Hey Folks!!! Been a while, got a lot of updates to go over. Thought I'd start with my experience with a new radio in my 88. RetroSound's Model 2 Malibu was created to fit the larger openings in 70-72 Cutlass, 67-73 Mustangs and Ford Trucks. It doesn't come with a faceplate, so the original dash shows, just like original. I decided to give it a try, since the radios on the full size have a bigger face too, even though they are not listed as compatible.

The radio mounting is EXTREMELY universal, meaning you can fit this thing in practically anything, as long as the face opening is at least 2" high by 4" wide. The unit is actually 3 pieces, the main unit (which does NOT have the shafts attached) and 2 separate shafts that can be mounted independently of the main unit and have cords that plug into the main unit.

There are brackets that bolt to the main unit and can also hold the shafts, which allow for adjustments in all directions, so you can get the depth of the face correct with the opening of the dash. The shafts are the same, being MAJORLY adjustable, left, right, in, out, up, down.....

Since it is so adjustable, it takes a little while to get it adjusted correctly for your car. I got lucky and happen to have a spare dash panel that I could use for fitment on the workbench. Beats the crap out of having to pull the radio out from under the dash over and over and over and...... Took about 2 hours to decide how to adjust it, using several different mounting spacers and configurations before I was happy with it and then transferred it to my baby.

I went one step further and modified my original radio ***** to fit, so all the ***** on the dash matched.

 

So now the radio is installed, and I LOVE IT!!!! This thing is awesome!!! Has bluetooth to connect to my phone for music, has a small external mic so I can answer the phone through the radio, has 2 USB connections for external players and can control an iPod hooked directly to it. The display has something like 30,000 diff color combinations so you can match it exactly to your dash lights... it even has the option to display the name and artist of songs from radio stations that broadcast that info. Definitely worth the money!!! My girlfriend bought it for me (thank you baby!!!), but I believe it was something like $249 from Crutchfield.

The previous owner put 6x9 speakers in the rear tray (ugh!!!), but since they were there, I decided to use them. I did replace the front speaker with a new 4x10 unit from RetroSound, which is a dual channel unit. It all sounds great, but there's really no bass, so i think I might add one of those under seat, self contained subwoofers some day, but for right now, I'm just thrilled to have tunes in my girl after 9 years of silence!!!!

 

Nice install. I put one in my '83 and really liked it.

 

Nice, make sure your polarities are correct as if they are backwards all your base will go into the trunk.

 

What mods need to be done to the original ***** ?.

 

The outer ***** (volume and tuning) need to have the small metal spring clip inside, pulled out. They will then fit on the new shafts tightly. The inner ***** need a bit more work. The hole was big enough to fit on the shafts, but they need to have two small tabs that'll engage the shaft to turn it. My fabricator at work took silver solder, smashed it flat enough to fit the slots on the shaft, then Gorilla Glued them into the *****. Took a few times to get them centered correctly and had to use a miniature file to get the tabs correct, but wasn't overly complicated. I also reused the small cotton/fabric washers that were on the original radio, that kept the inner and outer ***** from rubbing.

I don't have the factory rear speaker option, so one of my rear ***** was a dummy ****. I decided to find another dummy ****, since there's no writing on them and I thought it looked cleaner. Funny thing is, I bought another one, which had the same part number, but this one had a smaller hole than mine (which mine had a brass insert which took up the extra space). So that one had to be drilled first, before I could mount the tabs.