Ford Thunderbird owners

v3r71g0 · 01-01-2006, 07:58 PM

Ive got a 95 T-bird, Ive got plans for a carputer in the making.

Below is a list of parts that I have acumulated:

Psone LCD screen
1ghz p3 shuttle with 256 ram
3.5" 80gb Maxtor hardrive
Slim Optical DVD (IBM)

I am also in the market for a GPS, power inverter, wireless usb, and wireless keyboard with track pad.

Now, I know some of the users on this forum have carputer setups in a Thunderbird. My question is; where did you find space to put your stuff? I believe that there is a big cavity in the top of the dash for the pc, but could I put it somewhere else?

I plan on mounting the lcd in the bottom rack where the fluid gauge usally is. (Or tray if you dont have one)

Can anyone give me tips or show me how to take apart the front dash and center console stuff? Pics would be really helpfull.

chrisbklyn · 03-07-2008, 02:50 PM

Hey,

I got a 97 T-bird. When you take the dash apart there are some screws on the driverside just below the ac vents. I actually broke them not realizing they were there. Just take your time getting it all out. On the bright side 3M velcro holds lots of stuff together

I didn't post any pics yet of my setup.

I am going to put a full blown Pc in the trunk soon. I figured i would mount it with a bunch of foam under it to help absorb the bumps.

I ran all the wires for my current setup from the trunk through the arm in the back seats (I cut a hole in the fabric) I took all of the wires, USB, power, audio.... and wrapped them all in antistatic bags then used a lot of electrical tape and basically sealed them up. I ran ontop of the carpeting on the hump in the back around the driver side of the center console and into the dash (some of the usb extension cables were glued for easy access ports) I put my 7" LCD covering the center a/c duct. I used a 2" drywall screw to mount the mount. lol and ran all the cables through the dash so its a easy connect / disconnect.

I am going to redo the setup soon. I'll try to post pics.

Hope it helps a bit.

JimmyFitz · 03-07-2008, 03:19 PM

My Thunderbird has a considerably smaller trunk than yours and I still fit the complete PC and an amp in there without sacraficing too much space. I replaced the head unit with my 7" touchscreen in the dash. You probably have more space to work with than most cars. I used to have a 97 Cougar, essentially the same car as yours. Good luck and have fun.