Double DIN stereo install in my 85 E350

[Cubey]

(I thought this deserved it's own thread, rather than being buried in my RV's general thread.)

What can I say? I got bored and decided to hack my RV's dash a bit for a double DIN Android head unit I already had laying around.

I have been hauling this Android stereo (in-dash tablet basically) that I bought way back around late 2015 or early 2016 and installed in my last car. I pulled it out before I sold the car in early 2017 and it's been boxed up since because it was basically impossible to install a double DIN in my 87 F250.

It's not so impossible in the vans! There is a ton of unused space all around the single DIN stereo. I did have to do a tiny bit of hacking to the interior plastic but it only mattered for the original, heavy ass factory stereos. The huge metal support had to be unbolted from inside too. (2 nuts and a bolt)

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Before I started hacking it up, I checked the stereo first to be sure it still works, and it does.

You can set the startup boot logo to any car brand, as well as change the button colors. I had them red to match the gauge colors in the Pontiac Vibe it was in. I never even took the protective film of the screen... that's how little I used the thing. It's just been sitting for 3 years. At this point it's not worth selling, and I do want to use it.. so yeah!

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It's not the prettiest install, but it could be worse. (not finished yet)

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I had to move it to the right some because of the dash panel mounting screw to the left of the unit. The right side one was already broken on the panel, so cutting it out wasn't a big deal. That's why there is a single DIN height gap on that left side.

I have some scrap plastic from the section I cut out, so I'll cut a piece of black plastic and super glue it on to cover that hole. The stereo will be held in by brackets behind the panel, so the panel doesn't have to bear the weight.

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[Cubey]

Forgot/couldn't attach this before pic of the space inside the dash.

The red line is where I had to cut out some to get it to fit in. The arrow points to the outer panel mount that couldn't be screwed in anymore due to the panel being broken for that screw hole. The lower 2 screw things were for the original heavy AM/FM/tape deck that weighs probably 7lbs, so it needed tons of support. The top left screw thing is the one I had to leave intact for screwing the panel back on. If the right one hadn't been broken, I could have cut it to fit in more in line with the original stereo, but oh well.

It's not hard to revert to a single DIN by just replacing the dash panel since a modern stereo weighs almost nothing and the panel itself can support the weight, which is how I had a single DIN, no CD player head unit installed.

So yeah, there is enough room in the dash for double DIN, the dash just has to be hacked to do it. The big metal bracket inside is what I unbolted and removed.

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[Cubey]

Fully installed. (except some of the panel screws, oops!)

The USB cords poking out the side are expansion. I might end up just tucking them inside, if not removing the harness. It's also the harness for the hands free mic (which is what's with them) but when driving, hands free is a lost cause from the engine noise.

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How it's mounted:

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