boot/trunk vs lcd install (cleanlieness)

**Stealth97** · 06-26-2005, 12:06 AM

help me figure this out. It seems that everyone wants thier LCD install to look factory, but when it comes to installing the CPU into the trunk/boot/whatever things start to get iffy?

Its just that Ive seen installs that look nice and clean in the dash, but the actual computer often seems to be just bungee corded down, or even just tossed in the back seat. Why is that? does the installation quality of the actual computer itself not matter to most people? or do they just get lazy after making an uber-clean dashboard?

**alti** · 06-26-2005, 12:34 AM

its a hobby to most people here, and I will take a guess at because it is in the trunk it is out of the way, sort of loke amps and capasitors and such for a audio installation. People are not going to be very impressed with you if your $500 superbright touchscreen LCD is ducttaped to your dash.

Personally I built a custom case for my pc, some people here want to do more custom fabrication then others and are better with epoxys and bodyfillers. Some want it to look stock and some want it custom, but unless your into custom composites or you want to show your car, if its functional and in the trunk, who cares?

**GreenBeast** · 06-26-2005, 07:51 AM

the system i'm in the process of realising is as clean in the boot/trunk as it will be in the dash. helps having a carpenter step-dad

everything is gonna be hidden in the boot, so when you open it, the PC and 5 channel amp and crossovers will be stealthed away. the only thing to see will be the sub box.

that is just as important to me because when you're at a car meet everyone wants to see your install, well if they know what you've got and then open the boot to find no equipment, thats as good as it gets in my opinion. (for a standard daily runner that is)

**-zip-** · 06-26-2005, 08:35 PM

If you are like me there will be tweaking, troubleshooting, adding new gadgets, transfering hard drives for large data exchange etc etc once it is installed for the first little while. For the first couple of weeks I was constantly adjusting almost every day. A nice enclosure would have been a huge pain in the ***.

Perhaps in the future, but I like the instant access.

No one looks in my trunk/boot so it is not a priority.

The larger volume of the trunk for the computer's air flow both incoming and exhaust. It is friggin hot 35+ Degrees with humidity its over 40 up here right now but my computer remains cool 35-40 degrees, dont wanna play with restricting it.

**evandude** · 06-26-2005, 09:01 PM

zip, you might want to specify units on those temps

I'd be pretty impressed if you hit 35 degrees F in your trunk, at 90-100 degrees outdoors (and if your trunk is anything like mine, its probably closer to the temperature of the sun)

edit: damn you, fixing that before I finished my reply

as for the main topic... personally my trunk already has junk in it (tools, etc), so a sloppy (or "easily reconfigurable") install doesn't seem so out of place. and personally I don't open my trunk very often but it's kind of hard to miss seeing your dash.

with that said, as soon as I move on from the epia in a ghetto-rigged plexi case, to a new system with athlon mobile and a real case, I am going to make a little carpeted shelf in my trunk to slip it under... partly to make it less ugly, but mostly to keep it from getting smashed when i have heavy stuff in my trunk, and to keep the wires from getting ripped out... then again, I'm more of a 'function over form' kind of guy I guess, since my mp3 box is the only non performance-oriented thing I've spent a dime on for my car...