[flash]

lol - yeah - big shocker



i am just about to dive in and change out my deck again - i love the deck that is in there, as it is the only single din full nav deck i ever saw that did not require the face to come out and block everything - but i don't drive the car enough to remember how to work it, so i am swapping it out for the same unit i have in the other 2 cars, which is the pioneer Z2 (yes, the barely used JVC is up for sale, complete with all of its goodies)



this of course meant many more mods in order to make it happen - because the new deck is a double din, i have to move my gauges which sit below the deck, to somewhere else - since there is no location that would allow for the standard 2" gauges, this meant getting creative - i need to have a vacuum/boost gauge, and an oil temp (i can live without the clock since the deck has one)



so far, it looks like i'll be able to incorporate the 951 boost gauge - i have one more test to conduct, but i think i can get there from here - i have a back up plan if that fails



the oil temp provided an added complication, as the sender for the square gauge i intended to use is a thermocoupler and not a thermistor - this meant that i could not use the location i was using before - so, i have to add an adaptor plate between the filter and the filter mount, to accept the sender



then to the stereo - since the deck is no longer made, i had to locate one - i found one on ebay and bought it (it was local too - very cool) - i have now also acquired all but one of the modules for the new deck, so i am just about ready to install it



once this is all done, then i get to try to tune it and see if i need to change out the front speakers



it never ends



i should get started on the installation tomorrow - i'll post pics along the way

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[rhudeboye]

The new Avic X series have come quite a long way. Easy menus, incredible screen res, great sound, Iphone support, 3d maps, integrated voice command etc. I'm very happy with mine.

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[flash]

yeah- i know there are some very cool things about the new units, but i don't like the new nav software itself - around here, there is no knowing what city you want, and having to enter that first is just plain impossible - on top of that, i found a number of features i use are now missing in the new software



also, i wanted an onboard hard drive, as i do not want to be forced to have the ipod in the car - i don't want to have 3 of them, and i refuse to move something from car to car



so, having found a unit i really like and am used to, i am just putting the same unit into the blue car



i start the process tomorrow after i put the car back on the ground, having finished the last mods under the car

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[rhudeboye]

" having found a unit i really like and am used to, i am just putting the same unit into the blue car"



I can certainly understand that. A friend of mine purchased a turbo Dually last year and installed the D2. Its older technology but he is in love with it. installed the camera, gt the updated map discs and is now loving every trip despite only getting 12MPG. LOL

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[flash]

funny how that works - while i love gadgets and all the new features and stuff, there is a lot to be said for actually enjoying the driving, and not the fiddling with gadgets

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[flash]

was shipped a wrong part - waiting for replacement so i can put the car on the ground - arrrrrrgh!

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[StephenHallman]

I prefer phone nav anyways... but that's just me. Please post pictures. I would love to drool over what you are doing. I am shopping around for a new head unit also.

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[flash]

i wanted the nav coming through the speakers - i tried the phone nav and even a garmin, and it just didn't work well with the top down - i also didn't like gadgets lying around - the way i have it now, the phone stays put away, and is connected through the deck - i don't have to touch it to use it - it will be even better when the Z2 is installed, because that deck has voice command

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[flash]

arrrgh - still delayed - got the right part - got the car buttoned up and ready to put on the ground - now i have a leak to fix first



had to send the tach out too





ah, what fun

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[flash]

the process has begun - there is no way for me to write a DIY for this, as it will ultimately involve a lot of one-off custom work



the "old" deck and its accessories are out - that was good for about 3 hours of snipping and unwiring



modifications have begun for fitting the double din - this is not a simple task - there are a couple of ways of going about it, but i am determined to retain the structural integrity of the OEM brackets which hold the dash up and prevent it from making noise as you drive - the OEM assembly is quite stout, and i have to think this was for a reason - consequently i don't want ot go the route of replacing it with my own bracket, as the idea of removing anything that might make the car less sturdy bugs me no end



this means a lot of very small changes to the OEM bracket to allow the deck to slip in without weakening it, which entails a lot of grinding down and drilling out of rivets to remove pieces, and a few modifications to the remaining pieces - after about 4 hours, i'm almost done and will be fitting the deck and fabricating its support brackets tomorrow



i expect to have it all buttoned up by the end of the weekend



i'll snap some shots in the morning

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[flash]

back at it this morning - got the OEM bracket modifications complete



ripped apart

   





console opened up and ready

   





bracket mods done (single DIN pieces removed and clearances made for double DIN)

   





bracket showing deck in clearance areas

   





gaoing back down now to make adaptors brackets and mount and connect the deck - woohoo!

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[StephenHallman]

Such a beautiful interior ripped apart.

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[flash]

lol - no worries - it will be going back together probably tomorrow - i'm almost finished mounting the deck - once that is worked out, it actually goes pretty quickly

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[Langley968]

Very ambitious! Great pictures!



A little "off topic", but I had that steering wheel in mind, and now that I have seen it, I really want it! I don't NEED it, but I WANT it... Thanks a lot... <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/mad.gif" class="smilie" alt="" /> J.J.

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[StephenHallman]

Quick question. Was it necessary to pull out the gauge cluster and passenger airbag or are you working on something else at the same time?

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[DaveN]

Knowing Flash, that's where the connectors to the Flux Capacitor are. They hook into his GPS so he will know where and WHEN he is - or was or will be?

It's nice to have someone check out the drives ahead of time <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/wink.gif" class="smilie" alt="" /> <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/laugh.gif" class="smilie" alt="" />

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[flash]

lol - yeah - working on something else at the same time



the instrument cluster is out because i am using a 951 tach, which has a boost gauge on it - i have had the face redone with all new graphics, and have had the tach and boost gauge calibrated



the airbag is out, because that's where all the gadgets for the stereo live - the rockford fosgate 3sixty2 5 channel 1/3 octave digital EQ, the bluetooth module, the ipod module, and the seat heater relays all live there



made really good progress today - i think i'll actually get to listen to the new system tomorrow



if a part i am waiting for arrives tomorrow, i'll be able to put it back on the ground and drive it too

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[flash]

much progress yesterday and today - the deck is in and hooked up - not quite mounted yet - gotta run to get some screws - figures



can't fire up the car yet, because the instrument cluster is still out - i have to work out the power supply to the MAP sensor so i can send the signal to the boost gauge - everything else is all done and hooked up



i have 2 different solutions for the MAP sensor power, so tomorrow i should be turning the key

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[ds968]

looking at the photos, I think you really should consider that 8-track deck I offered to give you .. it would be a custom fit in that space now <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/wink.gif" class="smilie" alt="" />



now put back all those loose wires and stuff and go watch lady gaga emerge from an alien egg at tonight's grammies ! <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/cool.gif" class="smilie" alt="" />



http://awards.music.yahoo.com/blog/90-la...-awards?nc

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[flash]

yeah - then i could listen to my neil sedaka tape



i am back at it today, expecting to button up the stereo, and hopefully the instrument cluster - i should know what i am doing about that one in about 15 minutes



woohoo!



i'll post more pics as soon as i have it together

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