double din in console?
 

For an 87 GT:

Has anybody ever heard of this being done? I've heard of people moving the a/c controls down and putting the radio up top, but I don't want to cut-up my dash, that's out of the question. What I'm looking to install is a factory 6 disc changer out of a newer Ford... for instance an 03 Mustang. I know it's about 1/2" too short, but that's not a big deal, i can fix that. My real concern is if it will hit the tunnel, the 6disc changer radio is 7inches long, is that too long for the tunnel? If anybody has ANY info about doing this it'd be a great help

RE: double din in console?
 

stock radio size is 1 din

heater control cords are cut to spec, meaning they dont have much room to flex. i think moving the controls requires extending the wires.

anyway i think the harness on the 6 disc you have will be much different than whats in a fox body.

RE: double din in console?
 

I know all that. Harness on the 6-disc is completely different, but that's not an issue, I built the car, I can wire up a different radio to 'er. Heater controls will just move, there's lots of wire and hose to move them, but that's not what I want. I want to put the double din 6-disc changer, where the factory single din radio was, it's a lot of work to move it, gotta cut the metal frame for the dash, andthen make some brackets to goaround the radiofor the dash, which isnot an option, restored car.

Was wondering if,anybody knew if it was possible, if anybody has done it, will the double din hit the tunnel? Radio is 3 7/8"h x 7 3/8w x 7"l.

RE: double din in console?
 

screw the 6 disc changer... why not just go with a 1din mp3 player? mp3 cd can hold more songs than 6 discs can.

RE: double din in console?
 

Restoration car, to keep the OEM look. Besides, aftermarket decks all look like crap IMO. I like the clean OEM look. And I would NEVER drill holes in my car to install a deck like you have to for the mustangs. Can never convert it back, and drops the re-sale value

RE: double din in console?
 

dont have to drill holes in anything.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...1/3a334ffe.jpg

RE: double din in console?
 

I see 4 drilled holes in that picture

RE: double din in console?
 

its an adapter kit for the car.. the original radio can still go right back in there.

RE: double din in console?
 

My adapter kit doesn't have the little cubby hole in the bottom. Where did you get yours?

Vic

RE: double din in console?
 

Why not keep the stock deck all together and run an auxillary input adapter for an external MP3 player? No holes to drill, no dash to carve, and nothing looks more stock than stock.

I know that doesn't answer your question, but its an option.

RE: double din in console?
 

the stock deck looks like a bag of smashed assholes in my opinion.

but.. meh.. whatever blows your hair back... got my adapter kit the audio shop in town my buddy owns. I can get more if you want one.

RE: double din in console?
 

not to mention stock sounds like crap.

RE: double din in console?
 

Yah, but there's still 4 holes drilled, onein each corner. If you take it out, you have 4 holes. I'm VERY picky when it comes to that, I've been working on this car for two years now, so I'm not gonna cut it up.

I could do that, but if I'm not mistaken there's no input on the back of the factory radio. At that, I'm quite fond of the styling of the newer ones, old one's look like crap. Like I know I could get a CD player out of a mystique or contour that's a single din and weld the bracket from the fox factory radio to the bottom of it, but if I can, I would rather go with the newer one.

RE: double din in console?
 

those are the same 4 holes that the stock radio bolts into.

RE: double din in console?
 

The adapters run inline with the antenna input. They're a hard wired FM modulator. I've never used one, but I imagine they sound as "ok" as the stock stereo sounds anyhow.

I agree that stock is poo, but you said you wanted the factory look. If you do some research, you might be able to find a factory single din MP3 player unit that you like.

Or.. Find an aftermarket unit that you like and build a kit for it that suits your needs. My car came with an aftermarket unit already in it, so I have no clue how the stock mounts. But, I've built my own kits for cars in the past and they turned out fine.

RE: double din in console?
 

The factory radio doesn't bolt to the console, it's a ford, it has two clips on either side that hold it in and a guide along the top to hold the back of it up. Those holes were drilled

Ahh I see what you're sayin. Issue being, Ford has moved away from the clips on the side of their radios, so in order to bolt most of their radios in, i'd have to drill holes, that's a big reason why I'm sticking with ford radios, It's got the two clips on the side to hold it in, so no drilling necessary, my console is already made for those clips from the old stereo

RE: double din in console?
 

