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1st Gen. Ram - All TopicsDiscussion for all Dodge Rams prior to 1994. This includes engine, drivetrain and non-drivetrain discussions. Anything prior to 1994 should go in here.
Browsing Crutchfield's website, I stumbled upon Pioneer's modular series stereos. These units have a single DIN chassis with a double DIN, 6.8" screen. They can be mounted separately from one another or attached together to fill a double DIN opening. I opted for the DMH-C2550NEX model. As mentioned, the chassis is a single DIN so no modifications were required to make it fit other than mounting the screen. I used the brackets for the screen that came with it, cut them short and mounted them to the bottom of the "shelf / step" above the radio. In my opinion, the angle is just right for me. The plan was to make keyhole slots in their faces in order to make the screen removable so as not to capture the attention of criminal opportunists. There just wasn't quite enough material on them to be able to do so. In the meantime, I have it permanently attached with screws but I plan to make brackets out of aluminum angle so that I can follow through with my plan to make it removable. I modified the mounting / trim ring for the RGB cable to stick through. When the screen is removed, I'm able to push the cable back, leaving just the connector sticking out.
I'd like to come up with a way to either paint the chassis and DIN sleeve or cover it with something black so that it looks more finished. The brackets will certainly become more attractive and be painted also. I still have other connections to make at the rear such as AV cable extensions for rear view / back-up and front view (maybe) cameras and other inputs/outputs. I'll take a few more detailed pictures when that happens. I'm trying to find an ideal location for a back-up camera. Somewhere in the back looking aft, right??
During some early research about fooling the video-in-motion interlock, I stumbled upon and bought a "micro bypass" pigtail which tricks the unit into thinking the parking brake is set. Not as if I plan to watch videos or do any browsing at all while in motion but it will be nice to be able to access some features while at a stop light without having to set the brake. There are specific pigtails for the various units but this one is specified for a variety of Pioneer units including all of the NEX series. Simple to wire into the radio's harness; green ties to the green "parking brake" wire, black to ground and blue to the blue/white remote control (amp trigger) wire. Done and works as promised! For now, all is working as expected. It has Spotify, Pandora, Android Auto, Apple CarPlay, HD radio, is Sirius XM-ready and it controls my very old iPod Classic without a hiccup. A drastic improvement from the single DIN that I had for many years, to the 6.8" screen of the new unit! I'm diggin' it!
02-14-2021, 06:07 PM
