i just got my 20 gb unit couple of days ago. i am trying to install it in my 98 civic that has the factory radio and another slot by the cup holder where i have a factory cassette playter installed. i want to install it where the cassette player is but this guy at circuit city said that it can be done but i have to ditch my factory radio and install something with aux in and then install the empeg where the cassette player is. i know i can install empeg as the only head unit but i don't want to lose my radio and/or buy an amp and all the stuff. so how easy is it to do this where i can buy a cheap head unit w/ aux in and install both in my civic. i have opened the dash a little bit and found it a bit hard to open up anything more. i have installed stuff in my old sentra before so i am not really a newbie with this stuff. can anyone give direction or recommend someone/place in baltimore, maryland area where i can have this done or at least have it checked out. thanks.

What I'm doing, is purchasing two mating connectors for the factory wiring harness and creating an extension cable. I'm then taking my current head unit and putting it at the bottom of the console, and placing the Empeg at the top. This is because my head unit doesn't need as much room in front of it as the empeg does. Besides, the empeg is prettier.. Check out this link for some parts, and you can always do a google for '1998 honda civic radio wiring harness' to get some more hits.

are you working on honda civic also? i am now actually having trouble opening up the console and the bottom part is also giving me a headache. where did you find out how to do this for your car. i miss my sentra and it's simple way to open up the dash. i have also heard that the bottom part isn't big enough to fit a standart din size unit. are you putting in an amp?

Actually I'm driving an Isuzu Rodeo, but facing the same sort of challange..

I learned by trial and error. Now I know the trick to getting the dash in and out so I can do it pretty quickly. For the rodeo, the bottom unit is the same as the top unit, with the exception of it having a seporate piece of plastic surounding it that simply snaps in with friction tabs (springy metal on each side of a piece of plastic). What I would suggest, is getting a Haynes or Chiltons manual from any Auto Parts store as a reference. It'll tell you where all of the screws are, and any steps that aren't obvious you might miss..

Do not use trial-and-error when attempting to open the dash on most modern cars. You can damage the plastic if you don't know what you're doing.

Call Crutchfield and ask for a MASTER SHEET. For some cars, these are worth their weight in gold. If I had not gotten the master sheet for my Accord, I would have seriously damaged the door panel when working on my speakers, and probably damaged a dash panel when installing the stereo.

What he said.. My trial-and-error didn't include any error, so I'm an exception of the rule. I took my time and had a friend watch over my shoulder as well as the Haynes manual (which covers everything basicly) in front of me.

Ewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww haynes.............................................why waste your $$$ get a helms manual. Haynes tells you enough just to get you in trouble.

umm.. the helms service manual for my truck is $90.. the Haynes is about $15.. If it requires more than what's in the haynes, then I'll get a pro to do it. Heck, half of the stuff mentioned in the haynes manual requires tools I don't have and won't buy anyway..