Vintage Tunes On 8 Track Tape

[LeeBoy]

I started collecting these about 11 years ago from flea markets, eBay and friends. I thought it would be cool to listen to classic tunes on the 8 tracks while wrenching in the garage. With maintenance on the tapes they sound awesome. I even put an under dash player in my Plymouth for cruisin. I have several hundred of them now. Everything from Cash to Clapton. I also have gotten a few of the Dodge, Chrysler and Plymouth tapes that were given with new car purchases. In the garage they play through a vintage Pioneer Centrex head unit. I also got a couple of the vintage Gator Grain cases for luggin these things around while cruisin.

[LeeBoy]

more

[charge69]

That is an awesome collection of 8-track tapes you have!! I only have a couple of them but cannot wait to play them on my original AM-8 Track tape player on my Charger.

[LeeBoy]

 

[Manfred318]

Awesome.  I sold off the vast majority of mine along with my Sony 8-track stereo several years back.

Really diggin the Lowenbrau signs too.

[tan top]

wow what a collection    awesome stuff 

[Ponch ®]

about 8 tracks...is it more of a nostalgia thing? As opposed to, for example, vinyl-philes who swear that the sound quality on a record sounds more "organic" than a CD, mp3, etc and thats why they love em. But even though 8 tracks were before my time, I have listened to a few of them and there was nothing special about the quality, in some cases it was just bad. But maybe I just heard shitty ones.

[LeeBoy]

about 8 tracks...is it more of a nostalgia thing? As opposed to, for example, vinyl-philes who swear that the sound quality on a record sounds more "organic" than a CD, mp3, etc and thats why they love em. But even though 8 tracks were before my time, I have listened to a few of them and there was nothing special about the quality, in some cases it was just bad. But maybe I just heard shitty ones.

It's just a nostalgia thing, relivin the past. The sound clarity of a CD can't be beat in my opinion.

[LeeBoy]

Awesome.  I sold off the vast majority of mine along with my Sony 8-track stereo several years back.

Really diggin the Lowenbrau signs too.

Thanks Manfred. Lowenbrau is some great beer. I was way to young to drink it back in the day but I remember the kooky commercials

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3oUBaCyXWNk

[LeeBoy]

That is an awesome collection of 8-track tapes you have!! I only have a couple of them but cannot wait to play them on my original AM-8 Track tape player on my Charger.

When you pop that tape in the player it'll take you back to the good old days

[RallyeMike]

I kept one 8-track for nostalgia's sake "Purple Passages" by Deep Purple, but don't have anything to play it on.

What's the trick to keeping those things alive? Even my old cassettes sound like crap anymore...

[LeeBoy]

I kept one 8-track for nostalgia's sake "Purple Passages" by Deep Purple, but don't have anything to play it on.

What's the trick to keeping those things alive? Even my old cassettes sound like crap anymore...

Some of the older tapes had felt pads that pressed the tape against the player head. The adhesive wears out and the pads fall off. Walmart sells adhesive backed felt sheets so I just cut those to fit. The newer tapes that came out in the late seventies and early eighties had foam pads with an anti friction type material on top of the foam that the player head road against. This foam disintegrates and doesn't allow the tape to run against the player head. I use a type of foam that is similar to what are in gun cases to replace the disintegrated foam. I put the invisible type scotch tape on top of the foam for anti friction when the tape is running against it.
 All tapes have what is called sensing foil at the splice, this is what causes the tape to switch tracks. The adhesive on the back of the foil degrades causing the splice to come apart. Then the tape cartridge needs to be taken apart and the splice repaired. Radio Shack used to sell this sensing foil but no longer stock it but I was able to find it on eBay.
 The Lear Jet company developed the 8 track media. The tapes they made are the most durable accept for one aspect. They have a rubber coated plastic roller inside the cartridge. This rubber after 40 years turns to black goo. Causing the tape to become unplayable. These tape cartridges are held together with a threaded rivet that is a real PITA to remove. Then you have to clean up all the black goo and replace the roller and completely rewind about two miles of tape. The Dodge sound of stereo tapes I have pictured above are the Lear Jet tapes and all had the rollers turn to goo. These tapes are from around 1968.
 Over time the tapes become tight and won't play well. To correct this I just put them in my player and continually fast forward them until they loosen up. Many times the player will eat the tapes and the tape itself gets wrinkled. You can actually use an iron set on a low temp to smooth the tape back out. If the tape snaps I over lap the two edges just a little and make a clean cut. I then use scotch tape on the backside to splice it back together. This will cause a little bit of a blip during playback but is barely noticeable unless a lot of the tape was cut away.
 Well now aren't you glad you asked Mike? LOL. Just like with our old Mopars these old tapes take some TLC to keep them going although the maintenance is a lot cheaper.

[moparstuart]

awesome  

[nvrbdn]

i bought a couple car 8 track decks,even found kraco hump speakers for the car. and a couple home decks and got some of those boxes that go anywhere players like i had when in the service in the 70's. plus a couple hundred tapes. my boy said "dad that sound is old and gona suck". i told him that was the sound i had in the early 70's cruising while in highschool and i want to recapture that era.

[learical1]

The Lear Jet company developed the 8 track media. 

Mighty fine company name!   

[Patronus]

oooo, I have some too! Zeppelin, Doors (weird scenes inside the gold mine dbl album) even Cheech and Chong!!

[RallyeMike]

Well now aren't you glad you asked Mike? LOL. Just like with our old Mopars these old tapes take some TLC to keep them going although the maintenance is a lot cheaper.

Thanks for taking the time to type up that detail. Very interesting, and great hobby.

[LeeBoy]

Well now aren't you glad you asked Mike? LOL. Just like with our old Mopars these old tapes take some TLC to keep them going although the maintenance is a lot cheaper.

Thanks for taking the time to type up that detail. Very interesting, and great hobby.

No problem Mike, glad to be of help.

[mpdlawdog]

   Nice collection!!!  do you know if the 8track was an option for my 68 charger?  I would love to find one working or not to put in!  It would look cool in the dash with a Johnny Cash one sticking out!!!

[LeeBoy]

  Nice collection!!!  do you know if the 8track was an option for my 68 charger?  I would love to find one working or not to put in!  It would look cool in the dash with a Johnny Cash one sticking out!!!

I believe they were. I have a factory 8 track system i'm putting in my 68

[mpdlawdog]

nice...I will have to start looking...when you get a second could you post a pic of the 68 8 track player?  Ive never seen one!

[LeeBoy]

nice...I will have to start looking...when you get a second could you post a pic of the 68 8 track player?  Ive never seen one!

It looks like the one in the picture from moparstuart above

[moparstuart]

nice...I will have to start looking...when you get a second could you post a pic of the 68 8 track player?  Ive never seen one!

It looks like the one in the picture from moparstuart above

http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,60797.0.html


here is a thread i did on all the components you need also

[mpdlawdog]

Thanks guys...I missed the pic the 1st time I read this...very nice....I guess I will start the quest to find one now!  I dont care if it works...Im putting a radio in the glove box with my mp3 player line going into my console for easy access.  I will put it on my loooong list of things I want....working on the things I need right now...she is coming along though!!

[BigBlockSam]

When you pop that tape in the player it'll take you back to the good old days

i put an under dash fm 8 track player in my road runner . i luv it! it reminds me of when i was a kid . i even got a match book in the car to wedge under the bad tapes that don't play rite . in the 70's we use to take an 8 track case  apart and remove the inside. then we would glue a piece of the sound tape across the front . so it looked  like it still worked. we would use that empty tape case as our stash box , for our illegal substances .