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Anyone cut steel bar behind dash for radio clearance? Avic-D2

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vpnwiz

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Discussion starter · #1 ·
I guess the title says it all... I'm in the middle of installing my Avic D2 and this hollow round steel tube behind the dash is in the way. I reused the stock steel DIN ears from the OEM radio and when I push the D2 back in, the ears look to be about 1/8"-1/4" out from the mounting holes.

Any ideas? I know I've seen some other D2's in Titans. How did they do it? I searched but didn't find very little mention of this steel bar. I'm thinking of taking a cutting wheel and carving out a section of the front of the bar to give clearance for the D2 plugs.

Thanks,
Patrick
 
#2 ·
That is a real PITA! Even trying to reinstall the factory HU can give you troubles. I'm amazed that they built it like that.

I'm not sure what would happen if you did cut that. It could probably lead to more rattles if that is used as a stiffener in the dash.
 
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#3 ·
That's a great question, I also thought about cutting that bar for more clearance. I used small 1/4 inch spacers in between the bracket and mounting holes. My HU sticks out a bit, doesn't look bad, but I would like it a bit more flush, I'm using the Clarion Max675VD
 
#4 ·
This has been discussed, I think the general consensus is to NOT cut it. for structural reasons.
 
#6 ·
I knew that would probably be a problem. Maybe on the next generation Titan they will re-think that area a little better!
 
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Discussion starter · #7 ·
TitanEngineer said:
That bar provides structural integrity for the entire ****pit module, I wouldnt suggest cutting it.
Click to expand...
I wasn't going to cut it all the way off, just a little off the front. Like going to the barber shop. If I could get the d*amn cluster lid off I could get in there for a better look but mine seems to be glued on or something.

OK if cutting is bad how about deforming it out of the way? Maybe beating it with an air chisel would give me some more clearance...
 
#8 ·
Its designed for extreme modularity, the whole dash is put it as one unit. It is just a poor design where the tube ends up. The problem I see with hitting it with an air chisel, is the bar has no rigid support expects the ends, so if it starts to bend instead of cave in (I assume thats what you are going for) it will pull on the mounts which are connected to the side panels of your truck, I doubt you could put enough force to do too much damage, but I wouldnt chance it.
 
#9 ·
The only thing you could maybe do is compress it somehow and flatten it. But this probably isnt a great idea either. I would try that before I'd hit it with any kind of hammer thought!
 
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Discussion starter · #10 ·
Here's my report:

The air hammer didn't do jack. I'm not talking a giant demo hammer here, just a shop air hammer. Left a scratch, that was about it.

The ball peen hammer, however, worked like a charm. The outer round face (the part that's in the way) began to collapse in on itself after successive hits. I kept going side to side with it and got most of the metal folded in just a tad after 10 minutes or so. LUCKILY all the plugs on the D2 are either above or below the bar - :frogtongu - I don't know how that happened but it's great. There's also some clearance for the fan on the D2 now. Now all I have to do is figure out how to route the RCA's and pwr cables from the top of the unit (above the bar) back down underneath.

That's one tough piece of steel - there are no worries about it bending unless you use a hydraulic ram or something on it. My arm is sore from all the hammering. Also the wife ran for cover when she saw me taking a hammer to the dash and the nosy neighbors almost called the cops thinking I was in a fit of rage or something :eyebrow: . But other than that I would say it worked great. I'll post back after the wires are run.
 
#11 ·
DO you have the ears on the right side? I made that mistake and it didn't fit the first time, then I flipped them and it fit. Make sure you are not pinching the cables in the back. If all else fails, use some spacers between the ears and the holes.
 
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Discussion starter · #13 ·
Well it turns out I didn't need to do all that hammering anyway. I finally had the D2 mounted with the bar not interfering, and then when I re-installed the bezels it was set back from the face of the bezel by about 1/4" :bangit: So I ended up re-drilling the factory DIN ears to bring it out and up 1/4".

So I guess if you have a D2 you don't need to worry about the steel bar! Just start by shimming and go from there. At least I didn't cut it! :rofl:

Patrick
 
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P-Dizzle
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