It seems like installers never have time to work on their own vehicles, and I'm no exception. I've had my Toyota Tundra for about one and a half years now and have only managed to add some video and navigation to the factory system. It's definitely time to upgrade. The first step is to integrate some new Alpine products into the truck. Alpine's new Vehicle Hub Pro uses a video screen to control all audio and video functions via a wired remote, so I'll need an in-dash screen where the factory radio currently resides. Alpine's biggest fixed-mount-style screen measures in at 6 1/2", but I wanted something bigger. I decided to take the 10.2-inch screen out of the PKG-1000 overhead monitor. This will be a tight squeeze in the confines of the Tundra dash, but it will look completely factory when finished. This month, we'll cover mounting the screen in the dash using the factory mounting brackets. Our next installment will show you how to integrate the screen into the factory dash piece just like Toyota would have done. Send your questions to sbrown@alpine-usa.com and check out SteveBrownUniversity.com as well.
This is the stock 2004 Toyota Tundra dash with the factory double-DIN CD/cassette deck. The factory JBL system in this truck isn't too bad for a stocker, but it has to go!
Four 10mm bolts hold the factory radio in place. After removing these bolts, unplug the antenna and power harnesses from behind the radio and remove it.
A saw is used to cut the four points at which the plastic piece is held to the dash. A handsaw was used here, but an air saw can also be used if you're careful.
The first step is to remove the radio trim bezel, which also contains the air vents and HVAC controls. Five screws, two behind the vents and one behind each HVAC control, hold it in place along with some clips.
This plastic piece will have to be removed to fit the large 10.2-inch screen, but it will not affect the integrity of the dash area.
Now, the plastic piece can be removed. Notice how much space we gained for our large monitor inside the dash opening.
A steel brace that holds the radio in place must also be removed to gain clearance for the monitor. Three screws at the top of the opening keep it firmly in the dash. Remove these and it comes out easily. Keep this piece and the screws in case you ever want to re-install the factory radio.
All of the circuit boards necessary to operate the screen are mounted to the back using 1/4" ABS plastic, which makes the whole unit compact. Notice the white wires coming off the back of the screen - these are for the remote eye, which will be mounted in the dash to allow adjustment of the screen functions.
After making the steel mount, it is removed from the truck and mounted to the back of the monitor. We attached it to the 1/4" ABS plastic we used to mount the circuit boards behind the screen using eight 10-24 hex head bolts.
The factory dash bezel is now put back in place to check the clearance. After a few minor adjustments, it fits great. Notice that the radio opening in the factory dash is not large enough to view the screen completely. We will show you how to increase the size of this opening in next month's column.
The monitor that we're using in the Tundra is an Alpine PKG-1000, a flip-down 10.2-inch overhead screen. We disassembled the overhead housing and removed the monitor, along with the associated circuit boards, in order to mount it in the dash.
Now we need to mount the screen in the Tundra dash. To do this, a 10"-long piece of 1"-wide, 1/8"-thick steel was cut and bolted into the dash using the factory head unit mounting brackets. This assures a strong, secure mount to the truck.
The monitor can now be bolted into the dash of the Tundra. We decided to mount it deep in the dash so that we won't have glare problems in the bright Southern California sunshine.
There is also a gap between the factory panel and the new monitor, and we will fix this when we increase the size of the dash opening as well.