Fibreglass Centre Console Reconstruction

[Boar-Ral]

My truck is in a radio shop getting the centre console rebuilt to house an LCD display, keyboard, DVD-ROM drive, USB ports, RJ45 ports, and a few other computer-related items. ?It is about half done and should be finished within a couple days.

What I am wondering is if anyone has any suggestions for questions or concerns I should indicate to the company doing the work? ?So far, all I've thought of is making sure it pops out easily so I can connect things easily and route cables. ?I am not sure what other things I should think of. ?Not only fibreglass-related issues but simple usability and ideas. ?I am running out of time, of course, but it does look good so far.

I would appreciate any suggestions, concerns, or comments. Thanks!

 

[Boar-Ral]

Anyone?

 

[Paradox]

I wonder about
1 heat
2 usb 2.0 or 1394eee(firewire), is it a RJ242. I wonder what all you expect to link up. (pda,phone,gps) etc...
3. are you losing the cup holder? What about spillage?

Sounds like a good plan. I wish I had the $$ and Some one I trusted to do a good job.

 

[teksavy]

I tried posting last night, but my INET connection choked.

Anyway, I'm not expert with fiberglass, but one thing that came to mind, was mounting method and fracturing.

I don't know if your console mounts like mine, (Pictured Here) but if it is, or you are using factory mounts with snap clips, make sure the shop molds in some reinforcement. (Usually metal) to where the clips attach and snap into the factory holes. It has been my experience that fiberglass is brittle under stress, and a LOT of stress will be placed on the tabs on the new custom-made console.

Just a thought.

-Ed

PS:I can't wait to see how yours turns out. I've already got plans to mount a WiFi-enabled PC into my truck, but want it done right. Please, please post pics when you get the chance. Also, tell your shop to keep the "mold" or anything that may allow them to make more for other AV owners.

 

[Boar-Ral]

I wonder about
1 heat
2 usb 2.0 or 1394eee(firewire), is it a RJ242. ?I wonder what all you expect to link up. (pda,phone,gps) etc...
3. are you losing the cup holder? What about spillage?

Sounds like a good plan. I wish I had the $$ and Some one I trusted to do a good job. ?

The computer being installed is based on VIA EPIA architecture. In my particular case, it is using a 533 MHz C3 processor that operates without a fan. Heat should be handled well, and if required, I can mount a little fan inside to circulate the air. It is something I will be keeping an eye on though, for sure, especially in the summer.

My motherboard was released just before USB 2.0, unfortunately. But the USB will be mainly used for casual data transfer of one or two MP3s or for a different temporary pointing device or a gamepad, so it should be sufficient for now. Since all EPIA motherboards are the same mini-ITX form factory though, if I ever decide to change, I can just swap boards.

I am not losing a cupholder, fortunately. I should have explained myself better but I was in a hurry to get to the shop to check on the truck after it stayed overnight. In the 2002 Avalanche, the front of the centre console pops off, similar to the 2003, except that on the 2003, the entire front face comes off. In the 2002, it is a little different because it is more of a flap that starts at the cupholders, works its way up, and wraps over to rest beneath the climate control. It is this piece that was pulled and is being worked on. So the only real thing that I lose is the cubby storage and the CD storage. But with the computer installed, the only CDs I will have will be an emergency recovery disc, a couple MP3 disks, and one or two CDs I pick up on the road that I haven't had a chance to rip to MP3 yet.

Thanks for the questions and comments. I am working on my own list as well and hope to have them all addressed soon.

 

[Boar-Ral]

Hi Boar, is this the console between the seats? If so are you increasing the height to make it easier to use a keyboard? I know I would like to increase the height of mine just so I could use it as an armrest with out having to lean.

The console between the seats is being modified internally for the keyboard. It will not be made higher because I want it to appear factory. (It would also be very expensive to have them modify the outer structure as well.) The keyboard will be right below the lid, so it will not be at the bottom. (I am having them do this so that I also have a location to mount the computer components.) The rebuilt interior will have little holes at the edges of the keyboard so that I can pop it out and use it in my lap if need be. It is wireless with a 25-foot range so that makes things much easier than if it were tethered with a cable.

I know what you mean about using it as an armrest. Though I am mostly comfortable with the seat armrests, if only they were just one inch higher. (I have the bucket seats. Or captain's chairs, depending on which company made your truck. I think Ford calls them captain's chairs.)

 

[Boar-Ral]

Anyway, I'm not expert with fiberglass, but one thing that came to mind, was mounting method and fracturing.

