65 Barracuda radio model poll

[pishta]

did your 65 Valiant or Barracuda come stock with a square button radio, or round button? Im seeing both on various internet postings. Also let us know if its a Valiant or a Barracuda.

 

[pishta]

the round buttons of the 64ish radio sure match the 64 pushbutton trans, but the 65 console with no round buttons on the dash would be a better square button match.

 

[65 Dartman]

I have a 65 Barracuda which had square buttons (sold radio). Also had a 65 Signet 'vert which also had square buttons. I always heard the round buttons were for 64/earlier?

 

[Mac Jensen]

I would vote rectangle but square is close enough. Radio still works too.

 

[ptbill]

did your 65 Valiant or Barracuda come stock with a square button radio, or round button? Im seeing both on various internet postings. Also let us know if its a Valiant or a Barracuda.
View attachment 1715063902 View attachment 1715063903

Mine has Valiant on the face of the radio in my 65 Barracuda. The 64 Barracuda had Valiant on the back of the car

 

[Mac Jensen]

I would vote rectangle but square is close enough. Radio still works too.

View attachment 1715063931

Sorry I forgot to mention. It's a 65 Barracuda. Radio says valiant on it.

 

[pishta]

They either said valiant (correct for barracuda too) or plymouth for same radio but from a fury or other b-c body. Valiant possibly had lighted dial all the time while plymouth faced had light on with power. 65 barracuda sales brochure had 64 radio but may have been a carryover print from 64 model as mettalic copper was new for 65 and was an adendum to 64 paint scheme.

 

[chryslerfat]

Square on my early 65 Barracuda

 

[Deemo]

Square on 65 Valiant. Always lit too

 

[Brad4406]

I've had two '65 Barracudas and both had the rectangle or square buttons. I don't recall ever seeing one with round buttons.

 

[pishta]

 

[64_Barracuda]

So its round on 64, matching the defroster, heater, and blower switches. 65 rectangle, matches slider of heater assy. Knobs match the headlights and wiper of each year.

However, in 1965 the power top switch was a carry over from 64......

 

[dibbons]

So far, I am the only one with a "round" button vote. I had to run out to storage to double check and make sure my memory was not failing me (thanks, because I found the BBody hood release cable on the same high shelf as the radio, been trying to find that cable for months now!) I definitely have the round button model as pictured in the Mopar brochure above.

On the face of the radio is printed Valiant Transaudio and on the top of the metal casing is "Mopar". The push buttons are very comfortable, they are concave and fit one's finger tip perfectly.

I purchased the four door '65 Valiant circa 1973, but I can't be 100% sure that it had the factory installed radio. I sold the car in 1980 (see foto), but I still have the radio in a box here. Purchased a '65 Signet convertible and '65 Formula S, both of which are missing their radios, so some day ...

 

[dibbons]

Didn't the '65 Valiant/Barracuda offer two shades of white?

 

[64_Barracuda]

I am with the 64 Round, 65 Rectangle. Like I said the buttons follow the heater knobs... Same for 63 Round. 63 is a good one, some had black buttons some had the chrome bodies like 64. 60-62 all round mostly white.

 

[dibbons]

My round buttons are black in the center, like shown in the Mopar brochure.

 

[pishta]

dibbons, what the build date? If its a mid 64 production 65 model, I wonder if they used up the leftover 64's.

 

[dibbons]

I don't know, sold the vehicle in 1980. Wait, you mean the radio is dated somewhere?

 

[pishta]

...Wait, you mean the radio is dated somewhere?

You betcha!

 

[Deemo]

Didn't the '65 Valiant/Barracuda offer two shades of white?

yes. Carried into 66 as well. Alabaster white and Alpine white. I have to go back to paint store tomorrow to go get the paint correctly colored. They gave me a white that was too white from the color match they did. Over the years both turn to a creamy white

 

[dibbons]

Fotos of the radio that was in my '65 Valiant when I purchased it circa '73:

 

[pishta]

That would be another vote for round.

 

[dibbons]

I voted round a long time ago, that lone vote must be mine. I guess I always was a loner/trying to be different.

 

[clifcuda65]

My 64 Dart 170 Push (round) buttons also had Round buttons on the radio... (bought as a new car by me)... my 65 Dart GT 273 4 bbl came with Rectangle button radio as did my 65 'cuda "S"... a heater Delete car (Phx Az car) both of the 65's were 4 Speeds.... note: on photo, the "S" badge on ash tray is a magnet !

I suspect it was dealers who installed radios in many of the early cars (back then not every one wanted a radio) They would use up their inventory from the previous year on the first new next year models !!! Just a thought...

 

[valiantpatrol]

Gennerally '65's were rectangle buttons and earlier were round. As poster Pishta suggested prior parts were used up on assembly line so having a round button is not impossible. Also radios were an extra cost option then and many cars left the factory in radio delete mode. Dealer would have likely installed what ever he had on shelf or could get quickly to complete a sale if customer wanted a radio in a car delivered without one. This could explain poster dibbons clearly '63 radio and faceplate removed from his '65.