Yeah, we know what you're thinking-another story about how to tweak your eardrums, receive a serious headache, and advertise the proverbial midlife crisis. While all these scenarios can easily be accommodated, we took a more laid-back, conservative approach with our '72 Corvette.
When choosing a sound system for your ride, some often strive for the "bass in your face" sound, while others enjoy clarity-as if being present in front of their favorite symphony orchestra. Depending on your monetary situation, thousands of different combinations are at your disposal. As usual, do your homework in order to achieve the best possible sound and fit for your application.
With the old no-name battery that came with Homewrecker on its way out, we chose to replace it with an Optima Red Top for added reliability and performance. This particular unit is completely sealed from the elements and can withstand mass amounts of abuse from vibration and/or heat. With 910 cranking amps and 720 cold cranking amps, we are set for many years to come.
Recalling the days of yore, most car stereos contained less than 10 wires, which were stripped by some crazy stoner using his teeth, twisted together, and guarded against the elements with some electrical tape. While this was most uncommon, you're grinning at the fact that you know someone who has done so. Taking it one step further, what about the house speakers stacked in his back seat? OK, you get the point, now come back to 2007.
Mobile electronics have evolved beyond belief. Who would've thought that we'd be cruising around town with four televisions, onboard video games, navigation, and CD/DVD players. One would think with all these amenities available, you wouldn't hear "Are we there yet?" from the little ones. Yeah, right!
It seems shocking that back in '72 a factory tape player was not available in the Corvette. You could get an 8-track in most other high-end GM vehicles, but not the plastic sports car. The top-of-the-line option was an AM/FM stereo, with two speakers in the dash. Somewhere in Project Homewrecker's past, a snazzy in-dash AM/FM-8-track player was installed with four nifty RCA speakers (two in the kick panels, two mounted in the rear).
Once we had head unit, we were confronted with how to install the DIN 1-style unit into the old center gauge cluster bezel (left). Once again, Mid America Motorworks had us covered with its DIN 1 specific-custom bezel.
Editor Jim Campisano, having finally realized that 8-tracks are no longer available for his '72 LT-1, decided to give Mid America Motorworks a call. While appreciating the unmatched support we've received in the past, who better to contact for our options on obtaining a more modern sound system? Campy wanted clean, crisp sound and enough power to be heard over the modified mouse motor and headers we'd be installing under the hood. Window-shattering bass, two tons of subwoofers and 40-speakers were not in the cards. After careful consideration we chose a JVC DVD/CD receiver with a 3.5-inch-wide monitor (part# 621-502 with custom bezel) and a pair of Kenwood Premium 60-watt speakers (part# 613-019). This would definitely bring us into the 21st century without needing a degree in rocket science. The system gave us amazing sound and features without sacrificing the interior's limited storage space. We also didn't add lots of unnecessary weight to our sleek machine.
A special thanks to the crew at Motor City Auto Body in Newark, New Jersey, which provided a more than suitable work area for us to perform our stereo installation. Let's get it on!
Our first step is to remove the screws fastening the wiper switch and bezel into the dashboard. | 
Also remove any fasteners holding the existing radio in externally. | 
Once all screws are removed (Note: there are two threaded fasteners at the bottom of the bezel; both 3/8-inch nuts must be removed before pulling up on the bezel) carefully begin to pull bezel forward. There are many wires going to the cluster, so be careful. |
After the bezel is removed, gain access to the back and mark all attachments. Someone was previously in here and used numbered stickers, which generally come with a rebuilt carburetor to mark vacuum hose location. Remove all electrical wiring and the oil pressure feed hose from the cluster, then remove cluster from the vehicle. | 
After removing the cluster from the vehicle, remove the four 1/4-inch bolts from the rear of the cluster and carefully pull it apart. Shown here are the cluster components disassembled. | 
Now that we've managed to create a rather large hole in the dash, we'll proceed to install the new Kenwood speakers. (This particular model vehicle has two speakers that reside in the upper dash pad.) |