Hi guys, I have a question. I just installed an Atoto A6 Pro Android double din head unit in my 99 E350. I was not really that hard, but I did have to cut all the lips off of the dash double din opening to get it to fit in. I made a complete step by step how-to guide video for anyone who is interested in seeing how to do this. My question though is, how many Econoline year models have the same size of double din opening as the 1999 E350? I think I read somewhere that this style ran from 98 through 2006 on the E-350. Is this correct? How about the E-150, 250, and 450? Are they the same?

 

I was just looking into those head units. Post a link to the video when you are done! I mainly want it so I can run the torque app (already have a bluetooth obd2 adapter) plus backup camera.

 

Will do, as soon as I get it uploaded to youtube.

 

Okay. Here is the video.

 

That dash style should run from 1997 thru I believe 2008---2009 received the newer style dash were a double DIN chassis would fit without modifying the opening.

If not already known Crutchfield.com is a great resource for not only car audio electronics but tools and mounting solutions for the Ford E-Series from 1992 onward.

 

Thanks. Would this be only for the E-350 model, or does it apply to all versions, (e.g. E-150, E- 250).

I assume the Crutchfield comment was aimed at me because I use links to amazon.com products in my video. I am not sure if you work for them, but I see you post a lot "Encouraging" people to use them. Which is great, but let me explain why I use amazon.com links and not Crutchfield. I make videos to be helpful to others. I don't promote companies, brands or products. But, It takes a lot of work and expense to make the kind of videos I make. Just my camera cost 2K. So, I need to be able to earn something for my time and expense. Amazon.com affiliate program is easy to sign up with and earns me a little money if someone buys a product through my links. I have tried to sign up for serval other programs with different companies, but I have been rejected partnership because I am not big enough. I would have to have like 100K subs on youtube to qualify for them. So, I use amazon.com because they don't crazy stupid high requirements to become a partner. If Crutchfield has an affiliate program I can qualify for that pays as good or better than amazon, send me a link to it and will sign up. I would love to have an alternative to amazon.com, but until the rest of the companies get off their butts and start trying to compete, I will have to go where I can earn some compensation for all my hard work.

 

Amazon is the beginning of the end. They are practically a monopoly. Amazon is the epitome of selfishness. Everyone in America wants to complain that Amazon doesn’t pay it’s fair share of taxes, but then continue to support them anyway.
Amazon is in the business of low prices at all costs. I’m here to tell you that is not good for America.

Wont be long til they’re in the windshield replacement business, Fire extinguisher sales/service, etc.
You catch my drift readers? :
whatever your job is- Amazon would love to undercut you. I’m a very conservative guy - capitalism and the free market is an excellent thing. But amazon is the best example of capitalism going wrong.

And yes, the double DIN radio situation is the same for e150,250,350. They all have the same dash.

 

I’ve seen JWA recommend crutchfield many times over the years, because of their level of customer service. I am pretty sure he doesn’t gain anything from it except satisfaction of helping people.

Alongside my previous rant - crutchfeld is an example of a company that provides value, instead of just cheap items for sale.

 

Any E-Series in any given year has the same body, dash boards etc etc---the only real differences in an E150, E250 etc etc is the frame, suspension, drive train and of course fuel type. Things like radio installation apply across the board.

Wow---I make absolutely NOTHING, not a fricking dime or quid pro quo participating here---zip, zero, nada, zilch. In fact I often ponder whether the time I do spend here attempting to help others, sometimes with "encouraging" suggestions of products or services I've personally used, those that have worked well for me, is that time spent worth the return I receive? A lot of times that'd be a resounding HELL NO but the few times it is helpful somehow balances it all out.

As a long time member here I've seen people come and go pretty much asking the same questions. Even though it seems I've posted the same answers to any one question 100 times I'm still willing to add what I can if it might be helpful. About 99.999999% of the time my motives aren't questioned---again I derive NOTHING from my participation here other than time I could spend doing something else.

I'm just as equally willing to bash an organization or product if I've had repeated issues with whatever it is; I'm no one's corporate pimp so get that idea out of your mind immediately.

If your Amazon links include the same level of knowledge, experience and helpful staff willing to converse in real time with even the smallest of customers as Crutchfield offers that's perfect. I BUY from Amazon, eBay etc etc when its financially prudent to do so---I go where the exact same item's full and final price is lowest. Sometimes the lowest price excludes things like "customer support"---if I don't need or anticipate a need for after-sale technical support then cheaper is better.

So good luck with your project----hope it goes well.

 

Dude, you took my comment totally the wrong way. I was not attacking you. I was just asking the question because you have pointed me to Crutchfield in almost every interaction with me. Whether you work for them or not, it is not an issue for me. You seem really sensitive about this subject so let me explain, in the hopes of helping you understand where I am coming from.

Listen, I do not know why people get all up in arms when a guy is trying to make a living. We all have to work to pay the bills. I used to run a construction company. No one got mad at me or questioned my honesty for making a living that way. Work for pay, is work for pay, whether you build houses, cars, or make youtube videos. But I got crushed under a 2000 pound beam and spent six years is a back brace, and now live in constant agonizing pain. I can't do that kind of work anymore. But I still have mouths to feed and bills to pay. So, I had to find ways to make a living using my brains, rather than my brawn.

