HU Placement

[hydroxy]

What's up peoples? Been a long time, but I've been busy as hell with work over the summer and now school. I still havn't finished my box (hopefully within a month). And my car is still in pieces. I want to change that though.

So.... after much test fitting at an audio shop and cursing, I've submitted to the fact that the only good place for a decent sized monitor upfront is to place it where the factory HU goes. So.... that leaves the problem of where to put the HU. I can't put it where draft and most people put it because of the trip computer there. So... I was going to put it in the glove compartment. Here is where I was thinking of mounting it.


I want to put it about 1/2 in the dash itself, extending down so that I'd have to cut .5-1" half-window in the top of the glove compartment lid. I might also put it at an angle so that it is more-visible from the driver's seat. I would have to relocate the air-temp tube which shouldn't be that hard. Only bad part is, I'll have to cut some metal backing. I'll let the pictures speak.

Straight in.

Tilted out.

here is what I would have to cut through. I would stop at the corner where the two metal pieces meet and I would not cut the verticle piece.

Here is a picture from the inside... I would cut down from basically the top bend, in the horiztonal piece.

Anyways - I'm hesitant to do it because I'll be making permanet cuts in the dashboard, but if it's going to work, I might as well do it. If you have any thoughts on this... let me know.

WTB: Grey glove compartment lid.

 

[Saleen_SR71]

the deck has a remote right? because all i got to say is that it would really suck reaching over to adjust the volume.

or maybe you could do some fabricating and make the monitor come up from the top of the dash... like a flip up.

just my 2 cents

 

[Hokie]

Pat, what in Sam Hill are you wanting to do now?



Y'all shoulda seen pat afraid to follow an Eclipse and Civic into a grassy parking lot today Lol silly frat boy

 

[have2goski]

i'd say that it just isnt gonna look right over there. Although it is just an image in my head and not a done product so who knows.

Do you have an overhead console in that thing? What about modifying it to hold the HU as well. Might have to hang down a little lower but should still be up over the rearview mirror. I would think if you can make a pretty tight enclosure for it you could pull it off.

just brainstorming

 

[terdrocket]

i'd say that it just isnt gonna look right over there. Although it is just an image in my head and not a done product so who knows.

x2

Do you have an overhead console in that thing? What about modifying it to hold the HU as well. Might have to hang down a little lower but should still be up over the rearview mirror. I would think if you can make a pretty tight enclosure for it you could pull it off.

just brainstorming

You can modify an overhead console from an Expedition to hold just the head unit face (where the rear a/c controls go, almost perfect size) and put the rest of the headunit in the glove box or center console.

 

[expo5.0]

you could do it int he overhead, but it would be too much directly above you (not as far away as you'd want)

the idea the ipctuers show is a bad one in my opinion.

you should put it in the HVAC location, and move those inside the glovebox. You don't need to be able to reach them nearly as easily as you do your hu.

 

[davidmmm69]

Maybe something like i did Just an idea.
I have 2 photos of what i did ,

http://photos.yahoo.com/davidmmm69

 

[hydroxy]

x2




You can modify an overhead console from an Expedition to hold just the head unit face (where the rear a/c controls go, almost perfect size) and put the rest of the headunit in the glove box or center console.

If I had it hold just the faceplate, I would have to solder wires to the back of the faceplate and the actual HU itself to make that work. I'd rather not do that =) Plus I have a motorized faceplate, so taking it out of the back would lose functionality.

I could probably fit the entire HU into something overhead, however then I'd have to run a ton of wires up there... I dont know if I could hide them all in the headliner.

Maybe something like i did Just an idea.
I have 2 photos of what i did ,

http://photos.yahoo.com/davidmmm69

I can't put it down there because of the trip computer that is located there. I'd rather not get rid of that.

you should put it in the HVAC location, and move those inside the glovebox. You don't need to be able to reach them nearly as easily as you do your hu.

I have the electronic/digital HVAC - is that as easy to relocate as the knob-style one?

 

[expo5.0]

its not terribly easy, but its your only functional and not silly looking option


hiding the wires in the overhead console isnt the issue- its putting the hu in a functional location. it would be no good to be changing cd's up there where it would have to sit. i know it would drive me nuts

 

[thewishkah]

what about in the ashtray slot maybe a lil narrow but you could fix that

 

[hydroxy]

I have rear air, so I can't really do much with the console between the seats as it is only a couple inches deep. I already have a bunch of switches in my ashtray anyways.

 

[thewishkah]

but wouldnt it be easier to relocate switches over something else?

 

[expo5.0]

retaining rear air it is impossible to do put it in that area short of building a full custom console around the rear air

 

[hydroxy]

I'm going to put the HU where the HVAC controls are (thanks for the idea expo). I'll have it at a little bit of an angle so it comes out under the monitor. I'll be utilizing the motorized tilt feature so the faceplate will still be at a 90* angle. I have it at this angle so that the monitor can extend further down then the current location of the HVAC controls.

The monitor will be roughly where expo has his. However I'll have mine on two hinges so that it can flip out, and behind it I will mount the HVAC controls (this way requires no re-wiring). I will also be taking out the vents and cutting about 1.5" out of the dash above the stock vent location and putting in smaller vents above the screen. I will then relocate all the switches that are on the radio bezel to the glove compartment. Current plans are for a 12" touch-LCD, I'll know tomorrow by noon... it's going to be an extremely tight fit, but I'm getting a stripped panel, so it wont have any housing around it to make it even bigger.

I'm also going to try and fit a CB and DVD drive into the glove compartment. The DVD will fit, not sure about the CB though.

Anyone have any ideas for small, circular vents? (basically like the stock ones) but 1" tall, upto 10" wide ? I'll probably hit up a junkyard this weekend.

 

[Hokie]

I'm also going to try and fit a CB and DVD drive into the glove compartment. The DVD will fit, not sure about the CB though.

CB.. atta boy!

 

[hydroxy]

Just came in the mail today hokie... It's pretty nice. The best part is that the hand mic uses a telephone jack to connect, so extending the wiring on it will be very easy. It also has channel changing buttons on the mic.

 

[have2goski]

what kind of CB did you get? Interested b/c of the wire you mentioned

 

[hydroxy]

Got the monitor... woohoo!!! Hopefully I'll get it by Friday and can start building the housing. I still need to find two small air vents that I can mount above it. I'd like to find ones that are 1" tall and 4" wide. Anyone have any ideas?

The touch control module... unfortunetly this has a serial connector so I'm going to have to go and buy a long serial cord. I *almost* got one w/ a usb connector but it was a lot more expensive.

here is the CB I got:


Realistic TRC-484 40 Channel CB Radio

 

[boominXplorer]

so now what is the monitor being used for?

 

[BBQ_HotDogs]

It has to be just me, I am missing something here. Your question is where to put the HU. But you are holding the Xedia Expander up and showing a new monitor. You don't want to put the monitor where you can see while you are driving do you? Cause I was trying to figure out what all you have in the dash that is keeping you from installing there and putting the monitor overhead. Sorry but I am confused and I know I am the only one, LOL.