Altimat
07-03-2005, 05:51 PM
OK I finally started the dirty work on my second carputer. My first one is in the Altima. The hardware is all ready to go and I just need to fab the dash. I'll be installing the Xenarc 7" VGA screen and a slim slot-load 2.5" DVD-RW on USB. Hopefully this will help some of you that haven't done this kind of work before.
Step one is to acquire the dash part. Here I cut off the screen portion of it with a Dremel and a Gyros circular saw blade (the seam is invisible). Its just glued on with a solvent adhesive and I'll glue it back on later with epoxy:
http://webpages.charter.net/Altimat/Titan/Cam%206-05%20034%20(Medium).jpg
Then I noticed that the OE screen opening is about 1/8" too tall and 1/8" too wide. I decided to add the height at the bottom to make it flush and flat at the lower edge. Unfortunately the little raised 1/8" portion is stepped on the backside such that shaving it down would also cause it to become 1/8" too short and not reach the screen. So I flipped the part over, taped on a dam, and filled this 1/8" x 1/8" recess on the bottom first.
Then I sanded it down to flush and glued in the screen bezel. I won't be using the screen buttons and simply cut that portion of the bezel right off:
http://webpages.charter.net/Altimat/Titan/Cam%206-05%20035%20(Medium).jpg
^^ I also used the epoxy again as a filler to fill in the sides (by changing the angle slightly) the additional 1/8" needed to meet with the edge of the Xenarc bezel behind.
I also had to grind some for clearance in the top corners:
http://webpages.charter.net/Altimat/Titan/Cam%206-05%20036%20(Medium).jpg
This shows where I reinforced the lower joint with a fillet of the PowerPoxy epoxy for additional strength since there are just two flat surfaces mating perpendicularly here:
http://webpages.charter.net/Altimat/Titan/Cam%206-05%20037%20(Medium).jpg
I also tossed an old case fan under the center speaker grille so suck the hot air radiating up from the head unit and backlight away from my screen. This is probably overkill, but I had it laying around. I'll run it on 6V somehow to keep it silent.
I'll post more as I go. Drive is coming soon!
Step one is to acquire the dash part. Here I cut off the screen portion of it with a Dremel and a Gyros circular saw blade (the seam is invisible). Its just glued on with a solvent adhesive and I'll glue it back on later with epoxy:
http://webpages.charter.net/Altimat/Titan/Cam%206-05%20034%20(Medium).jpg
Then I noticed that the OE screen opening is about 1/8" too tall and 1/8" too wide. I decided to add the height at the bottom to make it flush and flat at the lower edge. Unfortunately the little raised 1/8" portion is stepped on the backside such that shaving it down would also cause it to become 1/8" too short and not reach the screen. So I flipped the part over, taped on a dam, and filled this 1/8" x 1/8" recess on the bottom first.
Then I sanded it down to flush and glued in the screen bezel. I won't be using the screen buttons and simply cut that portion of the bezel right off:
http://webpages.charter.net/Altimat/Titan/Cam%206-05%20035%20(Medium).jpg
^^ I also used the epoxy again as a filler to fill in the sides (by changing the angle slightly) the additional 1/8" needed to meet with the edge of the Xenarc bezel behind.
I also had to grind some for clearance in the top corners:
http://webpages.charter.net/Altimat/Titan/Cam%206-05%20036%20(Medium).jpg
This shows where I reinforced the lower joint with a fillet of the PowerPoxy epoxy for additional strength since there are just two flat surfaces mating perpendicularly here:
http://webpages.charter.net/Altimat/Titan/Cam%206-05%20037%20(Medium).jpg
I also tossed an old case fan under the center speaker grille so suck the hot air radiating up from the head unit and backlight away from my screen. This is probably overkill, but I had it laying around. I'll run it on 6V somehow to keep it silent.
I'll post more as I go. Drive is coming soon!