My new project 2000 had the optional navigation. The screen is damaged. I can tell it lights sort-of uniformly when turned on but nothing shows on the display, other than the orange glow. I like the three gauge look but then I need to source a wood center (which likely won't match the other pieces), gauges and wiring. What else can I do with this space? If I find another dash nav unit, what will it do other than display maps? The drive is in the trunk but the discs are long gone and would be 20 years old, anyway.

I'm just trying to decide what to do with the space to replace this. No idea what some prior owner was trying to accomplish.

 

In stock form it does nothing other than display the maps from the DVD in the boot.

If it were still working you could repurposed the screen to do other things. But since it is not and you are confronted with replacement either way, there are a number of threads on here with ideas about how to replace the display with other things: GPS, tablets or the 3 gauge cluster.

All comes down to how much you want to spend and how much time you want to put in. You can probably ebay a whole dash set and the 3 gauge cluster for around $300.

 

Is the wiring in place for the gauges even though they weren't there originally or is there a good bit of work needed to make them function? Off to the search.....

 

No, I recommend our accessory harness available here: XK8 / XKR Navigation to 3-Gauge Conversion - TheJagWrangler . Instructions are easy to follow and it takes about an hour with no soldering. Support is always available should you need it.