Thread: 1990 widebody Toyota Celsior

Hey guys,

.... and so it begins. I've decided to put a carPC into my 1990 Toyota Celsior (a Japanese Lexus LS400), here is the car (when it was still in Japan):






The plan is to have a pretty flash trunk install (which will happen later on and isn't of much concern here) and have a PC providing the sound and images, with a fairly factory looking install in the cabin. Despite the slightly outrageous nature of the car it is a daily driver so primarily it has to be practical and easy to use.

I hope some of the experience here helps future builders, preferably not by learning from my mistakes


STEP 1: THE SCREEN

I decided not to skimp and shelled out for an 8" Xenarc touch screen, as much as the extra price hurt, this is the single most used component of the system so I wanted it to be right, and from all that I've read here I didn't know if the Lilliput or other cheaper options would be as good.

This is the old factory head unit (double DIN or thereabouts, "DIN" seems to be the loosest standard the world has ever seen) which has to go. The 8" screen is taller so the wood ash tray and buttons below the factory head unit will have to be altered.



The space to fill:



The Xenarc face plate and the curve to cut to get it to fit. I was concerned the aluminium would be hard to work with but actually it was very easy, I cut roughly with a jigsaw and then used a rotary bench grinder with 40 grit sandpaper to smooth it out. Aside from the pressure of only getting one shot at it this was easier than I initially thought it would be. I'm glad I didn't have to fall on more 'advanced' techniques such as filling with fiberglass etc, by chance a simple solution was about the best.



With the face plate in place. The screen and buttons can still bolt up, how the screen will actually be securely mounted I haven't figured out yet.



These are the 4 buttons which will go under the screen in a new surround, and that will also house the suspension height controller to the right.



Work in progress of the new panel at the bottom. If there's a clever method to cut these square holes (with rounded edges) I'm yet to discover it, this was done pretty much with a drill and files, the result is a pass at best. I may actually have to make this part again, I don't look forward to doing these holes again The rectangle above the buttons is where the suspension controller will go, the two ends have a slight curve which I'll have to figure out how to accurately reproduce.



Next weekend I plan to finish that lower piece and work out how I'll mount this and the screen in place. I plan to paint both pieces a semi gloss black the same as the aircon control panel above so it looks factory. I may later end up adding buttons for the reversing camera and a reboot switch but I'll have to see what it's like living with a computer first to see if they are necessary, the areas on either side of the suspension controller are obvious candidates for those if needed.

Ben