Im thinking of getting something like this to modernise the coupe a bit plus i hate having wires around when im driving (tomtom)

http://www.jvc.eu/kw-nt1/index.html

Obviously i would have to remove the ashtray and fit a new cage...

Has anyone done this? Ive seen a photo of someone who had a pc in the coupe and it looked quite cool. Would be nice to see some simular installs

alpine do a touch screen monitor that then connects to there media hud thats like a i-drive then that will give you the same effect but no need to mess about with heater controls

There's a whole load of threads regarding this, I *dont think* its ever been done successfully though.....someone please correct me if i'm wrong.... It could look really nice if done well...

Do not get anything with a touch screen IMHO. They are just terrible and you never know if the touch has worked or not. Much safer are positive click buttons.

to be honest id rather buy a ipad and have a good stereo then bother with the agro

I dont think ide need to mess with heater controls, it would go where the ashtray is... the console is empty down there



It comes with a remote control - my last unit was the same - touch screen that is with a remote to assist when driving (mounted to the steering wheel)



fair enough but ... nah - i want to do something different



Watch this space

It would look something like....

Well if you need a spare lower console iv got one in the parts section

that looks brilliant, really 'factory', if that can be achieved i'd like to know more.....

not excatly in sight of line, for a touchscreen purposes or sat nav purposes it doesn't really do the job.

its needs to be mounted above the heater controls.

I've done it but my fibre glass skills are shocking!

I appriciate its not in the ideal place however the sat nav talks to you, and we glance down at teh sterio anyway.

Ive got a spare lower and upper console at home (thanks for the offer - TheAudioGuy) So i will start to have a play around and see how i get on. Again i really dont think it will need much modding to get it in once the ashtray is out of the way.

The system im going to fit has a remote control which makes it easier than faffing around with the touch screen.

I agree that putting it where the heater dials is the best place however i really dont have the capabilities to do that... plus it will probably look pants

if i was going to try this i would buy a square double din facia plate "for any car" then remove the ashtray, cut out what isnt needed from the center console, then mount the cage and double din headunit into place allowing room for the back of the headunit and cables "i take it your buting a china unit dvd? if so have a look at eonon on ebay, there the best cheap ones" glue gun or mark the position you need the facia to stay in, get some carpet glue spray and a old t-shirt, sretch it round the back then mix up some resin& hardener only, brush on fabric, leave to dry, mix up fiberglass filler, reinforce the back an sides, leave to dry, then for the front mix up car body filler and resin& hardener together then shap the center console, dry, sand, fill, sand, undercoat, paint ect

also just like to point out that in the pic it looks like a monitor or screen has been fitted and not a double din unit, probberly a incar pc

or something like this

click

click

or buy this

pop out top dash screen

chinaman testing

Cheers for the advice...

I have a spare console and lower console to mock this up on... however fitting the cage and stuff with have to be done on the car.

Ive seen those popup dashes they look cool but im not sure if it will look good on the coupe - i wanted to keep stuff off the dash hence moving away from the tom tom.

I looked into the cheap chineese units...

Im un decided - i have two options


1. http://www.jvc.eu/kw-nt1/index.html

2. Just buy a screen and run a car pc in the boot and do it that way. The latter will be easier to install however it will mean making my own software and will be a bit of a pain... unless i go for some of the aftermarket software packages but most of them look pretty pants.

What do you think? Am i better off just going with the jvc unit?

It would be nice if i actually had a whole center console ie all the metal behind it so i can really test it out of the car with the cage and ensure a perfect fit

its a hard one because a i dont think a double din stereo is the way to go even though the jvc does look tasty, i would think the pop-up dash screen would look alsome and there is good incar pc operating systems out there but personaly why the hell do you want a pc for anyway?

id use the top screen for dvd, freeview tv, navigation and psp2, also remember you can get a tv-out cable for the iphone and jailbroken theres software which will allow the tomtom and apps to be viewed on a screen, so no need to have a pc

alpine, pioneer and sony do make singal din dvd headunit but personaly id go down the alpine route of using a touch screen monitor and there media center setup thats like a i-drive setup

Sorry mate i wasnt clear when i meant pc - i meant car pc with car pc software :o)

i like the idea of the pop up system on the dash however i wanted to make it look as oem as possible - it may look strange as the dash where the dials are is rounded and then the popup screen will be square

yer i guess but it all comes down to what you like really

what about mounting a single din unit flip out unit where the front vents are and then making the vents where the stereo was

Thats another good possibility however the flip out units always remind me of the cheap ripspeed ones

I dont supose you have the back of a center console for sale? I can pick up... i have the lower console and the facer however it would be nice to have the existing cage so i can fix it all and get it completely set up out of the car how it should be...

nope sorry i dont i left it on the dash when it got scraped

mmm ok i will have to look out for one

or go to a breakers yard and get the pop out screen mechanism out of a Renault put your own touch screen in etc etc and hey cool dash.,worked well on a corrado i did a few years back,
Although im with A G on a good quality cd instead, maybe sun visor screens would be a better choice

i'm running centrafuze on mine and its a very good piece of software. I recommend it over streetdeck.

its very intuative.

