Winter mods

[taiko]

Dear 1st gen Sequoia compadres-
I've been working on some mods and thought I'd post some pics.
To sum up quickly, the mods are a 2300W power inverter and an iPad setup.

I run an ARB Freezer-Fridge, laptop and other gear but the stock 1st gen inverter could not handle much of anything.
The 2300W inverter on the other hand, is powerful, but could not fit anywhere in the cabin so I checked all over to see where it might fit.
The rear driver's side compartment really only held the 3rd row seat headrest (that I never used anyway) so I decided this would be a perfect fit.
It took some doing (and some expert help) to drill through the firewall and run the cable under panels all the way to the back (cable is invisible).
The top lip of the plastic had to be cut out but it looks amazing and is fully functional.

For the stereo, I have been looking around for 2+ years at various aftermarket headunits. I could not decide mainly because all the brands had too many issues.
Now that I have a 64GB iPad it makes perfect sense to mount that, as it's the perfect mobile device for navigation, music, video, internet, anything.
It also costs way less than any double DIN head unit. I didn't want to spend extra for steering wheel controls, or JBL Amp (Pac Tato) etc.

After a lot of research I decided on the USA-SPEC PA-15TOY. Total cost at Crutchfield was $129 after coupon.
I called USA-Spec about potentially buying a cheaper one from Amazon, but Joe told me that Amazon and many of the other online resellers are selling older chipset versions that don't support the latest iOS devices.
Crutchfield gets them straight off the press. Although I normally don't pay extra for Crutchfield, in this case it was worth it. I am so thrilled because my version of the PA-15TOY also charges the iPad while driving (older versions would not charge the 5V iPad).

The installation was very straightforward, just plug it into the Y cable and into your stock HU. Steering wheel controls are retained as is the JBA amp! The sound quality is AMAZING. I have never heard the audio so good. No FM modulator here, this is a hardwired connection. It feels like an entirely new stereo. I am thrilled. Text appears right on the HU, and I can control the iPad via its screen or via steering wheel to skip tracks.
The PA-15TOY also has an aux input (2 RCA jacks). I threaded a dual RCA to 1/8" stereo into the glovebox, it's the best of both worlds.

Now that there is a jailbreak for iOS5, you can tether your iPad to an iPhone to get dual wireless for GPSX Drive. I used a RAM mount for the iPad with case on.
All in all this was not an expensive install but the added functionality is truly awesome. Thanks so much and happy wheeling!
Cheers-
taiko

[taiko]

Some more pics from the back.