Iphone integration/better radio using Becker Europa fascia

[RThornhill]

Hi All,

I have recently bought a 1971 280 SL and am new to the group. I love the car but the radio does not wrok well. Does anyone have info on a way to keep the look of the original radio but put in modern guts and an imput to play music from an iphone. Any other ideas?

Thansk in advance.

Rodger J Thornhill

[ctm14]

Hello Roger,

  Welcome to the group.  I am actually going through this as we speak with my 69' 280.  I live in San Diego and am using Scott at LaJolla Audio.  I purchased all the parts for the ipod and external amp integration back east.  This was before I knew Scott was very familiar with our cars and repaired Beckers as well.  My car originally had a stereo Becker so we are replacing the kick panel speakers with Alpine separates which will allow the tweeters to be discretely mounted under the dash out of site but pointing up towards the occupants instead of down at their feet.  The woofers will be in the normal kick panel location.  We are also mounting an ARC mini amp behind the glove box which will provide 75 watts per side instead of the Beckers original 5 watts.  Lastly we will run the Ipod cable to the center console.  I would give Scott a call he can help with your Becker and make recommendations on a discreet installation.  He has owned a pagoda and really understands the cars and how they are wired.  I am picking my car up tomorrow and will let you know how it turned out.  Just a referal no affiliation but very impressed with service and knowledge.

La Jolla Audio -Scott Cairncross (owner) sclja@pacbell.net  (858) 581-6545


Chris

[scoot]

I have recently bought a 1971 280 SL and am new to the group. I love the car but the radio does not wrok well. Does anyone have info on a way to keep the look of the original radio but put in modern guts and an imput to play music from an iphone. Any other ideas?

Most pinstripe beckers are already configured to allow you to plug a cable in the back and have a little box with an input jack.  So you can play your iPhone or mp3 player that way.  You can get that setup on ebay - search for becker mp3.  If that isn't good enough, you can do what most people do and put a non-period radio in the car, or worse yet, one of those "retro" radios that looks like crap.   Third choice is to put a remote radio/head unit in your glove box.   Basically you can have it as original looking as you want or as high tech as you want, but you can't have both.  So you decide where you compromise.

[JamesL]

I have the predecessor to this - which in my view is over-specced for the job. This looks simpler...

http://www.beckerautosound.com/Classic/retro%20replacement.html

[J. Huber]

I have a Becker Europa II from a 280SL in my 230SL. Technically, of course, its not the correct radio for my car -- which was delivered without a radio. Since my opening had been opened up to fit a much later 80's stereo anyway, the Europa fit perfectly. 

It has a DIN connector on the back from which I route a short cable behind the lower dash panel with the receptor poking out below the radio. Then with a short double ended cable one can simply plug in the Ipod, Iphone, even and Ipad! for endless music. Because its a Europa II, I get stereo sound (I have SONY speakers in the kickpanels). A vintage radio with modern sound. Its great.

[Peter van Es]

Or DIY: http://www.sl113.org/wiki/Electrical/Ipod

[Richard Madison]

Becker in New Jersey fixed my Europa II and added a small input jack hole below the left radio knobs...allows play through of any device that has a headphone 3.5mm jack hole...or they can put a small jack box on a cord that can rest in the glove box.

Take a look at the photos on this Becker page:

http://www.beckerautosound.com/Classic/mb_classic%20transistor%20aux.html

Richard m, NYC

[Tomnistuff]

Regarding your original exact question, I had an Italian version 69 Ferrari with an Italian (Rome) made Voxson Sebring original AM radio that no longer worked and would not have worked in the US or Canada even if it did work.  I wanted to keep the car original for showing so the following people solved my problem.

The company name is S&M Electro-Tech Inc., located in Minnesota.  They're at:    http://www.turnswitch.com/services.htm

They restored the outside of my original Voxson AM radio, gutted it and installed 180 watt 4-channel AM/FM stereo with fader, balance, tone and AM/FM switching software-driven to avoid modifying the front fascia of the radio.  They even hid an LED (to indicate AM or FM) inside the dial that can be seen only when the radio is on.  They can do the Ipod/Iphone thing as well.
I loved it and the Ferrari Club of America and Cavallino Classic judges loved my radio without ever knowing it was a modern stereo built in an antique case.

I thought it was a good deal at about $400, including four modern matched speakers.  The only thing I had to do (to preserve the authenticy of the dial) was make my own paper AM/FM conversion chart, since the dial was AM only.

Tom Kizer

[ctm14]

I just want to make a comment about my recent experience with Becker Autosound in NJ. This is not the same Becker company many think of back some time ago. Becker pulled out of the US and this group is made up of technicians hat were affiliated and now operating under the name. I sent my Becker for re-conditioning and asked them to bench test and make any recommendations. They advised that a few parts and lights needed to be replaced and I gave them the go ahead. In my recent install it has been discovered that the radio is in need of quite a bit of work and doesn't appear to have been gone through by Becker very thoroughly at all. My experience is they are very good as far as selling IPod accessories and cosmetic reconditioning but don't really get inside the units and do what needs to be done. Just my two cents after an underwhelming and time delaying experience.

[shanghaitom]

I purchased the IPOD cable from http://www.blackforestllc.com/becker.html and it plugs directly into the back of the becker II and works well.