Radio / Stereo mounting kits for later-model Gen1 trucks

A reply over in the Lunch Table thread got me digging. I was surprised how nice one user's radio install looked using the radio trim kit they found on eBay compared to the Metra kit Crutchfield and scAmazon recommend for '03-'06 Tundra/Sequoia. Sadly, nearly every owner I've seen using the recommended Metra trim kit complains of gaps at the top/bottom of the stereo and poor fitment in general.

Lucky for '00-'02 owners, your earlier-model Gen1 trucks had a smaller radio opening so you don't need trim kits. Those of us with later models had a wider opening, which leaves a substantial gap on the left/right side, plus a thinner gap at top and bottom. That recommended kit, Metra's 95-8202, fills the left/right gap with "ears", as shown here, but does nothing to address top/bottom gaps. It really doesn't look OEM, it also doesn't look GOOD.

BUT ... this kit here is pretty much the simplest, most basic, easy-to-fit install kit you can buy for the 1st gen 2003+

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Anyway, Scosche and Metra are what I've always used for trim kits going on nearly 4 decades of aftermarket install work. So I did some digging to find other possible 1st Gen options, and I see three alternatives to the Metra 95-8202 shown in that last picture.

I found Metra has two other "not-just-ears" kits that claim to be compatible with with our 2003-2006 Tundra & 2003-2007 Sequoia. One is Metra kit # 99-8300 and the other kit is # 99-8268. It looks like they both use the same shiny-black faceplate profiles, but the 8268 faceplate bolts to the dash independently and the 8300 attaches to one of a variety of brackets somehow? Both come with a single-DIN pocket that would allow you to install an old-school single-DIN radio with a pocket above/below, or potentially allow some of the larger 9"-11" external-screen radios (like the Alpine Halo) to be installed.

Anyway, both of these alternative Metra kits come with what appears - to me at least - a nicer, more cohesive outer trim piece that'd make installs look more "factory", evening out the side gaps, and totally killing the top/bottom gaps. Here's what the profile and finish of that trim piece for those kits looks like so you get an idea of what I mean, I think it'd look great as-is if your radio face is shiny, OR if you sanded and laid a coat of plastidip or a few light coats of matte clearcoat over it:

(Note: Larger pics of the trim plate, showing the independent one from the 99-8300 kit, can be seen HERE. Metra's install instructions for each of these kits can be seen linked in reply #24 of this thread)

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So what does that leave us with, for alternative trusted brands?

Well, Scosche is one. Another solid brand, honestly. They've been around forever.

Scosche's recommended kit is part # TA2158B and it has a more-OEM looking bezel. Unlike Metra's angular, shiny trim plate, the Scosche kit is rounded at the left/right sides, maybe more of a textured eggshell finish, which doesn't look so blatantly aftermarket. However, make sure you read commentary a few replies down regarding fitment; a considerable amount of trimming is required to use this kit, so if you need/want a bolt-up, no-hassle experience, this kit may not be for you, the Metra is probably a better choice (Side note: I had to trim parts to make my Metra kit work also!)

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But there is a 3rd option which is what @cadebucket installed in his truck. It offers a perfectly flat, eggshell-textured face around the stereo, you can see Cade's install linked in the 1st sentence of this post. The general part number for that kit is "TOY-K0307DD". I say "general part number" because I found multiple brands under that part number, but one specific brand, Scorpion, is a semi-known name. Here's a picture of that bezel, I'm not sure if it's clear but it's almost like the Metra "Ears" style kit, but it's one contiguous, flat face panel.

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So really, if you're looking for some alternatives or you just don't know which kit to get ... what's your preference?

• Flat and matte? Get the Scorpion TOY-K0307DD trim kit.
• Rounded and matte? Get the Scosche TA2158B trim kit.
• Angular and shiny? Get the Metra 99-8300 trim kit or 99-8268 if using a DIN (half height) radio.
• Just want some ears and like gaps? Get the Metra 95-8202 trim kit.

 

After reading your back-and-forth with cadebucket in the other thread, I ordered his same dash kit. It will arrive tomorrow and I can update this thread with my results as well.

I was using the crappy Metra kit for 4 years or so with an aftermarket Kenwood in my 03. I hated the fit but never looked more into other options. I too had the top/bottom gaps.

Last weekend I installed an ATOTO F7 XE head unit with backup camera, and reused the Metra kit and it fit even worse than with my old aftermarket stereo. So I am hoping this new Ebay kit works much better!

