What did you replace factory radio with?

[74 Shortbed]

Post up pics when you do the install, let me know how yours sits behind the bezel. I'm curious to know if its normal or if maybe the kit I got was a little off.

Radio came yesterday, that was quick just ordered it Friday. Install kit supposed to be here by Friday, should get it installed over the weekend..

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[QBuff02]

The radio on the ol' 8-deuce has been upgraded to headers, true duals and some sweet, sweet flowmaster mufflers! Sounds better than almost any radio can.. Lol

 

[74 Shortbed]

So I was gonna buy that radio, mod it to have aux in, maybe add a signal processor and have a sweet sounding but stock looking system. I saw how rare and expensive those radios can be and chuckled while I spent a fraction on new tech. When I saw the gaping hole I was a little worried but then realized no one had cut the dash. Thats when I found out that in 1989 they switched to din mounting. Your results may vary but my only gripe about the AI kit was that it caused my dash bezel to longer mount flush to dash itself around the radio.

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The AI install kit finally came so I started the install today, took a while but finally figured out why you have that gap, it'd the plastic mounting tabs they make the frame stick out so I **** canned the tabs, the PO had a POS kit in there but it had metal tabs, so instead of making some I figured I'd modify those and put them to use, walla no gap..

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[Crispy]

The AI install kit finally came so I started the install today, took a while but finally figured out why you have that gap, it'd the plastic mounting tabs they make the frame stick out so I **** canned the tabs, the PO had a POS kit in there but it had metal tabs, so instead of making some I figured I'd modify those and put them to use, walla no gap..

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Thanks for the info. I think I can fab something up. That little gap annoys me!

Did the wiring harness come with a secondary power harness? Seems those are hit and miss being included in kits.

 

[74 Shortbed]

Thanks for the info. I think I can fab something up. That little gap annoys me!

Did the wiring harness come with a secondary power harness? Seems those are hit and miss being included in kits.

Yeah, it's real simple I put one on the bottom too, I didn't like that gap either had to do something about it, lol.. It came with one harness in the box that plugs into the radio and another one that plugs into the factory plugs which was a freebie with the install kit, think I'll connect the two together so I don't need to cut the factory plugs. Did you make a support bracket for the back of the radio, or did you let it hang on the install kit??, seems like that little lip isn't very much to hold it in there, although it is pretty lightweight??..

 

[Crispy]

Yeah, it's real simple I put one on the bottom too, I didn't like that gap either had to do something about it, lol.. It came with one harness in the box that plugs into the radio and another one that plugs into the factory plugs which was a freebie with the install kit, think I'll connect the two together so I don't need to cut the factory plugs. Did you make a support bracket for the back of the radio, or did you let it hang on the install kit??, seems like that little lip isn't very much to hold it in there, although it is pretty lightweight??..

Yea definitely splice those two harness together. I wasn't too clear on what i meant. The harness that plugs into the factory connections should come with 2 pieces. One that connects the three large plugs together to the radio and a smaller plug that connects the smaller black plug to the radio. The smaller black plug contains the 12v constant wire. If your harness didn't come with this second plug then use a small length of wire with a spade terminal and connect it form the orange wire on the truck side to the yellow wire that comes out of the plug going to the back of the radio. The brown wire on the small plug is the dimmer in case you want to use it.

I didn't brace the radio at all. No issues with movement. I wouldn't worry about it.

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[74 Shortbed]

Yea definitely splice those two harness together. I wasn't too clear on what i meant. The harness that plugs into the factory connections should come with 2 pieces. One that connects the three large plugs together to the radio and a smaller plug that connects the smaller black plug to the radio. The smaller black plug contains the 12v constant wire. If your harness didn't come with this second plug then use a small length of wire with a spade terminal and connect it form the orange wire on the truck side to the yellow wire that comes out of the plug going to the back of the radio. The brown wire on the small plug is the dimmer in case you want to use it.

I didn't brace the radio at all. No issues with movement. I wouldn't worry about it.

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Ok gotcha, I did get that little two wire plug along with the one that plus into the radio, the black one was the freebie, guess I'll dig up the factory manual to match colors and wire it up today.. Glad to hear it don't need a brace, be a PITA to make one back there, lol...

 

[Crispy]

Ok gotcha, I did get that little two wire plug along with the one that plus into the radio, the black one was the freebie, guess I'll dig up the factory manual to match colors and wire it up today.. Glad to hear it don't need a brace, be a PITA to make one back there, lol...

Yea making a brace would be a pain. This radio is also pretty light since it doesnt have any CD mechanisms.

You dont need a manual. Just match the colors from the radio plug to the colors on the truck side plug. They are set to an industry standard. Any extra wires just tape em off.

On the radio side you wont need the mute (brown), remote turn on (blue/white), and steering wheel control (lt blue/yellow).
On the truck side you wont need blue.
I always connect the dimmer wire since it will tone down the brightness of the radio at night. You connect it but shut the feature off in the radio settings if you dont like it. Much easier than tearing into the thing again.

I used to work in car audio and still do side work so this stuff is second nature to me now lol

 

[74 Shortbed]

Yeah, work at something for a while and it does become second nature, lol..

I must be missing something or just don't understand it, but they don't look the same to me, radio is using one color for both - and + one has a stripe, coming from the truck is different and it has different colors, what am I not seeing right here???.. OH, and the cut out insulation is from the PO's hack job..

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[Crispy]

Yeah, work at something for a while and it does become second nature, lol..

I must be missing something or just don't understand it, but they don't look the same to me, radio is using one color for both - and + one has a stripe, coming from the truck is different and it has different colors, what am I not seeing right here???.. OH, and the cut out insulation is from the PO's hack job..

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The wires going from the radio plug should be connected, color by color, to the aftermarket plug you recieved with your installation kit. The one on your passenger floorboard. When you are done you should have something like this:

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[74 Shortbed]

Yes those go together, but they plug into the plugs to the truck and the colors don't match, I just compared the factory diagram to the radio manual and it's all different, no biggie though to match em up.. I just hope the speakers are good, don't feel like replacing those right now, lol..

 

[Crispy]

They dont need to match, no worries on that.

It looks like youll find out soon enough if the speakers are good lol. I would replace them any, I believe the OEM speakers, besides being almost 30 years old, are 8 ohm and all radios run 4 ohm. New speakers, even the cheapest of the cheap will sound so much better.

 

[74 Shortbed]

Yeah, I was thinking that I'm sure you're right, just don't have the time I'm doing a 700r for it now and I want to work on the C10, lol, but I'm sure I'll be changing them out first time the wife hears them, lol..

 

[74 Shortbed]

Well, got it all hooked up and you're right they sound like ****, lol, so I guess I'll have to get some speakers, lol, fits pretty good with no gap on the side, but there is a gap on the bottom on the left(hard to see in the pic)that bugs me other than that it looks like it could be factory, I'll have to look into that. But first I need to find out when you start it up why it sounds like the antenna got pulled out no reception, and I remember the wife mentioned she tried the old radio that was in there and it did the same, but at the time I figured t was just a POS radio which it was anyhow, lol..

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[Honky Kong jr]

Well, got it all hooked up and you're right they sound like ****, lol, so I guess I'll have to get some speakers, lol, fits pretty good with no gap on the side, but there is a gap on the bottom on the left(hard to see in the pic)that bugs me other than that it looks like it could be factory, I'll have to look into that. But first I need to find out when you start it up why it sounds like the antenna got pulled out no reception, and I remember the wife mentioned she tried the old radio that was in there and it did the same, but at the time I figured t was just a POS radio which it was anyhow, lol..

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Clean install!!!