Mario,

Go to www.chinavasion.com

They have some awsome double din steros, with every gadget you could ever imagine & there & Cheaper than ebay.

Its the place ebayers buy them from and sell them at huge profits as they provive a dropshipping service.

Wink Wink

hey just saw this

touch screen heater control

Ive seen that before! Pretty cool isnt it? Very well made as well.... a bit laggy but im sure thats not the final version

its worth getting in contact with the guy to see how it was done

I am sorry but it is awful. Great coding work etc but as a control for a car system it is shocking and should be illegal. There is no feedback and with lag you will be wondering if the button is pressed. This is unessesary distraction when driving a 100mph+ car.

Give me tactile switches everyday.

different strokes...

i think it looks cool

yes im not too keen on it either but i appriciate it as a technical achievement...

i still plan to fit a double din in the lower part of the consol but for purly audio/entertainment purposes.

So do I but I would not want anything PC based (especially windows) running anything in my car as it will doubtless crash or you will get "are you sure" and "are you realy sure" when all you want to do is turn a fan off

While performing a 3 point turn Your coupe performed an illegal operation, It will now shut down... a coolant dump has been created...

If this problem persists please contact Fiat who will point you in the direction of the door

Sorry for joining the party late, but I've had recent urges to go down this route. I want the Blaupunkt New Jersey to go in. I'm taking the car to a custom installation place in Chingford to see what they can do. They'll be taking apart the original clarion and the ash tray for inspection.
I've just come back from another car audio shop today and the guy's face went white when he saw the 20vt pull in. He spent days working on similar request and swears he'll never do another 20vt. Aparently the gear box and too many other internals got in the way for a proper installation.
See what happens on Tuesday next week and I'll be sure to keep this thread alive.

Mate iv heard bad stuff about that shop, it opposit the Audi dealership ain't it, near halfords

quick question

I've done some prelim measurements & there is "just" and I mean just enuf room to cut out & move the whole heater assembly to where the radio lives at present & just enough room to fit a double din in its location, HOWEVER, is there enough room / depth to allow for a double din system to fit where the heater controls go ?

I know about the measurements, as I'm carefully cutting up a spare console, if it were to fit, then his could be a medium difficulty project, whilst keeping the console looking OEM...

...think I may have a go at the console 1st & see what it looks like

hmm.....

it may fit on the fascia, just about, but I think it will need some reinforcement & who knows if there is enough space behind the heater controls

cut n shut !

must admit, it does look quite stock, but there are losts of issue, as the heater control fascia is slightly curved, whereas the ashtray was flat

ive had a few go,s now at doing this and the only way its going to be strong enough is were the radio is now, but take out ash tray and rebiuld the bottom part to fit the double din,also set the top part as the single din would be so it faces up at you,move cigy lighter to the consol buy the window switch.

have a look at this:

Clicky

And this was my attempt, although I got loads of stick for rushing it and not doing a good job at all, i think its still the best location.

Failed attempt

I've got a 3 day slot with a custom/bespoke outfit in NE London next Wednesday. I'll be sure to have some pics available by the end of the week. The dd is going replace the old clarion/ashtray slot, with the lighter relocated.
They seem confident about installation and have been helpful in the prelim process for the last 2/3 weeks.

Got a couple of Pioneers which I'm struggling to decide on.

ah like this you mean,as my mate did brianmay.
http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/5170/dsc04539pt2.jpg
this is what i am on about but on the same angle as the std radio is now so it looks up at you.

that's very nice Cowboy, however that's just a monitor so depth is not an issue.

I am personally going to relocate the heater controls to the bottom, as they aren't that important.

This will allow the Double DIN to be at the right eye level, whether there is enough room is another matter ( depth wise ! ), there is enough room to fit it in & still keep the Ashtray

I guess I am saying "watch this space!!". I'll hopefully post the pictures over the weekend. I dropped my car off at a custom/bespoke Ice specialist yesterday.This morning, I got the call to say the console had been dismantled to find out enough clearance space at the back.
Hopefully, I'll be bringing the car back tomorrow or Sat.
I can't wait!! (Fingers crossed)

I'l be interested what rought has been taken but don't except anything be factory finish look, anything loose and hanging out or fowling is just not worth paying good money for

got my double din cage, & it fits in the hacked up space, maybe this weekend I'll do some fibreglassing

May work, then again if not, so what.....

be interested to see how your double din comes out

Cowboy - what are the details of that? Looks very slick.

Good god don't let barnacle see that!