 

Got pics? Just curious. My Metra kit # 95-8202 from Crutchfield basically only has two "ears" on either side to trim out the head unit. There's no top/bottom filler, so it has gaps in the spots indicated with red, which is what most complaints have been:

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Anyone able to point me in the right direction for 2001 limited dash kit and harness (I think it has JBL amp)

 

See the "Audio and audio upgrades..." section: https://www.tundras.com/threads/so-you-wanna-buy-just-bought-a-1st-gen-tundra-eh.115928/

Moreover, just buy at Crutchfield, they'll set you up straight. But first, you need to use that 'audio and audio upgrades' section to understand what the hell you've got. I don't think JBL was available in the earlier models, but I could be wrong.

 

If you have an Amp in the early trucks you should just have the one behind the dash that you need to remove. I don't think I've seen one with JBL myself either.

@Jack87 have you figured out what you need to buy yet? You shouldn't need a dash kit or anything special. Only the regular 87 up Toyota radio harness.

$8 Metra 70-1761 Radio Wiring Harness For Toyota 87-Up Power 4 Speaker

LINK
Reuse old radio mounting brackets. Feel free to post a picture of your current radio for confirmation.

 

@shifty` thank you for this info. I’m still trying to determine if I want to go with a new radio or upgrade the existing with the Bluetooth/aux adapter. I’m kind of an OEM guy, but nav in a nice sized, integrated screen sure does get me thinking. Fighting with an ill-fitted bezel is the last thing I’d want to be dealing with.

 

Ok, maybe this will help. You're aware of the GTA kits right? Allows you to add-on bluetooth for audio and phone to your OEM setup for the '03+ trucks (at least)

https://www.gtacarkits.com/product/toyota-tundra-2003-2006-iphone-aux-kit/

I've plugged this to a few different people here over the years, mostly by PM. With this setup, you can stream navigation over bluetooth audio, to the factory HU. And you get hands-free calling too, which is a win-win any day.

I can point you to a few folks on here using it if you want to ask about it.

Edit, this is specifically the kit I'd recommend, the wireless, not the wired:

 

Yep, that’s what I’ve been eyeing. The main advantage I was contemplating with the new head unit would be not having cords dangling from my windshield to have gps. But, oddly enough, I’m digging pulling out my old 80’s/90’s cassettes and reminiscing. My boy thinks I’m weird lol.

 

Back those tapes up to MP3 files on a flash drive.

 

@Acatlin96 can you update us with some pics of your install with the Scosche? I assume you've got that in at this point.

 

Unfortunately it didn’t fit for me. To be honest I didn’t try too hard to make it work, but after some preliminary test fitting it looked worse that the Metra kit so it went in the trash. Still rocking the Metra bezel at this point and living with the gaps.

 

I saw a video a while ago on a 2005 DC and he used the Metra ears kit and didn't seem to have gaps.

Nevermind, I went back and watched it again and there is an upper and lower gap and on the left side, from about halfway down the bracket there is a gap. I took a snip and brightened the image. Its shit.

 

I installed Alpine W670 over the weekend using a Crutchfield kit + I got an extra dash kit per some of the comments on here. Here’s the ‎

$28 99-8268 Metra Radio Install kits

99-8268 from Amazon vs 8202 from Crutchfield in case it’s helpful. no cutting or trimming required for the 8268 but even though their are gaps i like the matte finish and corner alignment better on the 8202.

 

Then I let the Alpine play. Bumpin new shit by NWA.

 

I'm just glad to see I'm not the only one with a 650/670 that hasn't taken the screen protector off yet.

 

deleted my redundant post, see next.

 

1. Is the "8286" the 1st pic?
2. and it has no top/botm gaps?
3. Button access same for either?
4. It looks like its L & R sides of 1st pic are 'inclined inwards' to create a 3D kind of look. ??

Also discovered, thanks to shifty, the Scosche TA2158B [fr/online pics, IMO looks better] is currently discounted to $18 fr/orig $30 [direct fr/Scosche].

Thanks for posting- it appears to confirm for my 06 AC.

 

Confirmed some of my above questions, but now...
Just received the Scosche TA2158B product; got here in 3 days, for $18+tax...im impressed.
Looking it all over w/its written instructions, was hoping to hear any information others may have about the trim Bezel and its side mount brackets.
1. Below is a rear view mock-up of mount brackets/trim bezel. Ive blue-taped the tabs that must remain per Scosche instructions.
Question: Remove all others [dremel work], or if not, will other tabs make install difficult to impossible? My guess is remove all 'others' except the 4 designated per instructions.


