Well.......the last "How-to" that I posted was about my XM Satellite Radio.....

....nonetheless.....I got VERY tired of XM.....to much depth to their playlist and not a very appealing song selection to me (I know....Sirius is better for music....but I am an MLB fan).....so.....I elected to purchase an iPod......I got a 60GB iPod Video and quickly fell in love with it and its versitility......the only downside was getting it to mount in my truck in a resonable manner......

....I got to thinking......what if I were to mount it the same way I did my XM radio?......well.....I already had the P.I.E. adapter which I picked up from here for about $80:



.....I never could find an acceptable mount for my iPod until last month........I found a model made by Pro.Fit that attaches perfectly to the mounting plate that I used for the XM radio......I found it for about $20 here:



......the only problem was that now I needed two cords comming from my dash to hook up the audio and power.....well....I hate to see cords....and I like to minimize them as much as possible.....I searched long and hard for a cable for the iPod that would integrate the two for the auto.....finally I found one for about $50 here:



.....I now had everything I needed for a clean iPod installation for my F150......the next few posts will showcase the install and the issues that I came up with.......

 

First.....you will want to open your ashtray so that you can pry the face of the console off.....dont be afraid to tug.......it will eventually come.....start at the bottom then work your way up to the top...........

.....once you have it separated, go ahead and detach some of the wire harnesses from it so you can move it out of the way..........

as you can see in this photo, I have left the P.I.E. adapter in the rear from the XM install......I left the Y-adapters on so that I can keep my secondary line running to my glove box for misc. items I might want to connect later.........I went ahead and taped over the video connector so that I don't risk getting static if it were to touch metal (since I am hooking this to a stock system and don't need the video component....at least at this time):



I went ahead and connected the power to the additional powerpoint I spliced in my OEM wiring from the XM install:



I then attached the Pro.Fit mount to the best location I could find for my iPod (believe me....I tried all over my dash and this bolt postion offers the greatest finished visability):

 

now......issue #1............the "combined" plug that will eventually plug into the iPod is TOO BIG for the slot in the Pro.Fit Mount.......so you will have to file down the slot to increase its size in order to accomdate the plug:



Once this is done, you can go ahead and attach the mount to the mounting plate:



Now you can attach your iPod and plug it in......be warned.....it is a tight fit if you place the Pro.Fit logo'ed sticker onto the mount......might as well leave that sticker off so you can access the screws later if needed:

 

Issue #2................you will probably notice that the sound is distorted beyond all recognition.......at first I thought I made a $50 mistake just to minimize cables.....until I noticed that there was a "sound check" setting within the iPod.....you need to switch this so that it is "ON"..........



....you may also notice that there is a "large" gap where the cable comes out of the dash:



......if you press hard enough and play with the cables placement....you will minimize this gap to a fairly acceptable tolerance:

 

Well......all in all this install took about 10min.......granted I already had my P.I.E. and extra powerpoint installed previously for the XM radio......but overall from scratch this whole install should only take about 45-60min......

Below are some more shots from different angles that should highlight this installs simplicity and clean look:

 

Well.....I hope this helps some of you who are contemplating getting an iPod for your truck and how to install it.....

.....I am very please with this install and really like its location because it is just a quick short glace over the steering wheel to see what song is playing and also within easy reach to adjust the controls of the unit........

.....I will check back in to see if anyone has any questions....but until then.....I am heading back to the GD forum where I belong............

 

Wheres the pictures?

 

He must be a perfectionist.

 

looks good so far

 

ha.....I knew you guys could not resist posting before I was done.....now you know why I "reserved" some posts......one thing I hate most is when people post before the original poster is done with their explaination........

 

haha lol ya i couldnt resist, it looks great!!!!!

 

Wow! You sure are brave. That looks good.

 

You could have gone with an aftermarket HU and gotten better sound quality and not even have to look at the iPod, let alone see cords.
Mine just fits in the tray underneath the radio. Yours looks nice though. Good job keeping the factory look.

 

....I know......but I do not like the look of an aftermarket HU.......never had one.....and probably never will....call me crazy....but I prefer the "clean" look of a factory HU.....

 

Crazy. You asked for it. But to each his own, and that's what it's all about.