CD players in Japanese cars
Printed From: the12volt.com
Forum Name: Car Audio
Forum Discription: Car Stereos, Amplifiers, Crossovers, Processors, Speakers, Subwoofers, etc.
URL: https://www.the12volt.com/installbay/forum_posts.asp?tid=33671
Printed Date: July 20, 2025 at 9:01 AM
Topic: CD players in Japanese cars
Posted By: Ab3Al3
Subject: CD players in Japanese cars
Date Posted: June 11, 2004 at 12:35 AM
I just got a kenwood kdc-205 cd player installed into a 1993 toyota camry, and the thing sticks out far, but i can put no frame around the faceplate because any unit in this car sits so that the actual unit (without the faceplate) sits flush with dash. is there anyway i can buy a kit or rig a frame to go around it? thanks-
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41+ 66point6 = our loss
Replies:
Posted By: thepencil
Date Posted: June 11, 2004 at 11:53 AM
Unfortunately, there isn’t any kit out there you can buy to get it the way you want it to look. One of the most difficult parts of the install is to put the head unit in so that it has the factory looks. With the exception of a few cars, you could, but keep in mind that the aftermarket unit that you are putting in can virtually fit every other car as well. My suggestion is to drill new holes to your factory brackets that is holding the head unit so that you can move the head unit forward or backward to achieve the look that you are after. ------------- Be careful whose advice you buy, but be patient with those who supply it. 
Posted By: harvey1959
Date Posted: June 11, 2004 at 7:11 PM
It sounds like once you do put the face plate on the plate will stick out but you can't fit the trim plate to the radio sleeve. I have a 90 toyota corolla. When I took the factory radio out and installed a casette/CD changer controller, I had to trim the factory opening about a sixteennth of an inch to get the trim ring to fit in. I used a carpenter knife to score the back of the panel and used pliers to clip the pieces off. I used a file to smooth it out. Now any aftermarket radio with a trim ring will fit snugly. Just take your time.
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Harv
Posted By: forbidden
Date Posted: June 11, 2004 at 7:43 PM
The idea behind most import vehicles is to ISO mount the radio and not cut the dash and not use the trim bezel. If you have to sink the radio back further into the dash the best way to do this was already suggested. Take the factory radio mounting brackets and drill new mounting holes into them, say another 1/4" back from the holes that are used right now. It is a real simple job to do. Harvey1959 has good advice as well, the only issues I have with it is simple, it is nowhere near as solid of a mount (thus much easier to steal as compared to ISO mounting) and the dash cannot be put back to stock if the vehicle is sold. Some import vehicles do not have room for a trim ring thus must be ISO mounted for them to fit. To each his own, if it was myself I would redrill the brackets. ------------- Top Secret, I can tell you but then my wife will kill me.
Posted By: harvey1959
Date Posted: June 11, 2004 at 8:41 PM
Rob, Thats true. I 've had the car so long that it really didn't matter whether I put it back as original. I also had the mounting strap to the back of the radio and to a bracket in the dash so the radio has never gone anywhere. I couldn't move the radio back no farther as the factory radio is smaller than the aftermarket radios. He may not have enough room to move it back without pinching other wires that are in there. Drilling the bracket is the easier way to move the radio back, as long as he has space. He probably doesn't like the way the flush mount looks.
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Harv
Posted By: flynntech
Date Posted: June 11, 2004 at 8:49 PM
Two things: Check your wiring. If you already did, cool, otherwise you may have crowded too much wire behind your radio. I just did a HU in a Sable today and i came to the point where I thought...."this might not fit".....then ofcourse, I tucked one wire cluster there, the other there and snapped her into place. Sometimes it really seems like it won't fit, but it will. Just thought I'd mention it even if it's not the problem at all. You may have a stereo which is too deep for your dash, most HUs have enough holes to ISO mount in anything. If not, it's time to cut the bracket. Secondly, I have an '89 corolla and there is no ISO mounting going on in there. I had to do the same thing to fit my DIN cd player. I scraped at the bottom and left side with a dull knife blade, lot's of plastic shavings, but I got the HU to fit perfectly. I even fit a trim piece that doesn't even go with the radio. It looks ok for a hack job! The only alternative (I thought of doing this) would be to mount it in the console, but even that would require some modification, since there is no radio in there to begin with.
Posted By: harvey1959
Date Posted: June 11, 2004 at 9:10 PM
Yeah Flynntech, The 89 is the same car as the 90 corolla so you know what you had to do. It is crowded behind the radio. It took me over a half hour to work the strap behind the radio and bolt it in without pinching the wires. I didn't want to cut the wires for the radio and void the warranty.
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Harv
Posted By: Ab3Al3
Date Posted: June 12, 2004 at 2:01 AM
thanks, you really helped. i never thought to trim the dash to fit the frame in there great ideas - wish i would have found this forum sooner !
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41+ 66point6 = our loss
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