Below is insruction page on install difference betwn Dbl and Sgl DIN. In the case of Alpine ilx507 [or any HU w/similar config], is install per SglDIN instruction? Since the ilx507 HU is essentially a SglDIN chassis attached to a DBL DIN Face, im guessing it makes no difference, other than the pocket cant be installed and HU will only mount one way? Right, Wrong, otherwise ?


Below are pics of Trim bezel.
1st pic shows warp of bezel plate almost 3/8". Since the part is relatively thin, my presumption is that once assembled w/side brackets and 'driven' home w/HU, it will be forced flat/snug. Yes, No, Other?


One more pic of trim bezel. The Rt/Lt edges make a 1/2" radius quarter turn to join HU face. Surface finish is 'matte' so looks like excellent match to OEM.


Front view of mocked-up parts


Thanks for taking a look/advice/comments...

 

First time poster here. Thanks for this thread! Just want to add my experience swapping out my head unit.

I have a 2006 double cab. sometime in 2015 I replaced the factory JBL system with a head unit from a 2012 Scion. Used the amp bypass harness and Toyota early model to 2012 adapters. It was mostly plug and play. That head unit started having issues and I went looking for better options. Found a deal on screen/amp only that supports CarPlay (my usual audio source). It is a double DIN unit. Installed it easily enough and ended up with major gaps on the sides and smaller ones top and bottom.

After reading this thread (and many others) I ordered the Scosche adapter (TA-2158B) shown in the post prior to this one. Fitment of it is terrible. First issue was the adapter ring would not fit around the double din head unit. I ended up using a Dremel to remove about .5mm each from the inside top and bottom of the adapter ring. This allowed the ring to fit around the new head unit.

Next step was to remove extra ears from the adapter kit mounting brackets. Beyond removing the extra ears I also had to trim the top of each bracket to allow them to fit in the space inside the dash. After the mounting brackets were adjusted I mounted the stereo and tried to re-assemble my dash. Here came the next issue. The upper mounting arms (see the blue tape marked ones in the previous post) are in the way of the air vent ducts on the outer trim piece. The stereo mounted just fine, but I could not push the outer trim piece flush with the dash because the air ducts hit the upper mounting ears.

Back to the drawing board...the kit comes with mounting adapters for several different models of vehicles. I decided to use one of the extra sets and trim it down so I could use the factory (metal) mounting ears. The plastic mounting piece would only connect to the head unit and the visible trim ring. A little bit of Dremel work and I have the unit re-assembled. After the head unit was re-mounted in the dash, I attempted to place the outer trim ring and once again it would not fit! This time, the visible trim ring from the Scosche kit would not fit inside the head unit opening in the outer dash trim piece. The visible part of the Scosche kit was too big to fit in the dash cover opening.

I guess now I have to decide whether to purchase a different adapter kit or use my Dremel and shave the piece I have down so it fits.

I took no pictures of this process. I did not expect to have so many issues. I am leaning toward a bit more Dremel work and trying to make what I have work. I can not return it because I have modified it extensively.

The OP (@shifty` ) asked for opinions on the various adapters. I recommend you stay away from the Scosche unless you are handy with a Dremel, enjoy modifying plastic bits, and have free time to spare.

 

Welcome to the forum, awesone first post!

I guess I take it for granted, after 35 years of working with radio installs, some professionally but the last couple decades from a competitive/hobbyist angle, trimming your head unit and speaker adapter kits is just a known thing you need to do. It's rare to find a true plug-and-play unit that requires nothing, unless you have a remarkable or unique vehicle. I've even had to Dremel or bench grind metal OEM brackets to adjust for inconsistency or lack of forerthought from the kit manufacturer in some cases, this is true for my best friend's 1st gen Xterra.

That said, what you and the previous poster is saying does sound like an excessive amount to me, and I'm going to update my original post a bit, telling people to scroll down and catch the added feedback down here.

EDIT: My original post is now updated.

One thing I notice about a few of these is a couple (Scosche and Metra 99-8300) seem to have a trim bezel that simply has a slotted section on the side to install it. I can't help but wonder if (and/or why) it's not possible to swap the bezel between the two kits OR just install the bezel alone, using the OEM brackets OR adapt out the brackets from the Metra 99-8202 kits to hold the Scosche or 99-8300 bezel in place?

It's not like I want to go out and buy two separate kits, but the kits are cheap enough that, if you wanted more of an "OEM +" installation, you'd pay the extra $15 bucks or whatever to get two kits to mash up.

