Help with stereo requirements for a 78 El Camino. (mainly just what will fit)

Hi guys,

My nephew is restoring a 1978 El Camino for his first car (getting ready to turn 16), and he is actually almost completely done.

His mom (my sister in law) has enlisted me to find him a stereo for a Christmas present.

So I go to Crutchfiled, enter his make, model, and year, and there are only 9 options available. And most of them are pretty expensive ($250-$350) and do not offer what a typical stereo in that price range would normally offer. I think you are paying for the retro look.

These units look a little more narrow than a typical car stereo. Is that the problem we are going to run into? Is she basically going to be limited to a small select few stereos that will fit in the El Camino?

Thank you very much for any help and advice. Neither of us know too much about stereos, so any guidance will be greatly appreciated.

Edit: Neither I nor his mom will have access to the car for measuring purposes, before Christmas.

Measure the dash opening and the hole to hole distance. Go to a stereo installation shop and see what they recommend. Most, if not all, modern stereos do not have the old style volume and station tuning shafts. There may not be a choice that suits the car without cutting the dash. Perhaps a stock radio in the dash and a modern unit in the glove box. There are also MP3 players that can be hidden under the dash and operate with a remote control. I don't think kids "listen to the radio" anymore. It's all digital now

Measure the dash opening and the hole to hole distance. Go to a stereo installation shop and see what they recommend. Most, if not all, modern stereos do not have the old style volume and station tuning shafts. There may not be a choice that suits the car without cutting the dash. Perhaps a stock radio in the dash and a modern unit in the glove box. There are also MP3 players that can be hidden under the dash and operate with a remote control. I don't think kids "listen to the radio" anymore. It's all digital now

Thanks for the help 58. I guess I should have been more specific in my post. Neither I nor his mom have access to the car for the time being.

Didn't later, say 85-87, ElCamino/Monte Carlo have a DIN radio faceplate? The radio nacelle should be the same, maybe a little difference in trim patterns. Scosche probably still has an installation kit to install a CD head unit to the large GM opening.

If he wants a CD player that will be his only option short of cutting the dash. Shaft mount radios are tough to find and available only with cassette, though some later ones had a jack to plug in a portable CD player. Those might also accept an MP3. Finding one will be the trick. NOS units show up on ebay sometimes.

Figure how much you want to spend and get him a gift certificate to Car Toys or the likes. My kids would want a stereo that I would not have chosen. The Car stereo shops can install and save you a lot of grief.

I find Crutchfield to be overpriced. If you are near a large metro area it should not be hard to find a car stero shop. Car Toys has franchises everywhere. An installation kit for this year of GM's should be available. They all used the same basic unit with different face plates for different brands.

Go online and look at offerings of some of the big electronic retailers like Fry's or Best Buy to get an idea of price and different options available. A good Sony or similar brand tuner should not be more than $150 to $200. When you get into color display and GPS, DVD, etc. they can get up to $500 or more. Installation with a kit, usually less than $50, should not be expensive. I took my son's Yukon to Fry's for them to install a Sony tuner in the dash and head rest dual screen DVD player for the back seat and it took less than an hour.

I agree that the nephew should pick out the stereo. You may spend twice as much on an OE style radio than you would on the aftermarket he may prefer.

I would say be careful what outfit you let install the stereo. There is a big name electronics store local to me that installed the DVD player in my 2007 Trailblazer. I had to take it back twice to just to get it to function. Since I've personally had to pull the dash apart two more times to find all the problems with their wiring. At first when they got done I could hear the engine through the speakers, if my heated seats were turned on the radio station would change to some random station playing static, and the DVD portion of it wasn't even hooked up.

With that said, if the El Comino dash had to be modified to install an aftermarket stereo make sure you check the references on that individual location. Don't just trust the name on the building.

Yeah, I am seeing that our options are either pay extra for the retro style, or get out a saw. I guess Crutchfield was correct in their limited number of compatible units.

Thanks for the help guys.

As far as I know, all "G" body radios can be installed with a DIN conversion kit.

The adapter kit will accept a single DIN radio and the adapter will allow installation without any cutting; you just have to remove the original radio mounting bezel/trim plate.

Here's a photo of a 1978 Malibu with the radio faceplate removed:

The adapter bolts into the screw holes that are visible in the radio opening, then the new DIN radio slides into the adapter.

Here's my Pontiac with the OEM radio & bezel removed:

And with the aftermarket radio installed:

It is not a difficult project.

TIP: the easiest way to access the antenna wire, the rear mounting bolt for the radio and the radio connectors is by releasing the stop on the glove box bin.

The Glove box door will fall open and you can reach through the glove box door opening to access the back of the radio.

Good luck!

Do a web search of Secret Audio. They sell a lot of radios with a faceplate to match older radios. Wireless remotes and all..

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Radio-Mounting-Stereo-Install-Installation-Single-Din-Aftermarket-Dash-Kit-/360595529591?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&fits=Year%3A1978%7CModel%3AEl+Camino&hash=item53f52b1f77&vxp=mtr

or this

http://www.ebay.com/itm/RetroSound-73-88-El-Camino-RC900c-2-Radio-3-5mm-AUX-In-for-ipod-Push-Button-/181237613701?pt=Vintage_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&fits=Year%3A1978%7CModel%3AEl+Camino&hash=item2a329a8485&vxp=mtr

any single din unit should fit.

i would also sugest doing it all yourself it is easy and then you know its done well.

Second Tim Wolfe's suggestion about Secret Audio. Original looking faces and knobs in a variety of optional features. No instrument panel modifications. Made to plug and play.

(o{}o)