A SOUND INSTALLATION
With Special

Interests' Panasonic

reproduction of the

1965-66 Mustang's AM-

FM radio, you get real

stereo and original

appearance at nearly

half the price.		  

(Reprinted from the June 1987 issue of Mustang Monthly.)
photos by Jerry Heasley


Our 1966 Mustang hardtop was equipped with the standard AM radio and its single dash-mounted speaker. Radio removal in a 1965-66 Mustang is simple. The knobs pull off and the nuts and washers, located behind the knobs, are easily removed with a socket.


A factory underdash air conditioner was in our way, so we made room for the AM radio removal by loosening the glove box and shoving it a few inches to the side. 		 
by Jerry Heasley

 When our Special Interests' reproduction AM- FM radio arrived, it was almost like getting an NOS unit in the mail. It looked that good. The face chrome was top quality, but even more important the radio looked just like Ford's original 1965-66 Mustang AM-FM, incorporating the Ford slide bar and an exact dial with original-type numbers.
    For many years, the factory AM-FM has been a coveted and high dollar accessory for 1965-66 Mustangs, mainly because very few Mustangs were sold with AM-FM radios and even fewer exist today. Originally manufactured by the now defunct Bendix Corporation, the AM-FM radio was first produced for the Mercury Comet in 1962, and the same unit was later modified to fit the early Mustangs. In 1965, the Mustang sales brochure did not mention the AM-FM radio, but Ford did offer it as an over-the-counter service part. Then, in 1966, the AM-FM become a regular production option, listed in the 1966 Mustang sales brochure although promoted only in small print. FM was just coming into everyday use back in those days. Most radio stations were still broadcasting on the AM band.
    When FM stations grew in numbers and popularity in the mid-1970s, popularity and prices for the Mustang AM-FM radio skyrocketed. Today, excellent originals fetch from $800 to $1,000. There's even a report that an NOS unit was advertised for sale on the east coast for $1,500!
    Ed Jasinski of Special Interests (2228 S. El Camino, No. 77, San Mateo, CA 94403, (415) 573-5554) is a 1960's radio buff who has "always been crazy about 1965-66 Mustang AM-FMs." Although a biologist by college degree, Ed has training as a tool and die maker and machinist, plus he works at a scientific instrument company in the Silicon Valley. So Ed was keenly suited for reproducing the Mustang AM-FM radio.
    Ed is also a Mustanger. He's the guy who advertised for several years to buy a K-GT convertible, preferably one with either Emberglo or Red interior. But he took a year out of his Mustang search to put together his passion, a reproduction of the original 1965-66 AM-FM radio.
    The job began with the study of his four original AM-FMs, the oldest dated April 20, 1965, with part number F5TBZ and serial number 001094. Ed's next example is an April 24, 1965, unit with the same part number as the first radio but with serial number 001338. Ed's third radio, with a May 21, 1965, date and serial number 003058. has a Comet chassis. Apparently there was a chassis supply problem at the time because Ford restamped the Mustang number over the original Comet serial number. (Of course, Comet radios used a different face with "Comet" on the slide bar, no chrome except for the push-buttons, and tuning and volume shafts with longer extensions). The fourth Mustang AM-FM is dated June 10, 1965, with an F6TBZ part number, indicating a 1966 model year, and serial number 001011.
    The main difference from 1965 to 1966 is that the '65 AM-FM is a 10 transistor unit while the '66 uses 11 transistors.
    Obtaining a chassis for the reproduction AM-FM was no problem. Ed went with Panasonic, deciding to make it stereo, unlike the originals that were mono. If the real purists wanted mono, Ed figured, they would buy an original radio anyway.
    Still, the repro had to look exact. First, Ed searched for original dies from Bendix suppliers, but with no luck, although he did find a couple of engineers who worked on the original radio in 1962. Eventually, after sending scores of letters to companies from coast to coast, Ed decided that the task of finding on original die. most of which were discarded after 10 years, would cost more than making new ones using his original AM-FMs as models.
    The reproduction job got complicated when Ed could not find, in any print shop, a set of dial numbers like the originals. Here is where his experience with optical instruments paid off. Using a microscope, the original letters were enlarged up to 10 times, then drawings were laboriously inked to scale. From the ink drawings, the engraver made a reverse hot stamp for the dial face. Ed chose to hot stamp the dial numbers, like Ford did, instead of the less expensive silk screening.
    Ed's attention to detail on his reproduction AM-FM radio should be applauded. On the dial face, the number "3" in "13" is narrow at the bottom. That's exactly the way the original 13s were stamped. When Ed could not locate the correct letter font in type-setting shops, he had them hand-drawn too.
    Finally, with the 1965-66 Mustang AM-FM radio reproduction completed, Special Interests priced them at $329, a figure which seems too low to be high quality. That's probably because of comparisons with the $450 to $550 price tags for used original units in average condition. With the reproduction AM-FM now on the market, the prices for original AM-FMs have already dropped, although good used units still sell for around $700.
    Unfortunately, the supply for Special Interests' reproduction AM-FM radio is limited. Ed produced 472 units, and half of them are already sold. The available chassis from Panasonic have been consumed, so to produce more Ed must find another chassis supplier.
    For now, though, Ed has fulfilled his desire to reproduce the AM-FM Mustang radio, one that he could use in his cars and for small-time sales. While putting together his perfect Mustang AM-FM, Ed lost a year in his hunt for his perfect early Mustang, the K-GT convertible. When his first run of radios is gone, someone may have to sell him a car to persuade him to go at it again 		 
It also helps to pull the defroster duct on the driver's side in order to unplug the radio wires and antenna lead. (Or you can reach in from under the dash). Then pull the radio out from behind the instrument panel.