 

After thinking about the Scosche and my initial issues a bit more, and re-reading my post, I thought I should try the Scosche mounting brackets again. Here is an image that highlights the impact between the air ducts and the adapter kit bracket.

I took the plunge and cut off the top mounting ear from the adapter kit bracket. (This was after I had removed the other mounting ears from the bracket per the instructions.) I do not like how much movement there is with this bracket. The factory bracket is steel. The adapter kit is plastic and removing half of the mounting connection does not make a stable mount.

One difference between the adapter kit bracket and the factory bracket is the depth of the HU in the dash. The factory brackets placed the new HU at the same depth as the original HU and the Scion HU I had been using. This pushes the face of the HU about 1/3" to 1/2" forward of the trim panel. The adapter mount bracket places the face of the HU slightly behind the trim panel opening. My mistake when switching from the adapter bracket to factory bracket was not measuring the offset from HU face to bracket mount holes!

With the modified (not well connected) adapter bracket, the HU and adapter ring sit behind the trim panel. This would likely result in an ok appearance. Here is my dash with the adapter mounting bracket.

My previous comments about removing some material on the inside of the adapter ring to fit the HU remain. Here are some images of the inside of the adapter ring after adjustment.

Using the factory mounting bracket, the face of the HU (and the adapter ring) move forward. To use the factory brackets, I had to remove significant material from the outside of the adapter ring so it fit inside (rather than behind) the trim panel opening. This looks weird.

At this point I am not sure what I want to do. I can try to re-enforce the adapter brackets so I can use both mounting bolts on each side, or try some sort of adjustment with the factory brackets to move the head unit deeper into the dash.

 

I did try using the factory mounting bracket and a modified bit of the adapter kit. The issue with this was the position in the dash relative to the trim panel. Here is a pic of the HU, factory bracket, and a chunk of the adapter bracket to hold the adapter ring.

 

That's actually a big gripe of mine with the Metra 99-8202 that everyone shoves down your throat, which is the simplest install of all, i.e. you reuse your OEM brackets, then link their two little ears, one to each side.

Thing is, as you'll possibly notice in my pic if you ignore the gap commentary, and in kraftorama's pic above, that leaves the head unit sitting about 1/4" proud of the ears, and then there's the top and bottom gaps to address. The combo of the head unit being pushed so far forward (or ears sitting so far back) is what makes me like the idea of the Metra 99--8268 more, the tim piece just looks cleaner. Maybe it's because the bezel is inset to sit behind the center dash trim (see below), so it forces positive, tight fitment around the perimeter of the head unit.

I think I just need to bite the bullet and buy the Metra 8268 kit. Only part of it I want is the faceplate trim, frankly, and here's some pics of the 99-8268 trim below from the only online source I could find it, maybe @kraftorama can confirm it's what his looked like.

Here's the instructions for the 99-8268, and for the 82-3000 if it's interesting. They make it look like the trim piece on the 8268 is held in with two bolts, which I'm thinking is the two screws that go into the top holes of the metal OEM mounting ears:

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wow, so much for 'Plug-n-Play'....
makes me want to ditch the kits, use the Toyota metal brackets and just cobble my own finish surround out of 1/8" black marineboard.
so add another hour to my install?

 

@ps8820 that is not a bad idea! I would test fit your after market HU and check the depth before starting to make your own adapter. I may attempt that as well. I have spent as much time modifying the Scosche kit as I would have spent if I started with a flat piece of material.

 

If you want no frills, no bullshit, it just pretty much works, get the basic Metra ears kit, 99-8202. It's the first image on this page.

 

At this point, since I havnt yet decided on what Make/Model HU Im going to install, im now having doubts about potential variation of 'After-market' trims fit to the dash opening.
Sounds like the industry [car audio 2ndary market] isnt in full agreement on what constitutes a "Flush fit"- understandable since it appears to be as variable as the population of cars manufactured.
Before making my HU purchase decision, I thot to go to a few shops [Bbuy, local small shops, etc] and take my Scosche TA2158B bezel frame and test fit it over an alp, sony, pionr, kw etc and see if any one turns out to be a deal killer...
OTOH, may just as well proceed w/idea of fabing my own out of marineboard, only issue w/that is how to secure it to the dash opening [Ive had decent results w/ the heavy gauge 3m plastic 'velcro'.
Before jumping there would like to see what anyone else has done along this 'Etsy' type path.

 

The 00-02 trucks have a smaller opening for the radio. I wonder if the early trim panel would work for your needs.

 

@bfunke: " I wonder if the early trim panel would work for your needs."
no offense but, uh..sort of the tail wagging the dog..
but thx for the thot.