Another day, another CC find (I’ve been quite fruitful recently, see here and here). This time it’s a 1991 GMC Jimmy, with a look and feel you’d expect from a Square Body – just fine, thanks. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I’m a big fan of the C-10 trucks, but this is to say that even in Israel, where this GMC lives, a Square Body is (still) not an unusual sight – particularly the Blazer/Jimmy which, at a certain time, were part of the IDF’s roster. Still, this was a bona fida CC and so let’s take some photos.
Drawing near, even if it bears wear and tear, it still is in a much better state than those other recent finds I linked to above. This Jimmy is clearly being used.
Its owner had it beefed-up somewhat for off roading, which is fine – after all, this is what the Jimmy was meant to do, rather than the usual school runs. Hold on – what’s up with the headlights?
LED replacements – Still fine, as long as their reflectors fit the bulbs. Some of these can be horrible, with no improvement in lighting and the added bonus of dazzling everyone else. Now I’ll try to photograph inside:
Woah! What’s that? Had no idea GM were so advanced over thirty years ago. The funny thing is, I’m so accustomed to screens in modern cars it took a second to realize this didn’t come as an option way back in 1991. Also, you have to admit, the owner had the unit installed neatly, and this is much better than add-on baseplates which are screwed to the dash and ruin it. Look at the close-up photo at the head of this post and indeed, note older screw holes – yet the screen itself seems to sit atop the dash and not spring from under it (so I guess there was no need to cut an ugly rectangular hole in the dashboard itself).
But what about the aesthetics of the thing? Obviously, it doesn’t fit in with the Jimmy’s interior styling (such as it is), but you may be able to go along with it as this is a mostly utilitarian vehicle, so you can pass the screen, same as you could pass that ugly running board under the door:
I mean, the running board is there for convenience, and so is the multimedia display; I, for one, will not own another modern car without Android Auto, which I’ve grown to depend upon whilst driving. It’s not only the NAV capabilities but actually being inside my phone, on a large, clear and comfortable display that was a game changer for me, ever since I was introduced to this system. Yet I still cannot answer how far would I go with a classic car – specifically one that might not be as rugged as this featured GMC.
How about you? Would you consider such a screen in your classic? Is it an abomination? Your thoughts are welcome.
I strongly dislike both. When I saw my ’93 still had the original radio installed it sealed the deal when I bought it. I don’t want some alien-looking Sony Xpold crap in my classic car.
I really abhor the LED headlights. Just ruins the look of a classic car, even in daylight.
Sam: A couple years ago when I first saw the 1986 Seville (now my Seville) advertised, I noticed it had an after-market CD radio in place of the factory one. Huge negative for me. When I went to look at the car in person, the two things I used to drive the price down was that the A/C didn’t work (I ended up fixing it for about $350.00) and that the radio was gone. The lady said it had one, and I said no. I won’t drive any vehicle with any after-market head unit. I told her that I’m a purist and need my old cars to be 100% original. Since she couldn’t find the original radio, I used that as a reason I didn’t want the car. Before I left, she dropped her price. I now have the exact refurbished radio back in the Seville, so I can now cruise while listening to tunes from the factory system while chilling in the ice cold A/C.
Nice! Sounds like a great place to spend time!
My dad had a ’91 Seville STS when I was growing up.
Of all the Cadillac models, I’ve owned more Seville’s than any other model. Of the 1st, 2nd and 3rd gens that I’ve had, it would be really hard to pick the one I liked the best. But if pushed, I’d say it was the 1989 white STS with that tan leather and wood inside and 4 passenger seating that was the best. I just love the way they ride and handle.
Well put. Both of these things suck.
I still don’t have a screen in my vehicle and abhor them.
Neither of my cars have screens, not interested. Don’t like how they look when the car is off, find them distracting when the car is on. I’ve got aftermarket DIN sized stereos with modern features to pair my iPhone with but that’s it, strictly audio/voice functionality.
The screen in this Jimmy frankly looks equally as tacked on as any other screen since the iPad glued to the top of the dash revolution took off about 10 years ago, in fact it almost seems like satire! There’s not one dash I find attractive to look at in any 2024 vehicle, especially with the latest fad of extending it to envelope the gauges too where now it looks like a whole TV glued to the dash!
My biggest problem with those headlights is how busy they are, there’s more going on under that clear lens than the styling of the whole front end of the truck, worse yet I’m sure they’re probably fashionably blue so they are objectively worse at being headlights than the stock sealed beams
I wouldn’t do it, but then I’m a fan of keeping a car original.
