QotW: What do you do with the Double DIN hole?

Arguably, one of the best features of any JNC is the double DIN section of the center console. Originally reserved for the latest in cutting edge Japanese audio fidelity; the area is now home to anything under the sun from new MP3 decks, a place for CDs to hide, boost gauges and more! So, tell us:

What do you do with the Double DIN hole?

The most entertaining comment by next Monday will receive a prize. Scroll down to see the winner of last week’s QotW, “What about your current JNC made you buy it?” 

Last week you responded with frankly some excellent stories. A strong love in the form of the Datsun Z series was the deciding factor for many (as they rightly should be). Some of you really showed what it means to be a JNC fan and the impact these unique hunks of J-tin leave on you. It’s quite interesting to read about the great lengths gone to fulfill personal dreams. Pippin Osborne, I hope to hear much more about your many fun stories, so many questions race through my mind…

In the end, it was TommyGUN who distilled any purchase to one thing: never letting the age of magnetic plastic die. For that I salute you and your tape deck quest (and it helped me decide this week’s QotW!)

..the tape deck.

It’s nice to pop in an old Maxell mixed tape and reminisce about the good ol’ days!

Omedetou! Your comment has earned you a set of decals from the JNC Shop.

JNC Decal smash

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14 Responses to QotW: What do you do with the Double DIN hole?

  1. TommyGUN says:

    WINNER WINNER NOSTALGIC DINNER! Sweet I won.. I never win anything. Shout out to cassettes (and the auto-reverse function)!

    Regarding double din holes.. whatever you stick into them, just please make sure it’s the right hole ?

  2. I reverse modified my double din hole. In 2012, I purchased a two owner, original, RHD Zenki AE86; well, original except the Kenwood double din, touch screen radio. I made it my mission to replace the non-period correct radio with an original one. It took me four years and countless hours searching Yahoo auctions Japan, but I finally found an original working cassette deck with EQ to put in the double din hole.
    https://www.flickr.com/photos/62701002@N05/10555371515/in/album-72157638131049595/
    https://www.flickr.com/photos/62701002@N05/26808742249/in/album-72157638131049595/

    • Brandon Kelley says:

      Do you happen to know Jay “J” on the island? Crazy ae86 guy that now rocks a Datsun ute? He and I go waaaaaaay back.

  3. Alan says:

    Fill it with a big honkin 1996-vintage JDM Alpine double deck with a motorized multicolor graphics screen, 6-disc magazine changer AND Dolby cassette deck. Graphics and gizmos, looks like Akihabara at night.

  4. Jaceracer says:

    For my 1989 MR2 I mounted a nice sheet of carbon fiber over the double din holes, carbon fiber blank for the antenna, removed the speakers, and removed the wires. I didn’t see the point in keeping 20+ lbs of outdated, poor sounding speaker system in a car that wants to be as light as functionally possible. We are in the age where portable Bluetooth speakers are everywhere. They sound great for the size, connect to any modern device, and can easily be removed when its track time. They say for every 10 percent reduction in weight has a comparable 10 percent reduction in the force required to accelerate or decelerate an object.

  5. madis says:

    re amemiya boost gauge, vdo oil temperature gauge and some switches…. no need for radio because i listen those rb mufflers instead 🙂

  6. Since the factory Japanese frequency-bands Radio was more or less useless in Europe, the CD-player wouldn’t start again once it was warm and i can’t listen to any Music at all due to the quite noisy TODA/SARD/Tanabe exhaust System note – i decided to just remove the whole thing in favour of weight reduction and better Looks (The original champagne-coloured radio wouldn’t really fit into the red and black interieur) with a genuine Honda 2xDIN Radio block off plate in all original Honda fake-carbon look glory 🙂
    Thanks to no Radio, i was also able to remove the antenna and replace it with a Honda Optional Parts (H.O.P) Factory antenna Block-off plate.

    http://www.jdmjunkies.ch/wordpress/2013-11-01/ek9-radio-block-off-plate-installed-battery-switch-in-and-out/

  7. CobaltFire says:

    It really depends: are you going for a JDM style, or are you going for a hybrid (JDM plus local styles)? In my (admittedly limited) experience most people in Japan install navigation systems in even nostalgic cars.
    For myself, it really depends on the intended use.
    Is it a GT car? I’ll have myself a decent radio for the long drives.
    A Sunday and special occassion car? Probably blank the panel, strip the speakers, and call it good.
    A tuned car? Strip the system and install gauges.

  8. Ant says:

    Currently my double-DIN hole is half actual hole and half storage tray (which I guess is also a hole).

    Future plans include attempting to find the original double-DIN stereo.

  9. Geoff says:

    I love the looks of the original deck in my 240Z. It’s nowhere near any sort of DIN standard, and it works, so I’ve left it there.

    The only problem with that approach is that there aren’t anymore stations on the AM band that play music, so I decided to take matters into my own hands, by adding a stealth bluetooth amp, retaining both the original function of the AM radio, adding a working power antenna, and the capability to play things other than right wing hate speech.

    I documented it even: https://imgur.com/a/iMzF2

  10. Deltyn says:

    Nissan Acoustic Zoom by clarion

  11. Banpei says:

    I used it to gain access to the annoying AE86 speed chime that sits right above the double din. Then I swapped the connectors and installed a kill switch on the dash to make it shut up whenever I want it to… (or the other way around: only to have it chime whenever someone rides shotgun and wants to hear it)

    After that I left the double din open: as said before, the JDM radio is useless in Europe and I still need to find a suitable one to fill its place.

  12. Brandon Kelley says:

    Since there are plenty of ae86 commenters, I will give y’all a little secret. A 90s Ford such as a Taurus has a single DIN, dual tray functionality. The top half slides out to reveal places to SORT your coins and a little place to put stuff like gum (with felt lining if I remember correctly).

    The bottom half was a tray that dropped 2 foldable cup holders out. I mention ae86s specifically since getting a cup holder that functions is tough for these cars and it was shallow enough to slot in with plenty of space for the rat’s nest of wires.

    It was a nice example of engineering since it all only took a single DIN, leaving the other DIN in your center stack for a stereo deck.

    EDIT: Looks like you can get similar on amazon, and relatively cheap!
    https://www.amazon.com/lsqSTAR-Universal-Drink-Cup-Holder-Storage/dp/B00PTLJ39O/ref=pd_sbs_263_5?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B00PTLJ39O&pd_rd_r=EM961J7X7CVECGFNTQFR&pd_rd_w=eKXPt&pd_rd_wg=89Toc&psc=1&refRID=EM961J7X7CVECGFNTQFR

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