pointed at the floor. On my AC cars you have to remove the AC vents and that makes clearance - you may have to do something regarding your floor heater vents to make enough room, but it has to be easier than an AC car.

Thank you so much for the advice and photos. If I understand you correctly, The heater controls will come out attached to the bezel connected to those studs. Is there typically enough play in the heater controls to access the attaching nuts?
Also, (if I understand) there are nuts under the radio knobs attached to the shaft holding the radio in. Are these attached to the metal dash or the plastic bezel?
Sorry for all the noob questions but Ive never had this style of radio before. The radio in my Caprice Classic was similarly bolted to the dash 7 ways to Sunday, but it didnt have the whole bolted-knob shafts thing!
 
unless somebody modified it, there are two studs coming out of the back of the plastic bezel that go through the heater controls and have nuts on the back. I have no idea why Chrysler did this because they are a ***** to get to. If you take the bezel out, you can screw the heater controls to the metal dash frame, ditch the studs (carefully), and the two exterior screws and the radio nuts will hold the bezel in place so you never have to do this again.
If you are careful, you can get the radio out without removing the bezel or damaging it. There is a bracket that goes from the radio to the bottom lip of the dash frame, remove it. unplug the antenna wire and the radio power wire. Pull the inner and outer knobs straight out and remove the nuts behind them (socket over the controls). The back of the radio should be slowly tilted down and pulled back into the dash until you can point the controls up and drop it out with the back of the radio pointed at the floor. On my AC cars you have to remove the AC vents and that makes clearance - you may have to do something regarding your floor heater vents to make enough room, but it has to be easier than an AC car.
Yup, no need to remove the bezel if you only want to remove the radio. It could be the stock one....why do you thing it's from another year? What is the radio code (number under the R) on the fender tag? Have you checked the speaker, fuse, and antenna to see if they are in good shape? If any of those are bad, the radio won't work.
 
That’s a AM/FM radio so hopefully you can get it working. Does the car have the fender tag? If so, does it indicate R11 or R21? R11 is for an AM radio while R21 is for an AM/FM radio.
 
I didn't think you could get AM/FM in 1970. The one I have came out of a 75 Dart. The knobs interchange so it looks like it belongs when you are done, and the case was actually a bit smaller than the factory AM that came out.
 
Yup, no need to remove the bezel if you only want to remove the radio. It could be the stock one....why do you thing it's from another year? What is the radio code (number under the R) on the fender tag? Have you checked the speaker, fuse, and antenna to see if they are in good shape? If any of those are bad, the radio won't work.

That’s a AM/FM radio so hopefully you can get it working. Does the car have the fender tag? If so, does it indicate R11 or R21? R11 is for an AM radio while R21 is for an AM/FM radio.

It's a '70 Dart, R11 code ,it appears that AM/FM radio wasn't an option until '73 I think. A previous owner installed this one at some point, and the gent who had it before me said it was working until recently. It basically just crackles and stuff when you turn it on so I don't think it's the speaker, and the tuner knob seems jammed. I'm planning on sending it to a radio repairman I have used in the past who did a great job for me before.

I didn't think you could get AM/FM in 1970. The one I have came out of a 75 Dart. The knobs interchange so it looks like it belongs when you are done, and the case was actually a bit smaller than the factory AM that came out.

This is what I assume is the case, I didn't know FM wasn't an option in '70 until I got a replica owners' manual and instructions for an FM radio weren't in there!
 
