木 2009 Toyota Sequoia Build Thread 木

Well since it's raining today and laying in the driveway under the Sequoia to swap O2 sensors around isn't appealing I'm left with two options:

1. Build a climate controlled 2000 square foot garage with rotary lift.

2. Work on a couple other Sequoia related projects.

Guess which of those two is going to happen today.

IMG_1551.JPG
 
But if I understand correctly you're saying to swap the bank 2 after cat sensor with the bank 1 sensor and see if the readings move to the other side. If they do then it's the sensor, if they don't it's the cat. Correct?

.

Correct, in theory they are the same part number, check the electrical pig tails to make sure they are the same length, that would be the only potential difference I can think of.

You can get replacement weld in bungs for 02 sensors as well, that really complicates a simple sensor swap though!
 
After watching a few YouTube videos and examining the parts fiche I think I'm going to let someone else bang their head against the O2 sensor problem. I'm sure I could handle it in the driveway when it stops raining this week, but it's not how I want to spend my week. I'll shell out the money to get it diagnosed and fixed.
 
Alright, let's put in a new head unit since nothing screams "Overlanding" like Ivan L. Moody screaming through the speakers.

I had several reasons for replacing the factory radio:

1. The volume knob didn't work correctly.
2. The tuning knob didn't work correctly.
3. Factory radios are horrible.
4. I wanted a backup camera and a front facing camera in this land yacht.

So after shopping around I decided to get a Kenwood DDX794. It had all the features I was looking for, some features I didn't know I was looking for and it's a Kenwood...the best stereo manufacturer ever. After doing a little more research though I found the DDX773. Almost the exact same specs other than it's not in Kenwood's Exceleon series (their premium radios) so some of the internal components are a little different. The 773 was $230 cheaper though and retained everything I wanted. SOLD!

I also ordered a Metra wiring harness (70-1761) and a Metra double din install kit (99-8220) in high gloss charcoal to match the interior and keep a factory appearance. I've installed plenty of aftermarket stereo systems and try to always match the look and feel of the factory interior to keep things looking stock.

To begin the install process I took the wiring harness for the Kenwood and the Metra harness and made all the connections. If you were installing car audio in highschool in the late 90's and were on a budget you'd just take butt connectors, smash the two wires inside and "crimp" the connection with a pair of your Dad's pliers. Most of these connections would fail quickly and you'd be left constantly repairing the connections to keep your radio working. This is not how we'll be doing things here.

Start by looking over all the connections on the factory harness (look it up online), the connections on the head unit harness and the Metra harness. In this case I wasn't missing any connections I wanted to keep (things like factory powered amps sometimes require extra wiring) so I began splicing.

IMG_1552.JPG


Everyone has their favorite method for splicing wiring but here's how I usually do it.

First strip the wire back about 3/4 of an inch or so.

IMG_1553.JPG

IMG_1554.JPG


Next, while holding the strands of wiring together push the correct wires together and then twist them onto one another.

IMG_1556.JPG

IMG_1557.JPG

Apply a small amount of solder to the connection and then wrap in heat shrink tubing.

IMG_1558.JPG

Do this over and over again until you run out of wires. I had three wires that were not used:

1. Mute (haven't seen a car with a dedicated mute button in years, but harnesses still carry this wire).
2. P. Connector (this is for sending a 12v signal to remote amplifiers so that they turn on when the radio does...like a relay.)
3. Remote Control (this runs to an adapter for the steering wheel controls...I don't have steering wheel controls...yet.)

IMG_1559.JPG

Now carry everything out to the vehicle and start ripping dash trim pieces off with wild abandon.

IMG_1560.JPG


Pulling the cup holders and front portion of the console out allows you to pull the right portion of the cluster away and then pull the climate controls off. In order to pull the trim panel off that surrounds the shifter you'll need to put the vehicle in neutral to get the shifter out of the way.

