OEM Overhead DVD/Monitor - Diesel Forum

Rich_Kimball · 02-09-2003, 05:54 PM

I purchased one of those OEM style overhead DVD players from a guy on Ebay.
I queried my Ford parts dealer to see if he had a bracket for it. Sure enough....but the long story is ended up ordering it from fordparts.com at a significant discount.
The bracket replaced the OEM overhead console bracket and adds outriggers so that the overhead entertainment center has a place to mount.
If anyone puchases one of these players and is interested in some tips on the 8+ hours it takes to install.....just send me an email. Can also give you the part number for the bracket needed if you want to make this an OEM install.
I suppose someone real industrious could fabricate brackets. I did have to extend the wiring for the rear A/C controller.....a pain in itself. I am sure that if I new I needed this in advance, I could have ordered the extension wiring harness as well.
After 2 days of running the truck to keep warm (<20F outside) I finally finished up, only realizing that the power wires I tapped into at the overhead console harness won't power the player if the rear A/C blower is on. bummer....but extending these won't be so bad as just the overhead console, left sun visor and left piller mount have to come down to get the wires run to the fuse panel.
All in all I have about $800 invested. Not too bad really since I didn't want to mount the player on the floor nor did I want to cut my headrests for monitors. Also nice is that the 7 inch monitor is a wide screen model, which makes watching Widescreen movies much more enjoyable. I purchased a wireless FM modulator which allows the rear seat radio control to still function with headphones tuned to the proper frequency or pump the audio through the whole truck.
Since I couldn't find an Excursion PSD with the rear entertainment package from Ford, this was just the ticket.
[img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif[/img]

dmftoy1 · 02-09-2003, 06:58 PM

Sounds pretty cool! Now figure out how to add another LCD/DVD for the third row seating so they can watch something different. (Please post diagrams, pictures, schematics!) [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img] [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img] [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

Have a good one,
Dave

dgreen1069 · 02-09-2003, 11:39 PM

I wondered how much it would cost to install the DVD player yourself. I ordered the factory installed DVD for my X, but I thought the $1101.00 invoice price was quite high. In the end I didn't care because I'm gonna have to keep this truck for a long time (or at least till it's paid for).

birdman127 · 02-10-2003, 04:04 PM

I have been looking for that same set-up on e-bay. When I first seen it I didn't have the dough. Now I want one and can't find it. Please post your solutions to the problems or email me. I will need it all considering that if and when I get it I will install it myself too. I installed stereo's for 6 yrs. so i hope it won't take as long with the proper brackets and your heads up on the problems!

Scott

Rich_Kimball · 02-10-2003, 09:15 PM

If it hadn't been for the guy on ebay selling these, the OEM would have been out of the question. When I went to find out about a bracket, the parts guy said that the units aftermarket were $3000 plus. (I stopped listening when he said three thousand and)
I feel very fortunate that I could do this aftermarket since I couldn't get one from the factory when we purchased the X.

Rich_Kimball · 02-10-2003, 09:34 PM

[ QUOTE ]
I have been looking for that same set-up on e-bay. When I first seen it I didn't have the dough. Now I want one and can't find it. Please post your solutions to the problems or email me. I will need it all considering that if and when I get it I will install it myself too. I installed stereo's for 6 yrs. so i hope it won't take as long with the proper brackets and your heads up on the problems!

Scott

[/ QUOTE ]

Since I don't do general automotive audio installs or anything of the like, this project was a challenge for me. You have to almost take down the entire headliner, at least to the third row seat anyway.

The old overhead console bracket has to be removed and the new one sliped under the headliner.
Then, you have to have some little plastic rectangular fasteners that go into the roof panel so you have something to screw the bracket outriggers of the new bracket to. A few long oval head scews to fasten the player assy to the bracket as well. (It does have clips to hold it but you need 2 other fastening points)

The rear A/C controls have a harness that comes with the assy, but the blower motor control needs and extension harness and a special new connector to connect the temp and flow direction control which I assume is part of an additional harness. I opted to just splice in a new homemade harness about a foot long to the existing connectors. This harness needs to be in place BEFORE mounting the new overhead bracket. (found out the hard way).

The power leads to the DVD need to be run from the fuse panel. I thought I could get away without this and tapped into some existing overhead wiring. Wrong. You can't run the blower and the DVD at the same time that way. Since everything was down and disconnected, I couldn't tell what was needed where and when. You can use the illumination wire from the overhead console wiring.

Then of course the headliner needs to be cut appropriately so the the player unit will fit into the new bracket. (that was a scarry part for me)

The part no. for the overhead bracket is 2C7Z-78519K22-AA. Nomenclature is Brkt CNSL RF P. It lists for $152.17 (local dealer tried to sell it to me for $175) but fordparts.com sold it for $115.59 plus shipping. It took about a week or so to get from time of order.

