Comletely Custom Double Din and USB Hub (Pic Heavy)

Whats up guys? long time since I've been on and a lot has changed!

so I installed a Kenwood Dnx69s into my truck. I had 4 wires dangling out of my dashboard and it got very annoying so i decided to fix this problem. i had a a DOnor dash for a project i was doing before the doublew din, and it had the passenger airbag block off plate. i have a 2 door so i have the airbag switch. I relocated it and designed a hub that would hold all my USB, HDMI, and Auxillary cables. here is the fabrication and paint for it!

i cut the holes to fit each bit very snug


once fit i painted it, i went with a black base and a heavy colorshift metallic


then i started mounting the Aux and HDMI, then later the USB and JB welded the crap out of it. it is sturdy as hell!!




this portion of my dashboard is complete!

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as you can see from the pictures above i already JB welded the Autometer Cubby Gauge Mount tht Metra Double Din radio bezel.


next i took the bezel out and started applying and shaping the bondo to make it look like a solid molded piece.


sanded the whole bezel to get the rubberized coating off it and prep it for paint


Adhesion promoter is on


Completely primed


Sprayed on a guide coat to help straight cut the primer!



the molded contour


completely straight primed part


Sprayed on the black


i didnt get a shot of the metallic mid coat (it was going to rain so i wanted to finish asap)

but i laid on the clear coat and here is the final product!!!









Sorry in adavcne for the long post! but this is the step by step process of my interior

So where'd you relocate the switch too?


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I just mounted it inside the dashboard behind the bezel and the gauge pod. i do not have a kid nor plan on having one anytime soon, or know anyone with a young kid, so for now the airbag is left on. if needed all i need to do is pull the dash panel out and switch it off

Ah ok


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That some impressive rework on the bezel. Kudos!

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Mpgrimm2 said:

That some impressive rework on the bezel. Kudos!

Up All Night Sleep All Day via my LG G4 on Tapatalk

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thanks man! it took a long time but it was worth the time imo!

Nicely done! Looks good

Looks amazing

blackbeautyhemi said:

Nicely done! Looks good

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Deiz29 said:

Looks amazing

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thanks guys i saw it installed and in the sunlight for the first time after my vacation well worth it!

This may sound kind of newbie but your profile thing says you drive a 4.7L V8 so what are your gauges for? I'm assuming that your profile is just outdated and those are for your exhaust temp, trans temp, and turbo on your diesel.

Gauges are important for things other than diesels too...

usaf2006 said:

Gauges are important for things other than diesels too...

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that's kind what I was asking, does he have some things done to it? I was just curious is all.

Jake2005 said:

that's kind what I was asking, does he have some things done to it? I was just curious is all.

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I have trans temp in the pillar (dodges trannys suck so i want to monitor that since ive already had 2 issues with mine). i have water temp, fuel pressure and oil pressure in the bezel. water temp and fuel pressur are what i want to monitor in real time. especially water temp. the oil pressure was a filler since it was a triple pod rather than dual pod. ill probably switch out the oil pressure for voltage since i have a full system that draws some power. i just recently went through a fuel pump issue so the fuel pressure helped me diagnose it.

sorry for the late response guys.. been very busy

LS5DodgeRam said:

sorry for the late response guys.. been very busy

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Do you think having those gauges has prevented any sort of problem with your truck? On a scale of 1-Everyone should have them, where would you put your recommendation in having those extra precautions?


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Jake2005 said:

Do you think having those gauges has prevented any sort of problem with your truck? On a scale of 1-Everyone should have them, where would you put your recommendation in having those extra precautions?

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I'd rate them a "5"; neutral on the matter. Manufacturers have done a pretty good job of engineering capabilities and vital monitoring into vehicles. I tow equipment for work and can't really say I couldn't live without an oil temperature gauge. In fact, it might be smarter money to install an engine oil cooler rather than an oil temperature gauge.

Consider it like life before (say) smart phones. We did just fine, however it's nice to have options like streaming radio, games and internet beyond the communications. That said, I have TorquePro on my truck head unit. In a <2005, it doesn't give as much information as >2006 canbus trucks, but it does have more gauges than the stock dash. I find it most useful for quick reading of trouble codes on the fly.

Long story short, in commuter/suburban/light duty as-stock, there's not much upside to extra gauges but there's little downside. For severe-duty and certain aftermarket mods, there's more a case. Put them in if you like with no more justification necessary.

Core-Lokt said:

I'd rate them a "5"; neutral on the matter. Manufacturers have done a pretty good job of engineering capabilities and vital monitoring into vehicles. I tow equipment for work and can't rally say I couldn't live without an oil temperature gauge. In fact, it might be smarter money to install an engine oil cooler rather than an oil temperature gauge.



Consider it like life before (say) smart phones. We did just fine, however it's nice to have options like streaming radio, games and internet beyond the communications. That said, I have TorquePro on my truck head unit. In a <2005, it doesn't give as much information as >2006 canbus trucks, but it does have more gauges than the stock dash. I find it most useful for quick reading of trouble codes on the fly.



Long story short, in commuter/suburban/light duty as-stock, there's not much upside to extra gauges but there's little downside. For sever-duty and certain aftermarket mods, there's more a case. Put them in if you like with no more justification necessary.

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That was probably the best response I've ever gotten on a forum, the examples and the breakdown was insanely accurate. Thanks for the in-depth reply and not just shooting my question down. I appreciate the well thought out and well executed reply.

I do think that I will be focusing more on upgrades to the components before the gauges but I was just curious.

Thanks for the amazing reply!

Glad you found my reply useful.

If you want to try something and you have a Apple or Android device, you can download Torque (free trial version), get a $15.00 Bluetooth adapter and a cradle for the device and you'll have some extra gauges. I have a thread in the Audio/Electronics forum that I mention the specific brand of BT adapter since it works with SAE J1850 bus protocol on 2005 pickups.

You won't get the aforementioned oil temperature, but I have intake air temperature, vacuum and some redundant gauges for the true values. TorquePro is ~$5.00 and will work with smart device GPS and give you an altimeter, trouble code clearing and possibly some other stuff I don't use. So, it's minimal cost to decide how much value extra information is worth to you.

Jake2005 said:

Do you think having those gauges has prevented any sort of problem with your truck? On a scale of 1-Everyone should have them, where would you put your recommendation in having those extra precautions?


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it helps me monitor it. trans temp started spiking just to realize i was down some fluid and my pan gasket was leaking... i fixed it and havent had an issue since. gauges are helpful if you know how to diagnose with them. the essential gauges are in the dash but i like to monitor it in real time.

id rate low... nobody really needs them but it is helpful for maintenance. you can also get a tuner that has all them on a screen, instead of individual guages. i like the look of them so i opted to go this route.

also you can get aeroforce gauges which have a computer to control the senders. you can control what is displayed on the gauge.

Awesome job on that hub and everything, I'll have to do t some spare parts and try this out!