How am I going to mount this DSCustoms screen flush in my dash? (Pictures)

smoldyr · 07-09-2003, 04:35 PM

I just got my DSCustoms 7" VGA Touchscreen in today. I took it out of the housing and I want to mount it flush in the dash, but I don't really know how. Does anyone have any ideas?

hijinks21 · 07-09-2003, 04:45 PM

fiberglass

mp3z24 · 07-09-2003, 05:29 PM

you can use a piece of acrylic/plexiglass/lexan, or wood, or if you are skilled enough fiberglass

i would say to use a piece of plexi. you can cut it to shape and then paint it black. it is not as "permanent" as fiberglass. and i think it would look better than wood.

~Mike

Skippman · 07-09-2003, 05:32 PM

MDF painted with Vinal dye then lightly glossed. Cheap and effective.

smoldyr · 07-09-2003, 06:39 PM

How would I attach MDF to the double-DIN bezel? How would I mount the LCD in the MDF?

Skippman · 07-09-2003, 07:11 PM

Glue or screws for the MDF bezel

maxcosity · 07-10-2003, 02:04 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by smoldyr

I just got my DSCustoms 7" VGA Touchscreen in today. I took it out of the housing and I want to mount it flush in the dash, but I don't really know how. Does anyone have any ideas?

Oh crap, that is awesome, how perfect..

DUDE, do you want to have your **** professionally glassed and assembled, OEM looking, and be in a magazine?

I'm PMing you..

BTW, labor is all free - no cost to you.

Moose · 07-10-2003, 04:49 AM

Acrylic board is super nice because it comes smooth or textured and you can get it in almost any color. Match what you want without any painting. Also it is super easy to work with. Good luck.

smoldyr · 07-13-2003, 03:44 PM

Ok, here's my idea of how to do this, please respond and tell me if you think this will work:

First, I make a fiberglass mold of this bezel

Then I cut off the sides of the mold so I can fit it in the double-DIN. The screen can then be screwed into the back like this

Then I can use epoxy to glue the molded bezel into the double-DIN space

smoldyr · 07-15-2003, 01:45 PM

Surely someone can tell me if this will look all right?

mp3z24 · 07-15-2003, 03:07 PM

1. make a wooden pattern of the opening you want to achieve. i would recommend MDF. remember to use proper breathing and eye protection as MDF is very nasty to your lungs when it is sanded or cut.
1.1 test fit the screen into the wood opening.
1.2 shape the face of the wooden opening to roughly what you want the final profile to look like. you can take off a bit more that you intend to, since you are going to cover it with fiberglass.
1.3 secure the pattern in the opening. you can use wood or plastic bonded to the bezel cover from you car. basically you want to rigidly secure the wooden screen opening to the dash bezel.

(note: i have specified wood to ensure you can secrew the screen into it. if you want to re-use the plastic case from the screen you can do that too.)

2. use a piece of fabric to stretch across the gaps between the wooden opening and the bezel. make it tight, as this will dictate the basic shape of the fiberglass work. use a fleece type material, something that will soak up the fiberglassing resin.
2.1 secure the fabric to the wood and the bezel. make sure it is tight.
2.2 apply a coat of the resin to the cloth. follow the directions. let it dry. this will be the base for you to do your remaining fiberglassing.

3. see the sticky thread relating to fiberglassing work. there is a nice tutorial posted that may be of some assistance to you.

4. dont blame me if you screw up. i have never done this before. just read about it.

5. sand the surface of the fiberglass and reapply materials as need to attain the surface shape you want.

6. repeat sanding and filling as needed. i believe you can use bondo or some other surface filling material if you want to fill small gaps or air bubbles on the surface.

(note: you WILL have to paint the entire bezel. the fiberglass will be some color that does not match the bezel. just warning you that you will have to paint the entire thing to make it look uniform. or you can cover it with a vinyl or leather material.)

best of luck

~mike

edit...
here is the fiberglass thread

smoldyr · 07-15-2003, 04:51 PM

So when I attach the fleece to the wood bezel and the double-din bezel, it's permanent, right? Like i just fiberglass it in place?

smoldyr · 07-15-2003, 08:42 PM

mp3z24,
I tried what you said to do, but it won't work. If you look at the pic I posted at the beginning of the thread, there is a border around the screen. Thus, using wood, I can't make the screen flush in a wood frame without that screen border being visible, which would just be ugly. So, if you look at my post like 3 posts up, my idea is to make a fiberglass mold of the bezel that came with screen since it slopes down and covers up that ugly border around the screen. I can then chop off the sides of the fiberglass mold so that it fits in the dobule-DIN. What do you think? Will that work?

mp3z24 · 07-16-2003, 09:24 AM

personally, i dont think that making a mold of the screen border/frame will work. you have to think about actually mounting the screen to something substantial.

if you want to use the plastic frame as a pattern, you are going to have to construct a clay (or other material) mold, then you are going to have to use the frame to get your mold pattern in the clay, allow it to dry, seal it, coat it with mold release agent, lay up the fiberglass including some mouning post for the screen...etc. the process is pretty long and you are going to have to buy a lot of supplies for just a simple project.

when i say make a wooden frame, it doenst have to be a 2x4 piece of wood or anything huge like that. you can use something like 1/2 MDF. just as a base for the screen and the fiberglass to attach to.

the basic point that i am trying to get across is that you are going to have to incorporate something into your fiberglass that allows you to attach the screen to the bezel. what you are suggesting is 100% do-aable, however, i dont know if it will be the best option considering the extra work that will probably be required.

oh, and yes what i am talking about IS a permanent installation. but, if you build another frame to go behind the opening in the dash bezel, you can make the fiberglass piece removeable. kinda like a fiberglass insert that fits in the opening.

~Mike

The Undertaker · 07-16-2003, 09:37 AM

http://forum.e46fanatics.com/showthr...threadid=60358
user: http://www.mp3car.com/vbulletin/memb...fo&userid=3902

An example of a very nice fit.