Well, I just put the stereo back in and did identify a problem that would have been an issue down the line and that was the center wire on the antenna cable was busted at the connector, so I re-soldered that
While the stereo was out I did a good deoxit on the controls and they are nice and clean. So a tleast I don't have a hole in the dash.
I have found a stereo I like, it's only $130, has a full color 5.3" LCD screen on it and it will work in my car. One of the issues I have is, the dash over hangs the stereo, so I can't put in a stereo with navigation because the screen typically has to come out and UP. The stereo I am looking at has an over hang that drops down, so I may go in that direction.
This way I have 4 RCA out puts to my amp, plus the stereo is powered, so I can really get some channel separation to dial each channel in.
With the speakers being right behind your head, I don't want them screaming all HIGHS in my ear. I want to be able to pull volume from the door speakers and dial in the mids and high separately.