I don't know if your console mounts like mine, (Pictured Here) but if it is, or you are using factory mounts with snap clips, make sure the shop molds in some reinforcement. (Usually metal) to where the clips attach and snap into the factory holes. It has been my experience that fiberglass is brittle under stress, and a LOT of stress will be placed on the tabs on the new custom-made console.

I tried to explain the 2002 centre console above, but didn't do a very good job. Hopefully enough to understand how it works though.

The shop that is doing the fibreglass work actually used my factory centre console as a base. (Not the entire front centre console but just the face of it.) They removed it, cut where they needed to so that there was enough depth for the LCD, and then grafted fibreglass onto it. They have done dignificant bracing in places where the face extends upwards past the factory bit and leans back a bit. The 2002 front console is also different from the 2003 front console in that it ends about two inches below the climate control, with a flip-up door with three power ports behind it and the ashtray beside it. They have removed the ashtray and removed the flip-up power port door and have extended the face of the front console completely up to the climate control so that all of the computer components can fit. (The DVD-ROM drive, the PCMCIA slots, the network connections, the USB hub, and the appropriate buttons and LEDs.) They fabricated a nice steel bracket system to essentially hold all of this computer equipment in one large bundle, everything lined up perfectly. This steel assembly is then fastened at several locations on the back of the fibreglass face, distributing the weight evenly. At the moment, everything is wobbily as they experiment with positioning. I brought the truck home tonight and things look very nice. It took longer than they expected and I booked the truck in for April 25 for another two days. (They have not even touched the centre console storage bin yet.) Until then, I have been asked to wire up the components as they are and put the centre console face back in place. Then when it is in the shop next, they will fasten everything down, vinyl or paint the entire thing to match the rest of the interior, and then perform miscellaneous fit and finish tweaks. I have been asked to try to come up with ideas for two items as well: the USB hub and the DVD-ROM drive. The USB hub at the moment is poking out the front, plastic enclosure and all. They had difficulty trying to mount it any other way. (The case is somewhat round, and out of the case, they had difficulty trying to mount it stable.) I think that I will go to an electronics store tomorrow and purchase the smallest enclosure they have and move the USB hub into that. It is perfectly rectangular with no round edges so they should be able to mount that in more easily. The DVD-ROM drive is from an Apple iMac. I required a slimline slotload drive and this is the only one available. (Though Panasonic - who makes this drive for Apple - is now selling it themselves through retail channels.) Unlike the Panasonic-branded drive, the Apple drive does not have a front bezel, since it hides behind the case of the iMac. So I need to find a way to construct a bezel that fits perfectly. Then, I hope to have them graft it into the centre console face they have built so that it looks seamless. If anyone else has any other ideas, I would love to hear them. This is all very new to me and it is a fun learning experience.

I will soon take photographs of the work completely thus far, though I am not sure if the centre console face will be in the truck or on my livingroom floor. Regardless, it will give you a good idea of what it will look like. It is primer black at the moment, too.

PS:I can't wait to see how yours turns out. I've already got plans to mount a WiFi-enabled PC into my truck, but want it done right. Please, please post pics when you get the chance. Also, tell your shop to keep the "mold" or anything that may allow them to make more for other AV owners.

Since they grafted onto my existing hardware, there will not be a mold per se, but I will ask them to keep the wooden frames and guides that they built for the LCD display and the other hardware. That alone will take two hours off of the construction time, as they took awhile to get everything shimmied and lined up perfectly. It still amazes me how much they did in those first 30 minutes though - more then than I have accomplished in the days I experimented previously. (I first thought I could do it myself. I was mistaken. Now I have plaster and fibreglass equipment scattered around my apartment.)

Thanks again to everyone who offered suggestions and comments. I will try to post photographs tomorrow.

 

[BadZ7123]

sounds very cool, cant wait to see some pics

 

[base_501]

wow ...... this is to cool

this is what i wanted to do but i wasnt thinking of having any fiberglass work done. i work in the IT field and i have been trying to figure out a good place for all the components for a long time. i would love to see any pics you have of the hardware and install. if you need anyone to bounce ideas off of i would more then happy to help.

 

[imaniguana]

Peekchoorz! Peekchoorz! Vee vant doo zee dee peekchoorz!

 

[Boar-Ral]

Due to a server crash, all of the photographs that I had linked from CAFCNA are offline. Once it is back online - hopefully within the week - I will post links.