She's back in action!
Thread Starter
|
Postmaster
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 2,612
Likes: 2
From: Dunwoody, GA
She's back in action!
So after my truck was broken into I decided to take the insurance money and fix it myself. The thieves stole my Kenwood navigation head unit and messed up the dash and door handle. My insurance company payed pretty well and I was able to buy the parts to fix the damage for considerably less and had a bit of money left over.
The result: Rear door handles up front on both sides, and jimmi jammers installed on all 4 doors. I also removed the rods that went from the key cylinder to the lock mechanism. Next I went ahead and replaced the lower center dash with that from an 05 model and added upfitters. I have the high idle switch on one of them, my emergency lights on second, and I will have some off road lights on a 3rd. Will probably use the 4th for my air compressor.
I also decided to upgrade the stereo. I went with a Pioneer AVIC-D3 (w/ Sirius sat. radio, Bluetooth adapter, still have my old Kenwood back up camera), Elemental Designs 6000s (6.5" components) for all 4 speakers, 2 10" Elemental Designs 11Kv.3 subs in a SuperCrewSounds box, and an Elemental Designs NINe.5 amp (4x100w & 1x600w RMS). I ran 1/0 wire to the amp and upgraded the big 3 (bat - to body, bat + to alternator, engine block to body) with 1/0 as well.
Here's a few pics:
The result: Rear door handles up front on both sides, and jimmi jammers installed on all 4 doors. I also removed the rods that went from the key cylinder to the lock mechanism. Next I went ahead and replaced the lower center dash with that from an 05 model and added upfitters. I have the high idle switch on one of them, my emergency lights on second, and I will have some off road lights on a 3rd. Will probably use the 4th for my air compressor.
I also decided to upgrade the stereo. I went with a Pioneer AVIC-D3 (w/ Sirius sat. radio, Bluetooth adapter, still have my old Kenwood back up camera), Elemental Designs 6000s (6.5" components) for all 4 speakers, 2 10" Elemental Designs 11Kv.3 subs in a SuperCrewSounds box, and an Elemental Designs NINe.5 amp (4x100w & 1x600w RMS). I ran 1/0 wire to the amp and upgraded the big 3 (bat - to body, bat + to alternator, engine block to body) with 1/0 as well.
Here's a few pics:
Elder User
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 821
Likes: 1
From: Nashville
Very cool! What is your impression of the Pioneer AVIC-D3 so far?
Was the 05 lower dash panel a good fit?
On the door handle switchout, I assume you put rear handles on the front doors to make it harder to break in. Is it the key hole that lets them break in easier? Would just removing the lock rods be worthwhile?
Was the 05 lower dash panel a good fit?
On the door handle switchout, I assume you put rear handles on the front doors to make it harder to break in. Is it the key hole that lets them break in easier? Would just removing the lock rods be worthwhile?
Trending Topics
Thread Starter
|
Postmaster
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 2,612
Likes: 2
From: Dunwoody, GA
The one thing that I disliked most about the Kenwood is the Garmin navigation. I just dont like the look of it. It looks cheap and cheesy to me. Pioneer's navigation looks a LOT better IMO. I love the D3 with the exception of a couple things. 1.) There's only 1 DVD/CD slot and the navigation is DVD based so you can't use the navigation if you want to watch a movie or listen to a CD unless you load your route first then remove the nav disc. 2.) The keyboard for entering street names or POI's isn't qwerty type and is confusing at first.
The 05 dash panel is almost a perfect fit. I had to do cut up a few parts of the new dash piece as well as the main dash that it mounts to. But once you've got all the parts trimmed it looks damn near perfect. The color is just slightly off but it's hardly noticeable unless you stare at it long enough.
The door handles give a visual deterrant as would be thieves see that there are no door locks to punch out. The rear door handles also have a large piece of plastic that secures the handle to the inside of the door metal. Yes removing the lock rod would be worthwhile if you also cut off the bracket that they mount to. I was able to reach in through the hole they made in my old door handle and still unlock the doors by grabbing onto the bracket the lock rod mounts to on the lock mechanism.
The 05 dash panel is almost a perfect fit. I had to do cut up a few parts of the new dash piece as well as the main dash that it mounts to. But once you've got all the parts trimmed it looks damn near perfect. The color is just slightly off but it's hardly noticeable unless you stare at it long enough.
The door handles give a visual deterrant as would be thieves see that there are no door locks to punch out. The rear door handles also have a large piece of plastic that secures the handle to the inside of the door metal. Yes removing the lock rod would be worthwhile if you also cut off the bracket that they mount to. I was able to reach in through the hole they made in my old door handle and still unlock the doors by grabbing onto the bracket the lock rod mounts to on the lock mechanism.
FTE Stories
Ford Trucks for Ford Truck Enthusiasts
Top 6 Best Deals Available on New Fords & Lincolns Right Now
Brett Foote
This Hennessey Takes the Expedition Tremor's Off-Roading Capability to the Next Level
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Fords at 2026 Carlisle Ford Nationals
Joe Kucinski
3 Best / 3 Worst Parts of Modern Ford Ownership
Brett Foote
10 Amazing Upgrades That Solve Common Ford Truck Owner Headaches
Pouria Savadkouei
Every 2026 Ford Engine Explained
Brett Foote
10 Ugly Ford Trucks That We Still Kinda Love
Joe Kucinski
10 Things Every Truck Owner NEEDS (2026 Edition)
Michael S. Palmer
Rezvani's Latest Post-Apocalyptic Monster Is a Ford F-150 Raptor Underneath
Verdad Gallardo
Postmaster
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 4,743
Likes: 3
From: Peoria, IL
It's pretty easy, you just need the install kit from an explorer, and you have to trim a little off the top and bottom lips of the radio opening (the part you trim is totally hidden behind the radio so don't worry about it).
