And so it continues... 2007 Chrysler PT Cruiser Touring Edition - Page 4

monkeyracer · 08-31-2008, 11:20 PM

Some pics of the blemish fixes and the new color

Top part of the screen bezel

and my favorite:

The part above the window switches took the longest out of all the different parts, and it's nice to see it all completed.

rdholtz · 09-01-2008, 12:22 AM

I don't think there's much OEM stuff that looks this nice. And the funny thing is, it looks so good that most people who see it won't notice how perfect it is. That's a pretty neat accomplishment.

Beautiful work -- my hat's off to you.

monkeyracer · 09-01-2008, 11:17 AM

Thanks for the compliment, it's taken some good patience with everything, but I keep thinking of the end result, and that keeps me motivated to take my time.

I'm so mad about the glass cracking on the touchpanel, I barely put any pressure on it, and it cracked, it was almost like it was thermal shocked, but it had been sitting inside for a while before I touched it.

Hopefully the replacement isn't too much, but that might fix the alignment issues at the same time.

I do have to take a second to comment on Dynamix Computers.

As with any company, you'll have people that just don't care about the customer, they are just counting the seconds until the clock hits closing time. Brian C, is not one of these people. He may be slow to get back to his emails sometimes, but he sent me a new controller free, and there's not even a glimmer of warranty on my screen, just to find out if there were some 816's being sent with a knockoff controller.
When I ordered my replacement bezel, he kept me up to date with the process (I guess it had to be made from scratch) the whole time.

Anyways, hopefully getting the replacement touchpanel will be a similar experience.

monkeyracer · 09-02-2008, 01:07 PM

Some installed pics:

Powered off:

Powered on, with hAv1c+ V3:

This is without the touchscreen, so until I get the replacement I'll be using the wireless mouse and my leg as the mousepad.

Also, notice the Pioneer Deck is not finished yet, I'm racking my brain trying to figure out what to do with that area.

Creative0Mind · 09-02-2008, 02:27 PM

That looks super niceeee!

pepsibobby · 09-02-2008, 02:51 PM

looks beautifull man.

rdholtz · 09-02-2008, 04:11 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by monkeyracer

Also, notice the Pioneer Deck is not finished yet, I'm racking my brain trying to figure out what to do with that area.

Would you have any pix showing the original appearance of the deck area?

My gut reaction would be to recommend a simple clip-in surround that's in the same style as the bezel above it. I'd bet you could produce a basic shape with some welded-up ABS or the like, and use your shaping skills to get it to look like it was designed to be there. A second option might be a flip-down cover panel, but if you actively use the unit, that's a poor idea.

Just to be sure you hear it enough -- that bezel is absolutely beautiful work, in a league with turbocad6 and Nexson. And I appreciate the detailed explanation of the process you used to get from OEM to way-better than OEM. Excellent design job + excellent execution = Wow!

monkeyracer · 09-02-2008, 06:05 PM

To all, thanks for the compliments. It's nice to have the positive feedback after a process like this.

to rdholtz - there's another pt worklog with this pic in it:

He ended up putting the mac mini in that space.
My deck is definitely deeper than the mac mini, and that's why it sticks out like that.

While driving today, I thought of what I want to do with it. I am going to make a little extension in a similar style to the above bezel. I want it to click into the same tab mounts that the pocket clipped to. I might have to make it out of fiberglass, but I'd prefer ABS.

blackcobra487 · 09-02-2008, 06:14 PM

I really like your work, very nice. Also nice to see a fellow fan of the PT. Wish I didn't total mine. I had a 01, the first year. Needed more power though, what do you think of yours?

monkeyracer · 09-02-2008, 07:56 PM

I like it overall. Definitely needs more power, and the gas mileage is not good for a car this new. My mom has an '03 GT, and she totaled an '01 too (some one crossed her lane of traffic, so it wasn't her fault.) She loves the car, and had a few models, and posters of it before it came out. She basically had one built in her mind before she even talked to the dealership. She ended up being one of the first few people in Colorado to get one.

Honestly, I hadn't considered purchasing one before I got mine. I originally went to test drive a 99 Cadillac STS, but it was in rough shape and too old for the bank to finance me on. They showed me the PT, I test drove it, and the numbers worked, so I decided to buy it.

There's a lot of aftermarket parts for it, and most of them play on the classic theme of the car (think chrome.) I want to make mine a little more modernized looking, sort of a mix of the two styles (classic cruiser and modern tuner) but really, I'd just like to make it unique. I want to have things no one else in the world has in/on their PT (like the concept in my avatar.) If I'm going to have this car for a few years, why not make it my own?

Again, thanks for the compliments.

blackcobra487 · 09-02-2008, 09:16 PM

That's exactly what I loved about it, very easy to customize. I was planning on adding a supercharger to it once I saved for it. But falling asleep at 70 can wreak havoc to a car's body.

monkeyracer · 09-02-2008, 10:41 PM

I'd like to whipple it at some point too. It's a big cost though, and I wouldn't do it while there was still warranty on it. For the short term, I'm just going to get a K&N and some good spark plugs. At least that will help with power and economy.

blackcobra487 · 09-02-2008, 11:03 PM

That's the one I wanted. Would put it at about 220HP. Definitely save your warranty. Mine was at ~90k when I bought. Warranty was long gone.

monkeyracer · 09-03-2008, 12:14 AM

Oh yah, I also want to do dual exhaust, but I want some oval tips. I've yet to see a PT with dual oval tips. That and the whipple would get it pretty darn close to the 220 at the front wheel.

Next project is either the lower pocket, or the carnetix. Depending on cash flow in the next few weeks.

blackcobra487 · 09-03-2008, 01:52 AM

Well, either way, keep us posted.

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