2007 Jeep Grand Cherokee

TheSovereign · 02-03-2008, 07:19 PM

Howdy folks - long time visitor to the site here, and I figured I'd start a worklog thread for my '07 Grand Cherokee car PC project.

Hopefully this will also help motivate me to finish the install, seeing as how I haven't made much progress since I molded the LCD into the dash bezel back in November, so that is what this post will be devoted to.

Question: does anyone know what the difference is between the '06 and '07 navigation bezel, aside from the '07 being twice as expensive? I compared these side-by-side: the attachment clips are all located in the same spots, and opening dimensions are the same - the only difference I detected was that the color shades appeared slightly different. Is that worth the ~$80 difference? Not to me, so I picked up an '06 navigation bezel to mold the 7" Xenarc housing into.

Anyway, here are some photos from the dash fab. I used turbocad6's Dynatron bumper repair epoxy technique to mold the pieces together, and painted it using Krylon primer, Dupli-Color trim paint, and Krylon semi-flat black paint.

Many thanks to dk888 for his assistance and guidance.

1.) Stock Dash
2.) Dash mock-up
3.) Monitor Bezel
4.) Headrest Shroud
5.) Navigation Bezel
6.) Monitor Bezel in Headrest Shroud
7.) Ready for paint
8.) Almost there
9.) Bezel

HiJackZX1 · 02-05-2008, 01:20 PM

Its amazing how you guys manage to do this stuff so perfectly. When I started my install, I decided to use a motorized screen, because the fabing looked so difficult. The rear screen I bought needs no fabing. Unfortuantely the Sunvisors need fabing, and im so scared I will mess them up.

Great work on yours though!

TheSovereign · 02-06-2008, 09:09 PM

Thanks man. I couldn't have done it without dk888's guidance.

As a matter of fact, I did the whole thing twice... First time around, I nicked the paint while it was still damp, and then scraped everything back down to the bare plastic and had to go through all the sanding/glazing/priming/painting all over again. It took me forever, and I can't tell you how frustrating it was.

If I can make it look halfway decent, anyone can!

moboman · 02-06-2008, 10:52 PM

wow thats look better than it would have it your jeep would have came factory with a touchscreen!

TheSovereign · 02-07-2008, 11:15 AM

Quote: Originally Posted by moboman

wow thats look better than it would have it your jeep would have came factory with a touchscreen!

Thanks!

I have what should still be a working PC from my previous install. What's left to do is pretty much just wiring-related.

Oh how I loathe wiring.

The next challenge (not really that bad when I think about it) will be routing power from the battery to the cabin interior.

I've already removed the stock head unit and am using a Scosche wiring harness to integrate into the speaker system. I've also added a small amp which is located in the dash opening left by the vacated head unit. I was able to test the audio using a laptop; it sounded kinda cruddy, but I'll attribute that to the laptop for now. Once I get the PC hooked up I'll know if I still have to any additional futzing around with the audio stuff.

The PC will be located underneath the passenger seat. GPS and XM antennas will be going in the dash behind the monitor, 7-port USB hub in the glovebox. I'm probably forgetting some stuff right now.

I suppose getting this install done is just a matter of having an extra pair of hands to help me on a day that's not too chilly or wet.

mrelo · 02-07-2008, 11:21 AM

Just one suggestion, underneath the passenger seat gets real dirty (at least mine does). Maybe there's another possible spot you could choose to prevent accidental damage or just dirt accumalting around the pc. I'm sure you got plenty of room in a cherokee

HiJackZX1 · 02-07-2008, 01:10 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by TheSovereign

Thanks man. I couldn't have done it without dk888's guidance.

As a matter of fact, I did the whole thing twice... First time around, I nicked the paint while it was still damp, and then scraped everything back down to the bare plastic and had to go through all the sanding/glazing/priming/painting all over again. It took me forever, and I can't tell you how frustrating it was.

If I can make it look halfway decent, anyone can!

Thats why when i get my PC mounted to my rear seat and wraped in the same leather, Im paying some1 to do it, lol.....

HiJackZX1 · 02-07-2008, 01:14 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by mrelo

Just one suggestion, underneath the passenger seat gets real dirty (at least mine does). Maybe there's another possible spot you could choose to prevent accidental damage or just dirt accumalting around the pc. I'm sure you got plenty of room in a cherokee

I agree......... Im not sure how the new cherokee's have thier set setup, but when i owned my 99 limited GC, it had a huge pocket on the passenger side..... Infact my current truck has the same thing. Im having the pocket removed, then the PC wraped in the same leather then mounted.... only area you will see is the air vents and USB and DVD drive slot. Im not sure how big your pc is though. Mine is wide but pretty thin, so it doesnt really stand out to much.

TheSovereign · 02-07-2008, 02:07 PM

Thanks for the suggestions; to be honest, the I find the GC to be rather cramped. There's really not a whole lot of places I can see putting the PC, which is why I figured I'd try putting it under the passenger seat.

I managed to cram the PC components into a Travla C150.

NotYou · 02-14-2008, 03:22 PM

I Have a 2007 Grand Cherokee as well.... According to a dealer I contacted that has both '06 and '07 bezels, the only difference is the color.

Could you post a picture of the '06 bezel installed in your cherokee, trying to show the difference in color? I am very interested in seeing the difference, as I am about to purchase one bezel or the other.

Hate to spend almost double the price for a small color difference, but it's the wife's so I have to do what matches the best <g>

TheSovereign · 02-20-2008, 12:27 AM

Quote: Originally Posted by NotYou

I Have a 2007 Grand Cherokee as well.... According to a dealer I contacted that has both '06 and '07 bezels, the only difference is the color.

Could you post a picture of the '06 bezel installed in your cherokee, trying to show the difference in color? I am very interested in seeing the difference, as I am about to purchase one bezel or the other.

Hate to spend almost double the price for a small color difference, but it's the wife's so I have to do what matches the best <g>

Sorry I didn't see your post til now. I don't have it all quite installed just yet, but I will try to take a pic for you tomorrow.

TheSovereign · 03-01-2008, 02:12 PM

Sorry for the delay. Things have been a little busy lately, but this is how far I've gotten... still need to do a bunch of wiring for the PC.

TheSovereign · 03-05-2008, 06:37 AM

Welp I've had some motivation to get the project to a working state; going to take a little trip from NY to OK. Everything works, and the audio sounds pretty good, aside from very very slight amount of alternator whine (barely audible with music playing), and I have also noticed that there is some "grumbling" when the GPS is active. Not enough to really bother me for now, but hopefully I can get that all sorted out when I get back.

Overall the 06 nav bezel in the 07 GC is a very close match, but not quite perfect. I'd say it's a touch lighter and shinier, but IMHO not really noticeable.

Here are some more pics; I'll post some pics of the PC later on.

RedGTiVR6 · 03-05-2008, 08:14 AM

Thread moved. Congrats!

TheSovereign · 03-05-2008, 08:54 AM

Thanks Red! =)