Thread: 2002 Mustang. Trac control & Defrost Buttons

That is a very nifty idea. Thanks for the picture and the reply Dan! I also have switches for my amp & some neons in the car. I would ultimately like to make one control "panel" with those two switches, the pc, screen, etc. I noticed someone put the switches on the shifter bezel giving them another 2-3 inches for the screen/ac controls. I believe I will go that route & decide where to put all my switches.

Why not just leave them there?

I can't believe you fit a cd drive w/ the screen in a mustang! Do you have any pictures or a writeup of your project?

I would love to have a dvd/cd rom in the dash like that, but I am against moving the AC controls. Every project I have seen required hacking up the dash to move the controls.

Homebrew did a Cobra dash with a CD slot and didn't move the A/C. His screen overhangs the factory buttons though which I didn't like. Here's his:



I had to do a lot of work matching the bezel curves to make it look stock but it came out well. I've yet to have anyone get in the car and realize that it's not stock which is what I was going for.

I don't have a writeup or pictures but I'll take pics in the next few weeks as I disassemble it. I'm switching back to a conventional stereo setup and will be moving the A/C back up to the factory location. Moving the A/C wasn't bad at all. I just cut the dash and fixed the brackets to the bottom using Duramix 4041. Moving them back up shouldn't be a problem. Personally I think it fits the car better having the A/C down below. It was a tight fit. I had to make a slight modification to the support bracket behind the dash because of how I supported the CD drive which only took a few minutes and slotted the bracket that holds the A/C cluster so the CD drive would clear. The biggest challenge was powering the CD drive which I overcame with some good cables and a USB hub under the rear seat. That alone took me months to figure out but I eventually ended making my own power adapter for the USB hub and violla, got it to work. The Key to powering USB devices like the drive over long distances is wire gauge. When I started splicing USB cables for the coin holder I realized the problems everyone is having powering USB devices over long cable runs is due to improper wire gauge. My PC is housed in the trunk, I was unhappy with the performance of the via systems and the only option was a m-ATX P4, a custom case to save room, and long wire runs. Hopefully I'll have it out this weekend and get some pics up.

I'll be selling the entire dash setup in the classifieds as soon as I find a stock bezel if you want to save yourself the trouble of making one. I would love to set up a trade for your stock bezel, those things are hard as hell to find. If you need any help with ideas let me know. I wish Ford put the stereo up top to begin with.

I wonder if I can fit a dvd/cd rom if I don't keep the screen in its original bezel. That might give me the room to fit a slot load. hmmm...

It's a real shame that you don't have a writeup. Your setup is surely at the top of the Mustang list. Why are you removing the PC for a normal stereo? Were you just not using it enough?

I have a few Mustang junk yards in the area. I plan on getting myself a spare bezel to work with anyyyywhoo. Let me know the price your looking at for yours. Either way, I may be able to ship you the bezel if I find more than one.

Thanks alot for the replies! It's a shame such an OEM screen is being removed

People usually keep the bezels on and mold them into the factory bezel. Slot load drives are very thin, I think you'd be surprised how well they'll fit in. If in doubt hop on a website and get the drive specs and mock up a drive out of cardboard first.

I'll work on a writeup soon. My problem was that time would get away from me and I'd forget to take pictures. I have a some pics and will take more of everything as I take it out. The project went through so many changes that it became hard to keep track of everything. I'm replacing it with a normal stereo because I don't care for touch screens and I'm generally tired of fiddling with it. I'm glad I did it because I learned a lot about car stereos, skin making, and fabrication but at this point I have other projects on the car that are taking priority and the carpc continually takes a back seat. This project was always about the learning process and not so much about the final product.

As for the screen. I'm looking to sell the screen, bezel, shifter bezel, & drive for $400...enough to cover the deck that will replace it. The screen is a Xenarc 700tsv with the motorcity transflective upgrade. The 5-wire screen isn't optically bonded to the screen so it still glares but it's coated under that. The drive is a Pioneer DVD-RW, I went with them because they use steel bushings in their drives and will last longer. I also replaced the felt on the drive so you can't see the internals. It's supported using the monitor's stand holding up the back and is bonded to the bezel in the front. The dash's frame support needs to be bent up ever so slightly to clear the drive's support arm. The shifter bezel has a power button in place of the cigarette lighter that matches the factory traction buttons. It will light just as a factory button does since all it is is a repainted defrost button. That's the reason I chose not to relocate my TC and Defrost buttons...I wanted the power button to match and look factory. Nobody has been the wiser so I think it worked. The button will need a shot of sealant so that it wears well over time. In return I would ask for your factory radio bezel and shift boot if you want to part with them. I have a ton of money and time sunk into both of those pieces. Everything was done with Duramix 4041 and flexible Evercoat finishing compount so it's flexible like plastic and won't crack. The screen itself only has maybe 40 hours on it at most. All of the paint was custom mixed to match my interior, I took the door trim off of my car and had a paint shop custom mix a flexible paint for it so the match is perfect.

If I had to guess I'd say I have easily $1500 sunk into those bezels. It's amazing how all of the little parts and trial and error add up. I also replaced the coin holder with a USB port but that didn't hold up after time. One of the ports broke If you want to trunk mount your computer I'll throw in the hub, power cable, and USB's I made to make it function over such a long run or tell you how to do it if you don't want the parts. I have a bunch of USB hubs and cabling sitting around from months of trial and error that I have no use for anymore so I'd be happy to throw them in.


I'll get some more pics of my work including the sub box I fiberglassed over the wheel well. My fabrication guy got in the car last week to do some work on my IRS and took one look at the dash, laughed, and said "Damn!" I took that as a compliment from someone who does nothing but modify Mustangs. I'm not as knowledgeable as a lot of the guys on this site but I'm willing to help with any questions you might have being that we have the same car and all.