Any tips on fabrication for Land Rover?

Rover_Eli · 07-12-2004, 09:06 PM

So I have had my pc up and running for about 3 months now in my Land Rover. As you can see in the pics below, I have had the screen kind of stuck on this piece of wood on top of the dash, taking the easy way out, since I also didn't want to make any modifications to the factory face plate.

Well, I am getting frustrated with the sloppy install, so I am looking for tips on how to get this thing fabricated into the dash. I happened upon a face plate froma a junkyard, so what the hell. I think I have a pretty good idea on how to use the "kitty hair", but I don't know where to put the screen.

Could you guys take a look at these pics, and throw me some suggestions on where I might put the screen? I don't have much room, as you can see. My thought was to maybe relocate the head unit to below the ac controls, and then maybe build up the top of the dash unit with a housing or something, but that requires a lot more fabrication than I think I am ready for.

Any thoughts? Suggestions? Tell me to give up?

dodgetimes2 · 07-13-2004, 12:04 PM

Use some modeling clay to make a mold around the screen on top of the dash. Once you have the mold the way you want you can make a fiberglass pod for your screen to mount in.

srcstc · 07-13-2004, 12:33 PM

I would move the AC controls down to the spot in front of the 4WD shifter and put the LCD in their place.

Rover_Eli · 07-13-2004, 01:54 PM

That would be cool srcstc - but since that is totally separate from the rest of the trim, that seems like a lot of work. What would you recommend on building it in - cut out that part of the dash, and then use wood and fiberglass/bondo together?

srcstc · 07-13-2004, 02:15 PM

It will take some work and you should probably look for a qualified shop to do it. You need to fabricate a pod to mount the AC module (assuming it can be moved) and then make room for lcd.

Rich

mobileh1 · 07-13-2004, 02:36 PM

Land Rovers are cool. I have no tips on the fabrication, but having access to the plentiful supply of old defender 90's and 110's would be a reason to move back to the UK. They are very rare here.

Rover_Eli · 07-13-2004, 08:53 PM

But where's the fun in that? No way I'm paying someone at this point - I've come this far. :-)

I'm sure there are plenty out there, anyone have any screen molding installs (with maybe even AC relocation) they want to share with me?

Thanks

Altimat · 07-13-2004, 09:30 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by srcstc

I would move the AC controls down to the spot in front of the 4WD shifter and put the LCD in their place.

Yup if there are no mechanical cables involved. Send me the pieces I'll do it cheap.

hd54321 · 07-13-2004, 09:38 PM

I've got an idea - reloacate the HU and make your Lilliput the center of the dash. Purchase the in-dash mount from digitalww.com for $100.00. Mount your Lilliput in the in-dash mount and place it where your HU is currently located.

Using this thread as a reference, detach and relocate the faceplate & the rest of the Clarion HU to different locations in the car. A pic I saw with a setup like this had the faceplate in the top left corner of the windshield. I guess the Cat5 wiring was run down the a-pillars until it reached the rest of the HU. It seems like you would need some good soldering ability to get this done right but it may be the cleanest way to do all this without ripping apart your dashboard.

The plus side to all of this is that your Lilliput will remain nicely concealed when you park the car.

-HD

Rover_Eli · 07-20-2004, 02:18 PM

So I mounted the screen, I got creative.

I dremeled out a part of the bottom shelf just above the cup holders, and mounted a cabinet hinge (self closing) to it. Then I attached it to the back of the lilliput with an L-bracket. So now, the monitor is positioned dead in front of the AC controls, out about an inch and facing upwards. Then if I want to adjust ac controls, I can just push it downwards (imagine opening a cabinet), and it will pull itself back into place when I am done. It is PERFECT in terms of arm's reach, but I do have to take my eyes a little bit more off the road. Who wouldn't sacrifice safety for comfort?

I'll post pics later tonight - thanks all for the help.