New stereo head unit

[devildog80]

Yep, wife and I are together 24/7 since her double brain aneurysm in 2010 and me working remote.

We carry conversation pretty good, truck has new stock exhaust when I got it, so radio mostly just for background.

Just not sure about smaller speakers from above having reasonable sound quality, but sound tech has come a long way since I worried about putting speakers in a vehicle.

Sometime back in the 1980's?

If my wife did not want sound, besides the sound of the truck itself, I probably would not even fix/replace the radio or speakers.

Sometimes can’t decide if I’m cursed or fortunate, mines happy listening to a singing V8 lol.

I'd say lucky--number one you don't have to worry about blasting your ears out w/the radio, and number two it probably also means that (assuming your engine isn't TOO loud) she enjoys talking to you

[devildog80]

Only 5'11", and at 62 starting to get a bit shorter each year, so not too much of an issue there.

With T & G wood headliner I would lose just a bit of headroom too compared with OEM headliner, but can place them so not directly above my head.

Maybe center like in overhead console area, which I have none in mine, and more than enough "josteling room" on rough roads to not get wacked?

As I have the opportunity to go with anything reasonable regarding sound, I was thinking of not putting speakers back in the doors, and build them into the new T & G wood headliner I would like to do.

Anybody out there put smaller speakers in the headliner?

If so, I am sure they needed to be low profile, and what did you ultimately use?

If my wife did not want sound, besides the sound of the truck itself, I probably would not even fix/replace the radio or speakers.

I'm not sure you can w/o making the headliner taller, and depending on your height, you don't wanna do that.

[SJohn]

It looks like this thread is mostly for pre 85 FSJs, but I wanted to share my solution for the later models that wasn't a big flashy single din radio with disco lights. After my original Jeep radio started eating cassettes, I decided to swap it for a continental marine single din head unit. I kept the original to possibly repair at a later time. The continental unit has Bluetooth AM FM and Aux but isn't gaudy like most new units with the flashing LED lights, etc. It looks very subtle in the factory dash, isnt extremely bright at night, and sounds great with the 5.25" kicker door speakers. If money weren't an option, I would go with a Blaupunkt unit with the cassette player though.

Sent from my SM-G981V using Tapatalk

[sierrablue]

It looks like this thread is mostly for pre 85 FSJs, but I wanted to share my solution for the later models that wasn't a big flashy single din radio with disco lights. After my original Jeep radio started eating cassettes, I decided to swap it for a continental marine single din head unit. I kept the original to possibly repair at a later time. The continental unit has Bluetooth AM FM and Aux but isn't gaudy like most new units with the flashing LED lights, etc. It looks very subtle in the factory dash, isnt extremely bright at night, and sounds great with the 5.25" kicker door speakers. If money weren't an option, I would go with a Blaupunkt unit with the cassette player though.

Sent from my SM-G981V using Tapatalk

Looks good! I think nobody's mentioned the '86+ because there are so many options since it's not a shaft-mounted radio.

You've got an aux port--just take out the old Walkman and plug it in

Is that a BJ's HVAC system I spy?

[SJohn]

I haven't thought about the Walkman idea. I'll have to pick up a cassette player with aux! And yes that is the classic auto air HVAC unit from BJs.

Sent from my SM-G981V using Tapatalk

[Pablo]

FYI: You can mount most flat screen head units without cutting the dash.

I hated the retrosound unit I ordered. I put it back in the box after handling it and listening to it. I decided to order an Android flat screen head unit to mess around with. So, after getting the Joying unit I ordered, I discovered that most of these units can remote mount. So, you can install it without cutting the dash.

• Buy a single din unit. They are the same internally, the double din just wastes more space to mount in a double din.
• Remote mount the head unit under the dash next to where the stock radio popped out. You will need to fab a single din unit mount behind the dash.
• You may need to order a longer screen connector cable. You can do that for the Joying unit.
• Make a block off plate that attaches and tightens through the post mounts. Drill holes in the block off plate for the screen mount to attach to.
• Attach screen and mount to block off plate and connect cable from head unit to screen.

I'm going with this approach after I get the sound insulation in. No point putting any radio in it until then-- engine too loud.

If you get fancy, you can probably make a visor built in to the block off plate to control glare and hide a smaller sized screen. The screen has to fit under the curve of the dash, but the screen mount mounts to the screen in multiple locations-- so you can move the screen up or down to make it fit. I am using an 8 inch screen that fits between the ash tray cutouts. It will hang over the glove box though, but I am going to mount the box door differently so it slides down and pivots and tucks under instead of folding out. Then I will put my ham radios or ugly electrical switches or something under there and keep them covered when I am not using them.

[sierrablue]

FYI: You can mount most flat screen head units without cutting the dash.

I hated the retrosound unit I ordered. I put it back in the box after handling it and listening to it. I decided to order an Android flat screen head unit to mess around with. So, after getting the Joying unit I ordered, I discovered that most of these units can remote mount. So, you can install it without cutting the dash.

• Buy a single din unit. They are the same internally, the double din just wastes more space to mount in a double din.
• Remote mount the head unit under the dash next to where the stock radio popped out. You will need to fab a single din unit mount behind the dash.
• You may need to order a longer screen connector cable. You can do that for the Joying unit.
• Make a block off plate that attaches and tightens through the post mounts. Drill holes in the block off plate for the screen mount to attach to.
• Attach screen and mount to block off plate and connect cable from head unit to screen.

I'm going with this approach after I get the sound insulation in. No point putting any radio in it until then-- engine too loud.

If you get fancy, you can probably make a visor built in to the block off plate to control glare and hide a smaller sized screen. The screen has to fit under the curve of the dash, but the screen mount mounts to the screen in multiple locations-- so you can move the screen up or down to make it fit. I am using an 8 inch screen that fits between the ash tray cutouts. It will hang over the glove box though, but I am going to mount the box door differently so it slides down and pivots and tucks under instead of folding out. Then I will put my ham radios or ugly electrical switches or something under there and keep them covered when I am not using them.

That's all well and good, IF you're into having a massive screen. Unfortunately that's one of my draws to older stuff...although my Retrosound sounds good so probably not an issue...