KrazzyKevin Posted December 27, 2009 Report Share Posted December 27, 2009 Happy Holidays everybody! I'm lovin' the new look of the forums, very professional. Anyway, getting to the point, Santa brought me a new head unit for my '86 720 so I can play CD's and such. However, I can't figure out how to remove the old (factory stock) radio unit. I really don't want to start pulling apart the entire dashboard, but I don't see any other way to get to it. Is that the only way or is there some trick to it that I'm missing? Thanks guys. -Kevin Quote Link to comment
KrazzyKevin Posted December 27, 2009 Author Report Share Posted December 27, 2009 Well, I got it out. Turns out there are two screws underneath the radio. They're a pain in the butt to get to. It also turns out that my new head unit doesn't fit. Yay. 1 Quote Link to comment
izzo Posted December 27, 2009 Report Share Posted December 27, 2009 (edited) Well, I got it out. Turns out there are two screws underneath the radio. They're a pain in the butt to get to. It also turns out that my new head unit doesn't fit. Yay. Sorry i didn't see this thread earlier. No, it wont fit. It will stick out to far, the back hits the heater tube stuff. I can show you what i did with mine. Found a nice factory center console out of a 4x4, took the gauges out and sold them to a member on here. Then took my dremel and a cutoff tool to cut it a tiny bit bigger to fit the stereo into it. Before, this was 10 dollars at Sonic Electronix, cheesy and won't really fit anywhere in the cab of my 720. The console Cut installed I still need to get a tiny little peice of something or other to go across the bottom of the stereo to hold it up straight so it looks a little better. ***EDIT By the way, to cover up that giant radio hole, there are things you can put in its place. I found my compartment at the junkyard in another 720. Theres a few different options. Just a compartment and also there's ones with doors on them. Edited December 27, 2009 by h2theizzo 1 Quote Link to comment
KrazzyKevin Posted December 28, 2009 Author Report Share Posted December 28, 2009 (edited) Thanks for the tips. I called Car Toys to ask if they had head units of different sizes and the guy just told me to "Cut the dash to fit." He didn't seem to realize that I can't just dig the hole deeper into the dash..... Oh well. I might have to make a trip to Pull and Save and see if I can get a 4X4 console for cheep... EDIT: Unless anybody on here has one they'd be willing to part with, preferably tan/brown colour to match my interior.... Edited December 28, 2009 by KrazzyKevin 1 Quote Link to comment
izzo Posted December 28, 2009 Report Share Posted December 28, 2009 Have a brown one in my 80 4x4 i believe. Don't want to sell it tho :D I really gotta find a motor to throw in there. 1 Quote Link to comment
datsunaholic Posted December 28, 2009 Report Share Posted December 28, 2009 You don't need a 4X4 console. A normal console is the same, minus gauges. Or at least in the KC it is. I just left the stock radio in place. 1 Quote Link to comment
nis720 Posted December 28, 2009 Report Share Posted December 28, 2009 (edited) Back when my dash was stock I cut out the upper and side pieces of the pocket in the dash to make the stereo fit. You need to leave the lower part of the dash since the ashtray bolts to the lower portion of the radio pocket. You will also need to trim the sides abit. Edited December 28, 2009 by nis720 1 Quote Link to comment
RatRod25 Posted December 29, 2009 Report Share Posted December 29, 2009 ^^^ I did what he did.. 1 Quote Link to comment
turbojunker Posted December 29, 2009 Report Share Posted December 29, 2009 ^^^ I did what he did.. Me too. I've put two head units in my king cab, and one in my reg cab. I trimmed the opening a bit to get the chassis to fit. The wiring harness is what hit the heater tubes on my truck, I just fished them out of the way. 1 Quote Link to comment
Sealik Posted December 29, 2009 Report Share Posted December 29, 2009 Thanks for the tips. I called Car Toys to ask if they had head units of different sizes and the guy just told me to "Cut the dash to fit." He didn't seem to realize that I can't just dig the hole deeper into the dash..... Oh well. I might have to make a trip to Pull and Save and see if I can get a 4X4 console for cheep... EDIT: Unless anybody on here has one they'd be willing to part with, preferably tan/brown colour to match my interior.... I have a brown, blue and possibly a black console. But shipping would be a bitch. One just needs a 'shallow' CD player to fit the stock radio 'hole'. Haven't mounted mine yet.....but it fits 1 Quote Link to comment
Sealik Posted December 29, 2009 Report Share Posted December 29, 2009 Not much room left in my other truck to install some extra tunes. Wanna keep the stock radio, guages and fog lamp switches. Hmmmmmm:confused::) 1 Quote Link to comment
datsunaholic Posted December 29, 2009 Report Share Posted December 29, 2009 Sealik, looks like your only options left is in the glovebox or under a seat. 1 Quote Link to comment
Sealik Posted December 29, 2009 Report Share Posted December 29, 2009 Sealik, looks like your only options left is in the glovebox or under a seat. Ya...you're right. Not many options left Might pull the radio then....and install in one of my other 720s 1 Quote Link to comment
Unclejesse88 Posted December 30, 2009 Report Share Posted December 30, 2009 If you haven't purchased a radio yet, this could be an option. http://www.retrosoundusa.com/ Also, you guys are aware that the plastic trim bezel around your aftermarket radio will come off right? Removing that could help sink the radio a bit farther into the console, and make it look cleaner than the overhanging look it has now. Also, plumber's tape (metal strapping) can be used to fabricate brackets 1 Quote Link to comment
Sealik Posted December 30, 2009 Report Share Posted December 30, 2009 Are we talking after market radio or MP3 in the OE dash? 1 Quote Link to comment
turbojunker Posted December 30, 2009 Report Share Posted December 30, 2009 Not much room left in my other truck to install some extra tunes.Wanna keep the stock radio, guages and fog lamp switches. Hmmmmmm:confused::) Too bad you can't use the other half of the console that goes between the seats in a 4x4. You might be able to hide a radio there. On a side note, I put a $50 Walmart radio in this time around, it didn't fit too bad. My "nice" one that I put in my Jeep seemed to fit better. Quote Link to comment
nis720 Posted December 30, 2009 Report Share Posted December 30, 2009 The only other option I can think of is under the glove box (not easy to reach, but it works). 1 Quote Link to comment
Charlie69 Posted February 5, 2015 Report Share Posted February 5, 2015 Just a heads up the 2wd 720 shifter console is is longer than the 4x4 and the 4x4 does not have the box between the seats as a factory option. There could be an exception to this when Nissan started using short trans in the 4x4. This has been my experience anyway. I will edit this with pictures of the 2 console lengths. 1 Quote Link to comment
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