SyrenSkywolf
Member
- Joined
- Dec 20, 2013
- Posts
- 40
- Reaction score
- 8
- Location
- Michigan
- Ram Year
- 2003
- Engine
- Hemi 5.7 - Hedman Shorties - K&N CAI
We wanted to upgrade our stock stereo (with a broken 6-disc) w/Infinity in our '03, and we already had a double din, so I decided to modify to fit. We would have purchased a modified bezel, but we are poor enough as it is, so I decided to do it myself. Cost me about $5 after an Amazon gift card we had (about $30 overall), which included the wiring and antenna adapters.
Stock Stereo
The necessary wiring test to make sure it all works.
*Note: If you have the Infinity system on '03 or older, you should NOT need a "special" harness. The standard harness wires it right up. '04 and newer you will need it. You do need the antenna adapter, of course, because Dodge is messed up like that.
Arrows denote the areas cut. The plastic braces need to be cut down as well, as shown, to allow the stereo to fit in. Used a Dremel with a cutting disc for the front cut, and slowly cut the rest with a hacksaw blade in hand.
There is a spot in each corner up top that needs to be cut as well. They don't quite allow double dins otherwise.
Test fitting the stereo with my custom brackets.
I forgot to take pictures of the bezel removal from the dash piece. There are several methods. I went with drilling out the plastic rivets. Try to do just enough to break the rivets, because you can use screws and washers to reconnect a lot of them. I drilled a tad too deep on quite a few of them, but was able to connect it using screws/washers on about a 1/3 of them. Liberal amounts of cement on the rest of the areas sufficed.
Test fitting the bezel for general fit.
I got so into getting it trimmed up, I didn't take pictures. Pretty much trim up and down to fit, then square the corners off. Work up to the cross member at the top of the dash piece that the bezel fits on (look at previous picture above stereo), and then work down to fit. I used a Dremel cutting disc to rough cut, making sure to leave plenty of space for mishaps or melting. I then worked it down using a combination of a Dremel sanding barrel and a Stanley knife.
I then sanded down the surface using a hand block with various grit. I used 80 grit for a start, but most was a 180 grit, with something around 300 for final. Takes a while, but you want it pretty smooth for the vinyl. You don't need completely smooth, but you need to remove at least 1/2 the height of the texture. It gives more area for vinyl grip, and to keep it from showing up on the outside of the vinyl.
Clamping on a piece of ABS. I cut pieces to fit up to the stereo, then cut pieces for underneath as a brace, and used liberal amounts of cement. They aren't going anywhere. You can see that the other side is on already.
Sanding almost done. Make sure to get it even and flush, or it will show up later! Regardless of my final pictures, mine is not perfect because of this (the lighting in the pictures helped hide it). I will eventually redo the covering on mine. Take a piece of paper and a pencil, hold the paper flat against where you worked, and run the pencil back and forth over your modified area to find bad spots. Fix. Repeat until none show up.
Vinyl laid onto the bezel. Lots of patience helps here. Most prefer a heat gun, but a hair dryer works just fine for this. Very carefully cut the backing paper in the center from left to right, tearing it if need be. Fold it in half, and start from the center, slowly pressing it onto the bezel towards the bottom, then up to the top, peeling the backing away a bit at a time. If you hit any areas that don't line up well, use heat and stretch (very important at the bottom and top). Using this method will provide you with a smooth finish. When you stretch with heat, hold in place until it cools and maintains the shape. Use plenty of heat and patience to fit around the outside edges. Remember to trim up around areas that will reconnect with the dash piece.
Carefully cut out the openings, leaving at least 1/2" overlap. You can trim down from there as needed. You will use a lot of heat and stretching to form around edges here. If you get a couple spots that don't quite want to curve around to the backside, it's ok, because the heater/4wd/stereo will hold them in place and it won't be noticeable. Just keep that in mind when installing it.
The vinyl all done. When doing the stereo section, cut diagonally almost to the corners, leaving just a little bit to stretch with heat around the corner. The rest will fold around to the backside.
The final product. I also put vinyl on the accent pieces on the sides of the dash piece while I was at it, and I consider it a great improvement over the dull black that they were.
Well, there you have it. I don't recommend doing this unless you trust your modification skills. I used to spend countless hours building model cars, and love woodworking when I can, so I'm used to the sort of thing. If you are in doubt, I recommend purchasing one already modified. Weedahoe does good work (look up the name on Youtube if curious). I would have just gone through him in a heartbeat if I had the money.