Thank you so much for the advice and photos. If I understand you correctly, The heater controls will come out attached to the bezel connected to those studs. OH, YOU WISH THAT WERE TRUE!!! YOU HAVE TO TAKE THE NUTS OFF WITH EVERYTHING IN THE DASH BECAUSE THE METAL DASH FRAME IS BETWEEN THE HEATER CONTROLS AND THE BEZEL YOU LEAVE THE HEATER CONTROLS IN PLACE AND THEN HAVE TO PUT THE NUTS BACK IN AT THE END - UNLESS YOU USE THE HOLES IN THE DASH FRAME TO SCREW THE HEATER CONTROLS IN PLACE INDEPENDENTLY OF THE BEZEL, LIKE I EXPLAINED. iF YOU DO IT THAT WAY, YOU CAN ACTUALLY SEE YOUR FINGERS WITH THE NUT THROUGH THE HEATER CONTROL HOLE IN THE DASH WITH NO BEZEL IN THE WAY. Is there typically enough play in the heater controls to access the attaching nuts?
Also, (if I understand) there are nuts under the radio knobs attached to the shaft holding the radio in. Are these attached to the metal dash or the plastic bezel? LIKE THE SITUATION WITH THE HEATER CONTROL STUDS, THE METAL DASH FRAME AND THE BEZEL ARE SANDWICHED BETWEEN THE NUTS AND THE FACE OF THE RADIO, FORTUNATELY THESE NUTS ARE ON THE OUTSIDE RATHER THAN THE INSIDE OF THE DASH SO THEY ARE NO PROBLEM.
Sorry for all the noob questions but Ive never had this style of radio before. FIRST TIME I TOOK ONE APART, I PRIED THE BEZEL OFF BECAUSE i SAW NO MORE THINGS TO UNSCREW AND BROKE THE BEZEL ALL TO HECK. I WISH SOMEONE HAD CLUED ME IN (or that I had been smart enough to ask, I was 18) - SEE PICTURE OF DASH FRAME BELOW. The radio in my Caprice Classic was similarly bolted to the dash 7 ways to Sunday, but it didnt have the whole bolted-knob shafts thing!
If I understand you correctly, The heater controls will come out attached to the bezel connected to those studs. Is there typically enough play in the heater controls to access the attaching nuts?
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In pic below, you can see the holes for the screws that you can see on the front of your bezel, the hole for the heater controls with tabs and holes where the heater controls are attached via the studs in the back of the bezel. You can just use those holes, put a flat or oval machine screw through the dash frame, and through the heater controls with a nut in the back (which you can now see with the bezel off) - you have to remove the metal studs in the bezel and can even cut back the plastic "posts" that the studs are screwed in. Now the bezel is free of the heater controls and held in place with the two upper screws, and the nuts for the radio.
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View attachment 1715723600

In pic below, you can see the holes for the screws that you can see on the front of your bezel, the hole for the heater controls with tabs and holes where the heater controls are attached via the studs in the back of the bezel. You can just use those holes, put a flat or oval machine screw through the dash frame, and through the heater controls with a nut in the back (which you can now see with the bezel off) - you have to remove the metal studs in the bezel and can even cut back the plastic "posts" that the studs are screwed in. Now the bezel is free of the heater controls and held in place with the two upper screws, and the nuts for the radio.
View attachment 1715723601 View attachment 1715723602

Thank you again for the informative photos, those were exactly what I was hoping to see. Hopefully ill be able to tackle this soon and post an update. :thankyou:
 
Dart Radio.jpg


Hello again, I resurrected this thread because I finally have time to play with this radio. It does have AM which seems to work fine, but the FM side still has nothing. So I'm still sending it to the repairman, but my question is, is it certain that this model radio is shaft-mounted? I cannot get either knob to come off the radio, and I was really pulling on them. I don't want to break the little guys or the radio underneath, just want to make sure there's no "trick" to removing the knobs before I go all medieval on them.
My plan was to remove the shaft nuts and ashtray and try to work the radio out from underneath the dash as some suggested. Any advice? Thanks in advance
 
Eat a few more Cheerios this morning and pull harder on those knobs. Unless they've been glued on, they'll pop off. They have to come off to get the radio out.
 
The center knob and the ring knob around it are separate. The center knob is hard to get ahold of so usually I grab the outer ring and pull and both the parts will come off. I'll take a picture of a bare radio with and without the knobs on so you can see what you are pulling on amd post it tonight
 
here's some pictures, I hope they help. Just for kicks, I tried to pull the center knob off without the ring and couldn't do it, but both came off pretty easy by pulling on the outer ring. When you put it back in, put the ring on first (it only goes on in 2 positions) and then press the center knob on.
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Not sure if you are in the market for a 1970 Dart radio, but this is the AM radio out of my 70 Dart. Everything works as it should. I went to radio delete in my car. If interested, send me a PM.

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here's some pictures, I hope they help. Just for kicks, I tried to pull the center knob off without the ring and couldn't do it, but both came off pretty easy by pulling on the outer ring. When you put it back in, put the ring on first (it only goes on in 2 positions) and then press the center knob on.
View attachment 1715790652 View attachment 1715790653 View attachment 1715790654 View attachment 1715790655 View attachment 1715790656 View attachment 1715790657

Thanks so much man I appreciate it. Pictures like that are nearly impossible to find on the web.
I will give it the 'ol college try again later when I get home. I did not try pulling on the outer rings because i had no idea how they were connected or if they came off at all. Thanks again =)
 
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