I know the engine isn’t fixed yet, but this has been bugging me for a long time, and I have a very short attention span. The existing center console is quite frankly garbage. It is a big plastic box with the most useless cup holder ever designed. In front of the console is a two foot long empty space where coffee spills and anything that is put there ends up under the drivers feet after a right turn. The Area for the stereo is another GM engineer bastard move.
According to Wikipedia, ISO 7736 is a standard size for dashboard mounted head units,[1] for car audio. It was originally established by the German national organization for standardization, the Deutsches Institut für Normung, as DIN 75490, and is therefore commonly referred to as the DIN size.[2] It was adopted by the International Organization for Standardization in 1984.
Wikipedia
The stock stereo in the 1995 – 2000 K1500 pickups was not a regular DIN size nor was it a Double DIN size, noooo, they made it a 1 1/2 DIN size. Since there are no decent aftermarket stereos made in this ridiculous size, I have already had to re-arrange the dash to hold a double din stereo. Thi also caused me to need to cut the area where the heater controls go which has lead to it’s demise and replacement and consequent demise of its replacement. And I also replaced the worthless single non-standard sized CD player for an empty plastic cubby hole. I am now thinking of re-doing that whole area and possibly using it for a 10-12″ touch screen, with an empty lockable cubby behind it and a slot to lock up the screen when not in use. I would need to move the heat controls into the console but i may prefer to do that and move the window and lock controls there to along with light controls for a light bar or other accessories that would be part of a centralized control center.
Here are some inspiration photos from searching around the web, a lot of them are from Pinterest.
If you were paying attention, you might pick out a couple of images that are not strictly of consoles. Well, yes but they are interior related and I can’t even keep my attention to one side project at a time.
The Under seat speaker box for the rear could also hold a bunch of junk that is currently sitting on top of the back seat, and the speakers on the rear ceiling could be the solution to the missing panel up there. The speakers in the kick panels would also boost the sound and make the kick panels look better. If I do these projects, I think I will need to up the amperage on the alternator, get a second battery, a battery isolator and possibly a solar panel…. ah Projects.
Maybe I should take this opportunity to get down to the shop and get some work done….
