to cut, or not to cut: that is the question

[68GMCCustom]

mine was cut when I got it...and if it wasn't I probably would have done it myself.

It all comes down to the character of the truck. If its a nice stocker leave it as it is. I bought a '78 Z/28 that was mostly original, matching numbers, w/build sheet that I sold because and couldn't bring myself to restomod it...somthing I'm doing to my truck. If I'm modernizing the suspension, brakes, powertrain, etc......why not modernize the audio too?

and IMHO the "head unit" does make a difference. Amplifiers and speakers depend on high fidelity, low distortion signals (something stock head units aren't known for)...otherwise all they are doing is amplifying and producing is distortion....or noise.

[mtc0812]

anyone heard of custom autosound? these radios resemble some stock authenticity, but are they good units? http://www.casmfg.com/radios.htm

[k2rm]

I had a custom autosound but wasn't impressed. There is more talk here in this thread about the units and this post shows what I did after I got rid of the custom autosound.
http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...54#post3583054

[Zoomin]

Cutting the dash may not change the value, but it will eliminate certain buyers from considering your truck.

I also see uncut dashes sell for $100 or so in the parts forum.

I fall into the category of not doing mods that can't be undone later on. Usually.

[Shane]

yeah ... rusted rockers, kick panels and cab corners are repairable ... dashes, not so much.

[dfwright]

Originally Posted by Shane

yeah ... rusted rockers, kick panels and cab corners are repairable ... dashes, not so much.

There are readily available patch panels for the former.

[grs]

Cut it till it bleeds.

[Rat Bastid]

i wont cut my dash...insted i custom built a center console to handle the radio/cd player....the original radio remains just dosent work.....now that im redoing the truck ,its time to look into fixing the original and replace the dash speaker.....for those days when you want to go back in time and turn on the original and the crap 6x9 speaker as its monotone sounds fill the cab!!!

[vectorit]

I personally do not like modern radios in a old car/truck dash.
Especially the 67/72 dashes, since it looks funny to me.
I installed my original push button AM radio, and plan to go with the "Secret Audio" set up.

http://www.casmfg.com/Secretaudio.htm

I have a burb, so hiding this equipment is easy for me.
You PU guys, maybe behind or under the seat.
No wires, since it is controlled by a RF remote.

Though I am more of a "keep it original" kind of guy, I am going to vote to not cut it. But, then it is your truck. Do as you please!

[Hubscrub]

i for one don't like a modern radio in the dash either, if i wanted a new radio i would just do the glove box deal but like said before cds are about to be a thing of the past all you need now is a usb port, that is one of the things i hate most about my wifes truck is the cut dash just my op. i don't know about anybody else but i drive my old stuff to get away from the modern stuff lol

[basemodel67]

I like k2rm's setup. I personally don't like the look of the newer head units in these trucks, primarily because you can usually still see the indentations for the stock radio.

[scooterskoolkustoms]

I personally wouldn't cut it my 2 cents, I cut my dash and now wish i didn't.

[Jack_71C10]

One of the many previous owners of my truck butchered the dash so bad
I could install a tv in it. I have a patch panel I'm going to weld in and
then trim it for a modern radio. Sounds crazy but its what I want.
But my truck is not as nice as yours.

[68GMCCustom]

what about cutting the doors for speakers? Is this OK but the dash isn't?
My truck has 6x9's in the doors when I got it...and not by my choice. You can't take the speakers out...so your stuck with using the 6x9's in the doors or doing some metal work to use something smaller, or nothing at all. Same as the dash.

[mtc0812]

Originally Posted by Hair

Everyone on here is going to tell you to go ahead and cut it if you want to.
They're also going to say stuff like, "It's just an old truck, it's not like it's a muscle car or anything." Sometimes we almost sound anti-truck on here.

Anyway, here' my personal take. I would NOT cut the dash. Because, there are plenty of nice stereos out there that are made to fit correctly into your dash. I have a "retro sounds" stereo, which I like very much, and it looks awesome in there, and I kept my beautiful dash in tact.
As you probably know, the sound depends upon your speaker, amps, etc, not your stereo... so, I'm probably the only one that will say this, but I would NOT cut the dash. Just my opinion.

