Radio/cassette player in old horsebox??

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ecrozier

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Just looking for some advice, really.
I'd love to have a radio in the horsebox - its a 1985 Bedford TL, and doesn't have a 'hole' to fit a radio in, or any speakers or anything....How easy is it to get one fitted? I'm sure I saw one in someone's old lorry once in a sort of frame thing, with the speakers either side? Not sure that makes any sense!
I also don't have a cigarette lighter socket, and want one of them fitted too so I can get CCTV system so I can keep an eye on the monsters in the back
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How easy/difficult is this to do?
 
You just get a plastic attachment from pretty much any decent spares place for th radio/cassette and the power socket is the same. Easy to fit as well so will not be a problem
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Ahhh, right, so i need to get a cigarette lighter wired in then I can plug a radio/cassette player to that. Is that right?
 
It can be done as I have a Radio in my 1973 Bedford, am having a power socket fitting in soon too, for TomTom and CCTV. (OH is a dab hand at things like that).......Just need to find some kind person to do it for you....
 
I've got one in my Bedford TL - sat on the shelf above the sun visor so no need for extra fittings - doesn't work though - another job for OH
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Heidi, is your radio 'fitted', or on top of the dash if you know what I mean?
Thanks
E.x

ETS Miller - good thinking! I've got that shelf too and there is actually an unexplained wire up there, so amybe there was one up there at some point!
 
How many batteries has your lorry got. If it is 2 it will be 24v instead of 12v and I *think* you have to buy a 24v Radio. If you do have 2 batteries I would check to see if that was right or not before buying a radio.
 
Hmm, just one battery I think, but it is really big! There is a leisure battery but guess that wouldn't be connected to the radio as its on a split charge system.
Maybe will take it to the garage and ask the nice men there!
 
Cigar lighter was for the cctv - you said you needed one for it. the radio will normally be wired in separately. Its easy to do, but if you are not used to wiring things its best to get someone else to do it
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I would get the radio wired in to the leisure battery. That way you will not risk flattening the lorry battery if you accidently leave it switched on for a week or more.
 
I installed a modern Sony stereo, Blaupunkt speakers and TomTom satnav (which works as an MP3 player and connects to the stereo for navigation and playing the MP3s) in my 1987 Volvo lorry recently. Use a 24-12V inline dropper or spur off the lower battery to get 12V. The only problem with mine (which I will fix when it next goes in for service) is that as the stereo does not have a constant 12V feed (it only has switched 12V), so it cannot retain radio stations in memory.

Modern stereos have an automatic shutoff feature so if you enable that you don't need to worry about draining the battery.
 
Your Bedford will almost certainly be a 12 Volt one.

Easy to do just take a cable from the fuses side of the fuse box to the radio and the cigarrette lighte/power socket. Any in car radio fitter or auto electrician can do it as Bedfords are nice and simple.
 
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