Speaking of Speakers

    "Which speakers do I use?" is the most common question from Mustangers when installing the reproduction AM-FM radio. The answer depends on the radio currently in the car.
    The most common 1965-66 Mustang radio is the standard AM with its single mono speaker in the top of the dash. The easy solution here is to replace the stock speaker with a two-speaker setup, which is available from most Mustang parts suppliers. We obtained ours from National Parts Depot (3101 SW 40th Boulevard, Gainesville, FL 32609). The dual cone unit is the same size and shape as the original oval speaker, so it fits into the original speaker opening.
    Some Mustangs came with the AM/8-track stereo, an option that added a speaker in each door. But the AM/8-track's opening in the dash is larger, so the AM-FM tuner will not fit.
    A very rare accessory for the 1965-66 Mustang was an underdash 8-track tape player. It used the same chassis as the AM/8-track, but without the radio. It also came with door speakers. Therefore, it would be factory correct to add the 8-track along with the AM-FM and install a pair of door speakers. PRO Products. Inc (800-826-0647, at 800-225-5985 in California) offers reproduction door speaker and grilles for 1966-66 Mustangs.
    Another alternative is to add the rear package tray accessory speaker. Then the radio would be connected to two speakers for stereo while still maintaining a stock appearance.
    Whichever solution is best for your Mustang, remember that the reproduction AM-FM is stereo and must be connected to two speakers.

We chose a dual cone speaker, available from most Mustang parts vendors, that's the same size as the original single speaker. That way, the speaker hook up is child's play.

Faded Memories

Did Ford ever install a fader in early Mustangs?
    Ed Jasinski has discussed Mustang sound systems with many early Mustang owners since he began reproducing the AM-FM radio. One very interesting call came from a former Ford employee who claimed to have ordered a brand new 1966 Mustang equipped with the AM-FM, door speakers and a fader control!
    What's a fader? It's a device to split volume, left and right to two speakers to get stereo-type separation without stereo. Mustang AM-FMs, of course, were mono in 1965-66, although AM/8-tracks were stereo with the door speakers. Therefore, with a fader switch, this man's AM-FM supposedly did come, from the factory, with door speakers. If this set-up was indeed optional -- and we can't find any information to substantiate it -- it would pave the way for correct AM-FM installations using fader switches and door speakers.
    Has anyone ever seen a 1965-66 Mustang with an AM-FM fader switch and door speakers?
Slip the AM-FM behind the dash for installation. The speakers must be connected before energizing the radio or serious damage may result, cancelling the one-year warranty. Instructions with the radio are very cautious, advising that you first disconnect the battery at the post. Plug in the antenna and the radio power source, which are no different than the original AM radio.

Next, connect the speakers for a temporary trial run.		   Establish a temporary ground -- radio chassis to car body -- and turn the slide bar to AM. Find a weak station around the 1400 spot on the dial, then "trim" the antenna with a flat-bladed screwdriver, turning the set screw (as shown) in either direction until the broadcast is loudest. Make sure the antenna is extended to normal operating height.

Install the dual
speakers.

Secure the chassis with the metal strap behind the dash and install the knobs. An AM-FM sure lights up an early Mustang instrument panel. And this reproduction looks NOS.

Of LED Lights and
Four-Speaker
Wiring

    Ed Jasinski will include or omit the stereo LED light for the reproduction AM-FM's face. We asked that the light be omitted in our unit so that it would look more like the real thing. But non-purists may want the extra light for tuning.
    Also, a four-speaker wiring set-up is available with the repro AM-FM. We recommend sticking with the two-speaker arrangement. With the four-speaker system, the right control knob is a fader rather than for stereo balance, so to keep the radio face stock looking, the balance control must be located inside the tuner. To change the balance, you must slip a paper clip or popsicle stick between the slide bar and the opening in the tuner to move another sliding switch.
    So the two-speaker set-up is much simpler for the reproduction AM-FM. 

Mustang Monthly is published by Petersen Publishing Company and can be reached at: Mustang Monthly, P.O. Box 7157, Lakeland, FL 33807-7157 or by E-mail at mustangm@petersenpub.com.

Back Issues from July 1993 onward are available through DC Reader Services, P.O. Box 2898, Lakeland, FL 33806. Phone (800) 429-0106 or (941) 683-8807, Monday through Friday from 8:00AM - 5:00PM Eastern Time.