Upgraded head unit that looks stock

Man, that looks pretty good. Now I’m thinking about switching..

Yea they offer a 9” (7600) https://www.crutchfield.com/p_130DMT7600/Pioneer-DMH-WT7600NEX.html?fr=1

They also have this guy that looks like what most of us are looking for (somewhat), it still needs to fill out the dash more though as there would be gaps in ours. Could potentially be something to start with in designing a 3d mock up
https://www.crutchfield.com/p_120P9UN02/Metra-109-UN02-Floating-Kit-Black.html?tp=3121

 

That looks nice...

Better than mine..
I might have to upgrade...

 

I have the 2021 premium audio non-Jbl head unit. I have no connectivity issues with iPhone se3, vintage iPod classic, Apple car play works great, Ways, and love the weather app. I may look at installing some after market upgrades but I want to keep the head unit. I don’t think I would go out of my way to install it in an older truck though. The sad thing is my factory sound system in my 1998 ford Ranger sounds better!

 

I love this look and you may have just helped me pick a new head unit.

Did you end up swapping speakers out too? I am trying to decide if I will go speaker or HU route first.

 

I 3D printed a bezel for a touchscreen. It's definitely doable but a few things to mention:

• Dimensions have to be spot on and making a model from, say, the prior head unit is time consuming. Took me 4 nights to get the surface profile ok and I'm proficient with CAD.
• You'll inadvertently miss details that matter. Toyota has a lot of mechanical locking with the dash inserts. A positive is that a Dremel can take you far.
• To look OEM will require actual finishing. I didn't bondo/sand/paint mine. Looks fine but not factory.
• There are protrusions which hold insert clips (on 2.0 gen they are yellow and white) which do not print well because of interlayer shear strengths. Best approach would be to print them separately and glue them to the bezel. The bezel should have recessed pockets to also utilize mechanical interlocking to receive these.
• This is obvious but the print time is really long and your printer has to be dialed in. Mine took a bit more than 4 days with PETG.

https://www.tundras.com/threads/raspberry-pi-open-auto-pro-carputer-build.102721/

 

It’s the Pioneer 8600NEX

If you get interested, I did an installation thread on it:
https://www.tundras.com/threads/new...600nex-into-a-2018-sr5-entune-non-jbl.100157/

 

Just head unit. It makes night/day difference in sound quality

 

It is the DMH-WT8600NEX
Pioneer DMH-WT8600NEX Digital multimedia receiver (does not play CDs) at Crutchfield

Not to be confused with the AVIC-W8600NEX
Pioneer AVIC-W8600NEX Navigation receiver at Crutchfield

I really like the way that looks..

So you ended up using the mount that came with the radio?
I looked over your install thread but I'm still confused..

Any screen lag?
My past Pioneers always had it.

 

It’s an admittedly long thread….

In order to mount it the way I did, you pull the brackets off of the factory head unit, and drill the mounting holes out so they are slotted. This allows you to position the new head unit deeper into the dash cavity. You’re using the factory brackets. It is reversible if desired.

I could probably cut the slots wider to achieve more depth and then look hard at a bezel-type piece of trim.

 

And lag- some but I wouldn’t say it’s bad. The only time I sense it is when scrolling up and down through lists.

 

I would have gone for the look you got, starting out. I wanted to keep the most stockish appearance I could, but the supply of head units was so sparse when I was ready to move that I got what I could find. I really just wanted to get CarPlay and get rid of the ridiculous hiss from the stock head unit that started when I upgraded the sound system. Thanks though!

 

Also, this head unit, using the Maestro adapter, plugs right into your OBD.

You can set up custom displays for most vehicle data you’d want. For instance, you can set up a dashboard for all fluid temps, exhaust temps, etc.

As an example, I set up a screen that has a trailer view, media, and my trans temp.

 

Still got mine (2021), only used it on the trip home from the dealer. What's it worth?

 

Argh! I did all the speakers, sub, and amp, not the HU, because the sound was better from the ragged-out '05 Corolla that sold me on Toyota bulletproof ness!

Music is still too front-balanced and, yes, added the hiss. Aftermarket HU, gets rid of that? Does it allow for better fade control?

 

Nah. It was better as a boat anchor.

 

One helluva clean install

 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/4037052451...jQpMjT-QlC&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

 

Now I'm looking at them too....this forum is the devil. I'm looking at the 9 inch Pioneer.

 

It was funny when I picked my truck up the other day.
After 8 months with that 2021 Tacoma 9 or so inch screen, my Kenwood screen looked so tiny..

 

I have the Pioneer so I feel your pain lol. Mine has the phone mount on the left side, so I'm thinking that the 9" would be a better fit. I would modify the factory bracket to make it fit like the 10 is mounted in the bottom pic. I need to figure out what mounting kit the guys have used.

 

To get this look:


We are just removing the metal brackets from our factory head unit, and modifying them slightly, then mounting those to our 10” Pioneer unit.


The modification is simple; you just make the factory screw holes slots, so that you can position the new head unit further into the cavity in the dash. If you chose to, you could reverse everything and go back to stock if you were planning to sell your truck and wanted to keep the new HU and restore the factory appearance.


You don’t break or marr anything visible doing it this way.

 

Do I still use the dash kit that my current Pioneer is mounted to but use the modified factory brackets with it? I haven't had the radio out in a while.

 

Makes perfect sense.

 

As I have read a lot of his posts. Which I encourage you to go look at. He did it without an install kit. Just using the factory brackets. And a little bit of rubber gasket material to fill in the Dead Space between the display and the dash hole. As clean as this looks. It still does not compare to how clean a factory radio is. Which is why I put the radio in from a 21 Tundra

 

I have read those a while back. If you go with the 9 inch, you would still need the side trim pieces.

 

That was my method. Its sticks out a little further but still tucked under the dash brow.

 

Thanks....I saw your pics in Panicmans install thread. I still don't know if the upgrade would be worth it cost wise.

 

I struggled with the same. It was worthwhile

 

The bigger screen does sound nice. I have a Pioneer currently so at least the wiring and Meastro, USB, and all that stuff is already done.

 

Easy change