Orbital Prestige Double Din Dash Conversion Kit

In the head to head comparisons of the Evo to the STi, automotive writers and critics continually sided with the STi for having the more modern and stylish interior. Despite the Evo's superior Recaro seating, and high quality materials, the dash looks dated and sparse compared to the STi.

At the center of the dash lies the main culprit. While the STi receives a 6 disc in dash CD changer, which looks and feels appropriate for a $35k production vehicle, the Evo is saddled with the exact same radio the base Lancer receives. Its construction is definately lower scale when compared to it's Subaru counterpart, however is easily upgraded. There are a number of high quality replacements available that would fit in the stock location, that improve sound quality not to mention visually enhancing the interior. Another popular route is to relocate the radio to the pocket beneath the HVAC controls, and installing gauges in place of the radio. Several companies offer replacement panels for this exact idea. While this is suitable for most, some of us longed for a kit which would allow us to utilize one of the many double DIN radios that have features that single DIN radios cannot contain, simply due to size constraints. Many of these double DIN radios offer navigation, DVD playback, on board hard drives, or even in dash CD changers. We had seen others tackle this issue by using custom fiberglass bezels. Past experience has taught us that this is a time consuming, labor intensive solution. We wanted something that not only looked like OEM, but was also easily reversable should we desire. When Orbital Prestige began offering a kit to house a double DIN radio in the Lancer and Evo, we hopped at the chance to put one in our own car.


Overview

Orbital Prestige took the time to design what Mitsubishi should have from the start. The kit relocates the HVAC controls to the pocket beneath the radio, allowing room for the oversized radio to fit where they used to reside. You could also use the additional space for a more functional pocket, or space for gauges and more. Starting by making the bezels out of high quality ABS plastic, extensive work was done to develop the kit so that fitment would be perfect, and as OEM appearing as possible. The radio bezel also addresses a real problem with the Lancer radio location, which is glare. The angle of the dash allows for a hefty amount of glare that can totally wash out displays on most radios. Orbital incorporated a larger overhang on the radio bezel to combat this problem. The kit is also available in a silver painted hue, which we did not opt to get. If elected, the painted pieces resemble the factory color very closely from what we gather. Base price for the standard black kit is $295, while the silver painted bezels are a bit more at $379. The pictures were very convincing, but would they hold up to my standards in person?

First Impressions

When the kit arrived, it was very apparent this was a professionally produced piece. No one likes damaged goods arriving or the ensuing wait for replacements, and it's clear Orbital has done everything possible to avoid this potential snafu. The box was oversized so as to not expose any part of the kit to possible damage by a careless box thrower. Inside, each piece was wrapped in protective bubble wrap, and the box was filled excessively with packing peanuts.

Once unpacked, the quality of the kit is readily visible. The pieces look and feel as good or better than what Mitsubishi uses throughout the car. The parts are sturdy, and scratch resistant. The color is a near exact match, which is great considering our car is now 3 years old. While a simple flat black piece would have made most everyone happy, Orbital went one step further to make the piece as near OEM as possible by matching the grain of the dash perfectly. Also included is a very thorough installation manual, written in plain english, complete with instructional photos. In fact, the install instructions are so good, we're going to just hit the highlights in our article.

For our source unit, we wanted a "no expense spared" solution. The main things we desired were navigation, mp3 playback, DVD playback, and plenty of features which we can expand upon. We settled on Pioneers AVIC-Z1.


Installation

To prepare to begin installation, we recommend you first remove the negative battery terminal to reduce the risk of any accidental short outs while splicing wires. Depending on your skill level and complexity of install, I'd recommend setting aside 1-3 hours for the conversion. Recommended tools and materials include a variety of picks, an assortment of screw drivers, a quality wire stripper, pliers, flashlight, and a general knowledge of audio wiring. While the install is not particularly difficult, if any part of the instructions intimidate or confuse you, we recommend the assistance of a qualified audio installation expert, as we opted for.
For our first step, we removed the HVAC knobs by firmly pulling straight out on them. Behind the knobs are two Phillips screws that must be removed as well. Be sure to set the knobs and screws in a safe place where they won't be lost. At this point you are ready to remove the radio bezel. To do this, carefully pry at the bottom of the bezel. As it begins to pop out, move around to each side, then finally releasing the upper tabs. Set it aside for now.

