Well... it all started here:An auction went up for a piece of Toyota Bling from Japan. Did I need it? nah... Did I want it? Oh, you betcha'!

So, a couple of weeks later, and... It's in!!

(click on image for larger pic)

I painted the console flat black, it came in a that grey wasn't gonna work in my tan interior. It's one coat of primer and two coats of Rust-Oleum Flat Black - I think it turned out pretty well! I also painted the mirror to match, but that's gonna need some touch up work. The weather was mixed yesterday and by the time I got to the mirror, it had started to rain, so the humidty shot up.


The install was PAINFULLY easy. Only about an hour on my truck (3rd gen with a sun roof), which included time to figure stuff out.

You have to cut the opening in the headliner another inch or so, and when you do - you find that the mounting bolt hole in the console lines up PERFECTLY with one used in the stock console. Then, there are two tabs on the front of the console that fit perfectly into holes. Then (and this is the best part) the connector for the sunroof controls is exactly the same (mechanically and electrically) as that on the Surf console!

Two things to point out...

• The sunroof portion of the Surf console requires a source of constant 12v for the map lights. This is easily obtained from the old 12v connector that was used for the original map lights. In fact, you can do like I did and pop the pin out of the stock connector, do a bit of mashing on it, and it will fit into the open spot on the Surf connector. Voila... Done!
  
  
• The rearview mirror hanger is another "built in" solution between these trucks. On the stock 3rd gens, the mirror is on a metal plate that doubles as the holder for the original map lights. 3 minutes with an angle grinder and you can separate out the "mirror portion" of the plate. That plate will now work as a stand-alone mirror hanger that fits perfectly into the cutout provided on the Surf console.

I still need to hookup the outdoor temp sensor and the speedo line. As it sits, it only knows a lot about the altitude and barometric pressure, and certainly looks cool at night. Once the speedo hookup happens, then the compass will fire up along with the cool "scrolling lights" display.


Kudos to theREALjdmSURF (Don) for a clean deal and all the legwork he did in figuring out the wiring. (Oh, and I stole his nighttime pic of the display)


edit: (5.6.2006)edit: (5.16.2006)

 

nifty mod

 

Pretty cool, I never knew anything like that was available.
Nice job on the install Mark.

 

mark,

way cool

bob

 

wow i want one. any idea where else you can get these?

sweet install.

 

That is one sexy looking mod..... Did I tell you I want one Mark?


Do you think you figured out how to convert the Celsius guage to Fahrenheit?

 

Check the original thread. Towards the end a couple of guys have popped up saying that they're gonna start looking for Surfs in junkyards and grabbing these.


I've got three options, and I'm 97% sure that one of them will make it happen. I didn't "finish" the install (wiring and dealing with C->F) because of weather issues. I was also painting my rims the same day, it started to rain, and I got short on time real quick.

I'll finish working through C->F when I go back and hook up the outside temp sensor. Remember though, the display only has two digits and a minus sign. If you're in AZ and it's summer, then you'll probably only see the last two digits of the temp.


Thanks for the kudos everyone... I'm pretty happy with it!

 

Should you need 'em, you can find the field monitor instructions here

 

I'd just leave it alone, sounds like a PITA.

There is an easy approximation we use up here for that....(so easy, even I can do that in my head )
(Temp C x 2) + 30 = Temp F

You'll only be off by a degree or two most of the time.

Are you gonna work on changing the barometer from kPa to inHG also?

 

Jamie,

That one is the basic Field Monitor which is an option on the N185 Hilux Surfs (3rd gens). Another option the GPS Field Monitor. This one incorporates a small trip computer and is programmable. It can also be linked to a GPS device although individually, it has GPS capability for a limited number of functions.

 

Thanks Roy, very helpful info!
We don't get much exposure to JDM over here so it's hard to know what exists overseas.

 

But it's the challenge Jamie!


Yeup, my friend & right-seat FunRunner mentioned that one.


Ummm... no. I'll just be happy with watching the numbers go up and down. Altitude will also be staying in meters.


Right on! I actually figured that stuff out on the fly, but good to know that I guess good!

 

Very cool swap. Do you know if this work work on a non sun roofed 3rd Gen?

 

Check the eBay auction for a picture of the issue. The roof line is different, and some of the console will have to be trimmed to match the non-sunroof'd line.

 

I would think that if it's 110 deg and it read only 10, than people would make the conection. But now you have me thinking... how do you think the reverse would work? Below zero?


Oh yeah and I've got two buddies who are over in Japan looking for these-

 

Well, the 7 segment drivers are usually cascaded to support as many digits as required. The driving chip itself doesn't know how many digits are actually there. So, over range/under range would just drop the leading digit(s). There _is_ a minus sign, so you'd be good down to -99*F. I think that's good enough.


I hope you find one... GOOD LUCK!

 

Well, if there was anyone I'd put money on to do it, it would be you.
Can't wait to see pics of that thing installed in your rig.

 

P I M P

 

What exactly is that thingy again? A compass, maplights and a temp gauge for the outside?

Looks cool whatever it is. I just consult my rock to find out the weather outside.

 

HAHAH!

Lesse.. outside temp, barometer, altimeter (both absolute and relative from a set point), compass, a cool (i.e. BLING!) "running lights" display of the truck moving, map lights, and controls for the sunroof.


??? Those first two pics up there _are_ in my rig.


!