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  • Stealth radio build

    ***WARNING*** If you have a rare OEM dash clock you may want to skip this thread. Just sayin'.

    It was all set to be a boring weekend. This deeply troubled me. So for poops and chuckles I dug some old crap out of my closet.
    One of the objects I found was the stock stereo out of my old service truck. I replaced it with the stock stereo I pulled out of my old sunfire before I sold it- it was that nice one with the CD and 9 band equalizer. This one is that lame am/fm only box.
    I pulled it apart only to realize this bugger is fully modular on the inside- both dials, the display and the bass/treble knobs have their own PCBs and are attatched to the main board with the thick wire-based ribbon cables. I've been looking for a stereo that's made like this for a while now.
    Went to radio shack, got some fresh desoldering wick and a roll of 22 gauge single core project wire. Got a case of beer (to steady my hands and raise my tolerance for solder burns) and some harness plugs to adapt this sucker to the festy.
    By midnight last night I had the volume dial, display and bass/treble knobs extended to about 3 feet outside the box. Easier said than done considering I haven't done any wiring this intricate in about 5 years. Ran out of wire before I could get the tuner knob extended, I may just leave it since I usually listen to the same station all the time anyway.
    This morning I pulled the clock blank off the car and made a hole in it. 2 hours later I had the PCB trimmed to perfectly fit under those retainer clips on the clock blank. Coated the screen in NiteShades, once it dries I'll be heading to the shop to start fitting it.















  • #2
    where are you mounting the knobs? very cool idea so far, very clean. plus you can now have cup holders!
    Im not driving a Festiva because I'm poor. I drive a Festiva because i want to!

    Dennis
    93 L Advancedynamics suspension mod, awaiting B6 swap
    91 GL B6 sohc, currently in the hands of DAE undergoing top secret work. Soon to be cable G, with stage 3 F1 Kevlar clutch... To be continued
    93 GL In progress BP/hydro G
    15 Mitsubishi Mirage daily
    88 Dakota tow pig

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    • #3
      That's a really neat idea. Very original and stock looking. Interested in the knob mounts as well.
      -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
      Nancy- 1.8L BP, aspire swap, g-trans
      The Adventures of Nancy! Build Thread
      -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

      My Musica! Click me!

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      • #4
        Which particular radio did you use? Does it have any kind of input for external devices?

        Excellent job!
        Festiva: Because even my dog can build a Honda.
        ---------------------------------------------------------------------------

        '90 L. B8ME/Kia Rio 5 speed. Rio/Aspire suspension swap. :-D
        '81 Mustang. Inline 6, Automatic.
        '95 Eagle Summit Wagon. 4G64 Powered.

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        • #5
          nice work
          I know its a piece of crap but im still faster...and its 100% legal!!!!!

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          • #6
            That is SICK.

            Even just for the dash clock... I can't wait to see the finished product!

            Originally posted by JPT View Post
            Does it have any kind of input for external devices?
            I'm sure with enough poking around on the PCB traces he could wire one in but IMHO, an FM transmitter would do just fine...
            Unrewarded plug for my favorite cheap crap site:
            http://www.dealextreme.com

            With his skills, he could put a female jack in the dash or glove compartment for it.
            -Zack
            Blue '93 GL Auto: White 13" 5 Point Wheels, Full LED Conversion, and an 8" Sub

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            • #7
              That looks cool!

              Karl
              '93GL "Prettystiva" ticking B3 and 5 speed, backup DD; full swaps in spring!
              '91L "AquaMutt" my '91L; B6 swap/5 speed & Aspire brakes, DD/work car
              '92L "Twinstiva" 5sp, salvage titled, waiting for repairs...
              '93GL "Luxstiva," '94 B6 engine & ATX; needs overhauled
              '89L "Muttstiva," now a storage bin, future trailer project

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              • #8
                Cup holders would be awesome, but I've got gauges where the original stereo was.

                Tuning knob is staying attached to the deck, and thus completely inaccessible as well as all the buttons. Station memory is PROM so I'm not worried about losing my station if the battery dies and I rarely listen to anything that's not X anyway.

                The power/volume/fade knob ended up in that flat space between the dimmer/mirror switch panel and the gauge pod. There's a little brace in that area so I couldn't center it, but it looks decent and is very accessible. I was going to use a switch blank, but seriously who at mazda decided that a switch blank should be 2 pieces and more complicated in construction than an actual switch? there's no way I could've made that work.

                The stereo I used was the barebones, AM/FM only unit that came in '99-'02 Silverados. No fun input ports. I can't even find a picture and I already threw out the faceplate.



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                • #9
                  that my friend is beast!
                  Andrew Walker

                  Current Daily Driver:
                  89 Nissan D21 SE V6 5 speed 4x4
                  Projects in the works:
                  84 Mercedes Benz 300D(T)(Baby) currently awaiting transmission transplant/ full on restoration

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                  • #10
                    Originally posted by crazyrog17 View Post
                    an FM transmitter would do just fine...
                    Unrewarded plug for my favorite cheap crap site:
                    http://www.dealextreme.com

                    With his skills, he could put a female jack in the dash or glove compartment for it.
                    While DX is awesome, I already have a bunch of FM transmitters sitting around.


                    Thanks for the compliments guys. I'm actually kinda shocked myself that I did this without breaking anything, that it turned out this well and that the majority of the work (still have to find a place for the bass/treble control and put together a bracket to hold the deck itself in place) I finished this weekend.

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                    • #11
                      Dude that is AWESOME!!! Looks great
                      Send An Invite If Ya Want




                      1991 Ford Festiva GL- Auto

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                      • #12
                        Id like to rip one of those apart just for the clock, great job there.
                        1993 GL 5 speed

                        It's a MazdaFordnKia thing, and you will understand!

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                        • #13
                          I'd love to be able to do that but I don't have any extra radios lying around and don't think I'm that good of a soldering person to do the job @ hand to make it work.... anyway to make solderless connections? knowing my luck I'd ruin the board trying to get it right....
                          Andrew Walker

                          Current Daily Driver:
                          89 Nissan D21 SE V6 5 speed 4x4
                          Projects in the works:
                          84 Mercedes Benz 300D(T)(Baby) currently awaiting transmission transplant/ full on restoration

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                          • #14
                            thats SO cool...... best idea ever!!!!!

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                            • #15
                              This is great! update when it's finished.
                              youtube.com/neanderpaul 88 festiva LX w/BP G25 MR 5 speed waiting for wiring- 93 Festiva GL auto w/ air, waiting for B6t/G4A-HL - 98 Nissan Quest - 02 Mazda protege 5 wife's DD

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