Running Riot

So the niggitynogs have been stealing radios like crazy here in Gainesville, along with wheels, cars, B&E, B&E with guns etc Guess that's what happens when you lower the cost of rent, the ghettos get bigger.. Mind you, I'm a bit paranoid after having radios and such stolen from me in the past. In my EJ6 i relocated the radio for this reason, AND to help reduce glare at night. We got a lot of dark roads around here and the bright blue glare from the volume control wheel on my Sony makes it that much harder to see at night. So by relocating it I kill two birds with one stone. The following is the before and after shots and my process of relocating the radio.

What you will need:
Long handle screw driver, mine is about 16" long. Comes in real handy not just for this project but others as well.
An adult beverage
Patience
Cutting pliers.

Stock radio location


New radio location

If you have a 96-98 Civic you already have this. If you have a 99-00 you need to find one at aj unk yard. I got this one at Windsor Auto Salvage in Ocala for $5

Remove the tray like so

Make sur eyou don't lose any screws. If you do, your going to have squeeking and rattling and your going to be asking yourself "Why did i ever listen to that Christian on civicforums and do this?"

Dismantle the center console and driver side lower panel

Remove these screws on both sides



It REALLY helps to have a magnetized screw driver. You can magnetize one by rubbing it on the back of one of the rear speakers. I used a subwoofer for that EXTRA magnetic force.

Remove the screws that hold the center climate control bezel in place, there are four. DON'T FORCE IT OUT OR YOU WILL BREAK IT AND THESE AREN'T CHEAP!!!!!

Unplug the hazard light switch FIRST!

Then unplug climate controls and the radio

Remember the long handled screw driver I told you to get? Remember when I said it was convinient to have it magnetized? This is why. Remove the screws holding the climate control in place.




PRESTO! Climate control is out. This is a good time to take the bulbs out and replace them with LEDs or just paint them red/blue/orange whatever color you want, or just remove the green cap to change the color of the illumination.

Remove the steel brackets on either side of the radio to pull it out through the front.

Honda intended for the OEM CD player extension to go here. So there are holes in the cup holder assembly themselves for mounting a radio. Slide the radio in so that the holes in the back match up.


Now the fun part. Electrical. I fuggin hate electrical. The EJ8 has more play in the OEM radio harness then the EJ6. If you need more room, snip the zip tie that hold the harness in place behind the dash. You need to be able to get the radio plug down to the cup holder.


Since i had everything apart anyways, i took the oppotunity to hook up leds above the cup holder and in the rear view mirror mount. This creates a red ambient lighting in the interior at night, and I tapped the dimmer so I can control the brightness of the interior lights.



Once everything is plugged in, start putting things back together. !!ACHTUNG!! MAKE SURE EVERYTHING WORKS BEFORE SCREWING THINGS BACK IN! THE LAST THING YOU WANT TO DO IS HAVE TO TAKE EVERYTHING APART BECAUSE A WIRE CAME LOOSE!

When your done, it should look like this


At night, when i pull the face off, the cup holder lid comes all the way up completely concealing the radio. Prevents theft and keeps the glare out of your eyes at night. Fun little project, with a cigarette break included took me less than an hour. Enjoy!

Running Riot

Some of you may be asking yourself.... BUT CHRISTIAN! WHAT DO I DO WITH THIS ENORMOUS HOLE IN MY DASH NOW?!

Never fear me cry babies, use some imagination....... and some PhotoChop

Running Riot

If you have an Ipod control unit (like my sony did) I'd recommend running the firewire through to teh glovebox. Zero risidual presence and you can control it from the head unit.

madAd

Good idea. I especially like the idea of the gauges in the stereo's place. Mine's an '02, so the dash is a little different, but I was surprised how similar your dash looks to mine.

Running Riot

My friend Burak has an 01 and they look extremely similar. From Honda's stand point, if it ain't broke why fix it? The set up and location of the controls the in the civic are best in class (consumer guide, car and driver JD Power all agree) I think the only difference between your generation and mine is the edges of the center console. You may be able to squeeze some in that tray with the little door that is under the radio?

gearbox

iTrader: (95)

looks great down there and very hidden. leaving the top hole open is even better way to deter thieves cause they will think someone already robbed you and theres nothing left.

Running Riot

haha funny story. I went to work to get my check, a friend came out and was like, "DUDE WHAT HAPPENED TO YOUR RADIO?!"

Running Riot

So I had some down time Sunday and I did a perliminary gauge install with two gauges I had laying around. A water temp and a voltage gauge. I used a peice of a Jagermeister liquor box and cut to holes in it and trimmed it to fit the open space. I think, once done in carbon fiber and once I add the push start and ignition kill switch its going to look mad hot ricer yo! I also got pictures of the red ambient lighting I installed, can't really see it much (that's sort of the point) but it is enough to provide sufficient light if I need to look at something written on a piece of paper at night without turning on a dome light. it also adds atmosphere to the cabin, makes it feel kinda roomier at night.

Running Riot

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Foffie

iTrader: (3)

so my question is are the cup holders still functional with the radio in the new location?