Stereo installation ??????

[Eyegore]

On my 86, what installtion kit is required to put stereo cd system into the dash. i do realize that there is some cutting of the dash and bezel, but is there a bracket type cage the stereo slides into or does it come with rthe stereo? And last where can you purchase it?

Thanks for your help.

[msgross]

check out crutchfield.com they have spec for every vehicle out there...

[Jonboy]

The CD player should come with a metal sleeve, which will hold the front of the radio. Make sure you put a brace on the back, and you should be set.

[Eyegore]

Thanks. I'm getting ready to replace the one stolen from my truck, I had it only 1 month before it got ripped off, now i'm installing an alarm with it.

thanks again.

[piecesparts]

I made a face plate out of a heavy plastic, that matched the shape of the dash in the lower corner of the instrument panel. The metal cage that came with the radio was then attached to this plate and then it was slid through the opening that I had made in the dash for the new design radio. The new face plate was then attached to the instrument panel and dash with screws. It has been there for quite a few years. I installed an Alpine CD AM/FM unit and there is also an Alpine graphic equalizer mounted below it---all in the same opening.

[Eyegore]

I think I recall the post you made on this, it turned out nice - now do you have any suggestions on how to stop thieves?

[Prerunner1982]

Yes, drive a truck that looks like mine.

A guard dog..... shotgun.

There isnt really a way to stop them, but the harder you make it on them the less they are going to want and try to get your stuff.. mount your stereo out of sight, in the glove box or counter sink the radio in the dash and make a panel to put over it when not in use making it look like your truck doesnt have one at all. A kill switch in your truck is always a good bet, with all the other wires under the dash and under the hood I am willing to bet most hoodlum thieves arent mechanics that can quickly diagnose a kill switch for the ignition system or fuel system or both.

[Eyegore]

Well I'm pretty sure I know where ine ended up, there was a contractor working on the neighbors house and he had a truck just like mine. IO'm installing an alarm this time.

[cliffsta]

Yeah installing it you pretty much just cut a hole in the bezel then make one into the metal dash. CD players come with the metal cage, which is how you slide just the radio out and slide that newer one right in.

If you really wanna go hardcore anti-theft with stereo, you can always get one of those slick tapedeck stealth units that controls the external CD player... because lets face it, only dumba$$ criminals take the risk of stealing a tape deck in an old truck.

[Eyegore]

I was thinking more in the line of putting a huge mouse trap under the dash, getting their fingers smashed may startle them enough to hit their head on the dash or something - just a little pay back would be nice.

[Clos'84TX]

Check out this one.... I used the same setup and it looks great. So happy with the out come.
http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=186858

[Eyegore]

Thanks C-84TX, I remember that thread now, I forgot about the tabs that bolt the dash bezel back on, need to get some. The theives popped mine out w/ a crowbar and dented the dash so i have to fix that too.
Thanks again for the thread.

[piecesparts]

Over the years there have been many things done to make it hard for the thieves to steal your stuff. Alarm systems are made by man---That means that they can be overridden by man. Your vehicle will be in a spot that an alrm will make no difference whether or not it has an alarm anyways. Most people of today walk on by a vehicle that has an alarm going off and don't pay attention to it. THEY don't want to get involved and then have to go to court. With that thought in mind, I still put in an alrm system on my trucks.

Another way over the years was the installation of a safe or vault that was a hardened case that your radio would retract into. this required a lot of space and was really expensive. The real way to not get hit is to drive a POS and maybe no one will bother you. You might try leaving an empty 44 Mag holster on the seat and the intruder would have to wonder where the gun is while he is in your truck. Maybe it is pointed at him as he is breaking into the cab, then again maybe not.

I saw where a guy made a panel that covered his radio and hid it. A lot of people have done that, however this one was different. It had an old radio connector wiring harness hanging off of it. It was made to look like some other thief had already stolen the radio and there was nothing but a big hole and wires left. Quite creative, I thought. The idea of hiding the true stereo and leaving the factory AM unit in the dash is good. That way you have two different worlds available---stereo sound and relative safety for your sound system. The quality unit would need a remote control or something so that you could easily change it. When I travel far in my truck, and I have gone a quite a few cross country trips with it; I am usually not far from it and I pack an equalizer for assistance in controlling the Riff RAff. My daily driver truck has a stereo in it, too and apparently it has not been a target, yet.

DON'T Let the Thieves control your life, live with them and let them live in terror of what you can do to them.

[cliffsta]

I like the idea of leaving the holster of a big pistol sitting on the seat. If I were a thief and I saw an empty gun holster I'd probably boot-scoot away PDQ in fear of looking up INTO that gun....

[Slonaker]

Originally Posted by cliffsta

lets face it, only dumba$$ criminals take the risk of stealing a tape deck in an old truck.

That's what I said about the person who broke my wing window and tried to pry my ancient cassette deck out of the dash. He was unsuccessful, which means he was particularly stupid. It didn't make my window any less broken though...

Oh, and get this. There was a rebuilt A/C compressor on the floor with the receipt in the box. He could have gotten a refund on it, but left it. It was probably too heavy for a lazy fool to carry.

He also left my tools and everything else behind the seat. All he got for his trouble was a small handful of change from my cupholder. My wife had spilled Coke on it a couple of nights before, so it was all sticky. You could see marks in the Coke goo where he ran his fingers through it scooping the change out.

You can't protect your truck against stupid, and there's plenty of it out there.

Slonaker

[piecesparts]

Where is CSI when you need them?????

[Eyegore]

Riding around in their h2's