Pat Clements

So back in the summer, I bought a 1977 Ford F150 XLT truck. It has a 4″ lift kit, big tires, big engine. I always wanted one in highschool so I guess that was part of my midlife crisis.

Anyhow, so the truck has almost zero rust, and of course I’m chasing mechanical issues constantly. The interior is in great shape for an almost 40 year old truck. But, someone chopped up a big hole in the dash and installed a Pioneer DIN style rectangular stereo system in it, while everything else is original. I want to go back original looking by finding a junk yard original stereo and re-install a new/old dash panel. But, I also want to have Bluetooth audio, good sound, etc. and I don’t want anything unoriginal showing on the dash.

So here’s my plan. First, I need an amp. Since I’m not interested in my music being real loud, I found this:
DROK® Small Digital Audio Motorcycle Stereo Amplifier Ampli Kit 15W+15W Dual-Channel Power Amp 12 Volt
http://amzn.com/B00C4MT274

My plan is to use Bluetooth to play music from my phone. Here’s how I’m solving that problem:

VicTsing Bluetooth 4.0 Music Audio Receiver Adapter NFC-Enabled Hands free Car kit
http://amzn.com/B00GX71GNO

Since the Bluetooth adapter needs USB power, I found a 12V Buck driver to get a 5V USB port, and it can hide under the dash.

Autek DC Converter Buck Module 12V convert to 5V usb output power adapter(DCCON-5U-0)
http://amzn.com/B00BMIVFK8

At some point, I’ll have to expose a USB port so I can power my phone. I could use the cigarette lighter, but I think I’ll try to find a panel mount wire-in product, or use another one of the Autek buck devices. We’ll have to see.