No one questions the integrity of a carpenter, electrician, plumber, etc, unless they do shoddy work. What matters, is the quality of work and honesty. Why do people lump all people trying to make a living online into the same boat, without even looking at their work first? It is not right. I do good work and provide helpful video for people. I get tons of comments every day on my videos thanking me for my video that helped them. I don't push products or brands. I make videos the way I would want someone to make a video that I was looking for. So many people make videos that amount to nothing. Handheld, shaky, smartphone videos, that make you seasick and the creator saying something useless like this, "Hey! Look at this shiny new toy I got. It is so cool. Look, I put it in my car. Yay!" I don't make those kinds of videos.

I work hard at getting the shot to show exactly how to do something. It takes a lot of work. Each shot has to be set up. The camera has to be positioned just right, special lighting has to be applied, etc, etc. Then there is the editing part, to make the video flow well and as short as possible. Then there is the uploading and video SEO work to be done. And the list goes on. It is a lot of work to produce something that will help others. If I were building a house, no one would say, "Hey! You are bad because you are charging to build a house. You should do all that work for free or you are not an honest person." So why do people get all offended when a hard-working person makes a little something for all their hard work online? Hummm....? It is hypocritical and unjust. The question should not be HOW you make money, but whether you are doing honest good work. That should the question you ask, BEFORE you judge a person.

So, I was not condemning or judging you in my question. I was just asking. I am the last person on earth begrudge a guy making a little money for his work. Everybody on this forum is working for pay in some form unless they are on welfare or disability. I am not on either, although I qualify for both. I am not sitting on my butt saying, "I got hurt, so now everyone else must pay me." I am doing my best to take care of myself and my family with the broken body I have now. I was on welfare when I first got hurt for a while, but the day I made enough money to survive, I stopped spending one dime of that money. But they kept sending the money for six months before it stopped. I took all that money back down to them and gave it back, several thousand dollars. I said, "Here, take his back. I did not need it, but you kept sending it. Give it to someone who needs it" Can you imagine how many people in that office fainted that day? They had never had that happen before. That is the kind of guy I am.

I may not have the strong body I used to have, but the injury did not change me from the "man" I was before. I am not too proud to accept help if I need it, but I will never stop trying to find ways to take care of my needs on my own. It just hurts when everywhere I go I get looked at as being garbage because a make little money through online methods, like youtube videos and affiliate marketing. As soon as people find out that I am making money from my hard work, they reject me and look down on me for it. I have been ban from forums just because of it, not because of what I did on that forum. Take for example this thread. I only posted the video because FordGuy100 asked me to. I did not go around this forum spamming the forum with my videos. I don't do that. If someone asks a question and I have a video that answers that question, I will post that video if it appropriate to the question asked. I have standards about how I go about what I do. I hate spamming as bad as the other guy, and I will not do that. I hate it though when I get lumped together with spammers, just because people find out that I earn money for all my hard work.

Anyway, this question in the OP was research to find out to which models of vehicles this video applies to. It is just another part of the work I do to get the correct information to people so that I can help them. I appreciate your help with this. I really do. If this question has been asked before and you answered it, I apologize. I did several searches trying to find the answer before posting. All forums have notoriously bad search functions form some reason. I can seldom find anything I am looking for through them. Thanks again.

 

OBDLink software is far superior, and for the same price of admission, you get the even more capable PC based software.

 

I confess i'm a declared "Inconsistent Hipocrate", I despise walmart but amazon is far more deathly and the chinese whatever sites even more destructive....

from what I know, the Bicycle industry, retail price those not exist anymore, well inside a shop it those, but people only need a smart phone to find the going rate of any item, usually about half of suggested retail....

I used to get parts wholesale, even at pro-deal discounts, many times you can find the same part somewhere without the need to ask for any favors or even wait, amazon is immediate, but is destroying many business or at least transforming them so price is not the ultimate decision making point. for the costumer....

 

Oh, could that be due to the fact that they are the best available on this subject? Or the fact that they know their stuff inside and out, and give out tons of free, accurate advice on how to do whatever it is you want to do? Could it be due to the fact that there is literally no other company doing what they do?

Nah. Must be a profit motive. Yeah, that's it. He must be making money from it.

 

Price is not the issue. In many cases, Amazon is not the cheapest. As an internet influencer, the new economy is "Reviews" and convenience. This is not even debatable. Every product manufacturer knows this. In today's world, a product with no reviews is a product that will not sell. That is just the way it is. Like it or not. The main advantage that Amazon has ( and I am not a huge fan of them even though I make money from them), is Reviews, Selection, and Convenience. If you walk into a B&M store, you will have only one or two options for a product, three at most.

