[Tryanide]

So my latest passion project while I've been throwing money at my truck was to pick up an android powered double DIN head unit. I went this route because it was insanely cheap and it boasted a lot of the features that I wanted out of a higher end head unit while still seeming like the better option. I ended up going with the cheapest unit they sell which comes out of the box with 1GB of ram and 1GB internal storage. It runs an android tablet UI which I'm going to attempt to change because it really leaves something to be desired but also came with a rear USB harness, GPS Antenna and a WiFi antenna for the tablet's WAN connection.

Everything I read about putting a double DIN into a third gen was pretty spot on, you have to cut everything that touches the radio out and I went with taking a shot at making my own mounts out of sheet metal and a dream, which didn't turn out the worst. I've so far put my mounts and pretty much my dash project on the back burner since I've decided to buy myself a 3D printer and plan on drawing up some double DIN mounts in CAD that give me a nice adjustable fitment and retain the stock clip's into the radio that my single DIN kit had.

I've got a piece of ABS cut out to delete my broken airbag light and I also have 2 ABS 'ears' to use to ditch the stock radio knob cut outs and I also plan on taking the vinyl off and paint matching it to the same metallic as my truck and body working it all in nicely. My only gripe about the whole setup so far has to be the 24w RMS outputs off the head unit with the weirdest pre-amp and volume control ever but that should no longer be a problem after I jam a couple of amps back in my truck. All in all this is a hundred times better than my double DIN and the only reaction I've gotten from my mockup with everything in and correct fitment was "Really just looks stock".

While I had my truck ripped apart doing my wideband and the dash I took the time to cut my bench apart in prep for building a center console that works into the radio bezel and all the way into my extended cab. I've never designed anything let alone out of MDF but I love the look it gives and the jump seat in these trucks are completely useless in my opinion.

 

[wmpotter399]

I am not sure if you seen this... but, I just found this yesterday. Metra makes an install kit now.

95-6557B

Metra 95-6557B Dash Kit (Matte black) Fits select 2005-07 Dodge Dakota trucks — double-DIN radios at Crutchfield

FREE 2-day Shipping: Metra 95-6557B Dash Kit This mounting kit lets you install a double-DIN (4 tall) aftermarket stereo in your vehicle's dash

www.crutchfield.com

 

[Tryanide]

I am not sure if you seen this... but, I just found this yesterday. Metra makes an install kit now.

95-6557B

Metra 95-6557B Dash Kit (Matte black) Fits select 2005-07 Dodge Dakota trucks — double-DIN radios at Crutchfield

FREE 2-day Shipping: Metra 95-6557B Dash Kit This mounting kit lets you install a double-DIN (4 tall) aftermarket stereo in your vehicle's dash

www.crutchfield.com

Funny enough that's pretty much exactly what I plan on making design wise (Except for the fat sticky outty bit I'm gonna roll with in dash flush mount), cut guide and all lol glad there's a legit kit out there though.

I'm just waiting on my cheap 4 channel for my doors and stuff right now along with a backup cam.

 

[Dr. Awesome]

You will love have a balling SMART stereo in your truck! Makes life easier! I cheated and got a single din with a flip out screen as I have the gen 2 and it doesn’t make a difference with the monitor at all. If u got the wireless rear camera hook it to your rear taillights so it work automatically when u put it in reverse. At least mine does. The gps is a little sketchy where I live in the mountains so I just mainly use the apple mirror function and I have no issues. All u need is the custom sub box under your rear seats. Not sure if they make the same one as mine as yours is a gen 3. With some research I’m sure u can fine something. Looking good!

 

[Tryanide]

You will love have a balling SMART stereo in your truck! Makes life easier! I cheated and got a single din with a flip out screen as I have the gen 2 and it doesn’t make a difference with the monitor at all. If u got the wireless rear camera hook it to your rear taillights so it work automatically when u put it in reverse. At least mine does. The gps is a little sketchy where I live in the mountains so I just mainly use the apple mirror function and I have no issues. All u need is the custom sub box under your rear seats. Not sure if they make the same one as mine as yours is a gen 3. With some research I’m sure u can fine something. Looking good!

So true to be honest I shouldn't have slept on getting a flipout or double din having an actual monitor let alone an android tablet in your whip is mint. I've had a full system in the truck before (2 JL 10s in a ported blowy box and an mtx jackhammer) but I actually took it out and sold it so I could go move up north and work up there for a bit. Finally starting to put all the pieces back together and doing it bigger and better like I promised myself I would. Car audio has always been a big hobby to be honest I plan on trying out some cool one off shit on my build.