With my Mustang, the last car I bought with no screen, I can just prop up my iPhone in front of the shifter, and while not convenient (I have to take my eyes off the road to look at WAZE or my OBDII telemetry), it’s no different than in olden times when guys would put gauges down at this level.
If I want a modern music interface (the Mustang has a 6 CD changer… Does anyone use those anymore? 😉), I can just plug in my old iPad and play the tunes that way with the device on the seat*.
* Always pay attention. Never take your eyes off the road to choose the next album, song, or artist. Only operate the iPad when at a complete stop. 😁
This is a noninvasive way of modernizing your classic for your driving pleasure.
RE : 6 CD Changers ~
Yes, I bought a nifty original Ford Do Brazil one for my old Ranger because the music I like isn’t played anywhere .
After a month of musical bliss it choked with an unobtanium CD in it, I would have taken a sledge hammer to it but I really wanted that disc so I fooled with it until the CD ejected then I got the basic single disc factory CD player and it’s fantastic .
CD’s and premium speakers are the bee’s knees when you’re traveling .
Nate
Besides deploring the use of screens to control everything, I abhor their esthetics when not designed-in. Installations like this are also illegal in many states, with laws about obstructing the view through the windshield
I think the better question is how do we feel about all these huge stupid screens in modern vehicles?
For me? Give me the old fashion radio with tune and volume knobs, a basic HVAC panel and way less distraction.
I don’t like modern screens in modern cars…
My ‘new’ car, a W204 C-class, has a retractable display – it’s the latest model I could buy without having to deal with a screen. It presents the only controls for the radio, but the soundtrack from the M156 is way better anyway.
Oh hell no. 21st c and ubiquity of portable screens dominating life. is a worldwide trend. i still hold on to hope that we will collectively come to our senses. last week.Thanksgiving dinner- 2 of us at restaurant for the traditional dinner. nearby, a multigenerational family grandmother, parents, child. each apparently doomscrolling or interacting with distant others on their phones in silence. why go out? why even have a thanksgiving meal with those humans if all involved would rather be elsewhere or involved with remote others? touchscreens are inherently bad adaptations to any motor vehicle if operated by the driver. requiring concentration to use & eyes off the road to manage. my father worked for Military branch of IBM producing custom avionics developed & installed to helicopters intended to be used in harms way. each knob was designed with a different tactile shape , feel. capable of being differentiated & operated by hand in absence of any illumination. Sure, it took time & training for the military pilots to master. But that is the way vehicle control should be implemented. audio assistance/confirmation feedback/control could be a less awful workaround. voice command to manage HVAC and other in vehicle control to render screens at least secondary -or ideally tertiary -as system control would help. a small GPS- does anyone still use these? – placed low above dash on the windshield can be helpful- and easily in drivers outside view area- at night- can possibly provide indication of road curves ahead is advantageous. implementation of microprocessor tech to vehicles that have memorizable mechanical control is trendy, but often a step backward in safety. now get off my lawn.
I’m glad I’m not a pedestrian in this neck of the woods. This vehicle is a potential killer in an urban setting to begin with, add the potential distraction of a screen too play with and bingo. I would hate to end up a grill ornament on this particularly between after market led lights.
Just, no! I also despise running boards; although I realize that for some who are vertically challenged, they can be a help.
Never. No new appliances in an older vehicle.I like the simplicity of the controls in an older vehicle. I like my radio to have 2 knobs. One to turn it on and the other to change the station. Unless in his case that touch screens got a in coming missiles warning app in the software.
I’m ok with it but I don’t think it should be blocking so much of the driver’s view. And thanks for showing some Square Body love (and getting the name correct 😀) right after my GMT400 post.
Both my wife and I hate the computer screens used in new cars. Virtually all of them looked “tacked on” and fugly. Those screens are also very difficult to read in direct sunlight, as well as when a person is wearing polarized sunglasses. I have an aftermarket radio/head unit in my GMC Yukon that was installed by its previous owner, and that radio/head unit is impossible to read when wearing sunglasses. Moreover, I am not interested in looking at an iPad as my car’s dashboard while driving down the road. Scrolling thru menus to do things like turning the heat/AC on or off is dangerous. Give me buttons and knobs for such functions, as well as for adjusting the radio volume and changing radio stations.
I’ll be the contrarian here and say that I don’t mind it. It’s no more bothersome to me than people who install modern stereo faceplates in older cars. Definitely doesn’t suggest originality, but if it helps someone enjoy driving their old car (or truck) more, then why not?
