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Mario's Double DIN radio install

106K views 62 replies 19 participants last post by  Vicecityperformance 
#1 ·
I've wanted to buy a full size in dash DVD/Navigation for a while now and I knew the TJ only had a 1.5 DIN opening in the dash. Well I don't own anything that I havn't modified so why start now.

I like to do things myself not unlike most of the people on this forum. I already have the radio, and I have ordered an antenna extension because the stock TJ antenna barely reaches the stock radio and the antenna input for my new radio is on the other side. I have also ordered the radio harness and some brackets to put an aftermarket Double DIN radio into a 07/08 Wrangler. I'm not sure how well these brackets will work but were going to find out.

Here is a link to the radio on Pioneers website: http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/PUSA/Products/Navigation/In-Dash/AVIC-F90BT

I've taken a few before pictures for reference and I'll take pictures along the way of the things that worked, and the things that didn't.

I know I can get this radio in the Jeep and working, I just don't know how pretty I can make it. I've been wanting to play with fiberglass for a while so I may start here on the center dash cover once the radio is installed. I've called around to a few local shops in South East Michigan and they have all quoted me around $400 to clean up the center dash cover once I installed the radio. I think that's a little much for what needs to be done, but if anyone knows of someone in South East Michigan that has done a lot of custom fiberglass work and will do it for a lot less money let me know.

I should have my brackets and radio harness by Thursday and I plan to have this installed and working this weekend. It might not be pretty, but "in theory" everything will be done other than the fiberglass cleanup work.

Here's some pics to get this started:







 
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#4 ·
These are the brackets I ordered, there made to install an aftermarket double DIN radio into an 07/08 Wrangler. I know there not going to line up perfect but it's somewhere to start.



I think I'm going to wait to cut anything until I receive the brackets, I wanna see where they line the radio up and go from there. I would like to cut the plastic that's under the stock radio and above the climate controls.

I'm not to worried about hurting the trim, if I damage it I'll pick another up, everything can function without it and I want to get everything installed before I worry about it looking pretty.

This will eventually look like it came from the factory like that, even if I have to pay someone to make it look that way.
 
#5 ·
2001 Jeep Wrangler Car Radio Wiring Diagram

I'm sure this will help a few people out.

2001 Jeep Wrangler Car Radio Wiring Diagram

Car Radio Constant 12v+ Wire: Pink/White
Car Radio Switched 12v+ Wire: Pink
Car Radio Ground Wire: Chassis
Car Radio Illumination Wire: Orange
Car Stereo Dimmer Wire: Black/Yellow
Left Front Speaker Positive Wire (+): Brown/Red
Left Front Speaker Negative Wire (-): Green
Right Front Speaker Positive Wire (+): Blue
Right Front Speaker Negative Wire (-): Violet
Left Rear Speaker Positive Wire (+): Brown/Yellow
Left Rear Speaker Negative Wire (-): Brown/Blue
Right Rear Speaker Positive Wire (+): Blue/White
Right Rear Speaker Negative Wire (-): Blue/Red

 
#6 ·
This is pretty cool. Im psyched to see someone else from MI on here. Where abouts you at? Its too bad your not closer to central michigan because I go to CMU in Mt.Pleasant and I spend a lot of time in the mahcine shop here. We have a baja buggy team and they do a lot of work with fiberglass and Im sure we could have made it look pretty good for ya but that would be a drive. Dont know how much they would charge or if they would at all. Anyway, good luck with the project and I will deff. be following it to see how it comes out.
 
#8 ·
so it turns out i really underestimated swiss creativity! my guy is putting in the double-DIN after all, and it's not even that complicated!

he ordered some kind of metal frame or bezel or something (i haven't seen this part so far, will have to ask him about the specifics tomorrow) which is necessary to hold the headunit and will be screwed right into the interior console frame. he had already removed the lower cross member of the console rack which can be seen in the images above (which i originally thought was solid metal, haha...). this is apparently not necessary to hold things together, at least not if there is some other frame installed for stabilization.

he mounted the GPS antenna for the blackbird unit on top of the odometer "box" where it will be neither visible for the eye, nor blocked from satellite signal since this is only covered by the plastic cover (no metal parts). all the rest shouldn't be too big of a problem, it seems.

as for aesthetics, he will try to cut out the console cover just as much as necessary in order to expose the full surface of the new screen and (where necessary) its third-party bezel. this will not be a perfect solution, but it's a start, and otherwise there's always fiberglass (he even estimated a similar price as you got, emev0l, namely 500 swiss francs or a little over $400 for the work of a specialist). but i'll worry about that later, if at all.

i'll try to post some pics tomorrow.
 