IMG_1563.JPG


With the factory radio then removed you can connect your new wiring harness. There was enough length to connect the radio and then allow it to sit on top of the dash to finish connecting the accessories (rear camera wiring, parking brake sensor wire, microphone.)

IMG_1565.JPG

IMG_1567.JPG


The wiring for the rear camera has a power connector that gets connected to a wire on the back of the head unit. On the other end of the camera harness are the connectors for the camera (power and video) along with two wires that need to be connected to the +/- wires on a reverse light bulb connector. When you put the vehicle in reverse the reverse bulb circuit will then power the camera and send a 12v signal to the head unit to trigger the unit into switching the screen to the camera input.

IMG_1569.JPG

IMG_1570.JPG


While I had all the dash trim parts out I again wiped everything down with 303 Aerospace Protectant. I also explored the possibility of swapping the location of the center locker switch and the rear window switch. Unfortunately the factory harness isn't long enough to accommodate this swap. If I get really motivated in the future I'll probably make a couple of extensions to do this.

Great time to clean everything right down to the smallest trim piece.

IMG_1572.JPG

IMG_1573.JPG

After making sure that everything worked (important to do this before you put everything back together) you can reinstall everything in the reverse order of taking it apart and you'll have a new head unit dressed in factory looking trim.

IMG_1574.JPG
 
Ok, trying to wrap a few items up before returning to California next week.

Finished routing the wiring for the microphone used for hands free telephone stuff. Sound quality is fantastic, works better than the factory handsfree I had in my Tacoma.

IMG_1575.JPG


Next up was installing the back up camera. When I put the head unit in I went ahead and made the composite video and 12v connection needed for the camera and ran the wire out into the passenger's side foot well. From here I pulled floor trim pieces and routed the wire back toward the B-pillar (cleaning everything under the trim and carpet as I went, OCD).

IMG_1576.JPG

Who ever owned this thing before went to the beach quite I bit...there's sand everywhere!

Once at the B-Pillar I came up under the trim and started running overhead under the headliner as I didn't want to fish wiring behind the complex trim pieces next to the third row seating. The grommets for getting wiring into the liftgate are up top anyway.

IMG_1580.JPG

Once I got close to the back of the vehicle I realized there was an issue.

IMG_1581.JPG


That wire isn't going to make it the next 6 feet or so needed to route it into the lift gate and down to the camera. I went on the hunt through my "I never throw any spare electronic item or cable away" boxes in search of another composite video cable and a coupler. I ended up finding a composite video cable but had to steal the coupler from my home stereo setup...I'll need to replace it soon, watching movies with no subwoofer is dumb.

Next up I started pulling trim pieces from the lift gate. Everything unsnaps easily except for the large trim piece. There's a screw hidden under the strap used to pull the lift gate closed, after removing that it's easy to pull away from the gate. Once inside I located the factory wiring for a rear view camera (green arrow) along with the plate it would mount to (orange arrow).

IMG_1582.jpg


I pulled the two nuts holding the factory plate in place and removed it.

IMG_1583.JPG


IMG_1584.JPG

The camera I purchased mounts behind the license plate using a bracket so that it's almost completely hidden. I modified the factory plate so that the camera wiring would run through it and into the lift gate. Like this:

IMG_1592.JPG


Everything was working out great except for the fact that I needed to extend the power cable to the camera. The cable that came with it (the one that was too short earlier) carries the video signal along with the 12v signal to the head unit and power to the camera. I extended the video side with the coupler and composite video cable but needed to extend the power cable now. This meant cutting off the connector and splicing some very tiny wires. Fun times.

IMG_1587.JPG

This involved some delicate moves and tiny tubes of heat shrink. In all of my concentrated effort I didn't take photos...that one's all you get.

Back at the vehicle I pulled a metal plate that contains some sort of wiring interface on the back side. It appears that all the wiring outputs in the lift gate (tail lights, reverse bulbs, door lock / latch and window controls) are routed through a black box containing electrical pixie magic. I'll have to do some more research and see what that thing is. After pulling the mounting plate I routed my now extended video wire and power wire and connected them to the camera cabling.

