I sent you a PM saying that I'm interested

 

That looks amazing. Congratulations. What are your thoughts on trying this with the Garmin nuvi 5000? It has a 5.2 inch screen. If you think this could fit, I would definitely be in. Once again, good work, you may have opened the door to something here...

 

Thanks! Using a bigger screen is a great suggestion. I had actually thought about the 5000 as well as the newer 1490T, which has a 5" panel. Unfortunately there are two challenges associated with using a larger screen. These screens have a vertical length .5" longer than the 4.3" screens so the viewable area of the panel actually fits the radio door just fine. The problem comes in fitting the non-viewable area (mainly the bottom edge containing the back-light and ribbon cable) of the panel into the enclosure. There are two options here:

1) Recess the screen to prevent the vertical length of the panel from affecting the outer contour of the radio door

2) Match the screen to the flat surface of the radio door and mold out and around the bottom of the screen

With the first option, recessing the screen enough to accommodate the extended vertical length would require the radio to be back-mounted even further. I don't know if there is enough room for this. Using the second option, would mean trimming down the top edge of the radio door frame even more to make way for the larger protrusion. Since the edge of the frame is pretty thin, the frame would actually need to be cut all the way through, then rebuilt. Don't get me wrong, I like bigger screens just like everyone else, but with these challenges I have just been too chicken to buy a 5" Garmin for testing.

 

I would love to guinea pig this with either one of the above mentioned Garmins and my radio door. Sending you a PM right now.

 

Well, sadly it's a no-go with the 7xx series nuvi. A right angle connector attached for the antenna increases the mounting depth too much, and I find relocating the surface mounted MCX connector is prohibitively risky. Additionally, wiring for the FM traffic receiver on the 765t is more complex than I would like since the 7xx series uses the docking style mount as opposed to the mini B usb connector. My final decision is to go with the nuvi 855t. Still crazy expensive right now, so maybe I'll start the next build when the price comes down.

On a side note, I tried using a re-radiating antenna to improve the accuracy of the 260w in the current setup and surprisingly it only succeeded in jamming the GPS signal completely. So much for that idea...

EDIT: I borrowed a friend's 7xx series nuvi to fiddle around some more with fitment, and can make it fit without additional cutting into the radio door frame. Yes, the right angle MCX connector will still take up some space behind the door, but it's not as bad as I had initially though.

 

Hey what did you use to cut the radio door, those are some clean cuts. Also previously you didn't have any material around the cuts and in later pics it seems to be beveled out a bit. Isn't the 855t too big?

 

I still want one ....

 

I used a dremel rotary tool with a cutoff wheel. The cable extension really makes handling the tool a lot easier/precise. Set the speed to around 4k rpm since going too slow will snag the wheel, and going too fast overheat the plastic. Something to note is that the plastic will melt and fly everywhere even at 4k rpm, so be sure to wear eye protection. If you're referring to the edge shown in the picture below, they are not cuts. It is the groove from the original nuvi frame. I just masked it off and molded very carefully around it. I don't think I could replicate that groove by hand.



Yep, the first version and the second version are very different. The first version is recessed and shows the trim around the original nuvi frame. This setup required the stereo to be back-mounted further. The second version has the screen mounted higher (closer to the top edge of the door) and as far forward as possible to allow the stereo to be mounted as far forward as possible. It saves a bit of space, but is largely a matter of personal preference (I think the first version looks "lumpy").

The 855t uses the same 4.3" screen as all other widescreen nuvi models, but you're right about the external dimensions being a bit larger. I haven't actually done the mod with an 8xx series nuvi yet, but I'd like to.

 

So this won't work with any 7xx series? I believe I have a 780.

 

The visor isn't very thick, but I got my boost controller to fit.


Anyone get a GPS unit to fit in the visor?