I'm putting in a CD player in my 89 GTA but the kit doesn't fit. The radio protrudes about 1.5 inches because if a black plastic object behind the dash. I am wondering if it can be removed but I don't know what it is.

For the radio to fit otherwise, it would have to protrude about 1.5 inches from the bezel.

Thanks for any tips.

Also, any recommendations on setting up the 89 steering wheel controls to work with a new aftermarket radio? I see there are several options and I was wondering which is best.

 

You can unbolt that rear radio brace and that will give you a lot more room for the radio.

For the steering wheel controls to work, you need to have an aftermarket radio that has a wireless remote control, then you can buy the adapter widget from a company called "PAC" (I forget what that stands for... somebody else will chime in tho), that essentially works like a learning remote, and converts the signals from your stock controls to an infared output that it "learns" from the remote that comes with the radio. I'm not familiar with any other brands, but I'm sure they do the same thing.

 

The plastic piece that blocks the radio from a flush install or even a 1/2 inch kit holds the back of that part of a consol together and allowed the factory radio a brace (the spike that’s on the back of the factory deck fits in the hole in that plastic piece that blocks a good install). You can take that part of the consol out, cut out that plastic crap and brace the sides using metal bars. I also secured my deck to these bars. If anyone wants to steal it, it’s going to take a while. The firebirds have a harder time getting a flush install than the cameos. Warning: I dont want to make it sound easy, this can become a time consuming and frustrating project.

Hope this helps.

 

I'm only aware of one option (unless another company makes a comparable system) and it's this:

Here's a product link: http://www.cardomain.com/item/PACSWIV

It works exactly as Jim said; it receives input from the steering wheel and translates it into a remote signal for the deck. This makes it compatible with basically everything but limits your functionality to that of the remote.

The other possibility is that you could build (or buy if someone makes the interface) some sort of adapter that would work with the interface system most major companies build into their decks nowadays (AI net for Alpine, etc). This would give you full remote functionality but would be a PITA if it’s even possible at all.