When I was younger, I hacked-up a bunch of nice cars thinking it was cool, and now I sorta have this remorse about cutting and modifying classics.

Man, you have a beautiful truck! There's no way I'd hack that dash! Get a stereo that fits and it will look better.

I went to the website and checked them out http://www.retrosoundusa.com/products/details/id/9, but i was wondering if you had any pics of your install. Was it difficult to install? Will i need to buy anything extra to get it to work properly? I was trying to compare custom autosound and retro sounds and it seems like the consensus is that custom autosounds does not have good quality and the retro sound does. would you agree?

[Shane]

Originally Posted by dfwright

There are readily available patch panels for the former.

not to be argumentative, but if the original poster saves the piece he cuts out he will also have a readily available patch panel.

[tommyd241]

Beautiful Truck! I personally wouldn't cut it.

[Stock72c10]

I am in West Wichita, close to MidContinent Airport. Maybe I should take your truck out for a drive to make sure the battery stays charged while you are overseas

I cut my dash because no museums were interested in my truck as it has been repainted (shucks). I taped it off and used a dremel and it turned out very good. There are a few people on here that sell trim plates as well if you like that look. If you put in kick panels you won't have to cut the doors (that will be your next question, I would much rather cut the dash then the doors). If you are removing the gas tank to put in subs you could save money by putting in a powered 6" Bazooka under the seat instead. Someone else on here did it and said it sounded surprisingly good. I have had experience with Bazooka products and have always been satisfied. The nice thing is they are easy to remove and the built in amplifier simplifies the install.

[70stroker]

I would cut it also. i think 90 percent of people out there dont want a all original truck anyway, plus its ur truck i think youll be happy.

[mtc0812]

Originally Posted by Stock72c10

I am in West Wichita, close to MidContinent Airport. Maybe I should take your truck out for a drive to make sure the battery stays charged while you are overseas

I cut my dash because no museums were interested in my truck as it has been repainted (shucks). I taped it off and used a dremel and it turned out very good. There are a few people on here that sell trim plates as well if you like that look. If you put in kick panels you won't have to cut the doors (that will be your next question, I would much rather cut the dash then the doors). If you are removing the gas tank to put in subs you could save money by putting in a powered 6" Bazooka under the seat instead. Someone else on here did it and said it sounded surprisingly good. I have had experience with Bazooka products and have always been satisfied. The nice thing is they are easy to remove and the built in amplifier simplifies the install.

I lived in east wichita near andover for about 20 years and then joined the military. Im currently in turkey, but leaving for the states next week! My truck is at my moms house in south wichita waiting for my return. and trust me, my father in law is keeping the battery charged. the truck has a ZZ350 motor that was put in it in 2000 and has developed some leaky valve seals. I bought a bunch of new parts for it since i have been here and they are all sitting there waiting to be put on. As for the radio, I really cant decide what i want to do. I dont want to cut the dash for the nostalgic value, but at the same time i like the modern radio. do you know where i can buy one of these trim rings? I looked at the retro fit radio, but for $300 I could buy a really nice DIN size radio and cut the dash. let me know if you know where i can get a trim ring.

[Stock72c10]

Here are a few links:
http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=294381
http://www.67-72chevytrucks.com/vboa...ghlight=mekdad

[Cole Trickle]

It really dosent matter to me either way....

My truck is original and uncut at this time. When I replace the stereo I will probably cut the dash and add a billet surround. The only thing I dont like is when you can see the cuts and the round holes behind the new radio.

[maxwedge528]

i suppose that it is a matter of taste?? i bought a very nice 67 a couple of weeks ago with a later more modern radio/cd player. of course the original radio holes were cut out to fit the newer radio. i removed the radio/cd player, squared up the edges, and welded the hole back up. i ordered an original fitting radio with modern features and will recut the dash for the original placement.

[tubbedII]

Originally Posted by Cole Trickle

It really dosent matter to me either way....

My truck is original and uncut at this time. When I replace the stereo I will probably cut the dash and add a billet surround. The only thing I dont like is when you can see the cuts and the round holes behind the new radio.

Where can you get a surround for a 67-72 truck? I've been searching the site and google, and can't find anything..."Metra" doesn't have dedicated kit based on their site.

[10pointgmc]

i wish mine hadnt been cut out when i got it and might even try to fix it back in th end