Today I finally had some time to get to the actual installation part of the project. The talk around the interwebs is that the 944 is not double din compatible, or at least that even with some cutting and grinding the double din units will not fit properly.
This did not discourage me.
This was what I started with. Under the radio is a non-original storage bin that is roughly din sized so I figured I'd be able to make it fit somehow.
First I took out the radio and removed the trim piece around the radio and some other interior bits that were in the way.
There is a divider between the radio and the storage bin. The actual divider is a metal plate and there is a plastic piece on top of it. I used a Dremel to cut the plastic and a hand saw to cut the metallic plate under it.
I then removed the entire center console to gain more access and wired the iPod connector and the usb cable under it. I cut a small hole for the wires under the armrest and pulled the wires inside it. Now the wires are cleanly hidden when not used and when the iPod or usb stick are connected they can be stored inside the armrest storage compartment.
I wired the GPS antenna on top of the dashboard, in the middle where it would look the most like an original installation.
Testing the unit. I fitted the wires and powered it on. Works without any problems. The screen is quite dirty and the flash makes it look glossy, in normal use it looks a lot better.
All done. Working nicely and fits perfectly. I still need to fabricate some bezel around it to cover the small openings now visible around the unit. Fitment is snug since I modified the original inner radio installation bracket so that it grips a 2din unit properly. Now if I want to swap over any other 2din unit in the future it will fit perfectly too.
G-meter testing. Works perfectly.
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