Not mine (maybe a forum member?). Looks doable, but curious to know what would be involved to recreate this. Like the concept of a more streamlined, less bulky looking center dash area.
That actually looks pretty good and would give us a little more room around the stereo and climate controls.
The only bad thing is those aux' gauges...Reminds me of the '69 Camaro....Stop the car, put it in PARK, and then you can lean over and try to read the gauges......
That actually looks pretty good and would give us a little more room around the stereo and climate controls.
The only bad thing is those aux' gauges...Reminds me of the '69 Camaro....Stop the car, put it in PARK, and then you can lean over and try to read the gauges......
Might be right. I would be incorporating a single DIN head unit, allowing the aux gauges to be a bit higher, or transposing the position of the stereo and aux gauges all together. Either way, a new, fabricated face plate would be needed. Would still like to know what was done to fab this design.
Maybe instead of gauges, how about a slot for some of your CDs? (And yes, I still have CDs- I like to actually own things I listen to and watch (Well, things I watch and think are really special- Like "It's a Wonderful Life" and "The African Queen")
I have a CD case in my fiero... But its there for sentimental reasons... Ok maybe they have been in the car since High school and ive never taken them out and they are partially stuffed under the passenger seat so i never notice them until i clean the car... But i only play pandora through an aux cable. Or Audible.. i got sick of making mix tapes cds long ago
It looks pretty cool. The viewing of the gauges is impractical though as the driver will have to look way down there taking their eyes off the road to see the gauges. Also the HVAC controls will be a few inches farther back and may be hard to reach without leaning forward. Not the end of the world, but something to consider before embarking on the project.
Originally posted by cvxjet: The only bad thing is those aux' gauges...Reminds me of the '69 Camaro....Stop the car, put it in PARK, and then you can lean over and try to read the gauges......
My my. I liked my 69 Camaro console guages. My truck has guages in the speedo cluster. I monitor them but hardly look at them. Sometimes I might have a need to monitor them more often but that would because something needs attention / fixing.
My Fiero is bone stock but I do like that dash mod.
Easy to fab in ABS sheet from your local plastic place, then wrap in vinyl from the upholstery shop, bit of foam padding underneath (which both matches the rest of the dash and hides any fab imperfections.) You could just as easily use MDF or even plywood if that's your thing, but plastic is cheap, easy to work, and glues very strongly.
Big face piece for the front edge, then two triangles for the side. Box or just side flaps for the climate controls -- which, IMO, should go BELOW the audio -- and prolly a box for the audio.
As we've seen here the aux gauges are distinctly a personal choice.
The only part that I don't like is how the bottom of the face was notched to fit the aux gauges, just looks kinda hack. I'm thinking you could make the thing taller and/or bring the face flush with the surface and then both the original pieces would fit, or you could make your own and do ... whatever.
At that point you gotta be handy with a router to make it look like factory, or 3D print things. I did the latter. While not the same as what you're showing, it still looks factory to all but Fiero nerds, which makes me happy.
And I love me my CD's, real physical media, still buy them ... but they stay on the shelf at home. The Fiero has a chip with all the MP3's it needs, from A-ha to ZZ Top, but most important, Kenny Loggins "Danger Zone"!
-- A
[This message has been edited by dremu (edited 02-20-2021).]
While the center panel looks decent both the radio and heater controls were installed upside down and the gauges are on the bottom. Nice look but IMO a very impractical design. I see nothing wrong with the arrangement of the standard radio console
------------------ " THE BLACK PARALYZER" -87GT 3800SC Series III engine, custom ZZP /Frozen Boost Intercooler setup, 3.4" Pulley, Northstar TB, LS1 MAF, 3" Spintech/Hedman Exhaust, P-log Manifold, Autolite 104's, MSD wires, Custom CAI, 4T65eHD w. custom axles, Champion Radiator, S10 Brake Booster, HP Tuners VCM Suite. "THE COLUSSUS" 87GT - ALL OUT 3.4L Turbocharged engine, Garrett Hybrid Turbo, MSD ign., modified TH125H " ON THE LOOSE WITHOUT THE JUICE "
Easy to fab in ABS sheet from your local plastic place, then wrap in vinyl from the upholstery shop, bit of foam padding underneath (which both matches the rest of the dash and hides any fab imperfections.) You could just as easily use MDF or even plywood if that's your thing, but plastic is cheap, easy to work, and glues very strongly.
Big face piece for the front edge, then two triangles for the side. Box or just side flaps for the climate controls -- which, IMO, should go BELOW the audio -- and prolly a box for the audio.
As we've seen here the aux gauges are distinctly a personal choice.
The only part that I don't like is how the bottom of the face was notched to fit the aux gauges, just looks kinda hack. I'm thinking you could make the thing taller and/or bring the face flush with the surface and then both the original pieces would fit, or you could make your own and do ... whatever.
At that point you gotta be handy with a router to make it look like factory, or 3D print things. I did the latter. While not the same as what you're showing, it still looks factory to all but Fiero nerds, which makes me happy.
And I love me my CD's, real physical media, still buy them ... but they stay on the shelf at home. The Fiero has a chip with all the MP3's it needs, from A-ha to ZZ Top, but most important, Kenny Loggins "Danger Zone"!
-- A
Totally agree on all your points!, dremu! What did you use for your faceplate material/finish? And how difficult was it to relocate the climate control?
[This message has been edited by mono (edited 02-20-2021).]
I like the stock feel and simplistic layout of this one, but I think it would look better if they made a single face place and better balanced the spacing between the components so there are more uniform gaps. The placement of the gauges is less than ideal, but isn't really a deal breaker.
As my car is down for upgrades, I have been pondering what to do with the instrument cluster and stereo space. When it is running, I daily drive my Fiero as well as go on 3000 mile road trips so some newer tech could provide a better experience. Navigation, Backup Camera, MP3 players, etc. Using cell phones for navigation for 6+ hrs per day in the summer has issues, especially when they overheat or the charger cable fails.
My main issue with the stock stereo layout is it is too low for effective use for navigation - even if you install a 2DIN stereo in that location or have a pop up screen for it. The aux gauge location has always been front and center and a better location for a navigation screen, but the available space is quite shallow. Now there are head units that are no longer built with cassette or CD capability and without this hardware, these head units are under 3" deep. The shallow depth allows them to be mounted where the aux gauges mount. Since I am also pondering instrument cluster changes too, I can move the temp and oil press gauges to the cluster area. Not really sure what will occupy the open 1.5DIN space at this point.
Totally agree on all your points!, dremu! What did you use for your faceplate material/finish? And how difficult was it to relocate the climate control?
It's a brushed stainless-look contact paper, get it on Amazon or Fleabay. Climate control can move without changing the cables, just need new mounts. See https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4580837
