ECS, Maybe do an ECS bundle when selling these parts:

Add 4 pieces 07149200041 to the hidden compartment covers.
Add 2 pieces 07149197038 to the hidden compartment box.

I ordered the 4 for the cover, forgot the screws for the box, stole them from the lower I-Panel covers for now!!

 

Never had an 8 track in my car, but my '57 Chevy had a 45rpm record changer/player mounted under the dash.

 

You definitely win.

 

Heard of Custom Electronics? Dad knew Bob Craig, Bill Lear, Muntz too.. plus Paul Klipsch, Rudy Bose. Anyway, Craig transformed auto audio market. He went downhill once he signed build deal with Sanyo. They over priced to him, went around him and imported direct. Killed Craig. Plus, Pioneer came on board with first true hi-if high power car receivers, decks, etc. combined with Jensen speakers, started the high end market. Of course Fosgate amps stepped up sound many fold later. I cute out back deck of my Pontiac Firebird SD-455, put dual 15" EV triaxial studio drivers (three coils, one was the famous horn tweeter), plus small Advent wood and mid range, w/ EV made Klipsch tweet horns up front. Ran two Fosgate 100RMS .01THD per channel + one 50RMS for horn tweeters. I think I ran 4ohm posts and crossovers. Herb Adams who created SD455, had options, one was adding a trunk mounted battery (weight balance). Added that for power, plus huge zillion farad capacitors. Bigger alternator. Power system was over kill for the amps power. Today, ppl brag about "1000w" amps (at zillion% distortion), driving Uber inefficient speakers. Back then, the car would visibly vibrate your neck tie inside, and had Uber clean sound quality. Head end back then was Alpine, and a couple others tried.

I bring this all up, because from the days of Muntz, Klipsch, many others, to the first hard core car audio, and home theatre, was total blast of human creativity and fun. All done with slide rules, pencils, and drafting tables. Back then, went to moon in a few years, fighters jets, spy planes, bombers (still not topped today) produced in 7-14 months. Today, we take 22+years to create a fighter jet. And it still does not work right (F35). Back then we had between 650-1000 ship navy. Something odd about this comparison

I enjoy your musings and advice. Thought I would join in and support that later generation like me appreciate all the red blooded progress made in those days. I was at tail end of the time when I was a teen.

 

I remember those!

Yeah, you win!!

 

I did the same in the late 70s!! To my 73 Z28. Cut a piece of plywood to bolt under the package tray, cut out 2 12" holes for 12" Oaktron woofers, 6" Oaktron midranges in the doors, Philips 1" dome tweeters in the cardboard headliner. Used a CarFi amp that was one of the first to create a true car amp. All that being driven by a Pioneer Super Tuner AM/FM Cassette deck.

 

Ah, the "Super Tuner" series. One of the original Hi-fi tuners, supported Dolby FM, plus 30-19khz cassette head hardness for high chrome tapes. And your L82 Z28. 4 bolt mains. Last year was 74. I was a moron to sell the Super Duty in 80s. $$ Appreciated way up, but not like today. Some going over $200k. Only solace, my R-Spec Genesis Sedan is faster. So many cars are. Back then, I did actual 12.8 113mph on Goodyear Eagles. 3 speed auto, 4200lbs, power everything. Buddy had from new, until recently, a 74 Z28. No air, no power anything but brakes, AM radio. 4 speed Muncie, factory installed 411 gears. Even with being Uber lite compared to SD, SD blew it in the weeds. But the scream of the Small block and mostly square cut gears was special on the Z28.

 

Well I had the factory AM with the Delco rear speaker in my first production run 1967 Camaro -- a car our family ordered new from the factory which I later sold for $1,400 and bought a new Toyota Corolla. The Camaro had less than 40,000 miles and was all original, incuding the black vinyl top over gold. Probably would be worth close to 50 grand today. Who knew????

But when I got the job at Craig I loaded in an in-dash Powerplay unit with the plug-in external amp. Whole Corolla shook. Paper cone speakers -- state of the art

 

So back to the secret compartment.
Got it in!!
I can't even fit my SA P9C in there!! Let alone my 8 track.

 

That sounds like the exact car a buddy of mine had when I was stationed in FL back in '67. His did have an 8 track.

I know what you mean. Couldn't even fit my P238 in there. Big enough for a couple of extra mags though.

 

 

Mod looks good! Clean job. Did you leave any blood?

 

Not this time.
Actually very easy.
Had to steal the 2 screws from the lower inner kick panels to use for the box.
I did however didn't forget to order 4 screws for the cover!!

 

I get that about the Camaro!! I've lamented selling my '67 Chevelle SS396 (L78) for decades! I bought it new & sold it before going into the Army during Vietnam...I was wanting to get married & was trying be practical! What true car guy is practical? lol! That was a crazy time & I'm sure many guys did similar things back then....my Chevelle turned out to be only 1 of 602 or 612 made in '67 with the L78 engine! It's worth well over 6 figures today!

As for the hidden compartment install nice job! It makes me want to use mine for something now as I forget about it being there much of the time! ;-)

 

 

For anyone wanting to do this, here are instructions I found from the service manuals online that may help: https://www.newtis.info/tisv2/a/en/f...les/1VnXyNAhPh

Hoping to do this and just re-use the old panel after modifying it.

 

Definitely need a new panel.
Been there, done that. Post #86 above.

 

so what is stored in the hidden compartment?

 

Darn. Wasn't sure you ended up with a new panel. Must have missed that. The carbon panel I have isn't cheap for the hidden compartment.

 

I usually forget what I put in it. Basically it is so small that my sunglasses and OBD reader are all that fits.

 

Gum, cigarettes, blunts!!

 

Well, if you are willing to experiment, you can give it a try.
The compartment will install without the cover needing to be there.
You can always install your modded, or new one after the fact.

 

You're stashing your Phillips 45rpm record player in there and you just won't cop to it!

 

That wouldn't even fit in the glove box of my '57 Chevy. Had to mount it under the dash.

I keep my tow hook access covers, extra cotter pins for my QR front plate mount, my leftover belt line blackout tape, and a tiny bottle of aspirin in my secret compartment. That pretty much fills it up.

 

We already went over this, its a Muntz 8 track.