IMG_1590.JPG

Before buttoning everything back up I wanted to make sure it was all working correctly...just one problem. I need to give this thing 12 volts to get it to turn on. The ideal solution is to tap into the reverse light circuit and siphon it off from there. The problem is the wiring for those lights is virtually inaccessible inside the lift gate. I tried to trace them back out to somewhere I can splice into them but didn't have any luck. For testing purposes I grabbed a 12v battery from a Milwaukee power tool and hooked things up.

IMG_1591.JPG

Success!

From here it was a matter of routing all the wiring against the factory loom inside the lift gate and closing everything up. A bit of advice when wiring inside doors (or lift gates): Always follow the factory wiring loom! Whenever you're in a door with windows that go up and down there are a moving parts everywhere! Window regulators, sliding tracks and the glass itself are there with the sole purpose of tearing apart your best laid wiring plans. If you hug tight to the factory loom that was laid out by some intern engineer somewhere you'll be fine and won't spend the next week tracking down broken connections and shorts.

After closing everything up in the gate I routed the power wires down through the side of the vehicle and out underneath the rear storage bin. I'm going to drop the power wires down under the vehicle through one of the MANY grommets here and tie into the reverse wire on the trailer connector. Only problem is my Sequoia has just the 4 pin connector so this won't be finished until my OEM 4/7 pin connector arrives from Amazon later this week.

IMG_1596.JPG

Until then I just won't back up...or if I do I'll use my new rear view mirror!

IMG_1598.JPG

While I was running wire everywhere I installed this Gentex auto dimming mirror with compass. I ordered it to fit the factory Toyota mount so it was as easy as pulling the old mirror and sliding this one on. Tighten down the set screw to keep it from flying off and you're good. I pulled the wiring up into the overhead console and picked up the factory connector from there to feed it a switched 12 volts. I replaced the stock mirror because:

1. It had some bubbling and warping in it, almost looked like it had been put in an oven or left in the sun...odd.

2. It wasn't auto dimming. I'm an American and I don't reach up to flip my mirror down at night darn it! That mirror should do the work for me! First world overlanding problems...

While I was tackling easy to do modifications I threw these in as well:

IMG_1595.JPG

When the trailer connector comes in I'll document tying in the power for the rear camera and connecting the trailer harness. I should also mention that I have a second camera coming for the front of the vehicle. The rear view camera I ordered (this one) promised the ability to disable the back up guide lines by cutting a jumper wire. This feature didn't work, however, so the seller is sending me another for free. The head unit I put in will display it's own guidelines so I didn't want the ones from the camera. Turns out the camera ones line up pretty well so I turned off the head unit ones and I'll put the other camera up front so I can see what's in front of the massive hood this thing has.
 
Last edited:
Great job and very detailed. This serves as a great go-by for viewers to see meticulously correct technique even if they don't have the same model vehicle. Well done, sir.

Will we see this project at the Appalachian Rendezvous in September?
 
Great job and very detailed. This serves as a great go-by for viewers to see meticulously correct technique even if they don't have the same model vehicle. Well done, sir.

Well thanks! Now I'm blushing and all giddy.

Will we see this project at the Appalachian Rendezvous in September?

My wife and I both have the dates set aside as vacation from work. Provided there's not a nuclear engagement with the far east going on we'll be there.
 
So do you ever get so wrapped up in something that you miss the obvious? Can't see the trees because of the forest sort of thing. I got to thinking about how I couldn't access the wiring for the reverse bulbs while inside the lift gate and then it hit me, you must be able to change those bulbs! Duh, I know...but something I didn't think about yesterday while wiring the camera.

