I have an old AM/FM stereo cassette player that I bought for my 1966 Oldsmobile, then it was wrecked in late 1993. So I saved my stereo and put it into one of my other cars. Then once I bought my truck back in May of 1994, I started driving it and figured out a way to install it in my truck.
Picture of damage done from past owner(s).
But the previous owner had really damaged the dashboard where the radio was supposed to sit, and the original radio would have been two knob AM radio. So what I did is to work around the damage that was caused is to use my faceplate to my existing two knob stereo cassette player and use a piece of water heater tape on the mounting bolt on the backside of my stereo and wrap the other end to one of the mounting bolts of my wiper motor, which the wiper motor of my truck is under the dashboard.
This was very nice to work within my plans because it was directly behind my stereo and “just as long as my wiper motor keeps working I won’t have to take it off.”
Water Heater Tape is used for timing you water heaters to a solid surface for earth quacks or safety.
Now to currently. Now I’ve come up with a new and cost-effective way to remount my stereo securing it better while still not having to cut up my dashboard to install in a new section of metal that they offer in all the catalogs for trucks of my year and model. I had two mending plates saved up from a tool shed project that I had made up from a previous project that I have worked on many years ago, I had laying around
Measured & Marked Ready to cut.
Then I grabbed the second plate and measured it to my front side of the dashboard for the right measurement that way. But instead, I decided to measure it the same as the plastic faceplate so it would be as if it was invisible. Now the next step was to make measurements in the plates for the stereo knobs and the center control panel to fit through the plates and this task took some time to get it just right.
All Cut Out & Drilled Out. Now I will file it down and get them ready for a test fit.
Because I am such a perfectionist, as you may notice in my pictures it took me a little bit to get the holes for the knobs just right. But I did do pretty well for the control panel. All I have to do now, is finishing up the fit and finish and then I can I keep doing test fits while doing this project because I don’t want to do this again because I only have the two mending plates. Oh and by the way, I did have to go through my bolt and nut bin to find some extra nuts to fit on the control knobs because I only had four and I needed two more and some washers to make this perfect the way I would like it. And it did help make it a perfect job.
A Drill Gauge is used for gauging the size of drill bit needed for your project or the size of the bolt or screw size used in a project.
Drill Bit Gauge.
Now before installing my plastic knobs, I was also missing some spacers that came with my stereo when I bought it new. So I had a couple of plastic drill bit gauges laying around so I cut a couple of those up and filed them down to fit nicely into the square slots behind the knobs for that perfect fit and finish. Finally, I am done!!!
