Stereo help
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Senior User
Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 409
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From: Great Falls, MT
Stereo help
Look I'm trying to put this stereo XHD7720 - AM/FM/CD/MP3/WMA/HD Radio/Bluetooth Ready/iPod Receiver with iTunes Tagging
into my 76 half ton. Its apparently gonna need alot of work, where to start?
into my 76 half ton. Its apparently gonna need alot of work, where to start?
Senior User
Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 331
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From: Okie
I popped into a stereo shop the other day, at the begining of my search. It's the kind of place that does high end home theater stuff, swimming pool and hot tub installs, as well as car audio. They don't have the high school kid doing the installs, either. They do a lot of custom and classic car stuff.
They quoted me $30 to install the stereo, and another $30 for the door speakers. He said he'd fab up a bracket and not butcher anything, he'd been doing this for 25 years.
If I were going with a modern head unit like yours, I'd go that route. It's worth $30 for me not to bust a knuckle on that stuff. I'm going with the two **** old school repro stereo from classic car audio like Tees did, so not an issue now.
They quoted me $30 to install the stereo, and another $30 for the door speakers. He said he'd fab up a bracket and not butcher anything, he'd been doing this for 25 years.
If I were going with a modern head unit like yours, I'd go that route. It's worth $30 for me not to bust a knuckle on that stuff. I'm going with the two **** old school repro stereo from classic car audio like Tees did, so not an issue now.
Logistics Pro
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 4,157
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That unit will fit. You have to pull your bracket out, cut a hole in the bottom section the size of the sleeve your new radio has. This will leave very thin sections which need to be reinforced. There are pics on a dif. thread of what the person did. Not complicated at all. Once you have the sleeve mounted to the bracket, you can trim the dash bezel with a hacksaw, rotary tool, etc. Search around some more.
Also, for $30, heck yes I would have them do it. It would take me a couple of hours.
Also, for $30, heck yes I would have them do it. It would take me a couple of hours.
Logistics Pro
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 4,157
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Thats it! If you can cut metal and drill holes, that bracket is what yours should look like when your done.
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Lead Driver
Joined: Mar 2010
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From: West Virginia
the stereo shop won't use something that nice, btw. They will probably use the plastic metra kit that stereo shops stock. Its fast but I don't think its very sturdy.
Have you considered something like this:
PYLE AM/FM-MPX MP3 Shaft Style Dual **** Radio w/USB/SD - eBay (item 390224457630 end time Aug-12-10 21:09:12 PDT)
or
Dual Electronics XC4100-AM/FM Cass Two-shaft Car Radio - eBay (item 120602543154 end time Aug-29-10 08:08:08 PDT)
They won't play CD's but its a lot easier to keep music on SD cards or an mp3 player anyway! I'm gonna be buying the pyle for my truck, I think. nice that it has a clock, too.
Have you considered something like this:
PYLE AM/FM-MPX MP3 Shaft Style Dual **** Radio w/USB/SD - eBay (item 390224457630 end time Aug-12-10 21:09:12 PDT)
or
Dual Electronics XC4100-AM/FM Cass Two-shaft Car Radio - eBay (item 120602543154 end time Aug-29-10 08:08:08 PDT)
They won't play CD's but its a lot easier to keep music on SD cards or an mp3 player anyway! I'm gonna be buying the pyle for my truck, I think. nice that it has a clock, too.
New User
Joined: May 2010
Posts: 24
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that is an awesome bracket, I just took the one I had, cut it with a metal cutting blade in my body saw. used my leatherman sawblade to cut the bezel, and file to trim the bezel down. then I ran a battery wife for the deck, and I ran new speaker wires, (in the 70's for used a common ground speaker system, and high end decks are not common ground, you'll need a separate ground for each speaker). the rest of the wires are ok, but honestly the only radio wire you'll reuse is the IGN wire, you'll have to tap a light blue/ red tracer wire for lights and the rest of the wires will have to be custom run. I can do it in about a couple hours, but I weld angle iron onto the bracket to hold it, and I reuse the brace for the back too. And, I remove the glove box liner, and the gauges to make wire runs faster.
Logistics Pro
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 4,157
Likes: 3
I don't think they make a Metra style kit for these trucks anymore.
Logistics Pro
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 4,157
Likes: 3
I have seen a under dash kit for shaft or din, and a din to shaft, never a in dash shaft to din that would work in our trucks. Do you have a part #?