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I'm looking to replace the stereo and speakers in
my 95 M edition since it's well.. shitty.
Are there options besides the not so good looking universal Metra kit? Ideally I'd like to have some kind of bin beneath the unit.
My current rig
I've seen some nice set ups on google but wondering what they used.
Thanks!
Crutchfield sells everything you need and they come with a little cubby thing to go under the radio.
The Crutchfield utilizes the Metra install kit. If that is my only option then I'll just use that. I just think the fitment is poor is all.
I read something about getting a 97 tombstone that has a true double din.
I have a 97 with the true double-din tombstone and Metra kit 99-7505 worked well for me and looks pretty much stock. If you do choose to go that route and get the double-din tombstone, I recommend that kit. It comes with a single-din surround with pocket and a double-din surround.
Here it is in my car with a double-din radio: (I had to space the radio mounting brackets forward with some washers and longer screws to get the radio to sit at the same depth as the surround, otherwise it was sunk in)
And a picture of the single-din surround, which I think looks much higher quality than the one you posted.
I'm assuming on a single-din setup you would actually use BOTH surrounds since the singe-din bezel is the same width as the radio itself and would need something to fill the gaps, but I haven't tried it.
I have a 97 with the true double-din tombstone and Metra kit 99-7505 worked well for me and looks pretty much stock. If you do choose to go that route and get the double-din tombstone, I recommend that kit. It comes with a single-din surround with pocket and a double-din surround.
Here it is in my car with a double-din radio: (I had to space the radio mounting brackets forward with some washers and longer screws to get the radio to sit at the same depth as the surround, otherwise it was sunk in)
And a picture of the single-din surround, which I think looks much higher quality than the one you posted.
I'm assuming on a single-din setup you would actually use BOTH surrounds since the singe-din bezel is the same width as the radio itself and would need something to fill the gaps, but I haven't tried it.
Yeah Minty I'm clueless with this stuff to be honest but I'm not sure if I need anything else besides the tombstone. Does the Metra kit come with brackets for mounting the head unit? I'll have to call Crutchfield or someone to find out.
Your setup looks nice, I like it!
Found this on eBay
Yeah Minty I'm clueless with this stuff to be honest but I'm not sure if I need anything else besides the tombstone. Does the Metra kit come with brackets for mounting the head unit? I'll have to call Crutchfield or someone to find out.
Your setup looks nice, I like it!
Found this on eBay
Basically all you need to know is 90-96 Miata tombstones don't conform to DIN standards - halfway through the 96 model year they switched to the DIN standard, so later 96s and all 97s have the properly sized tombstone for aftermarket DIN radios.
I actually used 90-95 stock radio brackets to mount my radio because they're sized for a double-din unit (even though the tombstone is NOT sized for DIN units in those cars. It's confusing). The mounting holes are a little off on my radio, but it works. I believe the metra kit also came with plastic mounting brackets as well that I could have used, but I bought that after getting my radio mounted with the earlier factory brackets.
As far as what you need, I'm pretty sure 94-97 should be able to swap tombstones with no issues but you might want to confirm that yourself. I wouldn't call crutchfield for help honestly because it seems they don't know what they're talking about when it comes to miatas. I've heard from multiple people that they specify the wrong size for the door speakers, and when I called them back when I was trying to figure all this out they told me there was no possible way to mount a double din radio in my car (when all I really needed was that $15 metra kit).
So tl;dr to save yourself a headache or an ugly install, get a 96.5-97 tombstone and that metra kit I specified and you should be all set. If for whatever reason the brackets in the metra kit don't work, you might be able to get away with using your 95 factory brackets like I did with my car.
Basically all you need to know is 90-96 Miata tombstones don't conform to DIN standards - halfway through the 96 model year they switched to the DIN standard, so later 96s and all 97s have the properly sized tombstone for aftermarket DIN radios.
I actually used 90-95 stock radio brackets to mount my radio because they're sized for a double-din unit (even though the tombstone is NOT sized for DIN units in those cars. It's confusing). The mounting holes are a little off on my radio, but it works. I believe the metra kit also came with plastic mounting brackets as well that I could have used, but I bought that after getting my radio mounted with the earlier factory brackets.
As far as what you need, I'm pretty sure 94-97 should be able to swap tombstones with no issues but you might want to confirm that yourself. I wouldn't call crutchfield for help honestly because it seems they don't know what they're talking about when it comes to miatas. I've heard from multiple people that they specify the wrong size for the door speakers, and when I called them back when I was trying to figure all this out they told me there was no possible way to mount a double din radio in my car (when all I really needed was that $15 metra kit).
So tl;dr to save yourself a headache or an ugly install, get a 96.5-97 tombstone and that metra kit I specified and you should be all set. If for whatever reason the brackets in the metra kit don't work, you might be able to get away with using your 95 factory brackets like I did with my car.
This actually makes sense now, thank you for clearing it up for me. I'll pick up a tombstone and the mentioned Metra kit. Now that I saw the display that you have I might go that route as well. They do cost more however..
It's funny you mentioned that about Crutchfield because they specify 5-1/4" door speaker size on their website, but I believe the size needed is 6-1/2". I'll probably just put in something cheap since I don't feel like running an amp.
I can't remember doing a radio in a Miata specifically but what you've posted so far is pretty much what you get with the install kits. You might find some better custom stuff if you search. You don't really need a kit for the Miata per se as the radio fits. You can find a pocket that takes up the other 1/2 of the space, but it sounds like some tombstones might not be a true 'double DIN' sized hole. Any aftermarket radio comes with a sheet metal cage and you just bend the tabs to hold it in place. You can also use the brackets off the stock radio a lot of times. A sheet of ABS plastic can be used to make a gauge pod or block off plate. You could even probably use a little nicer OEM pocket or folding door but I'm not sure which car came with one. The DIN size and double DIN pocket is pretty universal, you just break off whatever tabs don't snap in for your particular car.
Only thing custom I've seen online is the ddmworks radio display for ~$80 but I don't plan on putting my gauges below the radio. The block off one is listed as out of stock. Looks nice, but too pricey for me. If I were to go that route I would get the ABS plastic as you mentioned to block off or mount gauges.
I'll pick up a 97 tombstone with the 97 Metra kit and see what I end up with.
Tangential questions, does you stock radio work? Any issues with it other than you don't like it? Does anybody know for sure if it will fit in my 93? I've been casually looking to get a stock radio to replace the hideous and PITA kenwood aftermarket stereo in my car, would you be willing to sell me yours?
Tangential questions, does you stock radio work? Any issues with it other than you don't like it? Does anybody know for sure if it will fit in my 93? I've been casually looking to get a stock radio to replace the hideous and PITA kenwood aftermarket stereo in my car, would you be willing to sell me yours?
The stock radio works just fine. The lack of bluetooth or a way to stream music is the main reason for me to upgrade. I currently have 1 of the 4 oem speakers that work (M edition has tweeters). Upgrading the stereo will probably supply a little more power to the new speakers and will be easier to add an amp if needed.
Not sure if it will fit a 90-93 car. If my tombstone would swap over I don't see why the radio wouldn't.
I will most likely sell the tombstone and radio after I complete the install..
05-05-2017, 06:35 PM
Option for head unit install
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