1961 Cadillac Sedan DeVille - Land Yacht

What happens when you take grandpa's old Cadillac and treat it to the latest in mobile multimedia? Worlds collide. Which is not to say they don't complement... This cold-war-era Cadillac may have been on the cutting edge for its time, but that time was long ago, 1961 to be exact. What that year had to offer the automotive world was barbaric by today's standards - for instance, vacuum-operated door locks at best. Though power door locks seem ridiculously simple by today's standards, the folks behind the wheel in those days thought it was the diggity-doo.

Somehow most old folks just don't seem to care about today's technology push; yet most of the younger generation dig early styling. In my neighborhood there are all of these thirty-something types running around in late sixties bombers, and wearing vintage clothing; but they pack 10-gig personal computers and are jammin' MP3's. While grandpa might be shocked, if not confused, I think most of us can appreciate this unequal union.

Straight from Monticello, Minnesota is one such individual. Kelly Kitzman not only loves the classic styling of his mostly stock 1961 Cadillac Sedan DeVille, he has a passion for modern-day car audio and multimedia. He is also the storeowner of Sound Waves, a high-end 12-volt center specializing in custom installation and sales.

After attending the prestigious Alpine F1 Status training, Kelly decided to give his noggin a follow-up test while the information was still fresh. Alpine F1 would be used exclusively throughout this installation and heavily on display. Heading up the system is Alpine's top-of-the-line CDA-7990 in-dash CD player/system controller. This is a no holds barred head unit that is void of any gimmicky gizmos and phat in audio playback and advanced system control. Even though the lower dash in this car is totally custom, the upper portion, where the stock tube radio was mounted, remains stock with the exception of the nicely integrated 7990. Kelly had to gingerly fabricate a chrome dash kit to make the unit flow with the stock finish.

After a stint in the Marines and working for a small independent car audio retailer in Fairfax Virginia, Kelly relocated to his hometown in Minnesota to start Sound Waves. Around the same time his brother bought the subject car for two thousand dollars. "It was used to keep wood dry during the winter." Kelly recalls. Considering the low cost of the vehicle, Kelly saw a great opportunity to dump money into it while using it as a demo vehicle for the shop. Out came the cord of wood to make way for a state-of-the-art sound system.

But the installation wouldn't take place right away. In fact, it was several years later before Kelly bought the car from his brother (for 2k) and began restoring it. About four years ago the car was repainted to its original color by Blue Line Collision, and the entire drive train rebuilt. Installation procedures immediately ensued.

Pulling the whole thing together is the heart of the system, an Alpine F1 PXA-H900 mounted in the trunk with the amplifiers. However, the display for this unit is installed in the dash with the other electronics. When you stand back and look at the finished dash, with all of the electronics installed in a '61 Cadi it somehow works, it's a natural feel that boggles the mind and lights-up the senses.

For Starters...
Restoration of the interior would be more of a complete makeover. New carpet and re-upholstered seats with 4 x 6 3-ways in the rear deck weren't going to make the grade here. Kelly wanted to show resident rodders that a nice car should have a respectful sound system. "I see a lot of nice older cars and street rods that don't even have a system, and when they do they're mediocre at best," explains Kelly. "We wanted to build a car that would help generate more business."

The interior was completely stripped, treated and reinforced with sound damping materials. Since sound damping materials weren't a big priority back in the day, not to mention that the car had seen better days, getting the foundation to modern standards took more work than usual. A modern car would already have nice, clean interior panels that are properly sealed and treated to a fair amount of damping goods. But a sixties Cadillac that had spent ten-plus years in a yard, for wood storage no less, would have a less than desirable environment for a competition-level car audio system.

Originally the car was equipped with mostly MTX components, but the installation itself was similar to what you see here. Well, kind of. The rear deck, kick panels, dash and assorted interior panels were carried over to the current installation. However, since the call of the day was vinyl, all custom panels were vinyl wrapped to blend with the factory interior. Nowadays vinyl doesn't always cut it as people are after a more tech look achieved through gel-coating, paint, aluminum and Plexiglas. Stripped were the vinyl-clad panels and pods as they were to be updated.