AppRadio 2 DIN installed in 2001 Astro

[Clayboy]

Great work!

I will be undertaking this in the future. I just bought my Astro a few months ago, cant believe this has never been done before!

[DGE73]

What is the trick for getting the instrument cover off in one peice? I have searched and can not find the answer..

... my new Pioneer is sitting in the van awaiting the answer.

Sailing_Faith

Here is how I do it.

Remove the ash tray.

Remove Cup Holders (open glove box, lift up cup holder assembly and then pull it straight back, it just pops off)

Move the shifter all the way down to 1 (engine off, parking brake on)

Tilt steering wheel all the way down.

Start prying the trim away from the dashboard at the top above the heater controls It will pop off 1 clip at a time.

Once the whole top is loose you can pull the sides away enough to disconnect the headlamp switch and any accessory switches beside the stereo.

Bend trim slightly at the area above the steering column and it will lift up and out.

Glenn

[Sailing_Faith]

Thanks!

I think the top was already a little cracked up... had a heck of a time with it!

[Leeann_93]

Put key in van, turn.
Put van in 1. Gently pull gauge bezel to pop out the clips and work around the shifter lever.

Put back in P and turn off key and remove. Do radio work. Repeat above instructions in reverse

[mervchapman]

My Metra kit arrived and I've cut the cross-part from the spare bezel. Just waiting for the backup camera to arrive now. Looks like I'll need to modify the a/c control assembly to install it at the bottom. Maybe later this week...

[mervchapman]

Took 4 hours total to knock this out. Here are a a few pics and notes:

[mervchapman]

There's some sort of control unit clipped up under the dash, I simply unclipped it and relocates it off to the left and out of the way. I then too my reciprocating saw and cut off the clips you see up top and most of the plastic moulding back there on the left of the radio cavity. Cup off the left side mount of the A/C controls. I then built a couple of really basic brackets to center the radio and then a few strips of double sided foam/ tape stuff to afix the a/c controls to the lower metal cross bracket and then stick the radio to the top of the A/C controls.

I was ablt to just carefully cut out the dash moulding cross-strip bit and finish up the edges with a file. I also installed a backup camera in the rear license plate area while i was at it. It is so much less distracting to use the radio while driving now!

[mervchapman]

Going outside to take a pic of the radio...

[mervchapman]

Here it is now.

[mervchapman]

Closer pic.

[DGE73]

You officially have the nicest looking install to date!

[alexalexanders]

Looks awesome!

[Sailing_Faith]

Wow, that looks great!

[Neto562]

That's super clean I wanted a double din but just got a flip out Kenwood I should had just gone the extra mile to make it look as clean as yours does super nice setup

[smokinjoe]

Awesome job. Merv, what is the difference between single and double din? What model radion is that? Really looks nice.

[DGE73]

The unit is an AppRadio by Pioneer.

A double DIN is 4" high, the stock unit is a 1.5 DIN or 3" high.

[Lumpy]

(sigfile)
03 Astro RWD 165k 2DIN, 2 rear screens, tow pack, Timbrens, lock diff, YokoGeo ATS, No Dexcool
96 Safari RWD sold @ 210k, retired as Florida RV
94 Safari swb RWD scrap @ 240k

..."No Dexcool"
...


Lump

[wheels55]

Got this installed over the weekend, I used a single-din mounting kit modified and a dremmel to trim the opening in the dash cover.

I apologize in advance for reactivating an old thread..... BUT....

I just saw this and I must say JOB WELL DONE. Looks fantasic. Where do you live? I'll pay to repeat on mine.

[mervchapman]

I am in California (Bay Area). I think you can DIY it, it's not really a tough job. The only 'special' tool you'll need is a reciprocating saw to chomp out the gray plastic behind the stock A/C location and on the left (not much access for a normal hacksaw). You'll also need to cut the brackets off the A/C controls.

I gave up on the Pioneer AppRadio -its good concept and hardware but the software/ firmware is buggy and excruciating. I replaced it with an Alpine IVE-S920HD which sounds much better and is altogether a better unit.

[redfury]

I've been thinking about getting rid of that stock 1.5din for a new radio for a while, but I haven't really found a radio I really like yet. I wouldn't mind doing a double DIN with GPS, etc...would help clean up the dash of the GPS and the wife can stop nagging me about it ( cuz it's her GPS! ). I don't know if I want to spend the money on a unit like that yet though. I am more interested in the reversal of the climate controls, but then again, I'm curious as to why you didn't eliminate the center bar on the dash when you originally installed the first time around?