#12 ·
That's exactly how I plan on doing it, removing the plastic cross member between the radio and climate controls. The radio doesn't actually rest on it. The aftermarket radio will not be as wide so there will be openings, that's why I went with the mounts pictured. My parts are on a truck 150 miles away from me right now so I should get them Thursday at the very latest. I'm going to wait to cut until I get my brackets so I can cut as little away as possible, I may be able to leave a small strip across the lowest part of the cross member. There's no way to show this without removing the whole dash, but the cross member looks like a solid one inch thick piece of plastic, well it's really a thin sheet of plastic that's folded over in front. I'll take a picture after I hack it out of there.
 
#10 ·
The only thing i dislike about my photobucket account is that if you move a picture from one folder to another, it automatically switches the url so if you come here and post a pic of ur new lift, and then let say later you want to organize your photobucket pictures and create folders and move pics in them, that url you posted here is no longer valid so you get the msg you see around here that says "the image has been moved or deleted"

That aside photobucket has been very good to me.
 
#11 ·
Go with photobucket, like Trip said if you move the picture later it will be gone from anywhere you post it, my advice is to use photobucket and be as organized as possible. For example instead of just throwing a picture in photobucket make a folder called Jeep, then inside that folder make another folder called radio. That way later on when you have 100 pictures all in one folder and you can't find anything your going to start organizing them into folders and kill everything.
 
#14 ·
I looked at this a while back before I put the jensen bt-1 in, if I was going to put a double din in I would sacrifice the the upper vents, it's easy enough to get vents from a hot rod supplier and they could be routed to the top of the dash which would free up a ton of space and not require cutting of the cross piece under the stock radio. The vent themselves would rotate in their bezels as well as deflect, upside is you could get some serious air flow to the windshield.
Not to mention you could then revert to stock, just mount the vents in/under the change holder up there or just eliminate them. In my opinion if you don't have A/C those vents are a waste of space.
 
#15 ·
I have my double DIN radio installed, I also modified the radio to play video and allow you to type in addresses while the car is moving.

I tested it on my way home from work, DVDs work, GPS works, I can control my ipod threw the touch screen.

I did remove the entire plastic cross member under the radio. There was such a small amount left that it did nothing.

I'm still going to have to do something to the dash to make it look pretty, but the install itself was very easy.

Pictures will be up tomorrow.
 
#16 ·
got mine in, too (even though, frustratingly, i can't claim to have done it myself...)! it actually looks pretty neat, if not exactly perfect, but it's absolutely fine for the time being. functionality is great, there's GPS and DVD as well as iPod (controlled over touchscreen), USB, extra video in (3-port cinch), and a mini-jack for hooking up something like an old sony tape walkman (you never know).

i'll also try to post pics tomorrow.

@richp: sounds like a good idea, but i still do like my vents (we got some nasty hot and cold weather over here, depending on the season), and there's really nothing missing up front now, and it even looks almost like stock. the screen just comes a little closer to the A/C and heating control, that's all.
 
#20 ·
Installed and working by this weekend as promised.

Here are the brackets, radio harness, and antenna extension I ordered for the install.



Here is how much I cut out to fit the radio, I'm going to cut out a little more later to get it to fit better.



Here's the radio installed.



Navigation picture.



Everything works great, I really like the radio, I also modified the radio so you can enter in addresses and watch movies while driving(insert safety disclaimer here)

I'm going to trim a little more out of the plastic cross member and play with mounting points a little more. It's secure and doesn't move while I'm driving, I just want to raise it a quarter inch so I wont have to trim as much from the dash cover.

This wasn't very hard, the hard part will be modifying the dash cover to look factory. I'm going to do a little more looking around, might find a local guy to fiberglass it up. I think in the mean time I'm going to order some material and start playing with fiberglass myself. I've been wanting to learn anyway.

I just ordered 4 new Infinity Kappa speakers for the Jeep, 6 1/2" for the sound bar and 5 1/4" for the dash. The sound bar has 5 1/4" speakers from the factory and the dash has 4x6" from the factory. The 6 1/2" are supposed to be a tight fit but work fine but the 5 1/4" dash speakers will need an adapter plate. I found the 5 1/4" adapter plates on ebay for $18 shipped since there so cheap I'll probably just order them instead of making them myself. If anyone out there makes these and will sell them cheaper than that let me know, I'll buy a couple sets. If I do make a set for myself I'm sure I'll make several.

I'll put the speaker install in this thread and keep everyone updated on the dash cover.
 
