RayD0
After killing my 96 corsica, I realized the only thing I liked
was the radio. My Subarus eat them like candy, so for the heck of it, I took
my Corsica radio out, sized it up, and what do ya know! It Will fit. I decided
to share the results when I realized it looked better and functioned better
than Subaru radio. To make it work properly, I ran 40+ feet of the gas and
resistant wire for four channel function (red wire in photo below- duct tape
is not the insulator , true connectors are.) The black in the background is
the heatbox. It was very close to the back of subaru radio ,the cause of my
problems with them (the heat).
Next
step: brackets. This was an easy task. I found some old window screen with
aluminum frame and some spare flexible galvanized sheet metal. I simply made
brackets with tin snips and hack saw out of window frame and tin. (see 2 photos
below) . I used rivet gun to connect the bottom bracket of aluminum frame to
90 degree bend of tin that bolts up to factory mounting bolts, and made smaller
one for the top, basically for alignment, not support. Note the amp cooling
fins on side of radio instead of the back. There was not only more room for
cooling, it got it away from the heatbox.
side
brackets
(support)
Next step: wire it up, test it and install.
This is finished result. The left aluminum bracket gets warm
like the amp fins (I somehow heatsinked them together unintentionally). The
radio never gives me trouble. It got hotter in the Corsica it came from.It
is no longer sharing the ground like a Subaru radio either. It fits flush,
(unlike the Subaru radio cover), for easier access to lighter and ashtray.
It worked great for me. Odds are you will find an AC Delco like this one before
a subaru radio at a junk yard….
Ultimate Subaru