i have an 89 vert with the big cd player/radio and am about to purchase an alpine head unit. My question is if there is a dash kit i should get or if neone has dash removal instructions b/c ive read that it can be tricky and the plastic parts can break. Ill take ne advice on the install.

Will this decrease the value of my car removing the stock cd player?

Thanks
Ross

 

Some places if you trade it in makes the value go up, others down. Depends. And yes there is a kit. Yes it can be tricky. BEFORE you break or cut off a plactic piece (comes with many plastic parts so you customize it to fit your model) Triple check that your are beaking off the right piece. Line it up and everything. Because you can't glue it back on.

 

Check the 2nd generation archeives in the 2nd generation rx-7 forum, I beleive there should be a writeup on how to remove the dash.

 

1FastT2 has dash panels that the stereo fit into real nice, better than the cheap plastic kits, search for him on the 2nd gen forum.
I bought one and it is perfect and looks great

 

I second this route the crap *** plastic kit that is sold is exactly that... Completely worthless.

Get that kit from 1fastt2 I bought one for each of my cars and I love them. They hold the din cage perfectly.

 

When you buy your stereo wiring harness, make sure you get the right one for your car. I asked for one at best buy for my sisters '89 FC and the one in their computers is wrong. The plug is different (looks like its for a '86-'88 FC). I think the one you need has two plastic plugs. If the harness is from the brand Metra, make sure you ask for a '91 RX-7 stereo harness. The part number for it is 70-7901. Im almost positive thats the correct one but verify that it has two rectangle plugs just to be safe.


You also need to wire up a relay for your power antenna. Its really easy to do with the instructions here on the forum. Search for antenna relay and you will get more than enough information on how to make one to how to plug it in.

Last but not least, you will need to bypass the stock amplifier for the front speakers. I dont remember if it's the door speakers or the dash speakers that won't work because of the stock amp. It's been a while since I've done a stereo install on an FC. The best way around this is to run new speaker wire to the speakers. Its a bit more time consuming but works really well. If you dont feel like doing that, get rid of the amp (located under the glove box) and patch up the wires.

In case you want to buy new speakers:
Dash speakers: 4 inch
Door Speakers: 6 1/2 inch. Some say 5 1/4" up front but I havent encountered an RX-7 with this size.
Rear speakers: Depends on the trim of your car. You wont know what size you need for the back until you take the grille off and take a look. You'll probably have 5 /14" or 6 1/2" speakers back there. I'm not sure if series5 RX-7s came with 4" speakers in the back like the series4 did.

 

do you have a pic of that trim id like to see .... i hate the one in my car....

 

i have an 86 and im using a 89 radio harness..works just fine!

 

Really? Was it a cd player model?

 

The metra harness that I originally bought for my sisters 89 RX-7, was actually a 86-88 harness even though the bag said it was for an '89. That explains why you have an 89 harness in your 86.

 

For the record, my 91 did come with 4" speakers in the back. I couldn't believe it when I saw it. It's easy enough to put 6 1/2"ers back there though.

I recommend the radio harnesses off of Crutchfield.com. They are more expensive than just walking into Best Buy, but they work perfectly and you don't have to worry about them screwing up the model year. They also include them free if you buy the head unit from them, although they charge more for head units than most places do.

 

yes it was a cd player model...for a jvc deck