Project 510: New Tunes
I’m no audiophile, but I do like the option of listening to music while I drive. The problem with old cars is that old stereos suck, and new ones look out of place. Enter the answer to my problems; the Watt Audio Bluetooth Amplifier.
When I first purchased Project 510, it didn’t have an audio system in it, so after using a boombox placed on the floor for a while (this was before bluetooth speakers were a thing), I fitted the head unit that I had removed from my previous car, in a very haphazard way. It was a 2007-ish unit that allowed me to play music from a USB stick. You can read about that install that I did in 2011 here.
As time went on and downloading music wasn’t a thing any more, I longed for something with bluetooth connectivity, so a few years ago I removed that head unit and changed to a more modern one that allowed me to stream music from my phone. It also didn’t have a CD mechanism so it was much smaller and lighter.
In my never ending quest to do things better each time I (re)do them, I enlisted the help of my friend Gil to co-design and 3D print a snap-in fascia that followed the contours and profile of the standard dash.
As we worked our way through multiple revisions, I discovered Watt Audio on Instagram, so I shelved the idea of the traditional head unit and pivoted to this more discreet solution.
It’s a simple product designed to dissapear in the interior of a classic car, allowing modern functionality without the appearance. It only needs power, ground, and speaker wires, and it auto-connects to your phone every time you start the car. Mounting it is as simple as using the supplied velcro strips.
Can you see it?
Gil printed one more fascia for me, this time a blanking plate, and it cleans up the interior nicely. I still need to add some silver paint onto the raised sections at the top and bottom, and continue those lines along the glovebox. Maybe one day a dummy original radio will find a home there. I fitted the new Watt amp just under the heater controls so the volume knob is easily accessible while driving.
The small red LED is a warning light for my electric water pump.
This is not a sponsored post or product, I’m just really happy with this new solution. The only downside is that it lacks the punch of the old head unit, but that’s to be expected due to it’s tiny size.
The plus side is that this means the head unit I just removed is now available to fit into Project N14. Although I did discover some 90’s looking retro models from Blaupunkt recently. Hrmmm…