Brianmay is from Portugal but he comes on here from time to time,he did have a link with all the stuff he can do and how he did that one,clever lad.taz sorry mate never looked at the first page,this would be the best place for fitting i know its a bit low but for cd dvd radio would be spot on.
http://www.fiatcoupeclub.org/forum/imagepopup.php?image=http://www.fiatcoupeclub.org/downloads/photo.jpg

I will have to drop him a line. The centre console looks very slick. I have seen some good deals on 7" HUs which started my interest, but last week the rumour of a 7" iPad surfaced. That would be awesome in a car!

Barnacle has seen it. Very nice installation. You could run startrek on that.

Or you could get this:

Stupid question Desmond but is that a fixed position?

http://i760.photobucket.com/albums/xx248/Desmond_062/Pioneer1.jpg

http://i760.photobucket.com/albums/xx248/Desmond_062/Pioneer2.jpg

Mixed fortunes with the results; the devil is in the detail. So would really appreciate some honest opinions.
The unit is the Pioneer AVH3200BT.
I'll have some more pictures hopefully tomorrow. I've just been camped in the car for the last two days, playing around with the functions which are impressive for the pioneer unit.

The bespoke fit which i was promised,is slightly underwhelming. May be my expectations were greater than the theirs.

The position is fixed and slightly tilted as the old clarion. The bracket has had to be modified slightly to accomodate the slight variation in width between the ashtray and the stereo spaces.
The dvd is accessable and is fully retrievable in 1st gear. Its been hotwired to display the film at all times (even while driving - I don't do this).
The telephone microphone is actually set into the rear window mirror.

des thats a good go but it dont look stock like this one
http://www.fiatcoupeclub.org/forum/imagepopup.php?image=http://www.fiatcoupeclub.org/downloads/photo.jpg
but i would say with a little bit of work it could be spot on.

yes I can see where there going with that one, personaly I would find someone to fiberglass the sides and blend the lower bottom of where the pioneer unit sit, then colour code the center pannel to the dash strip

yes audioguy spot on.

not bad Desmond, I did think that they were going to place it where the heater controls were, they have taken the "easier" option.

I do agree with cowboy & AD guy that it needs to be finished off, as the side slats just don't do it for me.

Good attempt & with a bit of finishing off, it will look very stock

What did they charge you to fit it if you dont mind me asking?

£300 for the fitting over 3 days. I have to admit I took my chances with this one, and I'm going go back to them to try and rectify the gaps along the sides. I'll keep you guys informed with the results.

mate you know, im no cowboy.........erm cowboy

now to put this into prospective, at one time i offered to make stelth installs for the coupes for £250, and theyv charged you £300 to "make fit" a double din into a coupe, now i dont know them but for that what theyve done i would of said "er... thats it! you didnt even fiberglass it and sprayed it black to make it look oem.

your problem now is that theyv got the money and as far as they see it the jobs been agreed and done, i hope you can get it properly finished off, best thing to do is see how well these bits of cut plastic are if you know what i mean, if its not staying together under normal use then you know what im saying

Des can you not print a pic of the pic i but up to take with you,then theres no way they can say that it would not fit any other way,300 is about 295 to much for what they did
http://www.fiatcoupeclub.org/forum/imagepopup.php?image=http://www.fiatcoupeclub.org/downloads/photo.jpg

not a bad fit imo...

im looking to get my jvc fitted once i get some cash so will keep and eye on your progress and post up mine as and when.

Its great to see this though

Who did this one? Looks good, and I would be interested to know where it was done.

i found that one on the internet and uploaded it to the club webspace, i could never track down who did it - but thats what im aiming for

I'll be sure to take the pic "Cowboy" this weekend. I've got a follow up with the guy and we'll see how this goes.

The construction and fitting's ok, sturdy enough. I even asked the guys at the local Fiat dealership to look at it; they were impressed I kid u not, with the install. The aesthetics; that's my problem, but I do want to go the whole 9 yards.

Word of warning the centre console and the middle console all had to come out.

Once I've had a chance to go back this weekend,I'll hand out the details of this ICE outfit and see if they measure up on the apres service.

I think I've taken a chance, but that's at my expense. Hopefully we now have an example, fellow y'all can follow suit - Bon chance!!

g,luck mate i no they can do better,just takes a bit of time.

This thread has just made me want to go double din style now love it

Des £300 seems abit much tbh £150 would be about the right price...but if they can sort the detailing out in the 300 then its worth it! good luck with this mate looks good

Double DIN is easy, providing you have enough room

the coop centre console just ain't made for it, not easily !

I've almost cobbled the centre console to swap the heater controls to the base ( I've left the ashtray bollocks alone, quite why cars have them is beyond me )

But, the gamble is if there is enough room when the heater controls are removed, I may end up giving up, as it looks like a lot of hacking, maybe if I had access to a scrap coop, it'd be a lot easier to practice !

good luck

i think its a good idea i would love a double din in my car but we could do with someone making these i think quite a few would sell

Someone needs to do a How to guide on this...