With that being said my amp for my doors finally showed up too just a little Pyle 4ch by 50w rms just to get past those god awful ones on my head unit for the moment. Backup cam is not wireless I don't think which is fine I really just wanted one that wasn't Garbo quality and would work without actually body working a camera into the truck or mounting it really fugly.

I bought a stain remover cause holy does my interior ever need it I don't think this trucks ever been detailed beside me keeping it cleanish for the four years I've had it, so while I got the carpet and seats out again I'm gonna run all my speaker wires and get my holes drilled to mount my amp. Ive decided to throw this guy under the passenger seat for now which might change when I finally cut and install a piece of MDF against my sound deadened cab.

Next I'm gonna be body filling, sanding and painting a couple interior pieces to try and decide if that's the route I want to go on the inside yet and now that I have some mids and an amp I'm looking into buying some big boi Skar 6.5s and using those for my 5th and 6th speaker location as well as some 2 inch tweeters and crossover as well as probably getting ready to design a box for the extended cab.

(Got some more photos for the thread just on mobile in my truck rn...)

 

[Dr. Awesome]

I mounted my amp under the passenger seat as well. You can rent a car upholstery steam cleaner from any grocery store. I used my wife’s little one she has and just doubled up on the soap. Took forever but man it was worth it. Looks and smells so nice......until she borrows it and smoked weed in it with one of her girlfriends!!!! Ah well. I’ll just fart a bunch in her mustang in the spring as payback and wear my work boots in it! Hahahahaha

 

[Tryanide]

Quick lil update here's a couple pic's of the two cut's I made in my dash to physically fit my double din in

So the way I went about it was I actually cut the bottom piece first on the sides to the exact size of my double din centered up and then I also left that flat lip at the very bottom as a guide for really the lowest I could mount my head unit. While mounted it actually rests on it flat which is just a bit low for my setup which'll get changed when I re-do my mounts. I think you could possibly leave the bottom and the two mounts into the reinforcement in and just cut out the top, but I think you're also gonna start to interfere with the actual vent ducts. The whole dash is still really solid around the cuts and I could honestly take some more out yet if I wanted to fancy up what's gonna get hidden forever again.

I'm really happy with my head unit so far, I've gotten my amp so far just waiting on a couple more wiring kits because the one I bought was around 40% lighter gauge wire than advertised, got to love them Amazon specials. My dash bezel should be getting slapped together some time next week just need to snag some body filler and primer from a body shop and get things rolling.

Other than that I need to drill my holes in the door and into the cab for the rear 5/6th speakers cause I'm not a fancy boi and only have an SLT, they're gonna get wired into the stock harness and to the head unit for the moment but I will eventually turn them into two speaker doors. I think the box I plan on building is gonna completely tuck the rear two speaker so imma have to move those somewhere else. And pic of the first sheet of sound deadening I've had down for a couple months now. Gonna put another layer of deadening over it before I cover it in a sheet in 1in or 3/4 MDF to clean it up.

(This is the most I could tame these images lol)

 

[02GenHandMeDown]

Looks like progress!

 

[Dr. Awesome]

Nice

 

[Tryanide]

Alrighty quick update, everything I bought finally showed up so of course I immediately got rolling on everything at once, I'm actually siting in the truck in the state its in right now with the laptop having a smoke break before the carpet comes out for a wash.

While the carpet is drying the game plan is to get my amp sitting in here and start running my wires back to it. I need to clean the floor pan too, it's disgusting.

 

[Dr. Awesome]

Looking good. FYI the sound dead mat doesn’t work if it’s not everywhere. I c all kinda gaps. Other than that looking good

 

[Tryanide]

Looking good. FYI the sound dead mat doesn’t work if it’s not everywhere. I c all kinda gaps. Other than that looking good

Thanks man, and the stuff on the sides was some cheap stuff I got when I was tossing up sound deadening my truck. When I took my back trim off permanently though the rattle from the dual wall sheet metal and just the bare look was bugging me so the back is done in real butyl butted up to each other and rolled on. All the black stuff on the back is just butyl that's squeezed out from rolling them into each other a bit too much. None of the stuff in the sides of the cab and the doors is gonna stay just not scraping it out until I get new sheeting cause it really doesn't come off pretty. Just doing the rear of the cab took all the rattle out of the back wall and the two cab vents tbh. I'm planning on putting another 40-60 square feet of butyl down yet and the back of the cab is getting doubled up.