Tying in to the reverse circuit behind the tail light will be cleaner than hitting the trailer harness down below so I back tracked a little and pulled the rear light assembly that houses the reverse bulb. Not only is there a nice little factory harness waiting to be spliced into but by following the factory wiring loom inside the lift gate my wiring was near by. I had left a short service loop (common in commercial wiring, not in automotive wiring) so I was able to pull a couple inches of wire back into the lift gate from above the headliner to make a clean connection behind the light assembly.

First up, pristine factory wiring:

IMG_1611.JPG


No multimeter needed for this one, each bulb socket has a common white and black striped wire that's the ground and then a colored wire for 12v. In the case of the reverse bulb it's red and blue. Now, what comes next is ugly. I despise using crimp on splicing connectors, but sometimes they're simply the best way to go. I'm talking about these things:

KW03.JPG


This factory harness was small and tight and splicing in my wiring would have been tough without creating strain on the splice. I opted to go with the quick splice connectors to prevent the strain and hopefully preserve the life of the harness. If you're going to use these things to tie into an existing circuit please use the right size. I've seen too many people grab the wrong size because it's all they have and end up cutting right through a wire. A properly sized connector will cut into the wire insulation, but will not cut through the copper inside (or maybe just a strand or two).

I spliced in a water tight connector that will tie into the wiring I had run inside the lift gate already.

IMG_1612.JPG


Back at the vehicle I spliced the other side of the waterproof connector onto the wiring I had run yesterday. Some twisting, a little heat shrink tubing and boom, you've got as close to a factory style harness connection as I'm going to get.

IMG_1613.JPG


IMG_1614.JPG


IMG_1616.JPG


I used a zip tie to keep my connector in tight on the back of the tail light housing. The rear window comes within half an inch of the factory connections here. I made sure to keep all my wiring tucked in tighter than that to ensure nothing would snag on the window as it moves.

IMG_1617.JPG


After that all that was left to do was clean the pollen and dirt from around the edge of the light lens and from the body of the vehicle where the light assembly sits, plug everything in and watch it all work. Success!

Only one more thing to wrap up. If you remember I had run wiring down the C pillar and into the storage area under the rear of the vehicle with the intention of pulling power from the trailer wiring under the vehicle. Now that I'm stealing from the reverse circuit in the lift gate these wires are live with one (red) being +12v and the other (black) being a ground to the chassis. I could have dug back into the trim work here and undone that splice to remove these wires but I have a project kicking around in the back of my head that might make use of them. So I decided to make them as safe as possible (never leave live wiring, no matter how small, kicking around inside a vehicle). I cut the ends of the wire so no copper was exposed. I then sealed the ends of the wire in heat shrink tubing. After that I wrapped the ends in electrical tape. Overkill? Perhaps. But if any copper gets exposed from that wire and shorts out this circuit it deserves to happen at this point. I then labeled the wiring because who knows when this "back of my mind project" will happen and I'll need to remember what these are.

IMG_1618.JPG


IMG_1619.JPG


I then looped it up and zip tied it inside the rear trim to a bit of factory wiring; safe and out of the way.

IMG_1620.JPG


After all that I had a working backup camera and it was time to take the wife to dinner so I could try it out because I love her.

Tomorrow's project? We're playing with this!

IMG_1599.JPG


We're also going to get to use 4 gauge wire! (Insert Tim the Tool Man Taylor style grunting here)
 
I don't know how much of this is possible but it sounds like a good class on electronics installation...

I've got to say, when you see things like this:

underdash_wiring_mess.jpg


It presents a strong case for helping teach others to do things correctly. More than willing to give advice and lend a hand where I can.
 
So my Blue Sea Fuse block install has hit a snag. Well, actually it will hit the hood struts when the hood is closed, so I'm rethinking that...

In the meantime the parts arrived to change the 4 pin trailer connector over to the 4/7 pin connectors.

This involves pulling the old 4 pin connector off:

IMG_1635.JPG


Unplugging the factory connections that are up against the body just behind the 4 pin mount.

