HackD's ongoing 5-lug armored-slug build.

Good job on that .. I was looking at doing that also, with my Nexus 7 at one point. I decided instead to use a removable mount below the stereo instead, and can run Dash Commander and Torque through it.

I've been into that dash more times than i care to admit. Each time that i do it, it scares the hell out of me in terms of potential for letting the smoke out of the wires. I still have to re-work under the hood, with a Blue Sea fuse block/electronics shelf for relays etc.

I went through my lists this afternoon - that Joying 10.1" has been sitting on my computer room floor since February. I've been seriously slipping, in terms of getting things done. Since i took that photo in-truck, the void has been semi-filled and the Joying tested. I just have to go back in and install the steering wheel controller (aftermarket Joying specific.. not a Tacoma upgrade replacement), and i can button it up again for good (I hope).

Then, i can focus on the roof. Sound insulation to install, and getting ready for fitting of the console and supports. I continue to be working on the console (lots of stuff i want to do with it, most of it useless!), concurrently.

 

Ok, so this wasn't so difficult. 10.1" Joying Android head unit installed. Provided steering wheel remote does not work, not really worth messing with further.

Dash cam, GPS, rear view camera all working fine. Sound quality and amplification very decent.

Onwards and upwards to the roofline.

 

Man, that Joying Android head unit is extremely badass! That's gotta be a 2018 project for me.

I can't be certain from the photos, but is the back of the unit flush with the dashboard?

And is this a "it's easy to figure out" DIY project or do you recommend enlisting the services of a pro installer?

 

I took photos for someone else who asked the same thing about flush-mount. It is not. I reused my Metra kit that held the Kenwood in place. As such, the Joying unit is drilled for bracketry that there is a wide range of positioning that you can achieve. The very front face of the box, upon which the screen clips in place, is also adjustable for angle (downwards from default position) by 8 degrees.

The screen stands out, and off of the Joying double-din box, by about 1/2". I have the Joying box itself, protruding outside of the dashboard surface by another 1/3", give or take - keeping in mind that there does need to be stand-off spacing, because of the curvature of the dash.

I've installed a few car stereos over the past 30 years - so, what might be simple to me, might be daunting to others. It wasn't any more difficult than installing a conventional car stereo, EXCEPT that the Joying Double-din dimensions are out of spec height and width wise, by less than 1/8" .. as i did not care to break out the dremel, i left the Metra trim frame entirely off.

I bought the Toyota adapter harness from Joying, which made the job pretty much plug and play. It took me longer to pull the dash apart (again), than to actually plug the unit in, and do three splice/solders to existing wiring add-ons in the dashboard. The most fiddly bit, was getting the Metra brackets on the Joying double-din chassis "Just so".

I don't have any additional components like a sub or anything else fancy to complicate matters.

I'd rate it as dead easy (for me) .. just have to be methodical, and make sure that you get the dash apart with minimal fuss and wiring routed to where you want it to go, in terms of the accessories needing to be routed to the roof (dash-cam, microphone, GPS antennae).

 

Related to above earlier post image, this is how this portion is turning out.

Inside of console - in the radio tray, there is nothing really rigid to mount to, in terms of structural support - just a big hardened rubber tray. The above faceplate has been reshaped to fit inside of the radio tray extremely tightly. I'll tie it in with some small brackets to hard plastic.



Sprayed the faceplate front with a good coating of black enamel, for good contrast.



Larger view of the console with changed-out lighting switches, and the PA insert.

 

Looking good!

 

Some night-time shots of the centre-stack as it is now with the Joying 10.1". My 7" tablet is along for the ride, because it already has the Dash Command OBD2 App bought and paid for. The 7" tablet is easily addable/removable within seconds, including mount.

 

I have to replace a bulb behind the HVAC controls.

Any tips on a easy way to do this? Did you have any trouble taking that all out?

 

The HVA control module is literally just pried out from the dash mount clips on the lower front face. Be careful of using a non-mar tool, to prevent marking up your lower dash. Careful in 'tugging' it out.. they are on a shortish wiring loom leash. Disconnect the wiring loom connections. There are two bulbs, surface mount (twist counter-clockwise to release with small screw driver in slot). These are surface mount 'grain' bulbs that you have to swing by the Toyota counter for - $13.86 CDN a pop.

Edit: Just replaced a bulb last week - there is sometimes a cost to giving the upper console a "Fonzie slap" to un-stick a hazard button.

 

Thank you!!

 

Painter's 4-in-1 tool works great, it's thin on the leading edge but smooth and thicker back from the edge so it's still stiff. The panel is in a recess so you have to go straight in ~1/4" before you get behind it. Slip it in on the bottom and pry down while pulling down on the knobs and it pops out. Make sure the clips are on the panel and not the dash when you go to reinstall.

 

Thought I'd grab a photo before I proceeded further. I stripped out the headliner in the past week, in prep of wiring routing and rubber mat sound proofing. I also have to install a wiring loom pass-through on the roof.

There is also an exposed electronics box that I think communicates with the tire sensors.. I'm going to disconnect that and see what happens.

 

Insulation is now pretty much done, and i've squeezed a fair bit of "Great Stuff" EPS foam into the hollow windshield support beams.

I also installed a roof wiring pass-through bulkhead onto the roof, and ran additional power/grounding wiring through, for 'future needs'.

The wiring bundle running down the driver's side A-Pillar is somewhat impressive - and i still need to run an additional harness down for the console wiring.

Moving onto figuring out how to mount up the new Arb console... a compact switch pod arrived today, that i hope to be able to adapt in part or whole, into my Arb console changes/customization.

 

I don't need no stinking water-jet...

This is the tedious phase of the one-off console project - putting bracketry in place, and fabricating faceplates, frames and support structures into place. I need to get all this stuff made first, before i actually take the dremel to the overhead console.

All done with a Dremel, hand-filing, and lots of patience.

 

As a friend once said' "I don't know what you're doing, but it sure looks cool".

 

Another small photo-dump of project progress photos on the console.

Small 'cage' fabricated to hold the switch box in position, once support brackets are put into the overhead console drawer.



As they are going to appear in the console drawer, once support brackets are put into the overhead console drawer. Aluminium frame cut and pop-riveted to the drawer exterior, and the extra plastic routed out.

 

I see you've been busy. Nice work!

 

First major bracket done. Tedious as all heck - and i had to undo some of my work when i pop riveted some of it together backwards..

 

Wow, impressive DIY fabrication. That aluminum bezel would look real nice wrapped in vinyl.

 

Not as fancy as that, LOL. The rest of the truck is flat black and grey, so i painted the home-made bezel flat black, after filling and sanding the rivets, it looks great as it turned out, IMO.

This aspect of the console is physically done, and done with surprising little in the way of fitting complications.