Interior Entertainment Advice

[Mavrik]

Well I'll tell the story and then get to the needing advice stage lol. A guy wanted to buy a AWD extended Montana Van with bucket middle seats and rear seats from one of the sales guys at the dealership I work at. The closest one available in the time frame he needed it in was fully loaded with the 6 disc AM/FM radio, DVD player and flip down DVD screen and 2 headphones. Sounds good right? well here is the problem. The guy belongs to one of those religions that allow their church members to drive cars but the cars have to be void of pretty much anything considered a commodity. The group as bought cars from the dealership before and we always took the radio out for them and put a cover in its place. So of course he didn't want or need the fully loaded DVD, radio and screen system and wanted it taken out. But he didn't want to pay to have it taken out...That of course pissed off the sales guy who argued with him a bit from the view point that the van comes with that stuff, there would be at least a $125 charge to remove the parts. Eventually he decided to pay that because he did not know how to remove all that stuff so I had a tech remove it all, took him about 2.9 hours to do so. We boxed everything up and left it in the van and when the guy came to pick it up said "I don't need the parts and I don't want to pay the $125 to have it removed." well of course the tech doesn't work for free and the sales man was frustrated about the whole deal so I offered "$300 to cover the labour and I'll take the parts ok?"Ending the story, I'm $300 poorer but a whole lot richer. Other then some wiring, I have a brand new DVD system with headphones and spare radio for my car. Those radios alone brand new are well into the $600 range, I'm not sure about the rest but its not cheap either. All for $300 from a frustrated sales man lol.Anyway here is what I want to do. I want to fabricate a removable box into my glove compartment to hold the DVD player and wire it up through the sound system and through the pillor across the roof to where I'll mount the flip down monitor for the back seats. Whats cool about the DVD system is I think I can plug in a game system to the front because it has the yellow, red and white plugs on the face also. So here is where I need advice, I know little to nothing about electrical stuff so as far as doing this myself, haha no. but I am looking for some ideas as to mounting, fabricating boxes for this stuff and so forth. Should I swival the screen from the roof so it can be turned side to side? And where to mount it? before or behind the roof lamp? I'm thinking before it so its not like right in your face when it flips down.I'm open to ideas so lay em on me.

[Vibration]

Quote, originally posted by Mavrik » I want to fabricate a removable box into my glove compartment to hold the DVD player and wire it up through the sound system . . .I am somewhat electrically inclined and what you are proposing to do sounds possible, but not easy.It seems to me that you are intending to leave your stock HU in as well as your amp and speakers. I do not believe that the AUX function works in the 04 model, so tying the input from the DVD will be a challenge. Also, are all of the DVD controls built into the player or are they on the factory HU (like on my Honda Pilot). If this is the case, you will need to use the HU you got from the Pontiac, which then brings up the problem of how to connect that to your amp.

[Mavrik]

the DVD has the controls and if needed, I can swap the radio, which btw is exactly the same as my stock 6 disc already in my Vibe. But I don't know how easy or hard of a task this will be. But I am sure things can be fabricated. Everything has the same basics to work.

[Wife_likes_her_vibe]

To get the audio to run through the stock stereo, you can buy a little component that has four wires:Left channel inputRight channel inputAntenna inputAntenna outputIt works just like an aftermarket Cd changer. Just tune the radio to a specific station. I don't know exactly how much they are but I took one out of a car once. I work at a car dealership.

[Jahntassa]

Having a removable box for the DVD player is a cute idea, but yes, not very easy to do, or extremely smart. Reason being is that you'll still have to completely disconnect the unit each time you take it in and out, which is at least four or five wires. I'm guessing the unit is an Audiovox, or Audiobahn. So you'll have three RCA cables, power, and maybe a remote eye. Constantly dis/reconnecting this unit will eventually wear out the connections on either the player, or the wiring.Usually we would mount the DVD player in either the center console armrest, or under a seat, or you can simply screw it into the glove box. No other box needed. Unless you're really electrically inclined so you can make a quick-disconnect which can stand the stresses, making it removable is a not-good idea.As for the flip-down screen, optimal placement is directly on the dome light. Placing it in front of the domelight will most likely get you pulled over as you'll have full-motion video in view of the driver, which is illeagle in most states. Putting it behind will make it a pain to see by anyone in the rear. You need to disconnect the existing dome light and place it almost directly centered on it. As for the stereo, you most likely will have a problem with it. If it's a newer Montana, it probably has a newer GM radio, which will not work with the Vibe. Go ahead and try it, though, as i'm not completely sure.The other option, which is the last post on this thread, is an FM modulator, which is commonly how these systems are connected. You can get one from Crutchfield, a JVC, which Kari seems to have had great success with.I speak on the experience of installing about 50 of these systems. With an Audiovox AVD-300 DVD player, and various overhead screens, and other custom video work.