IMG_1634.JPG


IMG_1638.JPG


Plugging in the new 4/7 pin connector.

IMG_1639.JPG

And then modifying the new mounting bracket a bit so that the factory hardware can be used again.

IMG_1637.JPG


After that you reassemble everything with the new 4/7 pin connector and forget to take a picture of it. This is the part I ordered: Hopkins HM11143325

It looks like this:

index.jpg


Just imagine it installed.
 
After getting the connector installed it was time to mount the Prodigy P3 brake controller that I had been using in the Tacoma. I had ordered up the appropriate connection to run from the P3 to the factory wiring under the drivers kick panel to make things easier. (Tekonsha Part # 3040-P, also works for Tundra's)

After pulling the kick panel on the drivers side under the dash I found that someone had been in here before and smashed several of the holders for the clips that hold the panel in place.

IMG_1630.JPG


Not sure if it was a previous owner or some tech in a hurry but it's irritating. If it starts falling off I might order a new kick panel, but the one remaining clip seems to be doing ok thus far.

After digging for a bit I found the factory connection hidden back behind the thick wire loom coming through the firewall. There's no slack on this thing at all! Toyota really could have used another inch or two of wire for this thing.

IMG_1624.JPG


I plugged in my Tekonsha wiring harness and ran it under the dash plate over to the right side of the steering wheel where I wanted to mount the controller. It's important to note that in every vehicle I've ever worked on there is no time or expense spent by the manufacturer to make the metal dash plates under the trim nice and neat. They're rough and have very sharp edges. If you're digging around under here watch your fingers (and buy a box of band aids) and make sure to protect any wiring that you run. Some of the edges on this metal trim are like knife blades.

The tekonsha connector requires a secondary ground wire to be run and I installed it on a bolt that mounts the parking brake.

IMG_1628.JPG


Now that I had the wiring in place it was time to mount the brake controller. I knew I wanted to do something different than simply screw the brake controller cradle onto the dash like I did in the Tacoma. The stock cradle looks like this:

cradle.png


Between the shape of the cradle and the u shaped portion that screws into the dash and then holds the cradle, this thing sits almost an inch off the dash. The slope of the Tacoma dash hid most of this, but the slope of the Sequoia dash made it look like it was just hanging out in space. Ugly (to me anyway).

After toying around with mounting it several places I finally decided that I'd put it right under the controls for the rear window and the traction control. I'd still use the cradle, but I'd avoid using the U shaped mount. Instead I used a dremel to cut slits in the dash piece. The two nubs on the cradle then went through the dash trim and I inserted the threaded machine screws to secure the cradle to the trim piece. This flush mounts the controller right up against the dash and looks much better (IMHO).

Cradle with the "nubs" on top:

IMG_1640.JPG


Cardboard template of the "nubs" used to mark the under dash trim.

IMG_1641.JPG


Man do I hate cutting holes in factory pieces. I found a replacement online for cheap before doing this just in case it didn't work out...

IMG_1642.JPG


All mounted up. There's considerably more room between my leg and the controller than it appears in the picture. I would be hard pressed to hit it while in any sort of driving position.

IMG_1644.JPG


I made sure to reset the screen options on the controller to change the backlight from blue (matched the Tacoma) to orange (matches the Sequoia) because I'm a gnats ass detail kinda fella.

IMG_1645.JPG


I really like the way this turned out.
 
For the next couple of weeks I'm 2000 miles away from the truck and have to be content with doing research for the communications portion of the install. I'm trying to figure out where exactly I'm going to mount my CB and 2 meter radios...

This is appealing, but I'm really worried about the lack of airflow and the build up of heat. Mounting 12v computer case fans in the center console and cutting vents isn't appealing to me...

IMG_1646.JPG

I've looked at every mobile install ever posted on the internet... Any suggestions from you folks?
 
Is a CB really worth the trouble, or is it more for highway entertainment with the truckers?
 
Is a CB really worth the trouble, or is it more for highway entertainment with the truckers?

