scott_fx

Hey guys,

I have had a few people pm me about how to modify the stock radio surround so that you can install a double din unit or a lcd screen so i decided to post a mini how-to. Still feel free to pm or email with any questions but this may help you start your project.


enjoy...


here is a list of supplies:
-2-part metal epoxy (the kind that comes in the syringe tube from home depot)
-high tack masking tape (neon green 3m stuff from home depot)
-rage gold (prefered), the epoxy mentioned above with 'micro ballons' additive (found in r/c plane hobby shops) or bondo,
-spot filler/glaze
-paint thinner/mineral spirits
-dremel or some cutting tool
-sand paper of assorted grits

first cut the bar out but cut notches into the bezel, dont cut the bar off straight. to make this clearer; the bar should look like it has little spatualas on each end. This will introduce two notches in the sides of the bezel but those will be easily molded/patched.

here is what your surround should look like after that step:



actually if i were to do it again i'd make those notches a bit bigger so i didn't have to blend the corners of the bar as much.

the next step will be to figure out where you want the bar to go. mark it off and then cut notches into the side that are just a little bigger then the 'spatulas' on the divider bar. get some tape and tape the bar into place; from the front side, covering any gaps. next tape the front side over the notches that you had created where the bar used to be .from the back side apply liberal amounts of epoxy making sure that it doesn't run over to the front side. (This is not the place to skimp. if you don't make a solid bond here it will flex and crack the filler used in the next step.) The epoxy should be used to secure the bar into place as well as fill the holes and gaps. If you would feel more confortable you could glue a filler piece to bridge the wide gap from where the bar used to be (i would use some abs plastic or even 1/8" birch ply wood)

--this part only applys to lcd screen installs--
-- you may want to skip this if you are installing a h/u--
if you are installing a lcd monitor and no h/u like me you may want to recess the screen a bit to help with glare. to do this buy some 1/8" birch ply wood and create an extension:

glue up the sides with epoxy then glue the extensioni to the radio surround. not picture here is the frame that i i cut to cover up the lcd screen's case and buttons. if you don't mind voiding the warranty i would suggest taking the lcd screen out of the frame and actually molding the case into your extension. this will merit the cleanest look.
--end--



let the epoxy cure then remove the tape.

you'll notice it's looking pretty good at this stage but there are some ridges and valleys. First knock down any ridges with some coarse sand paper (~100 grit). now mix up your filler (rage gold, bondo, micro-ballons/epoxy mix) and apply it to the front. take some care when applying it so that there will be less sanding but don't be too **** about it. I found that for some of the curves my finger was the best applicator but i'm not sure how safe it is to do that so do this at your own risk.

let the filler cure then sand it smooth. now take the piece and rinse it off with paint thinner/mineral spirits. while it's wet you will be able to see if there are any imperfections in your piece...there will be... you may have to add some more filler and resand untill you get the desired result. Now you may have added filler 3 or 4 times and are pretty happy with the results but you notice little pin-holes or maybe a blemish here or there. take the spot glaze and put a skim coat over the piece

this stuff is meant to only fill small holes, it sands really easily. Now rinse with paint thinner and if you're happy you can now prime and paint (or have it sent out to leather magic to get retextured to match the stock texture like i did).

here is a picture of the final result



one side not is the use of the epoxy, though this is solid it is not the ultimate bond. since the radio surround is abs plastic you have the option to 'weld' the plastic. you could do this by melting some abs filings in acetone and then using that past to 'weld' everything together. I have not done this myself but if you need some direction i can point you to others that have done this.

hope this helps

'scott

99C5Vert

Excellent post. I have a car PC in mine with a 8" lilliput, and have delayed fixing the cut.

couple of comments.
1- When I cut my bar (I did not need to reuse it), I should have left a little more mateial on the frame on either side. If you take a heat gun to it, the plastic becomes very plyable and can be formed easily. i really like the way you did yours though
2- Instead of doing the wood frame with recess, I took two small pieces of AL angle (1"X1", and used double sided tape on the sides of the 8" monitor. I then drilled the angle pieces so I could use the stock radio mounts to mount my screen. Seems to work pretty well, and was easy to make.

