How to: Headrest Screen Install

[blueka]

I decided that seeing as I had a night off work, for a change, I'd finally get round to installing my headrest screens

The screens were the reason I bought the leather seats with the headrests in in the first place!

Anyway, I took the headrest and laid it on the floor

I then took the screen surround and placed it on the headrest, trying as best as possible to make sure it was evenly centred.

Where the round holes are in the surround, I marked with a biro on the headrest. Then I did a rough outline of the edge of the surround.

I then line up the 4 dots that I'd drawn to make a rectangle on the headrest.

Then I took a craft knife and cut out the rectangle and scooped out all the foam in the middle of the headrest, using trial and error so as to make sure I didn't take out too much

When I'd done this, I made diagonal incisions from the corners of the rectangle I'd cut out, to the corners of the outline of the surround that I'd marked on the headrest.

Then, I lifted the flaps that I'd made and cut underneath, straight down with the craft knife, to remove a bit more foam and make it so that the leather could be folded down inside the hole I'd made in the headrest for a tighter fit on the surround

Once all the excess foam had been removed, i took a lid from a takeaway container and slid it into the hole and stuffed it under the bars for the headrest supports.

Then I took the surround and pushed it into the whole as tight as I could, making sure the leather was as near to the inside edges as possible, to make it all look professional of course!

Then I took 4 very small self tapping screws that I had in the garage and screwed them through the holes in each corner to the takeaway container lid that I'd installed inside the headrest!! this adds a bit of support to the container and helps to prevent the screen falling out.

Then I pushed the wire for screen from the inside of the surround through the bottom of the headrest and out, don't do it the other way or you risk popping the surround back out the headrest. Once the cable was through, I connected it to the screen and popped the screen in place.

Repeat all the instructions for the other headrest. Both headrests took less than an hour to do.

I'll post some pictures up of them working once I get them installed in the seats

Si

 

[section525]

Freakin sweet!

 

[blueka]

If there's something that you think I may have missed or if you have any questions, please feel free to ask


Si

 

[badge49]

That is COOL!!!

 

[Curtis]

Excellent job man! makes me want to tackle mine

 

[Chris_FL]

Great Post...STICKY?

 

[studd469]

Sweet post! Is the head rest in the first picture the same headrest you did the install in? It looks different. Are those the limited seat headrest? Any one know if 7inch monitors will fit in the limited headrest

 

[blueka]

yeah the headrest is the same, it's just that the pictures were taken with my phone as I don't have a digital camera

The screens are Sony XVM-H65's I think they're 7" wide

Si

 

[blueka]

These are the seats in my Explorer

Si

 

[DeRocha]

I like them I appreciate the attention to detail in your work, and for taking the time to document the process

 

[techieman33]

excellent job, you should submit it to rick, and see if you can get elite membership for it.

 

[Glacier991]

Ok now for the DUMB question. Will 2nd Gen seats fit (eg bolt in) to a 1st Gen explorer so *I* can do this ?

 

[blueka]

I dunno, but I don't see why you can't just bolt the top half of the seats to the bases... I'm actually gonna modify the backs of the seats and mount them on the bases of the bucket style seats, cos I prefer them

Si

 

[trucku]

Very nice writeup and they look great . Good tip with the lid

 

[techieman33]

Ok now for the DUMB question. Will 2nd Gen seats fit (eg bolt in) to a 1st Gen explorer so *I* can do this ?

410fortune put 2nd gen seats in his bronco II so it's possible.

 

[Paraphoe]

Awesome job!

 

[jluv]

Sweet!

I have a question though. I get why you put the plastic lid in there, and that you screwed the frame/back piece to it for more support, but where exactly did you slide the plastic? I mean, what holds it in there? Did you actually get it behind the bars? Does that mean you had to take out all of the foam between the back of the heardrest (where the screen is now) and the bars? Because in the picture, you can't see the bars, which leads me to think that you didn't take out that much foam. Could you clarify? Thanks!

I just picked up my Alpine heardrest monitors last week. They are 7", and they are just a tiny bit too large for my 3rd gen headrests. I can squeeze them in ghetto style (no!) or have an upholstery shop make larger headrests for me.

 

[blueka]

sorry the pictures weren't clear I had to take them with my phone...

Anyway, if you take out enough foam, about 1 1/2 -2 inches then you can see where the bar comes up into the head rest, i just sliced under the bar (the front side of the headrest) and slid the plastic lid into the slice.. I didn't remove anymore foam

Hope this clarifies

Si

 

[jluv]

sorry the pictures weren't clear I had to take them with my phone...

Anyway, if you take out enough foam, about 1 1/2 -2 inches then you can see where the bar comes up into the head rest, i just sliced under the bar (the front side of the headrest) and slid the plastic lid into the slice.. I didn't remove anymore foam

Hope this clarifies

Si

The pictures are fine. I just don't undertsand where you made the slice to slide the lid in, and where it was when you finished sliding it in. Was it behind the bars and some foam? Do the bars not go all the way to the top? Were they exposed so you could get the lid behind them? By bars, I'm referring to the posts that extend out of the bottom of the headrest to connect it to the seat. Are there other bars besides those two vertical ones?


When you say "i just sliced under the bar (the front side of the headrest) and slid the plastic lid into the slice", it sounds like you're saying that you made a slice in the leather on the front of the headrest, but I know that isn't the case.


Sorry. I'm really trying to follow.

 

[blueka]

as you're peering in to the hole, you should be able to see the faint outline of the bars, I sliced under the bars.. then slid the lid under the bars..

Si