This setup kind of reminds me of a cousin of mine who bought a Honda S2000 new and had a screen installed in the dash (in order to watch DVDs). It cost him a fortune to get that done, but in a few short years it was rather obsolete.
I do agree with others above that big screens in cars are annoying. Last week, I drove a Tesla for the first time – I was very impressed by the driving characteristics but loathed the giant screen.
I had a play in a BILs Tesla last year hated the screen the single most stupid idea EVER, driver distraction devices really should be banned.
Other than that a fairly nice car to drive not as smooth of a ride as my C5 but bags more torque and it steered well, I dont want one a half price EV from China would be a better bet and with the same charging problems all EVs present for my lifestyle.
I’m using a phone for a speedo since that instrument became wildly inaccurate in my old Hillman, yeah it looks wrong in it I dont care the damn thing easily blows past the speed limits now, and Id rather not get more radar tickets.
This is the age-old question … do you see your classic car/truck as strictly a classic and should be left original, or do you see your classic car/truck as a functional daily, weekly or monthly driver. In my case, I wouldn’t put a tablet-sized device on my dashboard, and if I owned a new car/truck, that was equipped with one I wouldn’t use the x!@# thing anyway. We never used a GPS when we were operating our trucking business.
And besides, you would need the “correct” dashboard to set the huge screen on … the dashboard in my ’70 Plymouth Sport Fury wouldn’t accommodate such a device, but my ’65 Chrysler Newport, my ’93 F-150 and my ’93 Grand Marquis would. Since my two “newer vehicles” are daily, weekly, or in the case of my truck, monthly drivers, I don’t think I will be installing a large screen device in either vehicle any time soon … they function just fine without it.
I dislike screens in any car, old or new.
On older cars, I only want to see a Garmin at the end of a suction cup to the windshield with the power plugged into the cigarette lighter like my ’05 & ’12 Escapes.
My current ’22 Passport has a panel as big as an iPad mini. It really don’t add much value to me!!
My ’64 Impala still has its original Delco AM radio in the dash where God and General Motors put it. Honestly, it’s been so long that I don’t remember if it worked, not that there’s much to listen to on the AM dial but talk radio.
In the ’64 Impala I grew up with, my Dad installed a Panasonic 8-track player under the dash around 1972, and wanting something to listen to, I put a modern stereo under the dash in mine. However, I came up with a little brainstorm.
Remember those dealer accessory tissue dispensers? They’re being reproduced, so I bought one that was correct for my car, had a friend cut it out to fit around the housing for the stereo under the dash, then install a hinge on the front facia of the tissue dispenser. Voila!
And when closed, everything still looks nice and original.
So that’s what the “a/c”, ducts looked like in the “64’s”!
Yes, and they were only on cars equipped with factory air. I was only interested in buying an Impala with factory air (it didn’t have to work; it just had to be there), so when I talked to previous owner ahead of coming to look at the car, I asked if it has A/C. He said he didn’t know. He lived near San Luis Obispo on the coast and never had a need for it.
So I asked if there were chrome balls on either end of the dash. There were. Turns out little “Air Conditioned” decal Chevrolet put in the rear window back then was still there too.
I guess my Miata is old enough to be considered vintage, but the factory radio was long gone when I bought the car. I rarely listen to live radio, preferring music on my phone or listening to the news via the NPR app. I also drive the car enough, including the occasional road trip, to make having CarPlay worthwhile.
I needed a new center stack tombstone (available on Amazon) for the larger stereo to fit, but it’s a very neat and clean installation, unlike the screen plopped onto the dash in that GMC.
I would never install a screen in the Impala (I can set my phone in the little auto-parts-store console on the transmission hump if I need Google Maps), but I’m glad I added one to the Miata. To each their own.
My Mustang is the last one without a screen and I am glad of it. I find them very distracting
and hard to navigate while driving. Most look like a bunch of guys were sitting around drinking in the garage one night and after the fourth of fifth round someone said ” I wonder if we can make this old iPad fit in the top of the dash of your wife’s car?” The ones that go all the way across where the gauges should be are particularly disgusting to look at. My wife has a Nissan Kicks and the screen in it is one of the least offensive that I have seen. It also actually has a shifter instead of one of those ridiculous knobs. If I was shopping for a car or truck, that knob setup would be a dealbreaker for me. I guess I am old fashioned. In fact my daily drivers are always manual transmission vehicles.
