1st Gen CB Radio setups!

No it's in the ashtray location. I did heat up and push in the ac duct.

 

Thanks looks good brotha, I'll give it a go today

 

Yes. I cut the plastic brace that goes right above the ashtray. For wiring, all I can suggest is running under the carpet just behind the pedals.

 

How did you guys wire (power) the radio?
Right now I have it hooked up to the 12v with an adapter but I wanted a more permanent option and I am a little new to vehicle wiring but not afraid to tackle a wiring project.
Would just like to know what others have done here

 

I used an add a circuit. A Blue Sea? fuse panel would make for a clean install. It’s a bit more involved but expandable and very clean.

There are some detailed write ups somewhere.

 

You can do the add a fuse . That would be easy and quazy permanent.

$10 ATM Add-A-Fuse (Same Function as Bussmann BP/HHH) ATM Fuse Tap

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B007FFG5YI/ref=cm_sw_r_apa_i_CtNEEbX1JFC3G

 

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/1st-gen-cb-install.127401/page-4#post-23065845
Here's mine

 

My plan is to use a relay, the ignition will trigger the relay to power the cb radio.

 

I had been wanting to get a CB installed in my 2004 Tacoma Prerunner for years, most likely for nostalgia's sake. We had a ton of fun using CBs back in high school twenty years ago and I wanted to revive that spirit. When I heard that my hunting club would be having an "official" club channel this season, I got to work.

CB

I considered several options. I really had my eye on the President McKinley (https://www.rightchannelradios.com/products/president-mckinley-ssb-radio) because of its size, front speaker and its SSB capability. Also, the Uniden 980 with its modern design and SSB was appealing (https://www.rightchannelradios.com/products/uniden-980-ssb). However, once I considered the cost of my entire setup and considering that much of this is more about reliving a forgotten age, I decided to pull my Uniden Bearcat PC68XL (https://www.bearcatscanner.com/pc68xl-bearcat-pro-series-cb-radio/) out of storage. A faithful companion during the high school years, it had been peaked and tuned at the local CB shop (there used to be one in every town in the U.S. young grasshoppers) and was always reliable. After a quick check to see if it would power on, it was decided. I would be installing the PC68XL into the Tacoma.

Location

I looked everywhere on Tacoma World and elsewhere for installation location ideas. I won't rehash what has been written elsewhere, but for anyone that has ever tried to install a CB radio in a Tacoma (I can only speak for 1st Gen) they know that there are no simple options. I was halfway settled on "mounting" the CB to the front dash using either double sided tape or Velcro until I came across a post that correctly pointed out that in a wreck situation Velcro will not hold a CB in place, thus making the CB a heavy flying object that would likely cause extensive damage to the occupants of the vehicle. Duh! Back to square one.

After reading a post and seeing the picture on Tacoma World where a guy had mounted a rather large scanner underneath the steering wheel, I sprang into action. Before I read this, it never occurred to me that mounting a mid-sized CB under the steering wheel was an option. I did some measurements and decided to give it a go. I installed my Uniden Bearcat PC68XL there and so far, it has worked great. I am 5'10" so banging my knees on the radio has not been an issue. I did have to get creative with my microphone holder mount because using the mount on the radio caused the microphone cord to hang down too far. Having the cord "ride" my leg all the time was annoying. Since I am in close proximity to the radio and the internal speaker is on the bottom of the radio, no external speaker is necessary. This location does require some muscle memory since you can't really see the controls while driving, but because the PC68XL only has four knob and five switches this is not a huge issue.




I would not call this a clean install, but it meets my needs.

Toolbox

I had been wanting a toolbox for a while. Once I went down this CB path, I knew that I wanted to mount my CB antenna to the toolbox, having done this in the past and liking the look and performance. I went with the Better Built 61.5" Crown Series Slimline Low Profile Crossover Universal Wedge Truck Tool Box from Wal-Mart (https://www.walmart.com/ip/Better-B...sover-Universal-Wedge-Truck-Tool-Box/37226234). It is small, but adequate. Additionally, I purchased a diamond plated CB mount from eBay (https://www.ebay.com/itm/124087327076). Be advised that the hole in the middle of these mounts is too small for standard whip antennas and require extra drilling. The hole must be 1.25 inches which is much larger than your standard drill bit. Of everything I did with this project, this was the most time consuming. I purchased a 1-inch drill bit which worked okay, but mostly I used smaller bits to drill many small holes and used a file to grind out the hole.

Antenna

For me the question of which antenna to choose was never in doubt. I was always going to get a 102-inch steel whip antenna with ball and spring mount, no questions asked. Yes, the redneck factor is high and yes banging the overhang at the Chick-fil-a drive-thru annoys the wife, but you'll never get better performance out of a CB than you will with a standard 102-inch steel whip. I went through my old inventory and found that my old ball and spring had some rust and corrosion that would need to be addressed before installation. I decided instead to purchase a 102 Inch Whip Antenna Kit With Ball Mount from Right Channel Radios (https://www.rightchannelradios.com/products/copy-of-cb-ball-mount-and-spring). Right Channel provided great instructions and minus the issues with the toolbox mount, the antenna was easy to install.




PA

While buying the essential hardware at Right Channel Radios, I came across their PA horn section. Most of the older CBs have a PA jack on the back. I have no idea why some wizard of smart engineer in the 60s or 70s decided to make CBs double as a PA system, but I had always wanted one. I could never think of any practical use for one and still can’t, but I bought one anyway! I installed it under the driver's side door to the left of the transmission using zip ties. I then stuffed the electrical cables into the truck frame and wrapped it in waterproof tape. Time will tell whether it holds up under the strain of mud and muck. It was easy to hook up and works fine. Now I need to find some practical use for it. (https://www.rightchannelradios.com/products/cb-pa-speaker-15-watt)




Misc. Details

1. For the power hookup, I went with a 3-Pin Cigarette lighter adapter (https://www.rightchannelradios.com/products/3-pin-cb-cigarette-power-adapter). I tried using a fuse tap, but either it was faulty, or my ground was garbage. I was unable to find a clear path directly to the battery, so I went the easy route. Some have said that using a cigarette lighter adapter will cause excessive noise in the radio and maybe that is true for some radios, but mine does not have this problem.

2. I routed the antenna cable and PA horn cable through the grommet under the driver's side seat and under the carpet to the radio. I then used several zip ties to keep the cables from hanging down and potentially creating a hazard while driving.




Ham Radio vs. CB

CB was my gateway drug to ham radio. I love both. For some reason, there seems to be this unwritten code that you are either a CBer (unaffectionately called LIDs by the ham community) or a ham radio operator. I am from the Smokey and the Bandit school of radio. It should be fun, but tasteful. Listening to the CB on any given night can be akin to consuming water from the sewer. Likewise, listening to ham radio operators give out their call signs every 5 seconds to stay in compliance with FCC rules and regulations is boring and lame. I am for the middle way. Have fun and follow the rules without being a stiff.

Closing

If you made it this far you probably need to get a life or are genuinely curious. Hopefully something I have written gives you ideas for your Taco CB radio install like others did for mine. Good luck!