55.2-59 Help with Retro Manuf. radio fitting

[MD2020]

1956 chevy Truck
Before I do any of this, help me out.
(1) I need to grind some metal off the top and bottom of the slot for the chrome cover to go on.



Because of these 2 wings




(2) the face of the radio can go on right side up, or down, If I put it on wrong my data will be upside down. above and below picture



(3) I guess in need to modify the L brackets so my tuning knobs will come farther forward.




(4)This picture looks like my 4th picture is upside down

[MD2020]

You think I need to replace my brushes in my grinder???

[mr48chev]

I'd make me a pattern out of some stiff card stock. Meaning that you can cut, fit and make a lot of mistakes with paper before you feel you have just the right pattern to trace on the dash to make your cuts.

[MD2020]

Originally Posted by mr48chev

I'd make me a pattern out of some stiff card stock. Meaning that you can cut, fit and make a lot of mistakes with paper before you feel you have just the right pattern to trace on the dash to make your cuts.

I'm not cutting the dash, this is suppose to fit.
The chrome piece is plastic.
I just wanted to know that I have to modify the radio brackets to make it fit and grind 1/8" off the top and bottom of the slot on the dash, the chrome panel will cove that slot.
That is the only way I see to make what I have fit, I thought that they gave me a wrong part somewhere.
Or is this normal to modify to make it fit?

[MD2020]

I did a search on installed units.
The first thing I did was put the chrome behind the dash, but why is chrome behind the dash, I see to get the look of the top one. I like it
There are more mounted this way than the bottom one.

[leegreen]

I think it has to go behind dash,
this

wont go over top of this


are there other screw holes to attach the brackets further out?

[MD2020]

It's funny the name of the bracket that has to be modified

[leegreen]

last line of that description maybe the answer 'minimum of two screws'.
Move the bracket so only the last two screws are in use?

[Hcb3200]

The Silver plate goes behind the dash not in front.
so just the screen pokes thru the hole. the rounded sides of silver plate.
the bracket and holes on the main unit have all kinds of locations so you have to choose which ones work the best. In my opinion they just modified the front plate to fit the 55-59 models and the brackets are off a little bit. So how did I solve that problem>>

Well the front display is ribbon cabled to the main unit. This is so they can use the same main unit for all their radios and just change the front plate.
I mounted the display and silver plate to the dash. mounted the knobs separately as well and the radio main unit is vertically mounted behind the dash. This gave me a whole lot more room to work with on other items such as ac and wipers etc. the ribbon cable makes it possible.

1956 3200 with stock dash

[_Ogre]

i think the bottom picture is a hacked dash, bigger hole for the unit with knob bezels cut out and a bezel over the big a** hole

[MD2020]

Yeah they could have put a little more information in the instructions.
The plate could go on the front with some gaps if you like chrome or if some of that area is damaged.
Even in the 5 and 6th pictures the knob stem is not in the middle up and down.

[mrbuck]

I just installed mine last weekend and it fit perfect, I did have to remove all the hardware from the tuning knobs to allow them to protrude past the dash and secure them. But no cutting was needed and brackets got all 4 screws

[MD2020]

Mine needed to be 1/4" closer to the front, I took a chainsaw rasp and made 2 groves at the end of the L bracket and got the other 2 screws in, so 4 on each side.
Thanks