Next, remove the radio and disconnect all connections. Remove the brackets from the stock stereo, as you will need these for the new radio.
The HVAC controls are the next to be removed. There are two Phillips screws that hold it in place. Next, crawl under the dash on the driver's side and remove the climate control cables. They are located just above the accelerator pedal, and are blue and black in color. Now return top side to pull out the HVAC unit enough to remove the electrical connections on the backside, then remove the unit.

Now remove the pocket above the ashtray. This is easily done by removing the two Phillips screws on the roof of the pocket, then simply pulling out. Set this piece aside, and we are finished with removal. Now we can move on to installation.

To prepare the Orbital bezels for installation, we will need to reuse the plastic tabs from the back of the OEM pieces. They can be a bit tricky to remove, and tend to shoot off when they are finally removed.  To remove them, take two right angle picks, and pry at each side simultaneously until they come off. Once removed, just snap them into place on the Orbital pieces.

The climate control labels must be removed from the HVAC bezel now. They can be removed by pushing on them from the back until enough of it has peeled up to grab it from the top. Pull gently and they will come off without much issue. Transfer them over to the Orbital piece making sure to align carefully. Slight trimming may be required which can be done with a razor and a few seconds. If you have issues with them retaining their adhesion, you may use a bit of spray glue, or you can order new ones from Orbital or Mitsubishi if you desire. The climate control bezel is now ready to be installed.

First, we'll install the HVAC control unit. You'll want to first slide the control unit into the Orbital bezel. As expected, ours fit snugly, with no loose play to be found. Take a moment to reroute the electrical connections to the pocket area. Next, install the HVAC controls into their new home by routing the climate control cables to the left side, towards the gas pedal. Next reconnect the electrical connections, pushing things back carefully and ensuring no wires are pinched. From here, slide under the dash and reconnect the cables, then check to ensure they are not obstructed or have any clearance issues. Finish this portion by reusing the two screws you removed which secured the OEM pocket to secure your Orbital HVAC control unit.


Now you're ready to proceed with the radio installation, which we will only briefly cover here due to variances in audio setups. To accommodate the larger deck, the guidance brackets must be bent slightly. We found this to be very difficult to photograph, but with trial and error you will see exactly where you need to bend, and how much. For those using a GPS navigation equipped unit, you'll need to find the vehicle speed sensor wire. This is located in the OBD2 port, underneath the drivers side of the dash, above the gas pedal area. The wire is a white/black wire, or black/red, depending on what year vehicle you have. The wiring took the bulk of the time here.  Once you have completed the wiring, its time to mount the deck and complete the install.

Mounting of the radio can be done one of two ways. Orbital supplies a template to re-drill the stock holes, which we opted not to do. Instead, we used the existing dash mount screw holes, and slotted the radio bracket. This has to be done otherwise the radio will sit too high. Which method you use is entirely up to you. After you are satisfied with its mounting location, you can install the Orbital radio bezel, which snaps in exactly as the factory piece does - impressive.


Conclusion

I have to say that every expectation I had for this kit was either met or exceeded. The quality of the materials is excellent. The fitment is superb! Its very obvious that the designer spent quite a bit of time with R&D to get the fitment this good. Every seam is even, and the pieces fit tight like you would expect a factory piece to fit. The new radio bezel does an excellent job at greatly reducing glare, which is important when you have a navigation system like we do now. While I'm not much of a heavy aesthetic person, I have to commend Orbital on presenting such a piece that does so much at a reasonably cost. No matter if you are  into high end car audio, show, or are just someone like myself who wasn't pleased with the lack of style the stock interior provides, Orbital's dash conversion kit should definitely be in your plans. It provides an exceptional value, OEM fitment, and endless possibilities for it's use.  You won't be disappointed.

Written by John Gadd

 

 

 

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Related Links
Orbital Performance Systems	http://www.orbitalperformancesystems.com

 

 

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