Jeep Grand Cherokee Install

TaylorMade · 05-01-2004, 09:39 PM

My goal with this whole project was to have it look as if it were a factory install. I don't have a super fancy alarm (yet) and I wanted it to look like a professional install with as little to entice a walkerby who happens to look into the truck. There were more challenges than I can possibly explain, but suffice it to say that the dremel is my friend. I'd be happy to never see Bondo or fiberglass again, though. Basically here's what I had to start with.
Factory CD player with the Jeep computer on the bottom.

In order for it to look factory, I wanted to mold the touchscreen monitor into the dash. Problem number 1: Air Vents were where I wanted my monitor. Solution: Dremel it all to hell and seal the vents so that the air is forced through the other vents instead.

TaylorMade · 05-01-2004, 09:45 PM

More pix to show the process of the install. I had to move the air conditioner controls and of course fiberglass a new enclosure for it.

pogue1000 · 05-01-2004, 09:53 PM

Your interior is a lot like my 96 Jeep grand cherokee Limited. I did a lot of the same things but i havent put pictures up cause i am stilll doing some final touches. But i also put my head unit where my ac controls were, although i moved the ac controls in the arm rest between the front seats. its annoying though i have to lift up the lid to change them. Going to look into relocating them elsewhere this summer!

Cant wait to see more pics!

TaylorMade · 05-01-2004, 09:56 PM

Pix of the dash...getting there. I still have some touch up work to do. Also the GPS receiver is hidden beneath the dash trim plate up front so it can't be seen.

That's it for now. I'll update this page with pix of the PC which is underneath the rear seats.... Thanks for looking. Any advice or comments are welcome.

TaylorMade · 05-01-2004, 09:58 PM

yeah, I was actually going to move the Jeep computer on the bottom to the arm rest but decided against it. I MAY move it to the glovebox, but I'd rather hook it up to the carputer somehow. Thanks for the comments.

TaylorMade · 05-17-2004, 12:14 PM

wanted to show some more pix of the finished dash and the new A/C housing where the stock computer used to be.

TaylorMade · 05-17-2004, 12:15 PM

day time shot of the dash

TaylorMade · 05-17-2004, 12:18 PM

I cut up the leather (gulp) and slid the DVD player in. I love the placement and you'd never know it was there unless I point it out. I DO have some cleanup work with it however.

shakes · 05-17-2004, 01:44 PM

nice screen work. it's almost as if your dash was made for it, with the visor and the tilt and all.

you're a braver man than i ... i could never bring myself to cut my leather. I think about it every once in a while and dismiss the idea just as quickly.

TaylorMade · 05-17-2004, 02:12 PM

yeah, the angle is perfect for the screen. The leather was a tough bullet to bite, but in the end I'm glad I did it.

ryuandwings · 05-17-2004, 02:27 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by TaylorMade

I cut up the leather (gulp) and slid the DVD player in. I love the placement and you'd never know it was there unless I point it out. I DO have some cleanup work with it however.

I like the placement of the DVD player.
I bet it took some guts to cut up the leather seat

TaylorMade · 05-17-2004, 02:45 PM

thx...I'm fabricating a trim ring that will glue to the leather and make it look nicer. It took guts and many many beers from my other "hobby"... my home bar....

fraganic · 05-18-2004, 02:52 AM

I'll be getting a grand cherokee soon, so i'm just curious as to how well the a/c works now. Where does the air come from, now that theres no center vent? Did you redirect it elsewhere? Did you just completly take out the stock computer to put the a/c controls in, or did you move the stock computer elsewhere? And when you mentioned the angle of the screen...did you angle it towards you, or is it just facing straight? Sorry for all the questions, but you have a very nice looking install. You also have a nice looking bar, reminds me of a project i did a while ago. (Pic included) I would love to see a pic of the carputer under the seats when you have a chance.

And on a side note, how do you like your jeep? I've been looking around for a good deal, but have only found deals with 130,000 miles on them. I'm not too sure how reliable these jeeps are, i've read mixed reviews. And is yours the v8 model? How's the gas mileage? Well thanks for reading my long post.

TaylorMade · 05-18-2004, 07:47 AM

where to start on my grand cherokee...
Well, I suppose I'd have to say that I LOVE my truck. It's the only vehicle that I've had for more than 3 years and I'm not planning on selling it anytime soon. I just rolled over 130K and it still rides good as new. I have the 5.2 Limited 4x4. It gets horrible gas mileage (17-20mpg on the highway) but it pulls my 20' boat like there's nothing behind it. I have the limited so there's lots of bells and whistles which directly correlates to lots of bells and whistles that can (read: will) break. I have heated seats, heated mirrors, and a fully automatic rear view mirror that darkens when headlights hit it... that are all broken. I haven't really delved too much into why they're broken because I live in Southwest Florida (don't need heated seats too often) and I have tinted windows (don't need the auto mirror).

The A/C works just as well as it did before, the air is just forced through the other vents. I left the stock computer out and haven't done anything with it, although I'm toying with the idea of replacing it in the glovebox. It WAS nice to get a heads up when the coolant level was low or a taillight was out. Jeep was smart enough to angle the stock radio slightly towards the driver, so there was no need to angle the screen, just mount it flush with the existing dash. I'll take pix of the cpu when it's done, it's kinda ugly right now and I'm building a thin cover for it.

Back to the Jeep:
I've had to replace the entire A/C system bit by bit.
CV joints (normal for a vehicle with over 100K on it)
Entire brake system because some idiot in a Jiffy Lube topped off my brake fluid with motor oil
Radiator

Really the only thing that "failed" on me was the A/C. The rest is either not the fault of the Jeep or is normal wear and tear. The 99 Jeep GCs had some major transmission problems so you should make sure to look into that if you go with that year. Hope all this helped.

NorthGaVigor · 05-18-2004, 08:00 AM

1995 Grand Laredo: All bells and whistles except heated seats and climate control. 5.2 V8, Auto, 140,000, I have to replace the evaporator for the AC unit (takes 2 bottles of coolant per summer), and the tranny has started "holding" in second gear a little longer than normal but some tranny conditioner took care of that for now.

Overall the Jeep runs strong. It is my wifes daily driver. 15 mpg around town and 21 hwy. I did out run my buddy in his '01 Mustang GT in the 1/8th. The auto helped out.