spddm0n Posted July 7, 2019 Report Share Posted July 7, 2019 I saw a variety of old threads on this topic, none which answered the question. 🙂 Were Head units physically much smaller back in the day than they are today? I have an old Kenwood KRC-512 in the dash, but it’s not working. I have a variety of old head units laying around (every time I rebuild an older vehicle, I pull them out and replace with factory units). All the aftermarket units are too wide (and might be too deep from what I read). Was there a point when stereos were physically manufactured in a larger package? Can smaller units still be purchased? I’m not interested in cutting/chipping/trimming the dash to fit other units right now. Thanks! 1 Quote Link to comment
thisismatt Posted July 7, 2019 Report Share Posted July 7, 2019 Not sure. The DIN standard as we know it was adopted in 1984, although that doesn't mean it was implemented that year, and probably would not have been standard for '85 model year. 1 Quote Link to comment
Charlie69 Posted July 7, 2019 Report Share Posted July 7, 2019 (edited) If you look in the radio hole in the dash you will see there is a piece of plastic on the back of the hole. I cut this plastic out to let the newer single din decks fit a little deeper into the dash. You also might have to file the sides a little to get clearance for the sleeve the radio goes into. Edited July 7, 2019 by Charlie69 1 Quote Link to comment
datsunrides Posted July 7, 2019 Report Share Posted July 7, 2019 There are the stereos made for classic cars by outfits like custom autosound and retrosounds. I know the retrosounds unit should fit in just about any stock location. The unit itself is very compact and the shafts are adjustable. 2 Quote Link to comment
spddm0n Posted July 7, 2019 Author Report Share Posted July 7, 2019 1 hour ago, Charlie69 said: If you look in the radio hole in the dash you will see there is a piece of plastic on the back of the hole. I cut this plastic out to let the newer single din decks fit a little deeper into the dash. You also might have to file the sides a little to get clearance for the sleeve the radio goes into. Ok, thanks for the thought. I hate to do too much trimming, but I'll take another look. I usually discount cutting factory dashes in any way. 🙂 I like to modify things, but typically only will if they cab be "undone". 🙂 3 Quote Link to comment
spddm0n Posted July 7, 2019 Author Report Share Posted July 7, 2019 1 hour ago, datsunrides said: There are the stereos made for classic cars by outfits like custom autosound and retrosounds. I know the retrosounds unit should fit in just about any stock location. The unit itself is very compact and the shafts are adjustable. Interesting...thanks for the thought. I'll check those out! 1 Quote Link to comment
spddm0n Posted July 7, 2019 Author Report Share Posted July 7, 2019 2 hours ago, thisismatt said: Not sure. The DIN standard as we know it was adopted in 1984, although that doesn't mean it was implemented that year, and probably would not have been standard for '85 model year. Interesting...Funny, the standard came in right around the production of this vehicle. 🙂 I like standards (I'm an engineer). They seem to be rarely used these days. Everyone wants their own proprietary product to ensure their companies bottom line. 😉 2 Quote Link to comment
thisismatt Posted July 7, 2019 Report Share Posted July 7, 2019 2 hours ago, spddm0n said: Interesting...Funny, the standard came in right around the production of this vehicle. 🙂 I like standards (I'm an engineer). They seem to be rarely used these days. Everyone wants their own proprietary product to ensure their companies bottom line. 😉 In the late 80's through 90's it seemed like most stuck with single din, din and a half, or double din, but around 2003 everything started shifting to more integrated. Understandable, but annoying when your sound system quality is important to you. 1 Quote Link to comment
Crytek89 Posted July 8, 2019 Report Share Posted July 8, 2019 Mine is a JVC deck. Dimensions are: W: 7.2in D: 6.3in H: 2.1in Fit without any issues when I first put it in. 1 Quote Link to comment
Angeldust720 Posted July 9, 2019 Report Share Posted July 9, 2019 Depends if you have a newer model Nissan, its most likely single din but if the head units too long you might have to have it stick out if you don’t wanna cut. 1 Quote Link to comment
spddm0n Posted July 9, 2019 Author Report Share Posted July 9, 2019 On 7/7/2019 at 10:18 PM, Crytek89 said: Mine is a JVC deck. Dimensions are: W: 7.2in😧 6.3in H: 2.1in Fit without any issues when I first put it in. Interesting. What is the model number on that JVC? 1 Quote Link to comment
spddm0n Posted July 9, 2019 Author Report Share Posted July 9, 2019 20 minutes ago, Angeldust720 said: Depends if you have a newer model Nissan, its most likely single din but if the head units too long you might have to have it stick out if you don’t wanna cut. This is an '85 720. It does not fit standard DIN. The width dimension is too narrow. I'm less concerned about the depth trimming, but I don't really want to cut into the sides. 🙂 2 1 Quote Link to comment
Crytek89 Posted July 10, 2019 Report Share Posted July 10, 2019 8 hours ago, spddm0n said: Interesting. What is the model number on that JVC? KD-R640 This is on my '85. 2 Quote Link to comment
spddm0n Posted July 13, 2019 Author Report Share Posted July 13, 2019 On 7/9/2019 at 7:01 PM, Crytek89 said: KD-R640 This is on my '85. Thanks. Are you sure your dash is NOT modified? According to JVC, that is a full DIN size radio with outer dimensions of 7.2" wide. Too wide for an unmodified dash. 🙂 https://www.cnet.com/products/jvc-kd-r640-car-cd-receiver-in-dash-unit-full-din/ 1 Quote Link to comment
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