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240 head unit factory upgrade

The orange though... Is it dimmable? Any chance all the orange comes from a few SMD LED's behind the panel that I can replace with some green guys? If anyone's willing to pop the face plate off and take a pic :^)

Has nobody swapped in a newer volvo head unit into a 240 before?
 
The orange though... Is it dimmable? Any chance all the orange comes from a few SMD LED's behind the panel that I can replace with some green guys? If anyone's willing to pop the face plate off and take a pic :^)

I have the vdo unit. Same as continental unit, just blue lit instead of orange. You can come check mine out if you're curious, but no its not dimmable and its really annoying that it isn't, because it's very bright at night.
 
I like these older Blaupunkts Miami or Madison. They work really good, have lots of outputs and even a mini plug input. And they look right at home in a 240


656d1008263005-oem-blaupunkt-new-cd-conversion-miami-20cd127.jpg
 
They used to sell a 240 faceplate for the 7/9 CR814. Single DIN, basically. 15A had one/the part # for it IIRC.

Allows you to use the 960 premium sound 4x40w? AMP made by alpine, or probably 4x50w 850R if you can find one or V70/C70 thing on appropriate bracket.

Some clever clogs figured out how to make the CD changer input work with an MP3 player with the old display.

They weren't junk in their day/were decent japan alpine stuff branded as "volvo."
Other than a decent volume knob and cleaning the volume pot, they've worked pretty well for me. :e-shrug:

Dated, but nice for what they were.
Probably other options anymore, and, well, no one listens to CDs anymore.

As to speakers, Bostons out of E30s used to be about all there was for trick stuff for manual window 4" shallows in the day recombining junkyard junk with the crutchfield adapters, but those cars don't really go to the JYs anymore/too valuable. Gone are the days of 4 E30s for 4-5K, now you're lucky to get one vaguely decent 1 at all.

Trianglesunlimited sells nice 5.25" grates that aren't cheezoid like the OE 93 grates are in a lot of ways that are also manuelle window compatible.
 
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Kjets, you always have a great answer to my questions :^) I'm really considering just deleting the head unit and putting a small preamp/equalizer circuit behind the dash with an analog stereo input and put a power/volume knob on the dash. That'll leave room for a little ham radio in the single din slot
 
Volume knob and undervalued Volvo/Alpine 850R/V70R 200W amp &/or 780 Sub-woofer/parcel tray amp if you're a junkyard hound/want a project.

IIRC the 1991?ish they put the amp below the passenger window wiper on a bracket/lots of space before the passenger felt/behind the glovebox there on the LHD cars? They hid that thing in various creative locations on the 240s.

Volume knob taking up 52mm gauge space with custom wood bezel or similar if you want to look at it?
3-gauge pack otherwise next to it?
Lower cubby?
I like the radio in the lower cubby/don't want it shining in my face, but that's just me, I no care that much to look at it/fiddle with it, just play my CDs/books on tape/Music in order and make it easy to turn down/pay close attention to road conditions/old hooptie car noises/think about getting to the job site safely dammit!

Or hidden...somewhere? if you don't want to look at it?
 
Volume knob and undervalued Volvo/Alpine 850R/V70R 200W amp &/or 780 Sub-woofer/parcel tray amp if you're a junkyard hound/want a project.

IIRC the 1991?ish they put the amp below the passenger window wiper on a bracket/lots of space before the passenger felt/behind the glovebox there on the LHD cars? They hid that thing in various creative locations on the 240s.

Volume knob taking up 52mm gauge space with custom wood bezel or similar if you want to look at it?
3-gauge pack otherwise next to it?
Lower cubby?
I like the radio in the lower cubby/don't want it shining in my face, but that's just me, I no care that much to look at it/fiddle with it, just play my CDs/books on tape/Music in order and make it easy to turn down/pay close attention to road conditions/old hooptie car noises/think about getting to the job site safely dammit!

Or hidden...somewhere? if you don't want to look at it?


95+ 960 and 850R did come with great sound systems with a decent amp. Never thought about reusing one though.

I also much prefer the lower mounting location. I don't want the radio in myface when I'm driving.

Much rather have some analog gauges back there with the dimest of backlights.
 
They didn't really make 240s sound that nice if you want to keep the stereo out of your way/not take it too seriously without too many over-lay harnesses?

I always drove a wagon, don't care for excess door wiring all that much as a rule (the rear door speakers down low that can get kicked by kids etc).

So the kaplhenke 5.25s in front and 4" shallows in the triangle panels by the rear bench was about all the more seriously I'm willing to take solving this problem, or my hoard of 4" bostons/pile of 4x40 alpine amps from late 960/850s etc.
MB quart rounds in the hat shelf of a 244 are nice in the more rigid chassis though without cutting/molesting the hat shelf.

Trade-offs though, the 240 dash with all its space for those nice german VDO green light/background in the 'normal' portion of the gauge/ against soft phosphorescent orange front-lit needles is great with a shadowbox for glare/minimal lumens/eye strain at night. :e-shrug:
Works well, feels like an old friend driving one again compared to a modern car.
SAAB got the ergonomics of that a little more right in some ways, tho no generic 52mm gauges like the 81+ 240s.
Can't freaking stand driving any modern cars at night, feels so annoying 'dammit, they had this all figured out already for WW2 (era) pilots for minimal eye strain reading dial gauges at night, why must you make this worse?!?' :rant:
It's like the seinfeld chicken super-nova apartment ingress scene to drive a modern car/operate it's HAL/Stereo!
 
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I actually have one of those alpine amps from a p80 car which goes under the radio behind the dash. It's sitting in a box with an sc-901 receiver.

I have a feeling the amp behind the lower cubby hole will have plenty of power to drive the door speakers. I can always add a powered sub later. There are some really cute ones in the 75-150 watt rms range
 
^That's where they hid the amp on 1992+ 240s with the short cubby.
Radio up top tho.

Complain to me trying to find an original vintage looking stereo for your AE86 corolla/no wiring in the doors at all after some car thief did a number on the surround/column lock many moons ago?

At least volvo guys have a decent quality japan/alpine junkpile to recombine across a ton of model years, could be worse?
 
Oh. They have deeper cubbies? Good to know. Maybe I'll relocate the amp.

I really don't mind having the radio up top. The oem one is not too bright, and I plan on putting a ham radio there anyway which will probably be off most of the time and dimmable
 
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