Thread: Scion xB '06, in-dash Atom 330, Lilliput 889GL; details, pictures, links. Index: pg 1

Bezel Modifications:
I split the second side of the donor bezel and began laying out the bezel changes. The final dimensions -- well, today's final dimensions -- are that the top will extend 3" further from the dash, be 1" wider, and be 1-3/4" higher. There will be no change at the bottom.

The new bezel will rise above the dash now, but not so it intrudes on visibility or the sight line to the indicators on top of the dash. it looks that increase will allow me to install the monitor intact, without removing the case. It also means that I won't have to drastically change the position of the climate controls. I'll have to make some adapters to move them out about an inch or more, but that should be pretty easy, and the cables and actuator lines will still reach.

I'll spread the base and face portions apart when I build up the new bezel, adding material in between them. Here's the left side of the bezel showing the cut line, and the same part held approximately in its new shape by a 3" cardboard spacer at the top:

Click images to enlarge.

The base portion will remain intact and sit against the dash as it did originally. I'll weld material in between the base and the face to fill the gap. I'll also have to change the angle at which they meet, since the face is a bit wider -- 1/2" on each side at the top of the bezel, tapering down to no change at the bottom of the split.

To move the top of the bezel up, I had to cut the vent outlets off and raise them, and I'll have to fill that gap, too.

In addition to the bezel face, the ducts to the vent outlets, which are part of the bezel, will need approximately 3" extensions. As I set the cut-up parts in the dash, I realized that the extensions would need radical S-shapes to make the connection, and that's both inefficient and noise-producing. Then I had the idea to try reversing the vents, and that will work much better. I can swap the outlets and rotate them 180 degrees; then the airflow path will be relatively straight and will still function just as the originals do. It'll take more bezel finishing work, but the end result will be worth it. Here are pictures of that same side of the bezel with original vent outlet and the opposite side outlet. You can see that the airflow will take a straighter path.



In the lower photos, I've cut off 1" of the back of the duct; that's the part you see in the upper photos that has a foam ring around it where it seals against the dash. I'll use that cut-off part as the base to build the duct extension on.

Now I'll use acetone to strip the paint off the parts. All this shifting around of pieces means I'll have to tack-weld some spacers in while the parts are in the dash, to be sure I have the correct alignment. Then I'll pull the tack-welded assemblies out of the car and fabricate cardboard inserts to fill the gaps in the bezel. I'll use those templates to cut plastic pieces in the proper shapes and tack weld all the plastic pieces in place. There will be a lot of parts to juggle until I get it all tack welded.

I'll do finish welding in the shop where there's less chance of damaging some part of the vehicle with a misplaced hot welder. Actually, I'll do some finish welding in the shop, go back to the car for a fit check, weld some more, do a fit check, and so on. I want an OEM-quality fit, so there will be lots and lots of in-car fit checks as I go along.

Once I have the bezel face ready, I'll build the duct extensions. The final step will be to weld the bezel mounts back into the bezel so it stays in the dash all by itself (I've already cut off and set aside the ones I have to move).

Then I can face the challenge of making the bezel smooth and ready for paint. That's when I'll go back and re-read all the stuff on finishing from MP3Car members like Turbocad6 and Nexson.

looking good so far, & very nicely documented. I particularly like that kc welder pro, I've been using urethane supply co for a while now & use there bigger welder but never noticed this welder, which is well suited for a hobbyist. keep up the good work, theres no doubt your meticulous in your attempts & have a lot of patience

Thank you. Wow, that'll keep me pumped for a good while . . .

When I read about the T-square bracket you used, I threw out any notion of having to stay within some concept of "automotive-only" materials. And your fine bezel work introduced me to plastic welding.

So appreciation from a man who's both innovator and craftsman feels great. Thank you some more.

