skerry Posted December 22, 2014 Share Posted December 22, 2014 I always think about posting this stuff too late but I'm using PVC Foam to make a new Heater Panel that will accept a double din radio. So far I've sketched out the design onto cardboard, checked it for fit, adjusted the template, cut it again, checked it again, made some adjustments, cut another template...you get the picture. When I was done I discovered that it was much easier to square off the edges and leave the rounding for later. After that I copied my template to the pvc then cut it out using a jigsaw. I then used a piece of coat hanger to determine how much of a bend I needed to put into the pvc. I then placed it on my wooden workbench and screwed down a piece of scrap wood right at the spot where the bend should start. Then used a heat gun to slowly bend it to the desired angle. I need to router the edges to get it to sit correctly but so far so good. I also have to delete the fuse holder mounts to accommodate the double din radio. I will eventually install AC and plan to go with electric switches. For now I'm planning on painting it and only installing the stereo for now. I'm leaving the rest as a blank template until I can decide what I would like to. I would like to trim it out in some chrome or something to break up the black. Next on the agenda is building a center console out of the same material. We will see how that goes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RPMS Posted December 31, 2014 Share Posted December 31, 2014 Which Z are you talking about? I found a few double-DIN radios that will fit in an early 260z dash, once original radio and warning lights are removed. There was room in there for a Nakamichi TD-100 and a Blaupunkt BEA-80 stacked one atop the other. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sayitaintjonas Posted December 31, 2014 Share Posted December 31, 2014 Pictures? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RPMS Posted December 31, 2014 Share Posted December 31, 2014 (edited) Pictures? Oddly enough, I can't find anything that really shows the stereo. I might have some pics on my old laptop from when I sold the car. I'll look tonight. When I still had the car, I made a dummy radio that was about 7-1/8 wide x 4-1/8 tall x 7-1/4 deep, and it fit snugly. Edited December 31, 2014 by RPMS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skerry Posted January 3, 2015 Author Share Posted January 3, 2015 Which Z are you talking about? I found a few double-DIN radios that will fit in an early 260z dash, once original radio and warning lights are removed. There was room in there for a Nakamichi TD-100 and a Blaupunkt BEA-80 stacked one atop the other. I hav a 1971 Series 1, not sure if that makes a difference but im liking how its coming out. I will post picks tomorrow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RPMS Posted January 6, 2015 Share Posted January 6, 2015 (edited) Pictures?I found some on an old backup CD! I'm ashamed of the poor quality, but that was the state of the art back then. https://docs.google.com/file/d/0BzuapJojIimzQ3h5TE45ZlBQQWluLUEtSEhzQWlETU1sanBn/edit?usp=docslist_api https://docs.google.com/file/d/0BzuapJojIimzb0tvRDMwSGljWGxqdDNvU3BYUTU1SFJrUUtN/edit?usp=docslist_api I hope that works. I've never tried posting pics with this phone. Let me know if you can't access them. The stereo in the pics is a full sized Kenwood CD / MP3 unit instead of the old Nak. The way I figured it, once the supporting structure around the lower warning lights (defog, warning, etc.) Was cleared out, there was plenty of room for a full-width radio down there. The side "wings" on either side of the radio will probably obscure the outermost sides of the radio bezel by 1/8" or so (remember, I'm working from memory here) but you should have access to all the controls. Good luck! Edited January 6, 2015 by RPMS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RPMS Posted January 6, 2015 Share Posted January 6, 2015 I hav a 1971 Series 1, not sure if that makes a difference but im liking how its coming out. I will post picks tomorrow. Ooh, that might make a difference. The ventilation stack in a 240 is taller than it is in a 280, leaving less room at the top of the radio cavity. Also, since the fuse block is located just about where my equalizer was, it will be a challenge to fit everything in there. I didn't worry about losing warning lights for functions that didn't work anyway, but you might miss having a fuse block. You always have the single DIN motorized screen option, though. Good luck! I'm interested to see what genius workaround you come up with! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skerry Posted January 6, 2015 Author Share Posted January 6, 2015 Well I keep forgetting to take pics but I moved the fuse block around and mounted it to a piece of pvc material on the passenger side back toward the firewall. I had to cut out the fuse block brackets as well. I've now pulled everything back out as I initially painted it black but have decided to wrap it in vinyl instead now. I also bought some of the chrome trim pieces. I expect it to look like crap but figured it was worth a shot for as cheap as it is. I'm also going to recut the center piece to raise the radio up a little bit. Hopefully all my experience of cutting this material will make this one the best one yet. I can't complain though, I've only burned up a single $30 sheet of material. Pics coming for sure tonight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skerry Posted January 7, 2015 Author Share Posted January 7, 2015 Here is a picture of the latest mock up. Ive gotta get better with the jigsaw lol http://imgur.com/kLYeYfT Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RPMS Posted January 8, 2015 Share Posted January 8, 2015 Skerry: How the heck do you survive in Baton Rouge without A/C?? I'd be a sweaty mess. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skerry Posted January 8, 2015 Author Share Posted January 8, 2015 (edited) Haha, well I haven't actually been able to drive the car all that much so it hasn't been an issue. Although, I'm gearing up to order the a/c components in the next couple weeks. Between that and the gauges it's going to be some of the interior fab on hold. I just received some 2013 Mustang GT Seats that my uncle pulled the airbags out of so I'm going to work on those as soon as I've verified that I have in fact eliminated all the leaks lol. Always something right? It's so difficult to get stuff done this time of year without a proper shop. Between the cold and it getting dark early, parts are piling up while I'm waiting to get time to do it. Edited January 8, 2015 by skerry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
z-ya Posted February 18, 2015 Share Posted February 18, 2015 This is what I did in my race car. You can see we angled the panel up a bit to make it easier to see the gauges. The same could be done for a radio, screen, etc. On my street car project I would like to simplify the stock heater controls using some push-pull knobs connected to cables so that I can make more room for gauges. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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