Cobra 75 Install on 05+ Tacoma

Well I finally decided to install my CB for the times when I am with people that don’t have HAMs. My weapon of choice was a Cobra 75 WX ST. I like the compact nature of it and the fact that I can unhook it when not in use. I do not like the look of having handsets hanging all over the place in my cab.

For those that have been following my build, you probably have noticed a patter that I like to try to make things look as “factory” as possible, which usually just results in making a lot more work for myself than is really necessary, and this install was no exception. While working on this, I also decided to “revamp” my Yaesu FT-8900R remote plug location as well. For those not familiar with the original install, it can be found here (http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/audio-video/75220-yaesu-ft-8800r-install-05-tacoma.html).

So, here we go. In order to try to make this look as factory as possible, I decided to upgrade my 07 center console to an 09+ console. The 09+ consoles have a nice addition to them in the form of switch holes (this is where the new aux plug goes on later models). I decided to pick up this console along with 3 blank plugs for the plugs. One plug will be my CB plug, one will be my Ham Plug and one will remain blank for now.



For the Ham plug, I simply milled out the reinforcements behind the plug as well as milled the edges of a female-female 6 connector RJ25 plug (what the 8900 handset uses) so that it would slide into place. Then it was a matter of trimming a hole in the front of the blank to allow access to the plug behind.

Here you can see the original blank:



And here you can see the “reworked” one:








Next up the CB plug. This one got a bit tricky, as I had to find a means to mount it to the blank, and allow it to be fixed without pushing back, when I plug the handset it, or pulling out when I unplug the handset. And of course, visible screws or bolts are unacceptable to me.
The solution to this problem was to first unsolder and remove both the male and female connections from the handset and the control box. I then re-soldered them on backwards so the female plugs (pin receptacles) were on the handset and the male end (pins) were mounted to my dash.

I then tool the male end and, using a lathe, cut it in half and took some material off. This gave me a two piece plug. The front piece would mount in front with the large “knurled” edge retaining it from pushing back into the dash while the smaller inner diameter was what piloted it in the plug. The second portion of the plug would mount behind the pug and clamp tightly to the cable preventing it from pulling out of the blank. This effectively sandwiched the blank between the two portions and kept them in place.

Here you can see the original male plug:



Here is the “reworked” plug:



All that was left was to prepare the blank plug. Once again, I milled out the inside and drilled a hole the size of the smaller diameter. Here is the plug sandwiched:


All that is left now was to reassembly my truck with the new plugs:

Here are the two plugs:


Here they are with the handsets plugged in:


This allows me to remove the handsets when not in use so they don’t need to just hang around my cab.


For the CB external speaker, I did the same kind of mount I did on my Ham radio. So now there is an embedded speaker on the drivers side that is for my ham and a speaker in the same location on the passengers side for the CB:

 

Great write up, thanks for sharing! I'm about to purchase one myself, but also trying to figure out the best way to mount a 4 ft firestik. What type of mount should I get if I want to have it behind the driver side inside the bed?...or is that a bad location?

 

Not the best spot, and Firestiks are poooh. But, if you insist it will work there just don't expect greatness.