Radio help (4 Viewers)

[mick0311]

I have a 1981 FJ right hand drive diesel 4spd. The truck is extremely original with original wiring. The radio was changed at some point to an old cassette type deck. I want to remove it and cannot seem to find the room from behind the dash. The faceplate is off and wires are unhooked.

I know this is simple but I really do not want a shop hacking it up if I pay someone. Any suggestions on how to remove the radio.

 

[mick0311]

I have a 1981 FJ right hand drive diesel 4spd. The truck is extremely original with original wiring. The radio was changed at some point to an old cassette type deck. I want to remove it and cannot seem to find the room from behind the dash. The faceplate is off and wires are unhooked.

I know this is simple but I really do not want a shop hacking it up if I pay someone. Any suggestions on how to remove the radio.

 

[Engineer8000]

For the stock arrangement, there are sheet metal ears on each side of the dash opening that extend back and there is a screw on each side of the radio. Hard to tell what you have there with aftermarket arrangement. You can remove the ash tray and cluster to get back there. Disconnect battery before removing the cluster.

If your diesel truck is 24V, I have a couple 24V radios and some faceplates if you are looking for one.

 

[charliemeyer007]

Someone got it in - so it should come out. Unhook your battery ground. Remove all the connections from the back of the radio. Try and push radio back with down or up tilt plus away from the heater first.

 

[mick0311]

For the stock arrangement, there are sheet metal ears on each side of the dash opening that extend back and there is a screw on each side of the radio. Hard to tell what you have there with aftermarket arrangement. You can remove the ash tray and cluster to get back there. Disconnect battery before removing the cluster.

If your diesel truck is 24V, I have a couple 24V radios and some faceplates if you are looking for one.

For the stock arrangement, there are sheet metal ears on each side of the dash opening that extend back and there is a screw on each side of the radio. Hard to tell what you have there with aftermarket arrangement. You can remove the ash tray and cluster to get back there. Disconnect battery before removing the cluster.

If your diesel truck is 24V, I have a couple 24V radios and some faceplates if you are looking for one.

Here is what I have. My cell is 970-836-4227. Yes, I’d be interested in the stock face plate.

 

[zerotreedelta]

Kind of looks like a bit of a wedge-fit...I'd start by pulling the knobs, and you'll likely get access to some thin nuts on each side, and that might let you pull the faceplate off the deck to get a better view.

It's entirely possible they finagled it in from the backside and used no mounting hardware, and then just wedged it in place with the faceplate via the retaining nuts.

 

[mick0311]

For the stock arrangement, there are sheet metal ears on each side of the dash opening that extend back and there is a screw on each side of the radio. Hard to tell what you have there with aftermarket arrangement. You can remove the ash tray and cluster to get back there. Disconnect battery before removing the cluster.

If your diesel truck is 24V, I have a couple 24V radios and some faceplates if you are looking for one.

I’m still figuring this forum thing out. I’ve never been on one before. I cannot get this thing out of there. Is it possible I’ll ave to remove the duct work below?

 

[igotta40]

I have replaced/updated my audio a number of times, and yes, having to remove whatever is in the way. It’s a chore. I fasten a metal strap connecting the unit to the firewall to brace it. Our dash openings pre-date the DIN standard, so yours may need to be trimmed, but don’t allow a shop to hack it up, as they almost certainly will. Mine has the rubber dash padding.

 

[Jdc1]

Retro sound has a remote head cable that will allow the faceplate to be alot more compact and lighter. Space behind the dash is limited. The stereo “head unit” mounts nicely to the underside of the glovebox.

Radio Remote Mounting Kit

The Radio Remote Mounting Kit enables you to mount your RetroSound® Radio Motor away from the Radio Face and two Control Shafts while extending the radio wiring harness and antenna connections. With this extension kit, you can mount the Radio Motor up to nine feet apart from the Radio Face and...

www.retromanufacturing.com

I used the faceplate to sandwhich the dash between 2 pieces of ABS. The shallow speakers mounted to kick panels turned out nicely as well.

 

[Engineer8000]

I would work on getting that face plate off first to give you some better idea if anything has been bent or otherwise hacked up. I have seen where the side mounting ears on the back of the dash have been bent forward and modified to support the posts on the aftermarket radio. Pull off the knobs and remove the nuts behind them.

 

[rlong]

Depending on era of your aftermarket head unit; that looks like a sleeve behind the dash. If so, you pull the faceplate and push little “slim jim” tools down the sides (any thin sheet metal will do) and the head unit slips out. Then to remove the sleeve there should be some tabs bent back onto the inside of the dash sheet metal holding in the sleeve. Google a YouTube.

 

[rlong]

Pics from www

 

[zerotreedelta]

Doesn't look like a sleeve offhand, you can see the case hardware screws in one of the photos.

My money is that they pulled the heater box, and shoved it through from the back, then used the faceplate to sandwich it. It's possible they did that without pulling the heater, but seems pretty snug.

Ie, it's a standard DIN body which is wider than the opening, but the twin-shaft does fit through. Example: