Topic: Radio Suppressors- 1 or 2?

[Skyway65]

Can someone clarify a radio suppressor mystery for me?  My car, as some of you know is a 35,000-mile original car that I have owned since the late 1970’s.  The car was dissembled in 1979 and all of the parts were stored in boxes.  I have all the parts that came off the car even after all of these years. 

The mystery is- I don’t have, and I don’t think the car ever had, a radio suppresser at the voltage regulator.  I have the original orange tag that was attached near the voltage regulator warning of “ elect. system failure.” 

So I am wondering did my car ever have a suppresser at the voltage regulator?  The Osborn Manual is vague because it shows two seemingly conflicting illustrations, one with the suppressor and one without.  I do have the original suppressor attached on the bottom of the alternator, different on a 200-6 as compared to a V8, but no evidence of a second suppressor at the voltage regulator. 

So the question is:  Do I need two suppressors or just the one?  Thanks.  (Dearborn- Jan ’65, 6 cyl)

[Bob Gaines]

Did your car come with a radio?Bob

[Skyway65]

Another twist in the story.  It was a World's Fair Magic Skyway car with a DSO of 842011.  After its use at the World's Fair, in the late fall of 1965, it was fitted with a '66 AM 8 Track before being sold off the Ford resale lot in December of '65.  So, I don't know if it had a radio in it originally; I would assume not.

[Skyway65]

Correction- yes, it was originally ordered with an AM radio. 

[CharlesTurner]

A '65 with a factory radio should have had 2 suppresors.

[Skyway65]

Thanks Charles-

[Pete Bush]

Gary,

Of the twenty three '65 and '66 build sheets I have on file now, nine have radio codes - but none have a code for the radio noise suppressor. If these were factory installed, some other mechanism must have triggered the installation.

Pete

[Skyway65]

Pete-  Wouldn't it just be the fact that the radio was ordered for that car so the guy on the assembly line would see the radio order code and install the suppressor?  Or do you suppose there was more to it than that? 

Or, put another way--what else is different from a "radio" car to a "non radio" car, except of course the block off plate in the dash.

[J_Speegle]

Pete-  Wouldn't it just be the fact that the radio was ordered for that car so the guy on the assembly line would see the radio order code and install the suppressor?  Or do you suppose there was more to it than that? 

Think its very logical to assume that the worker would look to the code or a clue on the car to let him know if the suppressor was needed or not

Or, put another way--what else is different from a "radio" car to a "non radio" car, except of course the block off plate in the dash.

Well you have the support bracket for the radio, the hole in the fender (if your looking at one at a dealership) and the rubber plug in the passenger side cowl

[Pete Bush]

Gary,

The third box from the left on the second line of 65 and 66 build sheets carried the build codes for the Radio Noise Suppressor, Transistorized Regulator, and Alternator. As Jeff has pointed out previously, these build sheets served all cars that Ford built, not just the Mustangs. It's possible that Ford had a different build process when it came to Mustang noise suppressors. Still, it's strange that the build sheet would specifically mention them, yet they didn't use the code (which for the 66 models appears to be a code 4).

I suppose that a line worker might go by the physical evidence (the presence of a radio). But then I don't know the build sequence of when the under-hood electrical components were placed in relationship to the insertion of the radio - or as Jeff points out the radio support brackets and antenna prep.

I'm merely pointing out what I've observed in my build sheet study so that we can advance our knowledge base. If there were two noise suppressors (and I'm not sure of the reason for the redundancy, Ford was certainly cost-conscious enough not to waste their engineering dollars) then there must have been another mechanism and reason for its placement.

1966 build sheets had codes of 5, 6, and 7 respectively for the noise suppressor combined with a 55, 53, or 60 AMP alternator. My assumption is that these alternators weren't equipped with an integral noise suppressor.  However, 38, 42, and 45 AMP alternators had no code provisions. Did these units have the built-in suppressors? I believe that only the 38 and 42 AMP alternators were used on Mustangs. And I've only seen codes for the 42 AMP alternator (code 8) on 1966 HiPo cars - one from Metuchen and one from Dearborn.

Pete

[Skyway65]

Pete-  Thanks for the clarification, now I understand what you mean.  That is a bit of a mystery.

Gary

[Pete Bush]

Gary,

For what it's worth, my 1975 Final Edition of the MPC for 65-72 doesn't have a "Noise Suppressor". I believe they refer to it as:

Capacitor - Radio Voltage Regulator - Group #18832

A part number of C60Z-18832-A is only give for 66-71 Mustangs

No mention of quantities (1 or 2).

My understanding is that they dry out after a number of years due to the way they were made back then.

[CharlesTurner]

In '66, Ford used an internal suppressor in the alternator, so the extra one, like found on a '65, was dropped sometime during the '66 production year.

[bryancobb]

Does anyone have an idea if the one at the voltage regulator should be on my MAR 66 Metuchen C-Code?

[NEFaurora]

You know..All this talk about radio noise surpressors got me thinking... In the Ford Shop manuals, They show for '65 and '66 ...a static type noise surpressor also installed underneath the Front Bearing cups on 6cyl, and 8 cyl cars... You know all these years, I have never come accross one of these damn things..!!!  Anyone ever seen one under the front wheel bearing cups???

Tony K.