Ok so I ordered this radio from japan (Sony wx-7700mdx) As soon as I saw that radio I fell in love with how unusual it looked and the fact that u canchange the color of the displayyyy to match urrr dashboard, motorized faceplate etc. Now, one of the many things that made me love in fall with Trans am's since I was a kid was the dashboard,I love the way is set up with all those circles,And that radio kinda goes with that same theme.So I REALLLY want that radio in there.It would most likely be the only thirdgen with that head unit installed.Buuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuut is a double din. =[ I went to the audio shop and radio fits in the dashh opening without major problems, the guy told me he could cut the bezel to make it fit.The really big problem here isss that theee radio sticksss out too muchh cuz theres this metal plateee in the back.Im assumming that metal plate is some kind of dashboard support. I kno it sounds nuts but... would I be able to cut it somehow? or even remove it? replace it perhaps? Any ideas would beee appreciated I really want that unit in thereee and I already spent $220 on that one soo im really not looking forward to buy another one, I rather go through some trouble to get this one installed. thanks oh heres a pic of the radio btw

see? It matches our dashboard *drools*

Cutting that brace is not uncommon, for those that want their radio to sit flush & not stick out with the adapters for single din radios, that are sold for our cars.

I just know it has been done, but know nothing about how it was done or if extra bracing was added to replace it.

I see... Well im gonna ask around in radio shops see what can be done.Hopefully someone in here has done something similar before and can give me some pointers.

Tke it Back Buy an ALPINE. Much Better radio anyhoo.

Yes I kno how good alpine is.

One of and my amps and my sub are both alpines and I own an alpine head unit as well, I just really wanna see that radio installed in my car.Mainly for the looks,although I dont think it sounds thaat bad.It was top of the line a few years ago.Check in

http://www.melting-pot.com/website/products.html


it sells for about $750


I'll post some pics of the dash support thing, maybe it'll give a clearer idea of what i want to accomplish

i love my alpine even if it cost 500 and some dollars

lol....I figured ppl would try to convince me to just drop it n get me an Alpine.

But like I said..I want that radio for the LOOKS mainly

For the audio quality part I will be using an alpine ERE-G180


thanks for the input tho.

But I dunno how your gonna fit a Double-Din head unit in a Din-and-a-half space.

Is there even PHYSICALLY enough vertical space? I would expect the AC/Heater/Vent controls to get in the way.

Yeah as soon as I found out we had a din and a half and not a double I was flippin out.

Surprisingly tho, the radio has enough vertical and horizontal space, although there is just a tiny bit of space between the radio and the AC controls

what It doesnt have is enough depth,It sticks out like an inch maybe.

Actually thats not correct. If you look at the specifications of an Alpine it typically wont match up with a Sony. Alot of people buy Alpine because of the name or the way it looks but when it comes down to the numbers unfortunately the Alpine cant compare (dollar for dollar).
What model of Alpine do you have?

everyone i know that had a sony had nothing but problems with them....only thing i dont like about my alpine is its got to many fine adjustments on the audio, seems like when i get it set up the way i like it i have to disconnect my battery or something

I did some cutting a while ago, but its been about 2 years now, i cant remember exactly what i cut.

I just remember that once you cut this stuff youre talking about, your "radio pod" (the big thing the radio sits in) will only be mounted by 2 screws. The big hefty screw at the bottom secures the pod from below, and cutting the brace out makes you lose this.

You may also have to trim some of the vent tubing to be able to push the radio back all the way.

So other than your radio pod being slightly lop-sided, you shouldnt have any issues.

EDIT:

You may also have to just remove your AC or heater controls. OR you could just swap them. ie: radio on top, and ac on the bottom. even if you could cut out enough space to get the double din to go in, you gotta remember its going in at an angle. So depth wont mean jack, if it hits the floor anyway. Plus those AC controls really get in the way. You'll see what i mean when you do it. But if youre cutting it up anyway, i would advise switching the AC and radio locations.

Well technically it is not mine 100% lol, my dad bought a CDE-9874, and he never installed it, he ended up buying a nakamichi from some guy at workSo I could install that in my car if I wanted to

Is funny cuz we just have all this radios layin around because we find em cheap on ebay or yard sales etc, most of em old models tho.. probably wont ever b installed hehe.

Thankss, that is some useful info.

I'll post some pics of theee piece i need to cut soon, I just need to get my camera back heheh

i pooped a turd that puts out 75w x 4 s/n 120db dis <0.0001 not uncommon for electronics to be beefed up polished turds alpine specs are genuinly more true orian had an amp about 10 15 years ago bugger was about 3 foot long the wattage spec was 2 thats right 2 just 2 not 200 not 2000 just 2 but that was true watts marketing dont forget about that 2000 looks better than 2 but i must say that is a sweet h/u i have had good luck with sony h/u lasting for me have had a few only had one that was a freebee and was 6 years old mess up but my pioneer i have now does sound better but its newer

all radios from japan will not work on our fm freq. i think they work from 88.1 to 91.1. we go from 88.1 to 108. something like that. i run jdm radios and you have to run a extra part that fixes this problem. available on ebay.

I think low end sonys die after a while cuz theyre cheapp,They use cheap materials or somehow cut corners to get u a more affordable radio, but an affordable radio that might not last too long.Im hoping that since this is supposed to be a higer end HU it will perform better than others.

Ive looked for frequency converters on ebay but all Ive found so far is from International sellers, U kno of anybody that might sell em locally?

I agree with you that alot of cheaper amplifiers boast wattage numbers that are far from reality but this has not been my experience with head units. Ive done side by side testing as well and your ears dont lie.
Keep in mind that Im not saying that every Alpine has poor specs or that every Sony offers the best in performance--you have to look at each individual deck and compare. If you are willing to learn and spend the time you will find that dollar for dollar Sony offers a better deck for the money.