Time for the radio to move over for the gagues

[mainer]

With the grease conversion going in next weekend(picked up parts this weekend) I needed a place to put my fuel level and water temp gague. I dove into the project head first at about 2:00, I didn't come up for air untill it was done at 6:00. Took longer than I wanted but came out nice. I did loose my ash tray and ligher, but I'll relocate my lighter and I never did use the ash tray.

First 2 pics are of the radio sitting in the dash. It wouldn't go in any more, I have a cd changer and an amp hooked up so there just wasn't room for it to go back.




I than removed the center console, unhooking the lighter. I removed the ash tray, and cut the lighter socket out. At this point there is no turning back. I couldn't figure out how the lighter slid out so I cut the damn things out. Using a sawsall I cut my opening. Cutting it a little small. I used a wood file to make the radio fit just right. I sanded down the corners to get the burrs off them.



I slid the radio in to make sure it fit snug and wouldn't rattle around.




Next pic is just a test run. I wanted to make sure it was going to all go into place in the car. Put it in, no problem with room. I had nothing hooked up, just testing it.



I used 14 gague wire, a bit over kill but had it laying around, to make the jump from the orginal radio hole to the new one. I stuck it in the back of  dash. I just pulled on each wire to make sure I was hooking it up to the correct wire. I did nothing with the antena, it didn't work before. I plan on getting shot one and putting it in the dash.

I have no gagues to put in yet, and I dont have the adapter to hold them yet. But below are the installed pics of the radio.





Sitting in the driver seat my knee covers the button to turn it up and down, but I'm also 6'4". A shorter person might not have that problem. Came out nice, but was a pain in the butt!!!



I'm still looking for a place to get the 3 gague insert for the old radio hole. If you know of a place on the net let me know!!!!


I looked high and low for a write up on how to do this and couldn'd find one. I couldn't even find a picture of the finished product, so i did my own. Let me know what you think of it.

Coop
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how to roll a joint

[hillfolk'r]

um,i got a guage radio replacement piece(guages where radio was) look for "new south performance"i got one in my a2,,it has a smoothside and a textured side,to whatever you like,,,,,only thing that sucked is it was about 20clams,goes right in, looks "tight", like the kids say :shock:http://www.newsouthperformance.com/dinpanel.htm