That's alright Drexl, I've already got mine in. As many problems as I had a couple days afterI got my stereo installed, I'm not going to mess with it. I know the problems are unrelated, but I'm still not going to mess with it.

Vic

RE: double din in console?
 

oh yeah..
well. then the holes are covered.. so either way who cares

RE: double din in console?
 

i've done the radio swap its much cleanrt look the top is the radio then 3 gauges then the heater controls no pics of it yet cost $85

RE: double din in console?
 

Not if you pull it out, the factory radio doesn't cover them. remember, this car is my baby, 2 years I've been workin on it, check out the link in my sig and you'll see why I'm so picky

RE: double din in console?
 

Why not do it similar to how I have mine? No cutting/Trimming/adding wires.... Everything will work exactly the same.... No drilling holes, it uses ALL the same mounting holes...


http://img337.imageshack.us/img337/7815/dsc00645km5.jpg

RE: double din in console?
 

yeah i feel ya dude..thats a nice ride...
lemme look into whether or not the factory radio covers these holes.. im swappin my radio out anyway.. so ill check it out.

RE: double din in console?
 

After looking at some pics of stock radios on ebay, it looks like you could adapt the factory clips (zinc/brass things toward the front and a plastic clip in the back, right?) to an aftermarket radio without a ton of trouble. Truthfully, I hate all stock decks, but I like stock radio mounts (all the aftermarket mounts do, in general, look cheesey).

After market decks have a whole world of holes in the sides of them for foreign car installations. H holes being Honda, T holes for Toyota, etc, etc. So... Just modify the factory clips so that they screw into the H/T/etc holes on an aftermarket and you're in business.

Or... Get the same dash kit that everyone else has and build a mount for the radio itself off of the heater controls (or whatever other factory holes are there), then just use the dash kit as a trim piece with a small amount of double back tape in each corner. No holes and a clean install.

I'm not trying to harp on the same thing over and over, I just want to make these options more apparent to you. Any radio can go in the dash without changing anything stock if you want to take the time to do it.

edit: Or... Get a good spare console (readily available) and hack the snot out of it... If you ever want to put it back to stock put the other console back in.

RE: double din in console?
 

IMO that looks cheap, that's why I don't want to do it, it just doesn't look like it belongs there. I like the clean factory look. Those two holes at the bottom are drilled too, there are no holes down there, I have two consoles out of cars, and mine doesn't have a radio in it, none of them have any holes in them.

RE: double din in console?
 

Well, thing is, there is no way of mounting a deck with some brackets added with the factory radio in, which is why ford used those clips, there's just no room, console goes along the side of it. I can't see a way of doing it without drilling.

Here's the radio I want to install... just so everybody knows which I'm talking about:
http://i10.ebayimg.com/07/i/000/8c/d1/a7d2_1.JPG

I think it'd look nice and clean in there...

RE: double din in console?
 

The braket that attaches an aftermarket unit to the mounting kit is just a sheet metel box around the deck and it fits in the console. Something like that is really all ya need. Weld some more sheet metal hangers to the aftermarket box and you're in business. For that matter, make stand offs that support it from the floor pan and use the bolts that go in the sides of the console to hold it in.

I agree, that unit would like really nice in there.

RE: double din in console?
 

I think it looks good, its hard to emphasize how good it looks in person, the pictures may make it look cheap, but if your going for a show car, you dont want it to look like it was made there in 89, you want it to look totally custom to how the rest of your car is. If you like how the newer ones look, which i highly doubt will look like it goes there because its more round than a fox body is supposed to be, then put it in there and see how it looks, You can make anything work if you really want.

RE: double din in console?
 

its real easy just take out the old radio buy a dash mounting kit at best buy for 19.99 uses the same holes that are already ther use that dash kit to install the new radio u don't have to drill any holes the climate controls dont have to be moved down or ne think as far as putting a ford 6 disk changer the harneses are probly different so u cant jues plug it in