Are you using a PC?

My setup will eventually be a EPIA M10000. I started with that (mounted in the dash behind the screen), but there was too much heat there with the HVAC on max heat during extended periods. I then went to a laptop setup, which i don't like as much. By next week, I'll be back to the EPIA with an OPUS power supply mounted in the back compartment.

scott_fx

i have an epia m10000 board, m1-atx psu (look into this, i like it better then the opus i had) 512 mb ram, 80 gb hd. It's mounted in a custom case in the rear corner of the car but this weekend i'm going to be installing it into an empty xtant amp case to match my amp then i'm going to build an amp rack to finish it off

that's a great idea on how to mount the screen. since i'm still modifying that radio suround (i'm adding custom tactile buttons to navigate through the software as well as a volume ****) i just have it hot glued in there for now. thanks for the tip

Mike Mercury

got a question about this (using ther filler). The factory surface isn't glass-smooth; but "matte" instead.

when you sand the filler to make it fit the curves and flow of the finished product, you will make it glass smooth via the sanding.

How do you make the surface texture of the sanded filler areas - blend in with the matte surface of the non-filler areas?

scott_fx

you prep the surface so it's uniform..smooth, then you can send it out to get textured at leathermagic or try to do it yourself with a product from the sem automotive paint line

Freestyler

Scott will correct me, but if not not mistaken, in his absense, i think he sends it to a chap that does a 'leather finish' on it - which makes the whole thing look texured again , like factory

he has a post with more info in the audio section, its super sweet work..

i myself want to do this soon, but am sick of microsoft virus's and whatnot ., so im gonna get a mac mini that is the size of 5 CD-jewel cases complete with a dvd-BURNER (no less) and work at mounting it under the LCD panel - sort of like a 2nd head unit hehe

ill be able to record from my firewire webcam , mounted in the rear brake light (maybe get one of the wireless spy cams) and burn footage to DVD before getting out of the vehicle

scott_fx

http://www.leathermagic.com/

you have to call them because they don't have the service listed on their website but they do great work.

`s

99C5Vert

Which OPUS did you have?
I have the 150 Watt model, and just had it modified by OPUS to completely shut off USB power supply when the unit is off (got tired of dead batteries)

Mike Mercury

sorry guys, I must of missed this sentence in the original post.

99C5Vert

also, how much improvement in glare do you get by offsetting the screen back? it looks like for most part it is still pretty exposed.

Are you using a lilliput or Xenarc LCD?

Mine is lilliput, and with tan leather seats and a convertible, it has too much glare and not enough brightness.

I've been doing a little research, and it looks like you need a 1000 nit screen to be bright enough to see it in direct sun. At 300-400 nits, lilliput and xenarc don't offer quite enough.

There is an ongoing project over at www.mp3car.com to retrofit a higher intensity backlight to these screens.

Road_runner

Only on the Corvette forum could you accidentially find information this useful.

Thanks

98NassauBluC5

Bravo dude... bravo. I have wanted this info for about 5 months now. I really didn't want a flip out, so now you've answered my questions. Thanks bro.

scott_fx

I have a xenarc. being recessed isn't much of an improvement but i think it looks more stock. it is hard to see during the day with the top down but i am hacking apart a detatchable faceplate to incorperate some tactile buttons to my system. this will make it a lot easier to scroll through songs and applications without taking my eyes off the road


here is the link to the upgrade on mp3car:
http://www.mp3car.com/vbulletin/show...light=lilliput

98NassauBluC5: you're very welcome let me know if you have any questions or run into any road blocks.

All in all this is pretty straight forward and doesn't require any expensive tools. you spend some time sanding and you'll be very happy with the results and have a great sense of accomplishment.

Here is my first molding project for my rx-7, relocating the ac controls from above the radio to the center divider...this was a p.i.t.a:
before:

after: