So. Since i have had lockers installed i have been considering where to install the switches. i wanted to steer away from cutting up my dash to much and i wanted to keep it neat and clean without too many cables running around inside.
i had seen a few designs for overhead compartments on here as well as searches on the net and thought id give it a shot. while i was at it i thought i may as well install my head unit and UHF up there as well as some axillary interior lighting for the dark nights in the bush. From here my plan escalated. I realized that now i would have to extend quite a few cables AND, do something with the big empty space i had created in the dash where the head unit and UHF originally were.
head unit:
4 channel (i.e. 4 speakers) 2 wires each is 8
Amp/Sub L/R RCA lead
power and earth 2
aux input 1
Arial 1
UHF:
power and earth 2
External speaker as the built in one would be inside the compartment.
2 Locker switches
Aux air switch
small exhaust fan as i was concerned about heat
Interior LED's
This write up is going to be about the Ipad mount though but if people are interested in the console i can probably do that as well.
The first thing i should say is if you are going to use and Ipad you will have to jailbreak it and do a few questionable things software wise in order to make it work due to Apples ridiculously shit restrictions. you could do it pretty easily with any tablet though as far as i know, i just happened to get an older model Ipad for next to nothing so that's what i went with.
Secondly, i was pretty crap taking photos. mainly because of fiberglass having the tendency to screw anything it touches and also because i was working with gloves on for the majority of the time.
I have very limited experience with fiberglass. the only time i've used it before was when i was 15 and my dad, who used to be a board shaper, helped me make a model boat for a school project that quickly sunk in the pool come testing time. other than that i did a fair bit of research and took advantage of the copious amounts of youtube videos on the subject.
1.
I sat in the car with the ipad and worked out where and how i wanted it to sit. i weighed up the pros and cons of a couple of different locations and also considered having it on and angle towards the drivers seat. I have sold my hard top and don't use my soft top unless it raining so i thought i could get away with covering up the centre vents. holding the ipad up there i realized if i was to make the mount blend into the dash i would also need to cover up the AC controls. i wasn't concerned about this either so i went for it.
2.
Remove the centre dash. easy. pull the vent at the base of the windscreen up and out, its just held in with clips and unscrew 2 screws under it at the top of the centre console. pull the whole thing forward and it should just unclip at the base around the cig lighter.
3.
I cheated a little with e base of the mount. i ordered some very cheap hard plastic backing cases for the ipad from ebay. i only used 1 but got 2 in case i rooted the first. I covered the centre part of the dash in a few layers of foil and masking tape in case of drips and got started. i put the backing case where i wanted the pad to sit and propped it up with foam. i then used scissors, hacksaw blade, Stanley, cement floor for grinding and lots of masking tape to fill in the body around the case so that the curves blended into the dash as neatly as i could. i didn't stress too much if the surface wasn't perfectly smooth as this was going to be the inside and would not be seen. as long as the shape was even and the there was no lopsidedness all would be sweet.
Ebay case
http://www.ebay.com/itm/160767444741...84.m1439.l2649
4.
I got a fiberglass kit from Bunnings. it had more than i needed as it turns out so you could probably get a smaller amount but i thought it better safe than sorry. i also got a roller to help with air bubbles.
For the general fiberglass, there are 3 components. resin, hardener and mat. you can get 2 types of mat, woven and chopped. woven has strands woven together which makes it stronger but harder to fit to shapes as its more rigid. chop is not as strong but molds easier and is just a pile of strands mashed together. i used chop and ripped bits off at a time to use instead of cutting it as it makes blending edges together a lot smoother.
i mixed up a small amount of resin and with a handful of the cheapest brushes available painted the frame. once the whole thing was wet i covered it in mat, piece by piece, pushing to to the shape of the mount with more resin and the brush. i realized it is much better to dab it on rather than brush as it forces out air bubbles and doesn't bur up the strands as much. the neater you do this the easier it will be later. after the first coat i let it dry for a few hours and repeated the process. once that had cured i made sure it was strong enough and pulled it off the dash. i then stripped away the foil and foam and positioned it to make sure it fit. there would need to be some trimming! i wasn't completely happy with the strength so i did a 3rd coat of glass. with it off the dash now i could easily see which areas needed some more thickness.
5.
after leaving it over night i trimmed all the overhanging mat with scissors and re positioned on the dash. With a marker i free handed the trim sections and went to town with my Dremmel. after an hour or so of working on a clean edge it was a perfect fit.
6.
This and the sanding are the time consuming parts. If i had been more experienced with the first steps i could have made it a lot easier on myself but it had to be done. with my sander i used 40 grit paper and removed all the high points i could find, then washed the dust off with water and let it dry. i got a body filler from Bunnings. its a 2 part mix of pink fudgey stuff and a hardener. it dries really quick so do small batches. i cut up an ice cream container into strips to putter it on and smooth it off.
7.
Sand. i started on 40grit, then went to 80 and then 120. it is hard to tell how smooth it is when you think your happy, give it a quick spray with paint so you have a uniform color to check for blemishes. once happy, finish it off with some 240 grit. The whole process of sanding and filling took hours. considering how small and area i was working with its a very considerable amount of time. the dust is really bad so i had mask and goggles on. i also wanted to get as little on my skin as possible as it itches so i was fully clothed. its hot crappy work and my hands still feel like they are going to vibrate off from holding onto the sander for so long.
8.
Painting is easy. just make sure you wash off any dust first. i went with a matt black (although it looks shiny in the picks) to match the rest of the dash. The jeep lettering i got of ebay for a few bucks. i didn't really need it but the spot that its on is big and flat and i didn't want to draw attention to it not being perfectly smooth so the lettering breaks it up a bit.
9.
i still didn't know how to attach it and i wanted to avoid to much lasting damage to the stock dash so i gave velcro a shot. holds really well and will peel off easy enough should i ever want to get rid of it. I did consider some studs in the dash with corresponding holes in the mount that it slides onto but dont think its going to be needed.
10.
for the ipad connection i was originally going to mount a port in the case that you just slide into but the positioning and things seemed to be more difficult than needed. i settled on drilling a hole in the drivers side and plugging with a rubber grommet (one of the floor plugs from the foot well) and running a cable through it. its neat and clean and is flexible so there is less chance of a breakage and will be easier to repair if there is.
Done. here are some picks. the connectivity side of things i can post a bit later if people want to know whats involved.
Ipad dash mount
