Quote: Originally Posted by BoraXP
with bondo i would INSIST on a layer of fiberglass ressin and sanding before the first coat of primer
I used the Bondo Fiberglass stuff. You know, the goop with the fiberglass strands. It semeed to support everything pretty well. I had it set up for a few hours with everything attached and I didn't notice it moving or anything.
Quote: Originally Posted by Wildman
got any pics ???? i would love to see this..
or at least describe how you mounted it in there. is it nehind the plastic trim, or on the outside of it
No pics, I'm one of the rare individuals who doesn't have a digital camera. I can describe the process to you, however before I do, just understand that a lot of it is trial and error.
First I went to my local GM dealership and ordered the center console bevel. It cost about $60.
Then I picked up a can of regular bondo and a can of bondo with fiberglass.
I used a Dremel to cut out the plastic trim right below where the radio would go. I found that was the only way that I could get the Lilliput frame to fit.
I sanded for quite a while to get the edges perfectly smooth, then took the Lilliput frame and VERY CAREFULLY dremeled off the buttons, leaving only the screen area. I decided to get rid of the buttons mainly because the remote can do the same thing the buttons can do and there's really no space to put them. I thought about extending the button cable and mounting it lower, but the HVAC controls get in the way.
At that point I taped in the frame, making sure to leave enough vertical clearance off the pressure clips at the top and the HVAC controls on the bottom. If I can find one fault in putting the screen in this dash, it's that the Alero dash has a lot of space on the left and right for the screen, but not much space above or below.
My goal in mounting was to make sure that the monitor was pushed back slightly, both to make it look more factory, and also to cut down on glare.
So, I taped the frame in behind the bezel. Picture it this way. I put it in so that if you positioned the monitor behind the bezel without securing it, the monitor case would basically be where the head unit sits in it's mount.
After taping it up I did about 5 layers of fiberglass bondo to secure it on all sides. For the empty space on the botom, I put a piece of tape across it then filled behind it with fiberglass. After it had dried, I pulled the tape off, and voila, the fiberglass filled the area perfectly.
I used a good 10 to 15 coats of bondo (the regular stuff) as spot filler to even out the look and to make sure that it looked like a professional install.
At this point, it looks like it could still use a few more coats and some evening out. Then I'm going to prime it, and paint it the same black color that it was originally.
When bondoing, I HIGHLY RECOMEND that you wear a mask and keep the area you're working VERY well vented. I did the work in my basement, and even with a number of doors and windows open and with fans blowing, I still got very light-headed from the fumes.
If you have any more questions about the process, feel free to ask and I'll try to describe it as best I can. Basically once you have the parts, the only thing you can do is just jump right in and try it.
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