Miata Mailing List: June 1997, Message #153
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From: 	Alan Dahl <alan.dahl@attws.com>

Subject: Re: Does Double DIN Fit the MX-5??

Date: 	Mon, 2 Jun 1997 17:38:06 -0500



"Robert Wallis" <wallis@shore.net> writes:

> Well, I finally got through to Crutchfield this morning to ask about the

> double DIN situation.

> The Re. told me Crutchfield would not recommend unit installation in the

> Miata because the mounting bracket arrangement is not compatible. The

> faceplate dimensions on the double din is 7 1/8 "w X 4"h, the pre 96

> opening in the console where the radio and CD player gores is 7 1/8 "w X 4

> 3/4"h, so ther would be, as dj said in his response, a 3/4" gap.

> Hmmm.......



As one who spent a lot of time trying to get a single-DIN unit to fit the  

dash of the '90-'95 Miata let me iterate what the problems are:



The '90-'95 Miata's dash opening is smaller than DIN and just bigger than  

ISO DIN in width and about 2 1/2 DIN in height. ISO DIN is slimmer than DIN  

by a few mm and generally matches the width of most head units without the  

surround.



There are dash kits (usually poorly made and requiring lots of work with a  

moto-tool) that allow you to mount a DIN chassis in the Miata and have the  

head unit stick out of the dash 5-7mm or so (the thickness of the surround).  

This looks real dorky IMHO with a normal unit but might not look too bad with  

a double-DIN setup. These same kits usually come with filler pieces of  

various heights, one of which should work fine to cover the gap.



If you want a flush mount and you have an ISO-DIN compatible head unit then  

be prepared to make many modifications to the dash kit or forgo it altogether  

and build one yourself. Depending on how handy you are this may or may not  

be a problem. You may also have 3mm or so gaps on each side of the player  

that may need to be filled.



IMHO your best bet is to pay some shop to install it for you. I bet if you  

look around you could find a place that would both sell you the unit for the  

same price as Crutchfield and install it for you for an extra $50 or so. Once  

it's installed I'm sure it will look great!



My solution was to have my old factory CD player repaired (by United Radio)  

and I am very happy with the results.



Please let us on the list know how the unit works out. I might want to get  

one for my '96 (yes I have two Miatas) and it looks like a good deal.



FYI: I suspect that the double-DIN unit will drop into the '96+ dash with  

little or no modification. This is certainly true of most DIN units.



Good luck!



- Alan Dahl



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