The one thing I would like to change, which I may do if I redo the vinyl, is above the stereo. The curve comes out a little too much for me (not shown in the pictures). I am debating doing some hardcore sanding to flatten it out a bit more. I may take a picture of it and post it if anyone wants a visual of what I am talking about.
Questions? Comments? Critiques?
Stock Stereo
The necessary wiring test to make sure it all works.
*Note: If you have the Infinity system on '03 or older, you should NOT need a "special" harness. The standard harness wires it right up. '04 and newer you will need it. You do need the antenna adapter, of course, because Dodge is messed up like that.
Arrows denote the areas cut. The plastic braces need to be cut down as well, as shown, to allow the stereo to fit in. Used a Dremel with a cutting disc for the front cut, and slowly cut the rest with a hacksaw blade in hand.
There is a spot in each corner up top that needs to be cut as well. They don't quite allow double dins otherwise.
Test fitting the stereo with my custom brackets.
I forgot to take pictures of the bezel removal from the dash piece. There are several methods. I went with drilling out the plastic rivets. Try to do just enough to break the rivets, because you can use screws and washers to reconnect a lot of them. I drilled a tad too deep on quite a few of them, but was able to connect it using screws/washers on about a 1/3 of them. Liberal amounts of cement on the rest of the areas sufficed.
Test fitting the bezel for general fit.
I got so into getting it trimmed up, I didn't take pictures. Pretty much trim up and down to fit, then square the corners off. Work up to the cross member at the top of the dash piece that the bezel fits on (look at previous picture above stereo), and then work down to fit. I used a Dremel cutting disc to rough cut, making sure to leave plenty of space for mishaps or melting. I then worked it down using a combination of a Dremel sanding barrel and a Stanley knife.
I then sanded down the surface using a hand block with various grit. I used 80 grit for a start, but most was a 180 grit, with something around 300 for final. Takes a while, but you want it pretty smooth for the vinyl. You don't need completely smooth, but you need to remove at least 1/2 the height of the texture. It gives more area for vinyl grip, and to keep it from showing up on the outside of the vinyl.
Clamping on a piece of ABS. I cut pieces to fit up to the stereo, then cut pieces for underneath as a brace, and used liberal amounts of cement. They aren't going anywhere. You can see that the other side is on already.
Sanding almost done. Make sure to get it even and flush, or it will show up later! Regardless of my final pictures, mine is not perfect because of this (the lighting in the pictures helped hide it). I will eventually redo the covering on mine. Take a piece of paper and a pencil, hold the paper flat against where you worked, and run the pencil back and forth over your modified area to find bad spots. Fix. Repeat until none show up.
Vinyl laid onto the bezel. Lots of patience helps here. Most prefer a heat gun, but a hair dryer works just fine for this. Very carefully cut the backing paper in the center from left to right, tearing it if need be. Fold it in half, and start from the center, slowly pressing it onto the bezel towards the bottom, then up to the top, peeling the backing away a bit at a time. If you hit any areas that don't line up well, use heat and stretch (very important at the bottom and top). Using this method will provide you with a smooth finish. When you stretch with heat, hold in place until it cools and maintains the shape. Use plenty of heat and patience to fit around the outside edges. Remember to trim up around areas that will reconnect with the dash piece.
Carefully cut out the openings, leaving at least 1/2" overlap. You can trim down from there as needed. You will use a lot of heat and stretching to form around edges here. If you get a couple spots that don't quite want to curve around to the backside, it's ok, because the heater/4wd/stereo will hold them in place and it won't be noticeable. Just keep that in mind when installing it.
The vinyl all done. When doing the stereo section, cut diagonally almost to the corners, leaving just a little bit to stretch with heat around the corner. The rest will fold around to the backside.
The final product. I also put vinyl on the accent pieces on the sides of the dash piece while I was at it, and I consider it a great improvement over the dull black that they were.
Well, there you have it. I don't recommend doing this unless you trust your modification skills. I used to spend countless hours building model cars, and love woodworking when I can, so I'm used to the sort of thing. If you are in doubt, I recommend purchasing one already modified. Weedahoe does good work (look up the name on Youtube if curious). I would have just gone through him in a heartbeat if I had the money.
The one thing I would like to change, which I may do if I redo the vinyl, is above the stereo. The curve comes out a little too much for me (not shown in the pictures). I am debating doing some hardcore sanding to flatten it out a bit more. I may take a picture of it and post it if anyone wants a visual of what I am talking about.
Questions? Comments? Critiques?