#32 ·
I just ordered 4 new Infinity Kappa speakers for the Jeep, 6 1/2" for the sound bar and 5 1/4" for the dash. The sound bar has 5 1/4" speakers from the factory and the dash has 4x6" from the factory. The 6 1/2" are supposed to be a tight fit but work fine but the 5 1/4" dash speakers will need an adapter plate. I found the 5 1/4" adapter plates on ebay for $18 shipped since there so cheap I'll probably just order them instead of making them myself. If anyone out there makes these and will sell them cheaper than that let me know, I'll buy a couple sets. If I do make a set for myself I'm sure I'll make several.

I'll put the speaker install in this thread and keep everyone updated on the dash cover.
this sounds very interesting!
where did you order those? any links? and do you expect a significant sound improvement? what year is your TJ?

i used to have a 98 Sahara and, since the factory audio situation was a joke, i put in a woofer and the VDP six-speaker soundbar (together with a single-DIN alpine headunit). this was good, i had a shitload of bass, but the VDPs tended to hurt the ears in the trebles. rather disappointing, all in all.

now the 06 Sahara that i just purchased recently - and put the double-DIN in - has a pretty amazing factory audio setup. the subwoofer in the middle console (which lacks a seperate level controlling capability though), those two speakers from the soundbar (which is not really a soundbar in the 06, but rather two seperate units, each holding one speaker and one interior light), and the two dash speakers create suprisingly good sound together.

still i've been thinking about replacing at least the dash speakers, i'm sure there's better stuff out there. would you go for the 5 1/4" or is there an easier solution (without adapter plates) that you'd recommend? are the adapter plates a major hassle to put in?
 
#21 ·
Well now we all know where you live so if we need you to do it for us we can just show up....lol
 
#28 ·
better late than never, below are some pics of my double-DIN à la TJ.

i'm still not too happy about the exterior finish, that black plastic frame isn't exactly a beauty, it still leaves a little slit open and it makes the radio look way too big, but it was the only quick solution for the time being. i'll have to find a fiberglass solution sometime in the near future to finish it off.

when i do go ahead with the fiberglass, i think i'll replace those weird-looking wanna-be-wood dash and console cover parts with simple black ones, too. when i bought it (in germany) they told me it had been a factory option, but i was very surprised to see that wranglers come with wood interiors, haha...

btw, the brodit iPhone holder is very solid and great to use! the phone just slides in and doesn't budge at all. i can totally recommend that for anyone out there looking (i've tried a few different ones myself and was never satisfied up to now.)


since the factory jeep radio is much wider than the normal DIN-measured aftermarket products, there was a significant gap between the screen and the dash cover. therefore, either side of the black plastic mounting bracket of the old radio have been cut off and reattached in their original location.







 
#38 ·
[B]5 1/4" dash speakers install[/B]

Here is the new 5 1/4" speaker with its passive cross over


5 1/4" next to 5 1/4 adapter plate


5 1/4" installed into adapter plate next to stock 4x6


Here is the back of the 5 1/4" speaker mounted in the adapter plate with the crossover connected to the speaker terminals, the terminals are different sizes so there dummy proof.


This is the dash speaker cover, just open the door and remove the 2 screws


Just pull the cover off, here's the back of the cover so you can see the mounting clips.


Here is the stock 4x6, take out the 4 screws holding the 4x6 plate in


After you take the 4 screws out of the 4x6 plate and unhook the speaker connector you can see your available speaker area, take note of the curved metal brace on the right side.


Then cut the curved metal brace out, I used a dremel because that's how I roll. The metal is fairly thick and there's not a lot of room in there to work.


Here is the new speaker installed


The only part I left out was how to connect the crossover to the speaker wires, the reason I left that out is because you can do it a couple ways. I ordered mine threw Crutchfield: LCD TV, Car Audio, Home Theater, Speakers, Plasma TV so they came with an adapter plug that I soldered onto the crossover wires then used heat shrink to cover it and plugged directly into the Jeeps speaker adapter. I hear that is the best way but I'm by no means a car audio expert. You can cut the adapter off and twist the wires together, just whatever you do, cover the bare wires with something, tape, chewing gum, doesn't matter to me, as long as there not going to touch other wires or bare metal. I also suggest using a couple zip-ties to clean up the wires and crossover so there not just hanging under your dash. This was really easy to do, all I used was a philips screw driver and a dremel, removing the metal piece wont hurt anything.

If I have time today I'll install the 6 1/2" speakers in my sound bar.
 
#39 ·
It also wouldn't hurt to put baffles behind the speakers, it will direct all of the sound towards you instead of some of it going into the dash. There cheap and easy to install, I just didn't think about it when I was ordering the speakers. I'll wait until I order something else and throw those into the order, save on shipping.
 
