I had the opportunity to install a Kenwood DDX-6019 over the last week. We decided to modify a beat up old bubbly console trim. Getting the electroplate off of it was half of the battle. The other half was prep work spent trying to fill in all the nicks and scratches.
The actual stereo mounting probably only took about 1 hour. You have to carefully study the way the deck tilts and opens to know how you will mount the deck. The stereo itself is pretty cool. The deck has a single reverse tilt position and boy does it make a world of difference getting rid of glare. The deck goes back to the flat position when the stereo is off for about 5 seconds. The buttons are all along the bottom and it's difficult to push them if there is any obstruction near the bottom. If you look at the trim panel it came with, they added a bevel at the bottom edge so that it would make pressing the buttons easier. When I modified the trim, I added a very similar bevel and it made a big difference. So here come the pictures.
First, here is the deck with a trim mounted on it to show it in the reverse tilt position.
Next, here is the deck after we mounted some brackets at the bottom to hold it into position. We used JB Quik Weld to attach the brackets to the stereo. The console trim had to be trimmed along the sides, sanded at the bottom near the ashtray, and part of the top between the climate control was cut off.
See how when the deck reverse tilts or opens, there is a gap on the side. We had to build walls. I used Bondoglass for the side walls and a strip of 1/8" aluminum for the bottom and adhered it with a metal to plastic epoxy.
We had to sand away the parts of the wall that were too long because they would hit the stereo when you try to mount the stereo back. Bondoglass makes a strong wall but it's difficult to make it free of bubbles and work in small gaps. That's where Bondo comes in.
This is what it looks like when it's basically finished. If you click on the image, you can see the larger image. Look closely and you can see a beveled edge near the ashtray opening.
I decided to add my signature by flocking the cointray to a deep black again.
A lot of priming and Bondo spot filler later, I shot some satin black paint on it. We'll see how well it holds, my console trim I painted 2 years ago is still doing fine, no bubbles or scratches. If it doesn't hold up, we'll just take it to a paint pro and have them shoot it up.
This is a side by side view with the stock console trim to compare.
The end result
There are a couple of little details I didn't take pictures of. For instance, around the vent, I replaced the fabric that went along the edge with a black ribbon adhered with a gummy double sided tape. Along the outer corners, 2 small squares of the soft velcro are stock to keep the vent from scratching into the main console trim.
The ashtray lid is now in a fixed up position, not a problem for the owner. The bottom of the climate control unit where it bulges down for the screws and part of the edge had to be sanded down. The climate control did not lose any strength because of this, not really adversely affected. The metal bar that held the screws for the bottom of the climate control and the top of the stereo had to be removed to give the stereo more room to lift up. This also have very little effect on the stereo or climate control as they are both solid and sandwiched in such a way that they are tight.
Next step is waiting for the Bluetooth module to come out and just plug that baby in.
The actual stereo mounting probably only took about 1 hour. You have to carefully study the way the deck tilts and opens to know how you will mount the deck. The stereo itself is pretty cool. The deck has a single reverse tilt position and boy does it make a world of difference getting rid of glare. The deck goes back to the flat position when the stereo is off for about 5 seconds. The buttons are all along the bottom and it's difficult to push them if there is any obstruction near the bottom. If you look at the trim panel it came with, they added a bevel at the bottom edge so that it would make pressing the buttons easier. When I modified the trim, I added a very similar bevel and it made a big difference. So here come the pictures.
First, here is the deck with a trim mounted on it to show it in the reverse tilt position.
Next, here is the deck after we mounted some brackets at the bottom to hold it into position. We used JB Quik Weld to attach the brackets to the stereo. The console trim had to be trimmed along the sides, sanded at the bottom near the ashtray, and part of the top between the climate control was cut off.
See how when the deck reverse tilts or opens, there is a gap on the side. We had to build walls. I used Bondoglass for the side walls and a strip of 1/8" aluminum for the bottom and adhered it with a metal to plastic epoxy.
We had to sand away the parts of the wall that were too long because they would hit the stereo when you try to mount the stereo back. Bondoglass makes a strong wall but it's difficult to make it free of bubbles and work in small gaps. That's where Bondo comes in.
This is what it looks like when it's basically finished. If you click on the image, you can see the larger image. Look closely and you can see a beveled edge near the ashtray opening.
I decided to add my signature by flocking the cointray to a deep black again.
A lot of priming and Bondo spot filler later, I shot some satin black paint on it. We'll see how well it holds, my console trim I painted 2 years ago is still doing fine, no bubbles or scratches. If it doesn't hold up, we'll just take it to a paint pro and have them shoot it up.
This is a side by side view with the stock console trim to compare.
The end result
There are a couple of little details I didn't take pictures of. For instance, around the vent, I replaced the fabric that went along the edge with a black ribbon adhered with a gummy double sided tape. Along the outer corners, 2 small squares of the soft velcro are stock to keep the vent from scratching into the main console trim.
The ashtray lid is now in a fixed up position, not a problem for the owner. The bottom of the climate control unit where it bulges down for the screws and part of the edge had to be sanded down. The climate control did not lose any strength because of this, not really adversely affected. The metal bar that held the screws for the bottom of the climate control and the top of the stereo had to be removed to give the stereo more room to lift up. This also have very little effect on the stereo or climate control as they are both solid and sandwiched in such a way that they are tight.
Next step is waiting for the Bluetooth module to come out and just plug that baby in.
