i have seen people make false fronts out of the factory units, on other makes, but i cannot say where i have seen them.

 

I posted the one I made for my civic.

here is what I am talking about

That would be cool. I'm not too familiar with the envoy dash, is there enough room over the radio?

 

kk, well my question is do you think that it is worth doing that with the pioneer 3200 dvd or is the way you install the pioneer so hard for thiefs that they won't even go for it?

 

i had done that on an old car i had. '88 jag xj6. but it would be a little more difficult in the tb because the radio is recessed mount.

best bet is to get a decent alarm properly installed. or at the very least, get a blinking light for the dash.

http://www.amazon.com/Varad-LL-RE-Flashing-Theft-Deterrent/dp/B001F11ZPM

 

Oh I gotcha. Well I could install the LED light to scare them away. I however drive a Envoy which I have no clue if that will make it easier to make/insert the cover over the head unit.

 

the radio is exactly the same. look at it, its recessed.

 

Oh duh, my fault. Totally was not thinking :bonk: Anyways, since it is recessed, wouldn't making a cover mean it would fit almost flush??

here is what I am talking about... I would add something like the silver cover that would flip out like the picture but instead of it being a silver cover, it would be a piece of sheet metal that I would form to make it flush with the space and then put a piece of wood grain trim on it to match the wood grain trim in the rest of the car.

 

if you have the time and skill i say go for it. ive done the stock headunit faceplat in front of the aftermarket unit before, makes it pretty stealthy. what your suggesting might work as well. but as said a nice alarm would do wonders as well.

 

But wouldn't doing something like that basically advertise you have something worth breaking in for? I'd just as soon invest in a decent car alarm properly installed... YMMV.

 

if done properly and close to stock it could look like a radio delete and now a thief is going. well should i break into this car to see if it has a good headunit or nothing. or do i just walk two houses down and break into the car that has a good headunit i can steal. most thieves are just smash and grab, if it looks difficult or there not sure if they will get anything they'd rather move on to something easier. if a theif is serious about it chances are it wont matter what you do. but theres way more smash and grabs then there are serious theifs.

 

I am not sure if there would be enough room over the head unit but there might be enough under it. If not, I will just make a detachable one and just store it in my glove box. I do not live in a bad part of Minnesota either and there hasnt been many break ins like that. My car is parked in a garage at home so it is safe at night. I am thinking about installing the led light so it looks like I have a nice alarm system cause arent they around $200+ for a good one? Also making the cover will be a fun project to do.

Probably not many of you guys know much about me but here is a little bit. I am only 17 (just turn 17 on dec 10 :woot so I currently dont have a job because I have no time with school and sports. But I have a HUGE passion for customizing my Envoy and working on cars since I grew up in a family where my dad builds hot rods for a living.

Now for the customizing part, I do a lot of research and I have my dad for a little bit of help. Most of the things I do, I do myself without my much of my dad's help.

 

yea i think you truck will be fine throw some dark tint on it and most people wont even be able to see your head unit

 

Because of how the radio is mounted and how secure the dash is on these models, you should be fine. It would probably be easier to steal the whole truck than rip apart the dash to get the radio. LOL

To take off the dash you have to take screws out and be contortionist to move the thing around the steering column and gearshift. Which is wierd because I can get to my Sububan's radio in less than 30 seconds.

 

YES!!! that is exactly what I was looking for. Thank you all.

Well even though it is harder for them to get to the radio, here is my TO-DO MOD list

-Tint the windows (What percentage is legal in MN??) (Best place to buy them)

-Install "Fake" red security light

-Receive my head unit and install it, (It will also be bypassed for the dvd playing while driving thing.)

-Custom Exhaust Tip (will make at my dads shop) Any styles or ideas would be great!

-Install Blue led strips

-Replace burnt out dash lights with blue lights.

 

You forgot the most important part in all that... TAKE PICS!!! :bonk:

 

CDN, we all know that is a given when I am going to start doing my mods. I love to receive my info from others than do it and show how I did it then help out others :raspberry

I will try my best to get as many pictures as possible

 

Hahahaha... it's all good mate... :thumbsup:
I'm looking forward to seeing what you end up with...

 

I will have to start another topic for each of those and show you all the day by day process on how it goes. haha It will be a fun thing to do. Just gathering all my info as of right now and trying to order it all.

 

Window tint?

Hard to remove the radio bezel?

This truck had an alarm and was hit in broad daylight in a busy shopping center. Over $2K in damage. All for the radio.

 

Holy crap!!! I wonder how much damage was done to the HU when you consider the work they did on the bezel?

 

Yeah they'd have to 'twist' the bezel pretty good so the screen wouldn't touch/rub it or get snagged by one of the retaining clips.

Dang!!!... I mean my HU that I purchased is only $300 but I know that there is a lot of HU that are $1000+.

Well, the perp probably won't care how much it costs. They'll just see a dvd player in an unsupervised vehicle.

Is there something I need to worry about this and all?

You should consider the possibility of coming outside and finding your ride like that.

I do, that's why despite my super awesome alarm that I trust to 'protect' thousands of dollars in audio gear I won't buy a double din/nav/dvd deck. And believe me, I want one.

 

Dang!!!... I mean my HU that I purchased is only $300 but I know that there is a lot of HU that are $1000+. Is there something I need to worry about this and all?

For window tint in Minnesota it has to be no more than 50%... which is too light I am assuming and not worth doing.

 

well maybe a single din is right for another car but for the envoy, I want a double din. I guess it is just a chance I am gonna have to take. Park safe and keep a good eye on it.