Head Unit Relocation & Screen Button Placement

Question PM'd to me:
i got an xb too. where are you planning on moving the stock radio to. i want to get my screen up in the dash but that HU is huge. i dont wanna lose the steering wheel controls by reverting to something non stock. there just isnt enough wire or room in the dash ya know

Answer: I'm removing the "auxiliary box" below the climate controls and mounting the head unit there. That means moving or losing the cigarette lighter, moving the airbag indicator, and losing the ashtray, which are all built into the auxiliary box unit. I had to carve away part of a horizontal plastic support panel in there to make space, but it fits fine. Here's a picture that shows both screen and HU positioned but not yet mounted:

Click image to enlarge.

The DVD unit is tucked in below the climate controls and above the head unit.

You're right about the cables; I'll have to extend the HU cables about 6" and the antenna by about a foot. I'll have to build a small amount of bezel face to go around the HU, and I'll mount the airbag indicator in the area below it.

I agree that it's a good idea to keep the stock HU; it works great, is a quality unit, and will be nice to have when I'm on a short trip and just want to listen to the radio.

The biggest problem I had with installing the screen in the HU slot is that it leans back too far, and is susceptible to glare and sunlight. So, figuring I had to carve the bezel up anyway, I just went way oversized. That's presented some challenges, because the 10.4" conflicts with two of the bezel mount points and the climate control ducts, and I've had to make major bezel changes to accommodate it. A 9" screen would probably fit beautifully in there, an 8" would be even easier, and a 7" would almost drop in.

For any of these monitors, I think the best practice would be to install it more vertically than the bezel face. Installing it almost flush with the bezel at the top of the screen, and further back at the bottom, would leave a horizontal flat area in the bezel at the bottom of the screen. That seemed at first to be a fine place to install the screen buttons, but I realized the area below it will be full of climate control components, and there won't be space for screen controls.

Originally Posted by Drummer4152

Hey man,

I love your "build your own" box idea. It turned out great. I think I might steal your plans if thats okay with you haha

You can definitely steal my plans . If I were going to change anything, I'd scrounge around and find shorter pop rivets, just because they'd look nicer. Everything else has worked fine.

When you get going, post some pix. I'd love to see your work.

Originally Posted by rdholtz

When I read about the T-square bracket you used, I threw out any notion of having to stay within some concept of "automotive-only" materials.

believe me, I source just as much from places like home depot & staples for my mods as I do from automotive sources... metal is metal & plastic is plastic... I did my whole tilt nose on my caddy from materials at home depot, steel is steel, weather designed for housing or welded into a car, it does the job well...

Duct Extensions

Originally Posted by turbocad6

... metal is metal & plastic is plastic...

Once seanshine identified the material in my bezel as polyethylene, I began to cast the materials net out farther and farther: as you say, polyethylene is polyethylene. One issue that's been dogging me is how to make climate control duct extensions. Where would I find nice, round tubing 3-1/8" inside diamter? Plastic pipe? Nope -- it's PVC, not PE. This morning I looked at the bottle of vitamin pills on the bathroom counter, and said, "Hmmmm." The ruler confirmed that it's just the right diameter. The recycle logo is 2-HDPE. Hey, I just happen to have two of them. Cut off the tops and bottoms, and yeehaw, we may have a winner.

As I wrote this, I had another idea: I have a couple similar bottles that are even larger in diameter. I'm wondering if I could use those, but reduce the diameter by folding small ridges into the sides. That way I get the diameter I want with reinforcing ridges.

A little hot air from a hair dryer should make them pliable enough for testing. That'll happen today.

-----

If I hadn't put this information out on the forum, I wouldn't have learned what material to use. And if I hadn't written this while still in the planning stage, I would have just bulled my way ahead and used the smaller bottles. Because the larger-bottle idea popped into my head as I wrote, I think I have an even better idea.

Thanks to all of you who write here on the forum, and to the mods who keep it relatively sane. Thanks to MP3Car for making the forum available. And thanks especially to ozzy71, who got me into the carPC idea in the first place; here's his thread. He has a really big monitor in his xB.