My 53 year old ghia is a daily driver and I have a phone holder placed on the dash so that I can use its Navigation system. Other than that, the radio is the original non AM unit which still works. One day that may be replaced that with a similar looking, but internally up to date unit with Bluetooth, etc. Until then, my earbuds will continue to be used (at low volume, so I can hear what’s going on) for podcasts/phone calls/music. If I redo the seats I will add a seat heating matt, as aircooled cars are not great at keeping warm in the winter. I would also have no objection to one day adding a Vintage Air aircon system, as it makes the vehicle more livable without looking out of place. I have some unobtrusively mounted instrumrnts to monitor oil temp. and pressure and will add arevcounter at some stage.
Anything that makes the old heap more everyday usable, safer and able to live with modern traffic is OK in my book….
I’m all for using a GPS when I’m out in unknown areas .
I use old Garmins, I got them dirt cheap at an auction long ago, I use a suction cup holder on the windshield and I’m always trying new locations because I want to be able to -glance- at it going 70 + MPH and understand what I’m looking at in a second or less .
This looks like a good compromise to me, I’m sure one can adjust the footage of the map so it shows crystal clear .
LED headlights are getting better and better, I’m still mostly using Hella European (? ‘D’ code ?) glass reflectors with higher than standard 35 watt bulbs to good effect, I don’t want everything in front ot me to get blinded .
? Are you considering buying this rig ? .
I agree, it looks in VGC .
-Nate
Screens are for keeping bugs out of the house.
I don’t like it, apart from some period homebrew setups from the 2000s it looks forced. Even the colorful stereo in my son’s GMT400 Suburban feels off. I think the only place a screen looks ok is in cars that had double DIN radios. A 90s HiAce looks OK because the screen integrates with the dash instead of being tacked on
I don’t care for screens in new cars so in a vintage car it is horrendous. While my wife’s 2018 Mazda 3 has a small screen none of my drivers do. None ever will since I won’t be in the market for a car in the next 20 years with what I have. By then I’ll be 91.
I have a Garmin 5 inch navigation unit that I use in my cars that aren’t equipped with built in nav. I use the suction cup mount to stick it on the top of the windshield to the left of the rear view mirror. In this position I can see the screen easily and keep my eyes on the road. I use the Garmin in my ’96 Mustang, ’97 Riviera, F150, and Navigator. The Nav has an aftermarket stereo with a control screen that also displays the back up camera that I added. My ’06 Mustang has a double din, Pioneer stereo with a built in navigation unit and back up camera. This set up looks like an OEM unit in a newer car.
The Garmin unit comes in handy and is easy to move from car to car. I don’t have/want a smart phone with nav available. Modern stereo CD players in old cars don’t bother me. Most of my old cars have modern stereos, I have a lot of CDs and listen to them on trips.
Phoof! This one sure opened a can of old farts!
If you’ve got a use for one, put it in. Or on. Personally, I’m just not screen-savvy enough to make much use of screens in cars, doubtless a factor of being mid-’50’s (though things like reversing cams are as brilliant as old radios are crapulous). It’s not intuitive for me to do so, but it is for many millions many years my junior – and do we really want people who’re going to be alive years after we are defunct to be put off the use of classic’s curbside and otherwise?
“This one sure opened a can of old farts!”
You hitteth the nail on its head. Let us also offer up a very real possibility since nobody has mentioned it.
I have a screen in my ’91 Dodge pickup. Why? The speedometer takes an occasional sabbatical, thus I have an old Garmin to show me my speed during those times. Granted, the screen is smaller and nestled in the ashtray, but there is still a screen in my vintage pickup. Perhaps the owner of this Blazer wants to see such information in an easier way; ie, not having to look down.
I think it looks like crap. As do the headlights. But then again, I’d as soon own a vehicle like this Jimmy as I’d drink month-old milk, so if it’s this owner’s thing, well then, he should go with it. It’s pretty clear (to me) that the owner is not thinking about anyone else’s opinion – those headlights which likely blind and annoy all oncoming traffic demonstrates that fact. Rather, I guess he’s happy with his handiwork.
I find Google Maps (or Waze or heaven-forbid Apple Maps) useful and use it on my phone which has an invisible magnetic mount to my dash. I pair my phone and use the screens in modern cars since they’re there and useful for navigation. I’d have zero interest in putting a screen in a car that didn’t come with one. The fact that sometimes people get in my car and are disconcerted by the LACK of a screen (Wow, how OLD is this thing??) just says that it isn’t their car.