Sound easy right? [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif[/img]

CHPMustang · 02-10-2003, 11:49 PM

Dave,in the current Summit catalog in the audio/video pages,they now sell the lcd monitors that mount to the head rests of the front seats?
The Monitors were less than $200 each and all you have to add is a $50 dvd player and off you go [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif[/img] [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

BILL

dmftoy1 · 02-11-2003, 05:32 PM

Hmmmm, that might be the next project on the list! [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img] I wish this stupid job didn't keep getting in the way of my playing!

Take care,
Dave

JOE_M · 02-12-2003, 12:31 AM

Try partsexpress.com they have a large selection and decent prices on LCD monitors. [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smokin.gif[/img]

JOE_M · 02-12-2003, 12:35 AM

Rich,correct me if I'm wrong,but I don't think the OEM DVD plays home copied DVD's. I believe I read it on this forum. Joe M.

clifsmith · 02-12-2003, 12:18 PM

Dudes I have all the answers on this one.

I bought a factory dvd ent. system from the same guy on ebay, but after I found out the cost of the bracket and that this system WOULD NOT PLAY DVD-R (recorded dvds), I sold the unit on EBay.

Instead I bought a portable DVD player. Toshiba sd-p2000 with a 9" LCD screen. I paid $525 shipped which they go for between 500-600 on ebay. I am very happy with this unit. Awesome picture, plays DVD-R, and the image on the screen will "invert" so that you can hang it upside down on the roof and watch it.

I beat myself over the head on trying to figure out how to mount this unit in the X, so I just walked through the Isles at Home Depot and bought $10 worth of parts to manufacture a swivel bracket. I bought some heavy gauge sheet metal, small flat head bolts (which heads fit into grooves on bottom of dvd player), sliding screen door roller (just to use the hardened steel part), and a 4X4 fence post (thats right a fence post). This is what I did:

-There are 3 grooves on the bottom of the dvd player which the battery pack mounts to. I cut the sheet metal in a triangular shape so that the mounting points would be at the tip of each point of the triangle. I drilled holes in the plate (corresponding to the grooves) and put in the bolts to hang down 3/8" from the plate. The heads on these bolts slide into the grooves on the bottom of the unit. I cut and bent the hardened steel into a 1" U shape and mounted it on the front of the plate so it will 'snap' into the front groove and keep the unit from sliding out.

-Now for the fencepost. I had the bracket finished but no way to mount to roof. I cut about a 3" 45 degree wedge off of the end of the post and decided to mould it to the bottom of the rear A/C control housing. I rounded the inside of the mating surface and then sanded and finished and painted the block black. I then found the center balance point (with the unit attached and screen down) on the mounting plate and drilled a 1/4" hole. I simple put a Lag Screw (with greased washers on both sides) through the plate into the mounting block.

This thing turned out bad ass. The DVD player swivels 360 degrees for anyone in the vehicle. My wife can simply swivel it around and change out DVD's for the kid in the back seat. The player is powered by a 12V power cord (which you will need to purchase) and it plugs in to the power outlet on the rear of the center console between the seats. The block with swivel bracket is simply attached (screwed to the bottom of the rear A/C control's housing.

It really is a better alternative to a permanent installation. The DVD player can go anywhere, 9" beautiful screen, ease of access when mounted, plays DVD-R, has 2 headphone jacks. Check out this portable player. IMHO it is the best portable one on the market. The unit also comes with a credit card sized remote. The whole thing with the 12V power cord and supplies is about $600.

I will try and post some pics if you are interested. Sorry I have posted much lately on this forum, but I have been lurking. I thought I would contribute something this time.

rfalcone · 02-12-2003, 07:55 PM

I wish they offered the Rear Entertainment Center when I bought the beast. I had to pay $1400 for 2nd row captain's chairs. They wanted another $1500 for a REC, I passed on that and bought one of those little TVs with a built in VHS. That thing is a PITA to bring on trips...

Might as well go buy another buggy with all that stuff in it from the factory!!!

clifsmith · 02-12-2003, 09:12 PM

Here is a link to pictures of my portable DVD bracket creation:

http://community.webshots.com/user/clifsmith-date

CHPMustang · 02-12-2003, 09:38 PM

Nice job on the bracket Cliff [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif[/img] [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif[/img] [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif[/img]

The player looks upside down or is it me? [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img] [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img] [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

Is that a car seat in there? [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/biggrin.gif[/img] [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/biggrin.gif[/img]

BILL

clifsmith · 02-12-2003, 09:47 PM

Thanks, yes the player is upside down, but this toshiba sd-p2000 has a button you push which inverts the image so that you can view it like it is right side up.

Yea thats a car seat for the little one. The DVD player makes it great for trips for her. Sometimes we forget shes back there. [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/blush.gif[/img]