Giuliano

Thanks.

Part of the idea was to make something unique, and then find a market for it.. of course, I still would have done it with no market, if only for myself.


I'm attacking at the back of the lower half of the bezel with my cordless dremel and a nice 1/4" cutter, and basically milling down the back surface by about 2mm.

It's actually working quite well, but it makes a real mess.

After a 10-minute session, I'm covered in white plastic dust..

I probably would have been better off with an X-acto woodcarving kit with a gouge or chisel.. real sharp.


One of the nice things is that I know exactly how far to cut, as the original mold left slight marks around the edges of the original seam.. and I just cut down to it.

When this is done, you won't be able to tell the difference between the original bottom half and the duplicate..

As for mounting the bezel, I'm currently leaning towards simple velcro, epoxied to the back of the bezel.

C4M

In the USA maybe - that bezel is different in Australia - especially round the A/C controls, ala:

http://www.mp3car.com/vbulletin/atta...tid=7510&stc=1

__________________
http://carpc.riposte.net
I reserve all rights in connection to each post I author, without exception.

Dirk9N

WOW, great job!!

how much money did you spend at all for the form material, the Plastic etc???

Giuliano

The molding rubber was $86 for a 9-pound bucket, and I used all of it for this mold. I'll probably need more to finish the job, and a 1 pound bucket is about $25.

The resin (plastic) cost me $25 for a 4-pound set, and comes in 2 quart bottles, and I still have about 3/4 of the bottles left, after 1 failed pour and 1 successful.

The extra materials, such as the foamboard, cost me less than $20.


I have a nice hockey-puck sized chunk of cured resin from the leftover that I didn't use for the 2nd pour..

nzKAOSnz

wont that risk warping again if it gets hot in the car?

Giuliano

Not very likely, the water temperature has to be in the boiling range to make it soft.

You might be able to mark it with a fingernail if the temperature gets really hot in the car, like 100 F, but it isn't going to warp by itself.


The resin came with a specification sheet, so I'll check that out when I get home for the operating temperature range.

NiN^_^NiN

I know it's different thats why I didn't mention Australia

__________________
CarPC Status:
GPS: 99%
Hardware: 99%
Software: 92%
Case Install: 99.9%
Dash Install: 100%
Car Install: 72%

RonsWRX

This is just a thought (and the reason I am looking through the thread), but do you think it would be possible for you to make a flat piece to cover the stereo opening? I too have a 2003 WRX, and I want to find someone who makes a cover for the bezel or figure out how to mold my own. I have never done it and would rather have someone do this for me as it would take me a year and 10 times as much money to try it over and over. You have done such a great job with this bezel. Just thought you may also like to have a cover to hide the monitor when the car is parked as a security feature. If people don't know what is under the cover then they may not risk the time to find out.

I have been trying to think of a way to mount the cover if I can find someone to do this. I though about some kind of a snap that would be located in the upper corners of the stereo cutout. Then have some kind of a handle or thumb-hole to remove it. I am not sure of what all methods would be available.

Giuliano

Yes, I'm planning on also molding a piece that will fit in the area in front of the LCD to cover it up.

I was also thinking of how to secure it.. magnetics would work, but I wouldn't want to put any magnets that close to the LCD, just because.

I might be able to make the piece so that it just fits by friction, and stays in place by gravity - no screws / pegs / magnetics required.


As a bonus, would you prefer your cover with a WRX logo or the Subaru stars logo embedded in the cover?


I'm also thinking of etching the Subaru stars logo on to the top of the gauge pod housing, and cutting out the stars for ventilation holes.. it would look good, and be functional, too.

RonsWRX

You know, I may prefer the WRX logo, but the suby stars would be cool too. You are the man! My monitor may protrude slightly from the face of the cutout, I will check when I get home from work tonight and post to let you know.

I agree about the magnets.

srcstc

Nice work but wouldn't it be cheaper to buy a replacement bezel from the dealer or a salvage yard or from ebay?

__________________
BMW Custom Dash Bezels

http://www.mybimmer.net

Giuliano

Cheaper?

Certainly..


Easier to work? Nope.

I'm making mine out of resin because it's easier to work with, and I can customize it much more than the ABS plastic.

Giuliano

I may have both flavors of logos in various places.. it depends on whether I can get some nice vector graphics to use as templates, or if I can find some logo pieces that I can mold or trace.


Also, keep in mind that my bezel won't remain the stock size, it'll be stretched vertically to fit an 8.4" LCD, so the cover will be shaped differently than stock.

RonsWRX

This is true about the size! I checked the depth of the install tonight. The face of my unit is slightly protruding which at the bottom of the opening might make it difficult to have a cover. If you have any ideas on how I could get a cover for this, or how to move the unit back about two centimeters, I would be interested in listening.

N'CTRL

Wow...great write up. I was originally going to go with the Xenarc and was trying to find a place to mount the computer either behind the bezel or behind the glovebox. Now you've given me the idea of spreading everything out (ie: power supply one place, mother board somewhere else, etc).

Now you have me liking your idea. If you produce more than one I just might be interested in purchasing one. I can't wait to see the finished product.

Also, for your logo needs go here, http://logos.subaru.com/logos/logos.html. Straight from the source.