RADIO PANEL REFURB

1 Editor in Chief Wager had fabricated a neat replacement panel out of MDF for the centre console so we could fit a radio. As the panel needed covering in vinyl, the first job was to remove the faceplate for the heater controls.

2 Next job was to remove the recently refurbished covering from around the gear lever. After refitting, this panel kept flying off when reverse was selected and was later firmly secured with longer self-tappers and heavy duty spire clips.

3 It took a bit of jiggling to get the new panel out as it was a tight fit in the centre console. Fitting a modern radio/CD player in our big Triumph would lead to problems later.

4 A search through my ‘it may come in handy one day’ box came up with a roll of black vinyl material just wide enough to cover our skilfully made MDF radio mounting. 5 After applying a light coat of impact adhesive to the wood another coat was applied to the reverse side of the material...

6 … the surfaces were brought together and any excess material trimmed away with a craft knife.

7 Refitting the panel was easier than removing it but when it came to install the radio, all the pre-set stations were lost every time it was turned off. The wiring was at fault, as modern car radios need two fused live feeds – one from the ignition plus a constant 12volt for the memory functions.

8 The red and yellow memory wire on our radio should have gone to a live 12 volt feed. Tracing it back to the fuse box showed it changed colour to yellow and had been wired to the ignition. 9 The radio’s red power wire remained on the ignition circuit and moving the yellow memory wire to a constant live feed ensured the unit kept all the pre-set stations when it was turned off.

10 Not only does a modern radio look totally out of place in our Triumph, the unit stopped working when the aerial got tangled in a low flying bush. So still no Radio 2 on the move...