#40 ·
Nice Pics Mario.
Great Job all the way around man!

Did you have any fitting issues with the Stereo Adapters being that thick? When I saw how thick they were, I panicked and bought the Steel versions as well. I figure I'll just sell whatever I don't use.

SO IF ANYONE ELSE IS LOOKING TO DO THIS, I HAVE A BRAND NEW UNOPENED SET OF 5.25" SPEAKER ADAPTER PLATES (EXACTLY AS SHOWN IN THE PICTURES ABOVE) READY FOR YOU! JUST CONTACT ME.:)

I'm sure the solder and harness is the best connection, but I don't have a solder gun, so I guess I'll be cutting and twisting. BTW, did Crutchfield send you a harness with your 6.5" Kappas too? :confused:
I looked on my order receipt and it shows the harness for the 5.25", but not the 6.5".

Oh yeah...Somewhere I saw someone packing the rear of the speaker with some sort of cotton type sh*t. Does doing that work just as good as buying a baffle?
 
#41 ·
They shorted me the harness for my 6 1/2" speakers also, I'm pretty sure it's because they say they wont fit on there website, if you call them up, they will send the adapters for you.

The adapter plates thickness was fine, it doesn't make any contact with anything at all.

As for the cotton stuff I donno, never used it, I hear it works, it's cheap, I really don't want cotton stuff in my dash though, I'm in there playing to much so I'm going to rock some baffles, the baffles will also keep water and mud off of the back of your speakers, and we all know mud seems to find its way into the weirdest places.

To be perfectly honest, I'm not 100% satisfied with these Infinity Kappa speakers, they were an amazing price, $110 shipped, and on paper there great speakers, but I can only crank my radio about 75% up until I get some distortion. I called Crutchfield and they said if I'm not happy with them they will take them back within 30 days, no questions asked.

I think the problem may be that my head unit only pushes 22 watts RMS and 55 peak. I don't think it's pushing them hard enough. I think a small amp, say 45x4 would make these sound amazing, but I really want to keep it simple and stay away from an amp.

I'm going to do a little research and see what I can find. Install your speakers and let me know how they sound, I'm not sure what you have for a head unit, they may be amazing.

I'm going to call them back tomorrow and let them know what speakers I want to try next. I might even have him send me a few sets so I can test them back to back.

I'll hit some forums and see what I come up with, I'll post what I'm going to have them send me within the next 12 hours.
 
#42 ·
Yeah I was on the phone with Crutchfield today myself. A local audio guy was telling me that if you're going to have Kappas, you need to amp them. If you don't, he said that coax would actually sound better. But if you do amp the Kappa's, they will sound amazing.

It kind of bumbed me out because I wasn't going to run an amp to my Kappas. But later on in the day I caved in, and went ahead an ordered one from Crutchfield. I got the Alpine MRP-F300. With 2ohm Kappa's, it will push 75 watts X 4. The way I TRIED to look at it is this....I saved a total of $220 on both sets of Kappas. The amp was $180 out the door. Then I bought 4 speaker baffles for $15. So in reality, I still saved $25 on the Kappa's, and got a free Alpine Amp and 4 baffles.:cool: **** it, whatcha supposed to do, right? (I didn't want that cotton sh*t stuck behind MY dash either!):D

I also talked to him about the missing wiring harness in my orders paperwork. He said the same thing that you did. Since the computer didn't bring it up as a match for the vehicle, it didn't include it. The guy I talked to sent it out to me free of charge, with the amp and the baffles though. So that's cool.

I won't be getting all my equipment in until later next week sometime, but when I do, and I get those Kappas amped out, I'll definitely let you know how they sound.

Let me know how the other speakers do.

ttyl.
 
#49 ·
I'm going to go with 2 sets of poke speakers, they have them up for buy one set get the second set half off, so instead of paying $110 shipped for 4 infinity Kappas I'll be paying $150 for 4 speakers. I would bet money that those kappas will sound awesome with that amp, and I would amp mine but I really don't want my stereo that loud and when I play in the mud and water I flood my Jeep and yeah that amp wouldn't be happy. Where do you guys put your amps? I mean I'm sure I could put it under the seat and take it out when I'm not wheelin, but I really don't plan it when I hit the mud. I know a lot of you guys live in the city and can only make it to mud on the weekends so an amp is a little more doable. Let me know if that amp pushes those speakers without distortion.
 
#44 ·
I just bought those Kappa's yesterday from Crutchfield for a $90 price break making my out the door cost including shipping a grand total of $66. I couldn't resist. I almost bought the second pair for the dash.
 
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