Something I learned on my day off friday:

Cutting the pot metal mount frame at the rear of the factory space for an OEM stereo isn't needed. Well, something is needed obviously for a double DIN unit, but rather than try and wrangle some cutting device (dremel or some kinds of saws all) I noticed that the bracket is held in with just two 8mm bolts over two stubby pins (with two additional 7mm screws screwed throguh the top plastic dash cover that seperates/isolates the compass if you have one). Oh, and two zip style ties holding the big wire bundle.

Now, you might look at it and say 'I have to dissasemble the dash to get that out'. If you want it to come out in one piece, you betcha. However, if you don't plan on looking back not so true!

Simple unbolt and screw it, tilt it towards you until it hits that top dash plastic, give it a tug in the center of the top bar until it bends a bit, then cut it. I didn't even need a power tool, I just broke out my Cresecent pliers with hardened cutters and with a bit of muscle cut right through the crap pot metal of that stamped piece. Then I just bent the ends in and wrangled it out clean.

This has the added benefit of giving you even more space if you have to go with an aftermarket harness adapter like the PAC unit.

I installed a Pio 3200DVD in without any trouble that way, easier and more roomy than just cutting the top bar of that brace/bracket.

Again, only for those not going back to OEM (though honestly, with four bolts holding the unit at the front I guess it doesn't matter if you decide to sell or downgrade back to an OEM unit.

The only other trick ist hat the top dash plastic plate mentioned earlier has a couple of thin, pretty flexible bits (spines?) jutting down. I just used some pliers to bend them back and ffourth until they were soft and pliable and then ripped them off. No warping of the dash, clean install, done.

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I also put in a relatively innexpensive 'Boyo' IR capable backup camera in the rear bumper. I saw that excellent thread on mounting it in the center cap hole of the back tire, but after puloling my Class II hitch off to sell since I don't need it I saw that the bumper is basically a plastic extruded shell held on by six bolts. Took the bumper off, used a 1" hole saw, dremeled out a tad on the back side to allow the screw ring for the camera body to fit properly, and done. Nice and clean, looks right out where I need it, hardly noticeable, and I don't have to worry about the possiblity of banging anything removing the spare on the trail or by the side of the road (minor as that might be given the way that thread had it done).

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I can't say enough about tightly packing polifil in the speaker bar center space! I had some in there, but it still resonated a tad so I just filled it up tight. BAM! Sounds great, no reverberation or vibration even with the 3ways running full range (which they aren't, letting the sub fill the lowest).

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A 2" port on each front speaker box seems to work great, without any polifill. I have 2ways in (Infinity reference series with super tweeters repelacing the stock tweeters since I'm on the stock harness still) and thought some polifil might help but it sounds perfect without running just a 2" vent/port in the sealed boxes.

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The Pio 3200DVD is excellent. The color matching lighting is a nice feature, but if you don't want HD/Sat/BT this is just an awesome unit. I have no need for BT (I pull over if the phone rings) and while I don't mind free sattelite radio I'm not paying for what is free (and I run MP3s 90% of the time anyway). My only complaint so far is that I put in an 8GB SD and it doens't recognize over half of the music on that card for some reason. Looking now to see if it is limited in some way ( they are all standard MP3s on that card).

Video playback is nice, the screen adjustments are great, and the LCD is visible after some tweaking even with the top down in full sunlight. If you want rear displays or secondary A/V inputs it supports it, easy.

And as things go it's a relatively cheap HU, so if someone is determined to steal it the loss is minimal compared to a 1200 buck unit with Nav and all that.

 

hmmm i was able to fanagle that piece out without cutting anything but my hand

 

I can see it being done that way, but I didn't like the idea of shoving that fat wiring bundle down way out of the way so you could float the bottom off the pins and get the whole assembly to slip down some. Some of those wires are seriously thin and the whole bus seems very sensitive to voltage changes and other issues. I thought about it but didn't have the 'guts' I guess, heh. And since I wasn't wanting to go back to stock at some point it just seemed expedient for time sake

 

http://cgi.ebay.ca/2007-2008-JEEP-WR...item29f67ae621

I m am having one heck of a time trying to figure out what I need to install a single din Pioneer .
Any help i would be greatful.

thanks in advance.