Thread: 2001 Mustang

PHASE 1:
To reloacate the Fog/Defrost/TC switches down where the lighter is (lower bezel). I cut out the switch area from the upper bezel and used expoxy to attach it in a hole cut out in the lower bezel. Add a little bondo to smooth things over, sand and paint.

LESSONS LEARNED:
1. Primer paint is also a filler of small imperfections. After several sessions of sanding and re-painting (with primer - gray) it started to look very smooth.

2. The air-tools pictured below played a KEY role in cutting the bezels and sanding the inside curves of the bezel.

Here is the work flow of the shift bezel...

Lots of reconstructive surgery is needed on the upper radio bezel. The A/C is moving from the top to the bottom. The screen needs to be as recessed in as much as it can in hopes a shadow is cast over the display.

To relocate the AC controls some cutting needed to take place.

Two horizontal cross beams (one metal and one plastic) between the radio and the AC controls needed to be remove. These cuts allow the AC Control Panel to be relocated without disconnecting wires and are also required to enable the LCD display to set deeper into the dash.

The AC Control panel itself also had to be modified. By cutting about 1/2" off both sides (basically just past the mounting holes) it can now fit into the space where the Fog/TC/Defrost switches were.

I also removed the slide rail and crossbeam supporting the old radio.

PICTURES TO FOLLOW...

OK, this is the meet of the project. I've done a lot of reading and thinking... and that could be dangerous!

I'm using an M10000 MiniITX in a custom built case with a M2-ATX PSU, 60G HD, 512M RAM, DVD writer and a Linksys Wifi card. The box is 7x7x3.

The box was fabricated from a piece of sheet metal purchased from Home Depot, cut, bent and brazed together. The Motherboard sets 3/4" off the floor of the case to make room for the DVD drive.

The final plan is to cut vent holes on both sides of the DVD to allow air to flow in under the motherboard and place a fan on the top-center of the case cover to draw air through and out the top. I might make a deflector to blow the air onto the back of the LCD display.

The DVD drive can slid in-n-out to align with the bezel, then be screwed down.

The back still needs a hole for the three power cables.

The component list requires a fair amount of thought on how and where.

1. Wifi Connection (PCI)
2. GPS Delorme-Earthmate (USB)
3. Radio Shark (USB)
4. OBDII Interface (Serial)
5. LCD Touchscreen (USB)

Originally, I was thinking of cramming all the USB devices into the CPU box. But then realized I only have 2 internal USB ports and want those as external ports on the dashboard. The 2 other USB ports on the back of the system must then be used to address the 4 items listed above!

The Touchscreen is the most critical, so it will be plugged directly into the USB port on the motherboard. The other two will be attached to in an external hub.

Originally Posted by WarDriver

that wifi antenna might have issues tucked up in the dash
Keep up the good work!

FM will be routed to the original antenna on the car's front fender. All the remaining antennas (AM, GPS and WiFi) will be routed into the trunk and through the trunk lid, into the leg of the spoiler, and up into the spoiler itself. I was thinking of cutting an access panel in the bottom of the spoiler and mounting them all on the inside.