I love thinking of new ways to do things that other people haven't done or tried. I'm not one for spending $2000 on add-ons. I have nothing against it, but it all started when I bought my '95 Camaro V6 5-speed about 5 or so years ago. My friend had just bought a brand-spankin-new SS and was always modding that thing, so he got me into that, and then I just blew up into mods. I had my little V6 (was not even an RS!) keeping up with stock Z28s on the street, and was pretty damn proud of myself. After that, I started learning all about CIA kits and MAFs and how everything works in an engine where as before I knew nothing about engines and drivetrains but everything about everything else on a car. When I had my Scion xB, I was the only guy that had a laptop in the car, and I custom-made a laptop platform similiar to the ones the patrol cars use, but had it tied in real-time to a GPS reciever AND internet access, so I usually was the main attractions at the car shows in the Scion groups. When I got the H3, I was very dissappointed that there really was no mods, but that's because I bought one only a few months after they came out. Once we started building a house and I started travelling alot for work, I had NO time to do anything, so this is something I've wanted to do for a good year minimum, and something I like to do. I think outside the box. I'm not one to spend $2k on a all-in-one head unit. I like having everything on it's own platform. For example, here's a pic of my dash right now:
I don't have the monitor mounted on the dash anymore, but the radar detector is hard-wired into the Mirror, so it comes on automatically with the ignition and has a full 360 degree field (well, minus the pillars). The GPS has an external antenna mounted on the roof that at any given time recieved a minimum of 8 to 10 satellites at once, so I also use that as my speedometer since it updates about 2 to 3 times per second. I have a Belkin FM Modulator for my Mp3 player that is also hard-wired into the dashboard, which actually is awsome compared to the crap ones of old. The signal is nearly flawless all the time. I HAD the light bar wired into the horn with a diode and relay so whenever you honk the horn, the light bar comes on, but I just took that off and am figuring out another way to mount the lights (again, something different). I turned away from the chrome look because everybody and their mother is doing it, and I don't want it to look like a show car, I want it to look like an off-road vehicle. This is again why I'm going to do the third row seats. Members of my wifes family are short and will actually fit on those, so I am going to get them with the rear step access. I try different things for a bit, see how they work, get feedback from people on here, and then decide if it's good or bad, and if it's bad, how can I make it better. To most people, they might be small tiny things I make a big deal of, but I put alot of thought into functionality. If I'm not going to use it, I'm not going to have it. I use my GPS, radar detector and FM modulator ALL the time. I used the light bar too on and off (not much though), etc. I'm not going to buy a $2000 CarPC so that it takes me ten times longer to play Mp3s then if I turn on my MP3 player and let start playing on it's own. I LOVE the gadgets and toys, but I just like knowing that if one thing breaks, I fix that ONE thing, and not the entire thing.
So, with ALL this being said, here is what I used (and don't laugh):
[link=http://www.duplicolor.com/products/effex.html]http://www.duplicolor.com/products/effex.
Wait until you get to know me and Nick, I think the three of us are long-lost brothers or something. I HATE paint fumes dude. They always make me feel like I'm going to pass out. I can't stand that. I always have my garage open and don't really give two sh1Ts if a few specs of dust get on what I'm painting. I'd rather have that then be passed out on the floor naked...... 
