8 track

[lcmc]

Currently my car has an AM radio with optional rear speaker. I am going to install a factory AM FM mono radio. Was there an 8 track available with that combination or did you have to get the stereo radio to get an 8 track? If so what is the part number. Also where did the 8 track mount?

[Mark]

8 tracks were available with any radio.  There was 4 different 8 track units used (in 69 anyway), the was two 2 knob units that mounted under the dash, and two 4 knob units  that mounted forward facing on the console.  If you had a console, you got the console mounted version, otherwise it was mounted below the glove box on the passenger side of the dash.  The AM (RPO U63) and AM/FM mono radios (RPO U69) used the dash mounted speaker only unless they were ordered with RPO U80 "Auxilliary Speaker" and then they had a second speaker in the rear pacakage tray and a dash mounted fader knob.  The 8 tracks used 4 speakers (2 front, 2 rear) which they shared with the AM/FM stereo radios (RPO U79).  The mono radios shared the right rear speaker with the 8 track (ie RPO U80 was included with RPOU57 when combined with RPO U63 or RPOU69) but otherwise the two systems are completely separate.

If you looking to buy an original setup, be prepared to cough up about 1000 bucks.  And don't buy a console mounted one without the armrest pad, as they aren't repro'ed and are very hard to find.

[RJ_RS_SS_350]

If you are concerned with correctness, the RPO spreadsheet seems to indicate that the 8-track and rear seat speaker could not be ordered together.  Also, if you happen to have the rear antenna option, it looks like you could not get the AM/FM radio.

[Mark]

That's because the 8 track added 4 speakers to the car, but there is a connection within the 8 track harness that allows the use of the U80 rear fader on the mono radios.  It shares the right rear deck speaker with the radio.

[lcmc]

Mark ....from what I understand then it would be correct to run a mono AM/FM with the U80 fader and only use the 2 speaker system. However since I have a console car I must use the console mounted 8 track and not the underdash model. If that's the case that sucks cause I really don't want it mounted on the console.

[Mark]

When you ordered the 8 track with either the AM or AM/FM mono radios the U80 feature was included with the 8 track.  What most people don't realize is that the 8 track and the radios are two completely separate systems.  You can't run both of them at the same time.  there is a switch in the 8 track unit that kills power to the radio when a tape is inserted.  That same switch also connected and disonnected the right rear speaker (belonging to the 8 track) to the output of the U80 fader on the radio.  The mono radios then used the dash speaker and the right rear speaker just like if they had ordered the U80 by itself.

The AM/FM Multiplex radio shared all 4 speakers with the 8 track and all four speakers were switched back and forth by that switch in the 8 track.  The multiplex 8 track is a completely different part number than the base 8 track though, as it has an extras wiring harness on it that brings the output of the multiplex unit into the 8 track player.