Say, for example, you are looking for new blades for your riding lawnmower. Your local lawn and garden shop might have a couple of choice. But! Can you look at those products on the shelf and see what other people that have used them had to say about their experience? Nope. I am speaking from personal experience here. Last month I bought new blades for my lawn tractor. There has been so much rain this year that I could not mow ten feet without the chute getting clogged. My blades were pretty worn, so I went on the hunt for the specific quality that the blades produced massive amounts of airflow. I went to Lowes. They had one set of blades that fit my mower and I knew just looking at them that they were garbage. I went looking on Amazon. I read hundreds of reviews on countless blades. I ended up buying the Oregon Longer Life 596-900 Gator Fusion G5 blades because of this review here:

"You've heard of the Man, well this is the Blade! I mainly bought this for the longer cutting surface, but what I got was the strongest chute speed I've ever seen. Put these on my Craftsman 42" rider. I've always had trouble getting consistent bagging force with blades. I've tried Sears, HD, Lowes, the expensive yellow blades, non worked well. If the grass was short and dry then it would get into the bins without too much effort, but knocking any growth down and bagging it was like every ten feet I had to clean the chute as there just wasn't enough lift. I had decided this was all I was going to get. I've been away on vacation and the lawn really needed mowing and bagging. I had not bagged since I put the blades on. These blades not only cut the tall stuff, they shredded it and then provided a hurricane to place it in the bin. The only time grass would stop going in was when the bins were completely full."

This review is what sold me on these blades, not anything else. Not the price. I have been using these blades and I can say that every word of that review is 100% correct. I too own a Craftsman 42" mower and have always had the same problems this guy had. So not only did his review tell me about the blades, it told me about how the blades would work on my mower. You just can't buy his kind of information at any price.

The other thing that makes amazon.com so successful, is convenience. Gasoline cost alone makes it cost-prohibitive to run to go shopping from the standpoint of economy. To drive all over town to multiple stores looking for one item does not make economic sense. It used to be that people had no choice, so they had to do it. That is not reality anymore.

Don't get me wrong, I support local business and do all the shopping I can do at mom and pop stores. But I live 30 miles out in the country. It is a 60-mile round trip just to go to the store. I go into town maybe twice a month. If I need something in the meantime and it can wait a couple of days, I have to order it online.

Another factor is the horrible state of the economy. Back in 1990, I got a job as a carpenter's helper on a construction site. I earned $9.90 an hour. Gasoline was .89 cents gallon. Bread was four loaves for a dollar. A burger King Whopper Combo was $1.99. Tacos at Taco Bell were .32 cents. My Appartement was $220 a month (All Bills Paid). Car insurance was $25 a month. An ER visit cost about $200. And my 1979 F-250 Super Cab had a wonderful Holley Four Barrel Carburetor, and I could do all my repairs myself under a shade tree, to save money. Fast forward 30 years to today. In the region of Texas where I live, $10 an hour is a top wage. 90% of the population in the labor force is making less than $10 an hour. Gasoline is $3 a gallon, bread is $2 a loaf, a Burger King Whopper Combo is $9 bucks, and a simple ER visit will cost you $5,000 or more, and a cheap apartment is $700 a month. My son who is a trained Paramedic, is Red Cross Certified, F.E.M.A Certified, W.H.O. Certified, and a Military vet, was making $6 an hour (on average), working 72 to 100 hours week saving peoples lives on an ambulance for six years, and he lost that job due to county cutbacks. This was good paying for his type of work in our region. Obviously, he could not make ends meet making so little, so he and his wife live with me and my wife for the past six years.

The bottom line is that wages in Texas have not increased in 30 years, while the cost of living has gone up 300 to 400%. Those are real numbers. People have to pinch every penny they got just to survive. The simple fact is, I man can't earn a living wage in America anymore. It used to be that a man could work 40 hours a week and provide a decent life for his wife and kids. Now it takes three or four people working two jobs in one household just to survive. This is why so many grown children have to live at home until they are 40. There is nothing Great about this America we live in now, from that standpoint. But it is the reality we live in and people can't afford to drive all over town burning gas to buy one item at a local shop, no matter how much they want to support local businesses.

 

To be perfectly honest, I have tried them every time I needed something in this category and they have come up short. For example, I cannot find a single Android Head Unit of their whole site. There are some that say, "Android Compatible" but they do not offer one with an Android OS. Android is the most used OS in the world by huge margins and yet they don't offer an Android-based head unit. I am sure they have their reason, but their reasons lost them my business on this sale. I am not saying they are bad or anything, but so far they have not been correct on the information they have offered me. For example, my son has a 1998 Nissan Frontier and he wanted to put a new stereo in it. I looked up the installation kit on Crutchfield for the exact model of truck and ordered it. Completely wrong kit. Not even close to what he needed. It was the only kit Crutchfield offered for his model of truck and they insisted until they were blue in the face that it was the right one. I went to autozone.com and put in his model of truck and it came up with a completely different kit that was the correct one.

So yeah, based on my personal experience with them, I keep wondering why everyone on this site can't stop talking about them with honey dripping lips and perfume scented breath. I am beginning to think they own the site or something or at least are the main sponsor. Or maybe you guys just want to support them because they are not amazon.com, which is perfectly fine. Support what you believe in, but do not try to sidewise suggest that my honest question was somehow wrong or stupid with your snarky comments. I have been nothing but open and honest and I don't deserve that from you.