i finally got it in!
i opened up the dash awhile ago and found that i only had about 7 1/2 inches of space to insert the radio. the spectra needed atleast a good 9 inches of space. in noticing this i decided to try mounting my maxtrac in the space provided, only, the maxtrac took up about 7 3/4 inches of space. 1/4 of an inch more than i had. the good part was that the radio fit perfectly in the factory radio mount, though as i put it in i noticed it stuck out about an inch due to the fact that the heatsink kept hitting the air conditioning duct. there was also the fact the placing the actual radio here would place it a little less than a foot from the airbag computer which worried me somewhat.
i finally remedied the problem with a remote mount kit.
about 2 weeks went by and i eventually ended up installing the spectra in the place i originally had planned to install it, using a mount i made out of a cookie tin to attach the head under the factory stereo. surprisingly enough it made for a really solid mount, making my radio flush with the dash.
i then ran the remote cable through the center console to the rear passenger seat where i mounted the actual radio in the space used for the roadside toolkit.
the power wires i ran to the rear of the truck and attached to an external battery located in the compartment next to the rear door.
total install time was about half an hour.
the pics are as follows.
the space that the spectra now occupies used to be where the optional cd player was located, though once i got xm i decided that i didnt need it anymore
its too bad the spectras have a purple tinge to them, maybe its time to buy one of those xtl5000 faceplates