I've actually been surprised by how much I use it. It works really well for simple communication between two or three rigs on the trails here where we never end up very far apart. It's saved me some headaches on more than once occasion while on the interstate as well. It's nice to be able to listen in on what the truckers are seeing up ahead and avoid potential slow downs.

On a trip home from NC one evening I went to take a two lane back road over several ridges that then drops down around Lake Burton and heads home. A logging truck driver came over the air to let everyone know that a semi had jack knifed up ahead and that the road was closed. I was able to turn around and avoid the whole mess. With their warnings of "bears" (LEOs) running radar I'm sure it's probably saved me a ticket or two in the past. My father in law also has one and when the family travels together it's just faster than picking up the cell phone and calling the other vehicle. Works for me I guess...
 
I think it's a geographic thing too, or the circles I run in. Most of the CB's I see these days are in old school rigs. FRS and HAM seem to be the two best options on the left coast.

Listening to the truckers can certainly be entertaining as well as informative.
 
A couple quick updates for today:

The truck came with no wireless key fobs. It's first registration is listed as a rental vehicle. I'm not sure if the key fobs were lost then or during one of the other two owner's time frames. I contacted my local dealer to see about getting new key fobs. Their response? $400 for two remotes programmed. My response? Hell no. I went online and purchased two new OEM key fobs for $35 and tried using the programming instructions I found online. What I discovered was that, as of 2008, you could not program the fobs using the vehicle itself. Instead you have to initialize the programming function using TIS Techstream, the software Toyota service techs use. So another internet search, a free Amazon order (reward points) and a couple days later I had a usb to OBDII connector cable and the techstream software. I used it today to activate the two key fobs and delete all the old ones that had been registered. Not bad for a total of $35!

An update on the check engine light now. I've been over analyzing the readings from the O2 sensors and had almost gotten to the point of replacing the cats. Then I came across a few forum posts touting the catalytic converter healing powers of Prestolite Cataclean. Claiming to be a full fuel and exhaust system cleaner, there were plenty of people talking up how it had solved their check engine light problems. Snake oil right? That's what I thought too. However, at $25 I figured it was worth trying it, especially since I was planning on running Lucas Oil injector cleaner through the system anyway. I bought a bottle from Autozone and followed it's rather specific instructions (pour in the tank when you have approx. 4 gallons of fuel left, drive 15 miles, fill the tank with fuel). I was hesitant to believe it worked, but it's been several weeks now and the check engine light hasn't returned. The vehicle runs smoother and immediately felt like it had a little more pep. Will this stuff solve every check engine light due to cat issues? Heck no, but it worked for me.
 
I had big plans for a custom bracket to mount my Blue Sea fuse panel on. Unfortunately everywhere I tried to fabricate and install a bracket there ended up being some sort of interference. So I went back to the tried and true "bolt that thing to the current fuse panel" method.

There are some benefits to attaching the panel here:

1. Sturdy, that fuse box isn't going anywhere.
2. It's close to the battery, Toyota engineers designed it that way.
3. It's close to the factory penetration of the firewall, easy to run switch wires.

There are some cons:

1. Cable routing has to accommodate removal of the stock fuse panel cover, this can be a pain.
2. The occasional factory technician has freaked out in the past when seeing a non-stock fuse panel here.
3. Not quite as clean as I'd like, but it'll do.

IMG_1724.JPG


I made sure to avoid damaging any of the labeling on the underside when doing the mounting.

IMG_1725.JPG


Now an auxiliary fuse panel is only there to support fused legs running to new circuits. But what protects that fuse panel if something goes wrong? That's right, another big ol' fuse! It's always a good idea to fuse your fuse panel because of inconvenient things like electrical fires and short circuits. I once watched a rogue main wire fly around the inside of an engine bay causing burn marks every time it landed on a grounding point. Ever tried to grab a hot 12v wire flopping around like a coked up rattlesnake with tourettes? Not fun. I made use of a streetwires fuse holder I had left over from an audio install. My Blue Sea panel is rated at 125 amps, so I matched the fuse appropriately.

