Thread: Bugbyte's iPad Connected Car Install

Are you going to keep those gaps where the AC and controls use to be. The ones on the side of the ipad? They look odd.

Hey I just had a really far out thought about a placement idea for your hvac controls. Since theyre circular, they look like theyd be a near fit inside the three circular cupholders. Well two look like a near fit and the middle one would need the most work Im assuming. I think it would make the dash look really complete.

Originally Posted by HiJackZX1

Are you going to keep those gaps where the AC and controls use to be. The ones on the side of the ipad? They look odd.

The ones in the middle will be covered up but the bolts that hold the panel to the car are underneath them, so they have to be removable.

The ones at the top will become the center heater vent,s just like they were before. I've thought about where else to move them, but haven't found any place I liked.

@respo87- not a bad idea. Maybe I'll do it, but it requires extending the cable controls, and I don't know exactly what's involved with that.

you could just put some flowers there

Originally Posted by Bugbyte

@respo87- not a bad idea. Maybe I'll do it, but it requires extending the cable controls, and I don't know exactly what's involved with that.

while i haven't done it, i have entertained the idea-- for cable actuated controls, you can extend them with bicycle brake cable--you would need both the inner cable, and the outer housing to extend it. you basically just attach the 2 cables together, fasten down the housing so it can't move, and then do the same at the control box..

Originally Posted by soundman98

while i haven't done it, i have entertained the idea-- for cable actuated controls, you can extend them with bicycle brake cable--you would need both the inner cable, and the outer housing to extend it. you basically just attach the 2 cables together, fasten down the housing so it can't move, and then do the same at the control box..

Alternatively, you could leave the heater controls where they are, but move the hazard button and seat heater controls to the middle cup holder. They'd be out of the way, and you'd still have two cupholders

Originally Posted by hutacars

Alternatively, you could leave the heater controls where they are, but move the hazard button and seat heater controls to the middle cup holder. They'd be out of the way, and you'd still have two cupholders

That's something I thought about just yesterday. It may be better to do that than to put them underneath the heater controls. Only issue is the buttons are quite deep - about 5 inches. The hazards have the relay built into them. Not sure why the others are that deep.

Definitely a possibility, though.

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Narrator: "When last we left off at 'As the Bug Turns,' Tom was trying to figure out what in the world to do with his hazards lights. The pain and trauma of moving the heater controls down to the section that was occupied by the hazard lights caused a cascade of issues requiring movement of the hazard lights SOMEWHERE. But where?!

On this episode, Tom builds a compartment for the lights. Join us after the break."

Okay, recall that the original dash looked like this:


The issue was that making the iPad opening required the heater controls and the hazard lights below them to be relocated. I chose to simply lower everything but that required an all custom fab to contain the controls and lights.



Starting by using a Razor Saw to cut out the OEM heater control fascia...


I then fashioned sides and bottom from plastic stock...


And got a box that fit under the iPad holder for the heater controls.


The overall effect looks a bit like this.


So, what I did was take the heater box and the front fascia for the hazard lights and glom them together. I didn't take intermediate pics of it, but the finished product is below.

It turned out pretty good. It was tricky to combine the two pieces. The existing hazard light box was actually too wide for the heater control box, so it stuck out on each side about 1/2 inch. I carefully sliced each side and shorted them, then glued them back together to make them the same width as the heater control box.

Then, I glued the top of the whole thing to the bottom of the heater control box and used a soldering iron to weld the plastic together on the inside. You can see the two boxes stacked on top of each other in the picture below.


Outside, I use a combination of bumper plastic (basically black epoxy) and a flat file to smooth the edges together and make it look like one piece. It mostly worked. There are a few slight indentations you can see in the light and a little bit of scratching that didn't quite go away. I could perhaps fix this but in general it looks pretty damn good for a DIY who doesn't know anything about fabrication, so it's good enough for me.

I've used a combination of flat black high heat grill paint for your barbeque grill as the base and a hammered texture spray paint to help hide imperfections. The only problem is that it is a little too glossy for my taste. I have a can of spray on truck bed liner that I may put over top of it to flatten it out a bit. Or perhaps a clear flat. Not sure yet.



Here's the finished product, ready for installation. It holds the seat heater controls, rear defroster button, hazard light and a blank that I've been using for a valet switch for the car pc.