Clarion FB275BT Discreetly Installed in the Oven
 

Just wanted to share some photos of my new stereo installed in the oven of our 2005 Scion xB. I've had many questions answered here in the past and wanted to give something back. The main goals for this project were:

1. Spend less than $200
2. Listen to Pandora, Slacker, and streaming radio with an iPhone 3G
3. Do not attract car stereo thieves

I could not find a double DIN stereo with an AUX input on the front that did not look ridiculous. In fact, most aftermarket stereos would have stood out and attracted unwanted attention. Because of this, I decided to hide a single DIN stereo in the oven. I wanted something cheap and simple that had an aux jack on the front for the iPhone. After searching eBay and Amazon, I was amazed to find the best deal at Crutchfield.com. They had the white FB275BT on sale for $59, half the price of the black model. This stereo has no optical drive but instead has a slot for an SD card and RCA aux-in on the back. I don't use discs anymore (CD or DVD) so this stereo was the perfect match at an unbelievable price.

To install I had to remove the center console and then pull out the oven-ashtray-cig lighter assembly. I cut the back off with a utility knife and inserted the stereo. I had to also trim some of the dash plastic that is right behind this assembly. Easy to do with a sharp utility knife. After determining the clearance needed for the volume knob, I drilled holes and mounted with 4 machine screws, ran the harness where it needed to go, added a 12" antenna extension cable and connected an RCA-ministereo cable to the rear aux input. I left the stock stereo in place to act as a decoy. Perhaps one day I'll remove it, cut the front of it off to use as a door and make it into a double DIN oven to hide the weed.

I will also add some kind of iPhone charger/mount in the near future, but for now it rests on the oven tray. Enjoy the photos and post any questions below.

http://homepage.mac.com/theterrace/stereo/stereo1.jpg
this plastic was easy to cut with a utility knife


http://homepage.mac.com/theterrace/stereo/stereo2.jpg
machine screws and washers, just snug, do not over tighten


http://homepage.mac.com/theterrace/stereo/stereo3.jpg
discreet was the key


http://homepage.mac.com/theterrace/stereo/stereo4.jpg
this thing even has Bluetooth and can control the iPhone, at least answer and hang up, no voice dial. not bad for $60.


http://homepage.mac.com/theterrace/stereo/stereo5.jpg
No CD or DVD drive, no problem. Note the SD card slot on the right side of the flip down face


http://homepage.mac.com/theterrace/stereo/stereo6.jpg
Pandora running smoothly....thumbs down on that track


http://homepage.mac.com/theterrace/stereo/stereo7.jpg
the iPhone stays here while driving

Very nice and discreet...props!

i like the looks of very clean lookin

looks like a good project. i like the unit actually, good design. maybe i'll grab one of those too ....

what are the dimensions of the unit.

I wanted to put in a flip out monitor though I was told the unit would not fit because there is not enough space in the back. How much trimming needs to be done? do you have a pic

thanks

I don't recall the dimensions, but you can download the user manual here:
http://akamaipix.crutchfield.com/Man...020FB275BB.PDF

As for the cutouts, you can see in the photo what I cut from the console, and right behind that and in front of the AC ducting, there is a flimsy piece of plastic that is easily removed and not needed.

thanks

thant all you needed to remove was that flimsy peice of plastic and it fit?

that's it, was real easy to do and if I had to install one of these again, it would take me 30 min.

thans for answering all the questions. last one I think

How did you make such a straight cut with a utility knife?

carefully make a shallow cut in a straight line, then carefully deepen it until it's deep enough for real pressure. After that it will slice like butter.

Hmmm maybe i'll get one of these for the box and put it under the seat :)

I threw out my oem radio though lol

I have been wanting to relocate my Alpine unit to that pocket for some time now but wasn't 100% sure it would fit...it did look like a perfect fit though. Thank you for doing the leg work for the rest of us:) I'm actually going to remove that fold down pocket cover and just mold the HU in right there...I'll try to up a pic when I get it done.

Sorry to revive an old thread but I was looking into doing this and just wanted to know what all I have to do to get the wires down to the pocket. If I had to extend the wires or if they should just drop down to the new spot. Also if I need to remove the dash to do this as well. Thanks you guys and gals in advance.