Tech Articles

Radio installation

In 1983, Land Cruisers switched to the then new standard DIN sleeve radio. Before then, the radios were narrower, shaft-style. So when I wanted to install a new DIN sized radio in my 60, I had to do so without a mounting kit.

This image shows the removal of a stock radio from the early 60s. The radio has a mounting strip on each side of the radio that hangs from two brackets attached to the underside of the dash.

The DIN sleeve that came with the radio would fit in the opening, but I couldn't secure it well enough. And the screw holes on the mounting strips from the old radio didn't match the new screw holes. So here's what I did:

1. I screwed the rear of the mounting strip to the radio. To the front hole on the strip, I bolted a bit of metal stripping (the stuff with the wholes in it) that came with the new radio. Then I screwed the metal stripping to the radio.
2. Because the new radio was wider, I bent the brackets out of the way.
3. With the mounting strips on, the radio wouldn't fit into the dash. The back would go, but not the front. So some bending of the mounting strips was required. It was a tight fit, but it got in there. And getting those screws on was a bit of a devil too.

As for wiring, the radio memory required a constant power line. So I ran one from the battery (easy since our 60 is 12V) to a small secondary fuse box. The radio has a 10A fuse in the back, but since it's hard to reach, and since it's not a glass fuse like the others, I put in a 6A fuse in my box (the highest amperage under 10 that I could find full length). I reused the Ignition On line from the old radio, and ran new speaker wire. I've been meaning to put RCA connectors in so that the doors can be removed, if need be.

And that was about it, pretty easy really. Though figuring it out at the time... Anyway, I feel better that it was hard to get in, because it means that it's hard to get out again! The radio does protrude a little, but that's necessary otherwise the wires at the back would be jammed too tight. And I haven't done any of the cosmetics yet, to fill in the extra space between the radio and the hole. But even so it looks okay.