I was fitting my single din stereo into my roadster at the weekend. I took the center dash panel out, and checked that the ISO connector convertor fitted, which it did. I took MAZDA's single din filler tray and screwed it to the back of the center radio surround bit of plastic. I then had a surround with a single DIN hole in it...hurrah!

I then fitted the cage into the single DIN hole, which was a very tight snug fit. I then replaced the center arm rest and all that back. I connected the ISO to the back of the stereo and slid the unit into the plastic surround. It all seems fine and the CD player doesnt jump....BUT shouldnt this unit be bolted to something? The original Double din had 2 brackets screwd to the four screw holes at the rim of the double din hole. I put these brackets back but I couldnt even fit the stereo in with the brackets in placeas the cage was about 1/2 cm too wide.

So right now its just sitting on the filler tray isnt it...? Its not jumping around or anything but is this right. Then the reason I am asking all this is that I noticed two small cracks in the surround (DAM!>>DAM!) at the top left edge of the stereo. They look like stress cracks...but I wonder if it could have been the stereo moving about or just when I first pushed it into the gap..... Can any experts help me...? (3/00)

Did you get a rubber plug thing that pushes onto a bolt on the back of the head unit ? I have a feeling that this then fits into a hole to the back of the space and supports the unit from behind to. This is a "guess" from memory as it was ages ago when I last fitted my headunit (pioneer). The original Clarion had this to but from what I remember my first install of a Blaupunkt headunit did not... (3/00)

there should be a rubber plug that fixes to the back of the stereo. This should then locate in a metal bracket at the back of the centre dash aperture.

My Alpine unit uses a hex-section piece of metal about 25mm long, with a few millimetres of threaded bit on one end. This screws into an appropriate hole right slap bang in the middle of the back of the stereo. A rubber shroud then slips over the piece of metal. If you bought the stereo new it should have had this bit.

If you don't have one you should be able to get something suitable from a car hi-fi shop. I presume the thread is a standard size, but it may be prudent to take the stereo in with you, just to make sure it fits.

The metal bracket it locates in inside the dash is a permanent fixing on my car, i.e. not some sort of removable component. It is separate from the mounting frame for the original factory-fit stereo, which I removed. If for some reason you do not have the supporting bracket in the dash, you should still be able to provide sufficient support using a suitable mounting strap. This is a piece of metal about 200mm long that looks a bit like a strip of Meccano. One end fixes to the above mentioned threaded hole on the back of the stereo and the other end fixes to a suitable point inside the dash. The 'Meccano' can be cut to length if required. Only trouble is fixing this in place is going to be a major pain in the a*se because you can't really get at the back of the stereo once it's pushed home into the dash! Maybe you'll be able to bend the strap into a 'V', then bend it back almost straight again, fix one end to the stereo and the other in the dash, with the point of the 'V' pointing downwards, then hopefully when you push the stereo in the strap will bend back to the 'V' shape again and provide the necessary support..? But hopefully you will have the correct bracket already in the dash and avoid all this! (3/00)
Don't these brackets have holes in them for secure fitting of the radio itself? They do on my non-Mazda. Would've thought these were the same...two bolts hold them to something "structural" and then they have various holes in their "sides" to mount head units/"cubby holes" to. Obviously no need for the flimsy tin cage then. Kinda all "fits" (no pun intended) with the cage being too wide when the brackets were in place. (3/00)
They do, but IMHO if you use this mounting method the result is far less tidy. I tried this when originally fitting my Alpine just to see what it was like. (It was necessary to remove the plastic finishing piece on the stereo that goes all around the perimeter of the removable front.) The stereo sits a bit further into the dash, with the front basically flush to the centre dash panel. It looked sort of ok with the removable front ('face off') in place, but with a slightly unsightly few millimetres gap all around the front. With the removable front removed, it looked much more of a dog's breakfast, with a very significant gap between the centre dash panel and the stereo itself, allowing you to see into the bowels of the dash. The mounting itself is superior (more sturdy) but it just doesn't look right. (3/00)
Ah .. build your own surround so that it is level with the top/outer level of the dash... so you can use the OE side mounts with some filling with Alpine side bolts .. and have a 2 hollow dash still .. this looks much better than the UK thing where they mount the stereo proud of the dash .. really silly. (3/00)