How to: Duplicating a radio bezel.

**Giuliano** · 07-01-2005, 06:42 AM

Originally Posted by vipergda

hey wondering how the project is going and y u stopped posting hope u didnt run into any big problems would love to see your progress

It's been a little sidetracked and delayed, as I've been busy working, and trying to figure out how best to mount my LCD panel.

Since the bezel needs to be flush with the LCD panel, I have to get the LCD panel set right before I can continue..

**turbocad6** · 07-01-2005, 11:54 AM

ain't it amazing how life just gets in the way................

**Giuliano** · 07-09-2005, 01:33 PM

Originally Posted by turbocad6

ain't it amazing how life just gets in the way................

Actually, life getting in the way actually seemed to help me with a breakthrough..

I had to drive up to Nashville TN from Atlanta GA this week , which is a 6-hour drive, so I had plenty of time to look at my dash and figure things out..

What I needed to figure out was how/what to put in the correct places to provide a mounting point for the LCD panel.

I had tried using 2-part molding rubber (the hand-knead kind), but it's not really the material for the job.

So I tried a different material - air-dry modeling clay.

I attached some 1/2" long hex standoffs to the LCD's mounting points, pushed some clay into the spots in the dash where the mount points would be, and just pushed the LCD panel into the clay (by the mounting points only).

Removed the LCD panel, and the clay now has the impressions of the standoffs.. just waiting for it to air dry.

Once it dries, I should be able to pop the clay pieces out, trim them.. and either use them as-is, or use them as master parts to make resin duplicates.

After that, I can *FINALLY* start the bezel work again.. sheesh.

**guruj** · 01-07-2006, 01:26 AM

Hey just wandering if you had a chance to continue your bezel work again?

cheers
Guruj

**Giuliano** · 01-07-2006, 03:19 AM

Originally Posted by guruj

Hey just wandering if you had a chance to continue your bezel work again?

cheers
Guruj

Not really.. the rubber mold turned out to be a bit too large and flexable to truely retain the bezel's shape, size, and thickness properly.

I'm contemplating modifying the original bezel, and extending it up to join with the A/C vents - but they're both ABS plastic, which would make it somewhat difficult to join together as one strong piece.

The other thought I'm contemplating is to build a bezel/faceplace of balsawood frame, cover with fiberglass for strength, and carbon fiber cloth for looks.

**ShawJohn** · 01-07-2006, 09:30 AM

Join the ABS parts with ABS gunk (Pellets & Acetone) it takes some time to set but you'll be left with one piece of very strong plastic. Its easy to make, and easy to use

**Giuliano** · 01-07-2006, 10:19 AM

Originally Posted by ShawJohn

Join the ABS parts with ABS gunk (Pellets & Acetone) it takes some time to set but you'll be left with one piece of very strong plastic. Its easy to make, and easy to use

Yeah, I read about that.. I'll have to think about it though, as I've got about a 1-2" gap that I'd need to build up with ABS to join the two pieces together..

**turbocad6** · 01-07-2006, 10:26 AM

abs is very easy to weld togeather, if you had two bezels it wouldn't be very difficult to do what you need to do....

I've followed your mould job, & I always thought that if I was going to go through all the work to create a new part cast from a mould, that I would have done the oposite of what you did.....

instead of casting the stock part to modify after.... I would have modified the original to what you needed it to be, then make a mold of that...... the part that comes out of the mold is the finished new product...... & duplicatable if the mold holds up..... I think you could weld a bezel togeather easily enough really & eliminate the mold all togeather, abs is actually easy to work with... if you need a hand with the bezel pm me....

**Giuliano** · 01-07-2006, 11:05 AM

Originally Posted by turbocad6

abs is very easy to weld togeather, if you had two bezels it wouldn't be very difficult to do what you need to do....

I've followed your mould job, & I always thought that if I was going to go through all the work to create a new part cast from a mould, that I would have done the oposite of what you did.....

instead of casting the stock part to modify after.... I would have modified the original to what you needed it to be, then make a mold of that...... the part that comes out of the mold is the finished new product...... & duplicatable if the mold holds up..... I think you could weld a bezel togeather easily enough really & eliminate the mold all togeather, abs is actually easy to work with... if you need a hand with the bezel pm me....

Yeah, in retrospect that's what I should have done.

But I think I agree, this bezel would be best served by scratch building with ABS.

I'm thinking for raw stock I would need ABS bar stock, about 1/2" x 1/8" or so, layered up to join the two main pieces together.. and maybe ABS pellets for the acetone goop.

Not sure where to source this all from, though.. hobby store ABS is usually smaller in scale.

**SFiorito** · 02-21-2006, 10:14 PM

Sorry, gotta dig up an old thread again...

What's the latest on this? I'd really like to avoid the 800x480 issue and use an LVDS screen as well, so putting an 8.4" in my new WRX would be great. On the other hand it'd be nice to just buy the kit from the store here...