Purists Look Away... I'm Cutting the Dash!

[SuperSub]

I have been toiling over this decision for a while now but I have made up my mind. I have wanted to put a stereo in my ’67 Suburban, but I have very specific criteria for the options I want in the head unit. Some of those criteria include that it controls and charges my Iphone, it has Bluetooth phone and streaming capabilities and it has several RCA pre-outs to run all of the speakers that I am going to need in this land yacht.

After doing online research and visiting the local ‘Big Box’ store to fiddle with the stereos they have in stock, I came to the conclusion that I was going to have to use a newer ‘DIN’ style radio. I know, I know, there are companies who make older looking stereos with many of the features of newer units, but they don’t yet offer the Bluetooth phone and streaming capabilities I mentioned earlier. Also, I looked at these things up close and was less than impressed. Additionally, many people who have purchased them have given poor reviews online and stated that they are cheaply made. I considered mounting the stereo in an alternate location, but that would cause a series of other problems such as not being able to see the display, reaching the controls, as well as having to contend with buying a radio delete panel. NOPE! I’m cutting the dash.

I figured that if I am going to do this, I want it done right. I did some additional research in the forums and saw two basic outcomes when people have decided to cut their dashes to install stereos. The first outcome was the all too common hack job. You know what I am referring to… it appears as if they had their 8-year-old kid peel the dash back with a P-38 military surplus can opener. Uuuugh! I get the chills just picturing it. The second type of outcome that I saw was actually very clean and was accomplished by purchasing a billet aluminum bezel at about $80 a pop. I tried contacting several of the people in the forums that had sold them in the past, but no one returned my IM’s. Hmmmm, looks like I’m on my own.

After researching what the market currently has to offer, I found the Alpine CDE-136BT fit the bill. The fact that it got good reviews online and it was on sale clenched the deal. I decided that I might as well contribute a bit to the forums, as I am constantly using it as a resource. So, I will show you all how I went about doing this project.

First, identified and I bought the radio. Obviously, the newer ‘DIN’ style radios won’t fit in the stock 67-72 Chevy dash, but this photo was shown to illustrate that point.

I measured the dimensions of the radio (a couple of times) then made a template in order to make a bezel and to assist in cutting the proper size hole in the dash. I used a piece of cardstock so that it wouldn’t be too flimsy.

I found a piece of scrap aluminum that was approximately 1/8” thick. I used a machinist’s ruler and the template that I had already made to trace the correct dimensions onto the scrap aluminum. I then used a socket as a template to draw rounded corners on the scrap. I filed the rounded corners to match.

I used the drill press to drill a hole in the scrap, so that I could cut out the center portion (where the radio fits).

I used a pneumatic body saw to cut the center portion out. These saws are very inexpensive through Harbor Freight and they work fairly well.

After filing all of the edges smooth, I used a piece of Scotch Bright abrasive pad to give the bezel a uniform brushed look.

I used my template again, as well as my newly built bezel to determine how much of the dash needed to be cut out.

I used masking tape to mark where my cut would be. I used the pneumatic body saw to cut the steel dash panel.

I placed the bezel in place and slid the sheet metal radio-mounting sleeve through it. I then bent out the securing tabs on the sleeve, which held everything in place.

Next, I placed the stereo into the sleeve and wired it as necessary.

All in all, the fabrication and cutting of the dash took me about 3 hours. I was happy with the way that it came out and I didn’t have to spend the $80 bucks for the bezel. Hopefully soon I can get to installing the AC / heater and painting the ashtray.