A separate ICE question

[markcoopers]

OK an ICE question on a TVR page, but bare with me as like others i would like to listen to my CD's and radio 6M and 4 occasionally on the longer runs.

My car has a decent quality (back in the day) Alpine head unit with boot mounted CD changer and V12 amp/speaker set up. However the CD player skips and the radio is none existent. The system is connected by a CAN BUS system.

Can any CD changer be connected to this or does it need to be an Alpine?
If I replace the head unit with a single CD and bluetooth input unit to use the phone as a radio as suggested on the other thread, is this an easy connection to the existing amp/speaker wires or will i me looking at Alpine only again?

To replace a head unit, what state of dismantling in the car do i need to do?

Sorry, not installed ICE into a car for many years now and way out of touch on what is possible.

[markcoopers]

I thought they may be. Looks like I either need a new changer or a new alpine head unit with a single CD and USB/Bluetooth.

For the record the changer is an alpine CHAS624 the head unit an Alpine BCTA1505R. Along with the alpine speakers back in the day this was a serious system.

[markcoopers]

The complication here is that the whole TVR OEM wireing has been replaced with an Alpine system. The head unit uses a can bus dedicated connection to the charger and all the speakers are wired with silver wires via a 5 Chanel alpine amp. as I suspected this was Alpine specific.
I'll investigate the none working radio as this could be aerial related, but from other threads I think having a single cd and USB and Bluetooth able head unit will allow radio, cd's and MPEG, so long as it is compatible to the rest of the system.

[markcoopers]

I have a chap local to me who specialises in older stuff, but I think the answer is a new head unit that can retain the amp and speakers, but allows USB and bluetooth connection to play phone app based radio and MP3's.

[markcoopers]

So i did fork out for a new Alpine unit, a CDE193BT i think. It matches the existing wiring and went in with minimal swearing/fiberglass wounds. As a bonus the radio now works, but was better when i had it out of the dash testing, so i'll need to see if the aerial lead is compromised. CD and aux all good, phone connected and calls all made.......so a happy bunny.

Only had 1 alarm immobilizer issue from disconnecting the battery and not having the keys with me upon re connection, but the dash does not want to go back in quite the same space......bit of a gap i think against the screen scuttle.........and that was a faff!

[markcoopers]

Yes Qbee, that was always the plan hence the BT head unit choice.