aftermarket radio installation question (Civic 98 LX)

Hello,

Getting tired of not having a CD player in my 98 Civic, I got from
Crutchfield a nice Sony receiver and the required wire harnesses.

The install was very easy, except for the mechanical side. For all
these aftermarket receivers, the installation consists in positioning
the sleeve and then bending down the pre-cut tabs.

In theory, the tabs fixate the sleeve and the sleeve fixates the
receiver. In practice though, there is nothing behind the dashboard for
the tabs to get into. The original radio was surrounded by air, being
kept in place by a L-shaped tab that was screwed in the back of the
radio and on a horizontal bar deep down behind the dashboard.

I am now contemplating the prospect of using a milling machine to cut
from aluminum an equivalent L tab for the Sony receiver, but before
doing this, I'd like to ask you: if you replaced the factory radio
yourself, how did you fixate the new radio in the dashboard?

Thank you,

Serban

 

Serban,

When I replaced the stereo in my 97 Civic, I used the sleeve and bent
down the tabs. Granted, it's not as secure as the original, but it
moves very little. Also, not sure if the 98s are the same, but you may
need to keep the original stereo in for the keyless entry. My keyless
is run through the stereo. If you remove it, the keyless won't work.
If this is the case, you need to get a reverse harness so both systems
will be powered.

Mike

 

I bent down the tabs in my 98 civic, it doesn't move at all. However, with
the right tools to pop the side tabs, a thief could be in and out of the
vehicle in less than 30 seconds with the radio.... so far no problems with
that.

t

 

Hello,

The thing is that the tabs do not bite into anything, behind the dash
it's a huge open space. The receiver is sitting there holding just on
the front frame (snug fit). However, behind the front frame, the
receiver just hangs in there; that's why I was looking for a way to add
a third holding point.

Serban