i need some ideas. No room for my CD player the oem radio is half the size. Pics would be great thanks

I'll try and post a pic of mine tomorrow, and could possibly be willing to sell it. Some have cut adapter plates and holes in to console then screwed over top , mine is molded into console then dyed to match dash. I'm a bodyman so I have knowledge of plastic repair methods.All depends on the cost and quality you expect, or want. I saved my original and fabbed a junk yard one, that way if I ever sell(NOT!) I can transfer tunes to other car and keep original dash in good condition.

Some people have also had luck using a Metra dash kit from an EA82. Unfortunately, I don't remember the part number off the top of my head.

 

I'm sure you already know this, but just in case you don't, you're going to have to run new speaker leads to at least three of your four speakers (and you might as well do all four). EA81s are common-ground (all four speakers share the same ground), and hooking up a floating-ground (each speaker has its own groud) deck to a common-ground system is going do nuke the headunit.

 

EA82s are nearly as bad, since they're common-ground front-to-rear, meaning if you have rear speakers (I don't), you have to rewire them.

You are going to have to cut the console to fit in a replacement radio. Also the new one will be deeper so it will eiter stick out about half an inch or you'll have to get a dash trim kit to make it look clean. A good auto stereo place should have them for about $15 or $20.

 

Good luck.

Keith

My son spent many hours with the original console and shifted the heater/blower controls to the lower portion where the old radio was and that left enough room for the standard DIN size radio to fit and not stick out excessively. He also had to lengthen one of the control cables to the heater. He got another of the longer cables from a wreck at Pull a Part and cut it down to fit. Lots of work but it sure looks nice.

Put a slanted radio console in from a 1980 model car that didnt have a tape deck option in it.

 

Email me what color your interior is and I will try to find you one. The colors arent a perfect match to the interiors of the 84's but the look is still great.

I got very good results from the following installation method (assumes you don't have a factory tape deck):

 

Pull the radio console off the car.

Remove the factory radio.

Pop the change pocket out (the plastic bin under the radio where the factory tape deck would normally be mounted).

Carefully cut a hole in the factory radio location to the proper size to mount the change pocket up there.

Then cut a hole in the change pocket location large enough for your head unit.

This lower mounting point is also deeper, so it should accomodate your new stereo (measure before cutting anything).

 

I installed a radio in a friend's car this way many years ago, and it looked very nice when I got done. It did not have a CD player though. I would be a little concerned about trying to mount a CD player this way since you'd be constantly dodging the gear shift lever when inserting and removing CDs. Again, measure first.

Ditto on ShawnW's suggestion. That's exactly what I'm doing on my '84 wagon. Found one of those console's at the jy. Cut it and fit it midweek and was going to wire it up today but Matthew is pouring rain all over the place. I'm waiting until it's dry. Can't have a hurricane party ... will have to settle for a tropical storm get together.

live in green town cool ilive in ashville need togo ride somtime:burnout:

This is exactly how I did mine, and I'm quite satisfied with it. The shifter isn't really a problem, even in first and third.

 

I got very good results from the following installation method (assumes you don't have a factory tape deck):

 

Pull the radio console off the car.

Remove the factory radio.

Pop the change pocket out (the plastic bin under the radio where the factory tape deck would normally be mounted).

Carefully cut a hole in the factory radio location to the proper size to mount the change pocket up there.

Then cut a hole in the change pocket location large enough for your head unit.

This lower mounting point is also deeper, so it should accomodate your new stereo (measure before cutting anything).

 

I installed a radio in a friend's car this way many years ago, and it looked very nice when I got done. It did not have a CD player though. I would be a little concerned about trying to mount a CD player this way since you'd be constantly dodging the gear shift lever when inserting and removing CDs. Again, measure first.

Click on the link in my signiture and go to page three. Thats how i did my stereo install. Sounds sick!

i bought my 88 gl hatch from a dealership in may, and it had a cd player in it. someone had cut out a thick peice of black plastic cut to fit around where the radio and various console compartments were and glued it on. it looks pretty clean, but a better job could have been done with a spacer for the cd player and no cutting at all.

Click on the link in my signiture and go to page three. Thats how i did my stereo install. Sounds sick!

 

is that a vent you have the speaker behind? you know if you don't have any back passengers and nothing on the back seat,i'd turn the box around and drop the seat backs.that way your aiming the subs right at the back of your head,

that's how i had my 89 gl-10 set up.sounded good (definatly raised spl level in pass compartment)

Well yes and no. Thats the stock location for the front passenger side speaker in the dash. It was meant to look like part of the vent from the factory.