Stereo Cage and Housing Confusion

[eyedee]

Hi,
Ive been stripping, re-conditioning, and re-fitting the interior to my very recently imported Type R which was in need of some t.l.c. and Ive come across a few oddities, one of which being the stereo and its fittings.  The previous owner seems to have cut a thin layer of plastic away from the original plastic casing (behind the heater controls) to make room for a Panasonic CD and Tape/Radio 2 x single din combo.  The two single dins, of different heights (which I also find strange) are joined by a metal plate on the left and right sides of the units which are screwed into the two din units respectively (are you still with me?!?   )  I assumed these plates were solely to join the two dins together, as there is no rail inside the RX7 for the plates to adjoin to, to make a solid fitment.  So what could be holding the stereo in?!?  
Ive just bought a new Sony single Din CD/MP3 unit but I cant fit it as there is nothing to fit it to - no cradle, no clips and no rails?!?  And that leaves me with a gaping hole which I cannot find a blank for having searched I.C.E. stores and online.
Anyone got any ideas whats going on and how I can solve these problems?!?
cheers  

[mraraju]

To fit ur single din in, get the screw that fits on the back of the stereo, it is an M5 i think but not sure. That should secure it in place with that metal bar that runs vertically in the stereo chamber.

Raju

[petemillis]

Noo noo nooo nooooo...with your new stereo you should have a cage that the stereo fits into. This cage is redundant. The stereo should have some screws with it that fit in the sides. What you need to do is remove the metal support frame from the dash (the bit you mentioned that you thought was just to joing the two single DIN units together. Your new stereo then fits into this using two screws on either side through the support frame and into the stereo (if you see what I mean). This will only occupy the top half of the frame. Into the bottom half you need to mount a single DIN pocket that is available from any decent car stereo place (which doesn\'t include Halfords by the way). The whole lot (frame with stereo and pocket mounted) then fits back into the dash and the console is then refitted.
Any question then PM me - I\'ve fitted stereos into quite a few Jap motors now and have got the hang of it. Alternatively, go to a decent stereo place and give them the trouble of doing it.
You\'ll also need an adaptor lead (£10 from somewhere like Road Radio down my way).

[eyedee]

Hiya Pete,
Thanks very much for the info.  That\'s really useful.  I have to hunt down something to put in the lower din slot.  I dont really want to go down the tray route, so I was thinking about boost gauges.  But I cant find any yet!  Any ideas where I may have some joy?!?
Many thanks
Nathan

[Adam]

the two plates you are on about are just to join the two units together.  If you use these you will find there is no where to screw them into as there are no supports on the sides of the rx7 stereo housing....unlike other jap cars like the mr2.  

I used a single din universal pocket the used the cage in the top half and fitted the stereo that way.... here\'s a pic

Cheers

Adam