6.7L Cummins Forum

Hello Everyone,

I got our truck with the base REF stereo and Sat unit (which is ok) and no additional addon's, was not going to pay Dodge's prices on upgrades. I was not interested in doing aftermarket for the radio since it is a work truck and do not worry about theft.

So I set forth on a project to upgrade the stereo, add blue tooth and ipod connectivity. The mopar uconnect kit is a waste of money since it does not integrate into the factory speakers.

I remove & replaced the factory REF stereo with a factory new RAQ unit with added several new features and without being known, an internal amp .... The sound output compared to the REF, MUCH BETTER ! Got the stereo at Replacement Radio All Chrysler - Chrysler 2004-2008 CD6 MP3 radio (RAQ) *NEW* P05091720AF. Service was excellent and fast and the was brand new as claimed ! Total cost under $300.00.

I went with Parrot setup Bluetooth Hands Free Car Kits - Parrot USA (used them many times in a lot of different vehicles), got from Quick Connect http://www.quickconnectproducts.com (used their no cut cable connections many times). That setup provided full integration with truck, auto mute of the stero, speaker usage and no fuss with the cabling. Total cost was under $250.00.

I went with PAC Audio iPod Integration for your car and More by Pac-Audio - Connecting you to the future for my ipod / iphone and their no cut cable installation. That was the most cost effective setup that I could find that would allow full control of the ipod/iphone from the factory stero controls. Total cost under $150.00.

Everything installed with out a problem and very very easily. Did discover that my factory wiring harness was missing an ignition lead with prevented the Parrot unit from working. A quick and easy fix was tapping into the ignition wire that turns on/off my GPS. That took an extra 10 minutes (made a harness so other devices can tap in via a connector). The whole process took several hours since Dodge does not believe in rounding the edges of the sheet metal behind the dash so all the wiring had to be wrapped for protection and connectors wrapped to be prevent rattles

Here are pics of the results:

(Everything plugged in)

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I like it and you can't beat the price. Like you my truck is for work so investing thousands of dollars is silly but I like this because if you trade you should be able to take it all with you.

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2007.5 Dodge Ram 3500 HD,QC, 6.7L Cummins, 6speed Auto, 4X4, Bighorn Edition.
Click for installs: Carr Steps PML Diff Cover Edge Juice with Attitude Volant Intake Hankook ATM RF10

You got it ! The portable GPS unit moves around a lot and SO worth it. Used it on car, trucks, motorcycles, tractors, etc., one of my best $200.00 investment I made 3 years ago

Forgot to mention, the mounts for the GPS and Cell phone came from Pro Clips ProClip Mounting System*-*Device Holders and Dashboard Vehicle Mounts . Forgot how much I paid those, had them for quite a while, but under $100.00 back then and got some extras for just in case.

Cheers all,
Roberto

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Nice work, how do you pull the radio out?

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2008 Dodge 2500HD 6.7L 4X4 Laramie
Edge insight, Amp tailgate step, 4" Boss Bars, rear air bags with compressor, spray in bed liner

To get the radio out, you have to remove the surrounding bezel.

To remove the center bezel, look at the attached pic. Basically the two bottom screws are NOT installed so if you grab the lip by the instrument cluster and pull straight out, it will release and gently lift all the way around and that whole section will pop off. You will have lots of cable harnesses to undo (depending on your options).

Attached Thumbnails

 

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Thanks Morbius!

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2008 Dodge 2500HD 6.7L 4X4 Laramie
Edge insight, Amp tailgate step, 4" Boss Bars, rear air bags with compressor, spray in bed liner

I like it, great job, lots of good info on things as always, I planed on changing my radio as well but didn't know wich way to go ,looks like you have the perfect set up..

Sweet install. I like it. My GPS moves around alot too, this may make it easier to switch from truck to truck with out repacking the bag it travels in. Great job!

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07.5 3500 Quad, SRW, 4X4, Laramie, Leathered, Dark Metallic Gray, 6.7, 68RFE, 20K Reese, Ride Rite's, 2 Viair air compressors, Bully steps, Kleinn Locomotive air horns (5 in all), Billet polished locking fuel door, 'A' pillar mount Auto Meter Pryo, PML X-deep trans pan
06 Durango 285 RL 5'er Lifted by KZ

This is just what I'm looking for. It will just be an iPhone only and I would like to put it where the GPS is in the pics. The cable running behind the mount, is that ran through the seam with the mount? Seems pretty tight.

I notched the #1 in the picture with a dremel tool to match the cable, the notch is very small. Those panels on ebay are rather cheap so at the time did not mind doing it. It completely hidden by the GPS mount.

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