Radio Hole Has Been Cut....

[Greg Carter]

All,

I went to install my recently purchased Frankfurt radio and realized, after removing the radio delete plate, that the hole in my dash has been cut larger. Unfortunately I didn't realize this before buying a period correct radio and all its associated mounting hardware (not cheap). My car had a radio in it (I assume) when it was new due to the original antenna and speakers that are still in the car. Unfortunately, the original radio was removed before I bought the car and somebody installed a later radio while a more recent owner removed it and put in the delete plate.

I guess I now have two options. Either sell the radio and its parts and just go back to the delete plate (which covers up the enlarged hole completely) or find a way either repair or cover the oversize hole to mount the radio.

I looked through pictures online and I see a lot of radios that have a chrome or satin surround with a Blaupunkt radio installed them. Stoddard advertises these surrounds as being for Beckers and not Blaupunkts but they seem to work with both brands of radio.

https://www.stoddard.com/64464500700-nla.html.html

https://www.stoddard.com/64464500710-nla.html.html

There is one that's advertised for a Blaupunkt but I don't believe it's large enough to cover up the oversize hole like the Becker version would.

https://www.stoddard.com/64464500902-nla.html.html

Has anybody used one of these "Becker" plates to cover up an enlarged radio hole in the dash and mounted a Frankfurt in it instead?

Is there any way to add metal to repair the hole in the dash? I'm sure this would require a repaint to get it all blended in but I rather not as my dash is original paint.

Any thoughts / ideas would be appreciated.

Greg

[Wes Bender]

Sierra Madre Collection (in Vendors) has radio surround plates. I got one for my C several years ago. You might check them out before you take any more drastic steps.

[Greg Haskin]

Check with Charles at Woodies (listed in Vendors). Seem to remember he has a custom plate to deal with such abuse that allows the mounting of an original radio.

[Peter Silten]

This is the face plate sold by Sierra Madre Collection that should do the trick:

https://sierramadrecollection.com/Blaup ... 17212.html

It is made of metal, and from what I can tell from the photo is a fairly accurate repro of the surround that was available with Blaupunkt radios in the 60s. I had one on my 356 when I bought it in 72.

[Wes Bender]

Thanks for the link Peter. That's the surround I bought to cover a previous owner's surgical efforts. I had to lightly file it to make the radio fit properly, but it wasn't a big deal.

[Greg Carter]

Thanks for the help and suggestions.

The SMC metal faceplate is nice but it appears they are NLA. They do have a plastic version of it so maybe I’ll try that if I can’t find a metal one.

Greg

[Mervyn Hyde]

Similar issue on my BT6. A member on here (sadly no longer with us) sent me a stainless steel custom made plate that did the job for me.

[George Hussey]

I would certainly install the blaupunkt, if the chrome plate (as shown in the yellow car above) then you would wise to weld up the hole to original specs. I had to do it on one of my roadsters, the original selling dealer had cut a hole in the beautiful metal face and actually moved the porsche emblem over to the right to make room! A good welder is an artist

[Jens Hansen]

Look at this link from Woodycustomshop in CA

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Dash-Repair- ... Sw5ZBWNO-T

[Hugo Karasawa]

Jens gave you the solution.
If you do not want to buy it, you can fabricate such a plate using the radio delete plate as a template.

[Greg Carter]

Gents,

I ordered a Blaupunkt faceplate from Sierra Madre that should cover the hole and look good.

I'll worry about repairing the larger cut hole down the road if / when I restore the car.

On a side note:

Has anybody ordered from Old Timer Radio in Germany lately? I tried to order some parts from them and, when I go to check out, I do not see an option to select a shipping method or pay for the parts.

Thanks again.

Greg

[Eric Lenius]

I am not sure about the shaft alignment on the blaupunkt radios but the becker radios have them aligned differently with respect to the dial of the radio. This necessitates elongating the factory holes (not required for Blaupunkt) and is the reason that the beckers have the separate face plate (to cover up the elongated holes that the instructions tell you to make). Not sure how the Stoddard face plate shaft holes are aligned. But if they are for beckers, I don't think they will work with your Blaupunkt.

Regards,
Eric Lenius