IMG_1726.JPG


I used some 4 gauge wire, a copper battery connector and some zip ties to clean up the installation. Is 4 gauge overkill for this short of a connection? Yep. Do I care? Nope. It's like rebuilding your driveway as a 6 lane expressway, there's going to be a lot of room for those pixies to move! A quick test to ensure the pixies were flowing and we've got a finished install.

IMG_1727.JPG


IMG_1728.JPG


IMG_1729.JPG


Now it's time to start slapping electrical goodies on the Sequoia!
 
First electrical item on the list? A pair of radios! The same Kenwood TM281A 2 meter radio I had in the Tacoma will be gracing the Sequoia. Rock solid with easy to use functions I like this radio a lot. For CB communications I'm looking at moving to a Cobra 75 WSXT unit. My current radio just won't mount anywhere that I'm happy with, so it has to go.

Now where am I going to mount these things? I wanted something out of the way and unobtrusive. I toyed with the idea of creating a mount that made use of the void on top of the dash where a speaker would be if I had the JBL sound system. The amount of heat in this area due to sunlight made that a no go. At the bottom of the radio stack would have been nice, but the dash panel that's there would need to be cut up quite a bit to mount the radios in a recessed manner and Toyota thinks that little piece of plastic is worth $100. That would be a costly mistake if it didn't work out. After sitting in the drivers seat for countless minutes and holding radios up to different panels I decided that overhead was the way to go. Watching Ronny Dahl and his setup on YouTube may have contributed to this decision as well.

So first up is dismantling the TM281 to divorce the face of the unit from the body. But wait! Kenwood doesn't advertise that this has a removable and remote mountable face plate. Is this a feature of this radio? Nope, but it can be done. Pull some screws from the housing:

IMG_1730.JPG


Stick a flat head screw driver between the metal housing and the black plastic cover and pry (or use your fingers if you want). The case is held on by tension at this point and is made of some high quality ABS with plenty of glass fiber in it. It's a rigid little thing so it takes a bit of persuasion to get it off. Once you do you're greeted by green circuit board goodness.

IMG_1731.JPG


What we're after here is the 21 pin flat cable connecting the main board to the board on the back of the face plate.

IMG_1732.JPG


Pulling that cable and then again using a flat head screw driver to do a little prying will cause the face plate to come right off. In the second photo below you can see how we're going to make this face plate "remote".

IMG_1733.JPG


IMG_1734.JPG


In the end this is what we're going for:

IMG_1740.JPG


I did a couple of fitment tests and played around with the positioning.

IMG_1742.JPG


Then I set to work dismantling the sunglasses holder side of this pocket.

IMG_1743.JPG


I decided to flip the unit main body of the radio over and mount it with the heat sink metal housing down. This would allow me to use the plastic housing and some T-nuts to mount the radio to the overhead console. It will also allow me to add a 12v fan and some venting if heat becomes a problem in the future. Since I was going to run bolts through the plastic housing I had to make sure there was plenty of clearance between the circuit board and the bolt heads. Out of an abundance of caution (there was plenty of clearance but I'm paranoid) I tried to locate points on the circuit board that were void spaces. I would drill bolt holes in the plastic panel above the spaces.

IMG_1744.JPG


After getting the positioning right I drilled holes through both the top of the Kenwood housing and the overhead console. I installed the T-nuts through the top of the console and held them in place with painters tape while I flipped it over and installed nylon spacers to hold the radio housing at the proper height. All that was left was to add the bolts and then snap the main radio body back into the plastic housing. Very nice!

IMG_1746.JPG


IMG_1747.JPG


IMG_1749.JPG


IMG_1751.JPG


All the measuring paid off and the plastic door popped right back on.

IMG_1752.JPG
 
Back
Top Bottom