[Mavrik]

Well the 04 montana has the same six disc system my 04 Vibe has so I wouldn't see why that could not work. But if its a hassel I would just swap radios. Also if the box for the DVD should be secure in the glove compartment then I would just have to do it that way. And yes the radio does need to be set to a certain station in order for everything to come through the speakers.As for mounting of the screen on the roof, I was looking into that yesterday. I would need to make something for it to mount on and perhaps also hold the roof lamp. Because I can't install it where the driver can see and if its to far back, its hard for those in the back seat to see.Thanks for the tips, this is next year's project anyway.

[AKLGT]

ha ha ha! yes, will be next years project for sure. guess now we can watch movies while we... oh wait! nevermind! (removed)

[Mavrik]

Quote, originally posted by trdvibe »ha ha ha! yes, will be next years project for sure. guess now we can watch movies while we... oh wait! nevermind! lmaoYeah lets not cross the line about info they don't need to know but it could work for anyone in the back.

[AKLGT]

yes, could be useful i suppose. since i'm never in my backseat i don't think i'd have a use for it now. but perhaps 5 yrs or so down the road, you never know. but that's what my portable dvd player if for too. and laptop.

[Mavrik]

well at car shows/ picnics and all that stuff, people can gather around behind the car on their lawn chairs and watch a movie.

[AKLGT]

well, it'd have to be a mighty big screen there, love. i don't think a 7" is going to do if you're trying to watch it from outside the car!

[Jahntassa]

Quote, originally posted by Mavrik »Well the 04 montana has the same six disc system my 04 Vibe has so I wouldn't see why that could not work. But if its a hassel I would just swap radios. Also if the box for the DVD should be secure in the glove compartment then I would just have to do it that way. And yes the radio does need to be set to a certain station in order for everything to come through the speakers.No point in swapping radios then. The DVD system was hooked up using an FM Modulator which will work with any factory radio. Switching your radio will just give you the same unit you already have, no differences.And the box would be up to you..I'd personally think it would just take up extra space, but that's just me. Since the player is in the glove box, it would be fairly well out of sight when parked. And when you fold up the screen, most people passing by won't even notice it.Quote »As for mounting of the screen on the roof, I was looking into that yesterday. I would need to make something for it to mount on and perhaps also hold the roof lamp. Because I can't install it where the driver can see and if its to far back, its hard for those in the back seat to see.Generally there is nothing for it to mount on. The way those screens go up, depending on the size..if it's an 8" or a 7", what you would normally do is slide a metal plate, or a small, flat piece of wood up in between the headliner and the roof, run the wires through the hole where the domelight used to be, then screw the screen into the wood/metal right through the headliner. Generally, most newer screens will have domelights built into them, but not all of them do.

[AKLGT]

Quote, originally posted by Jahntassa »And the box would be up to you..I'd personally think it would just take up extra space, but that's just me. Since the player is in the glove box, it would be fairly well out of sight when parked. And when you fold up the screen, most people passing by won't even notice it.well, he's got really dark tinted windows so i don't think seeing it will be a real problem. just when you're driving behind the car, then you'll be able to see it if it's playing. but then i'm not sure why. of course, i could make him cheufeur me around so i can watch movies while he drives! LOL

[Mavrik]

the screen has the mounting bracket but it was detached from the console on the roof of the montana van. It doesn't have the dome light on it, This is definatly next year's project and I'll follow it up with pics of course haha. I just want to have something made for the roof so it looks good, not some black brackets and a screen hanging from it. But we'll see. lots to work out here.