My interior build... (Page 11/20)
RCR OCT 29, 07:24 AM
I just wanted to take a moment to vent about the weather...It sucks. I think we've had 3 dry weekends since the middle of August. Now it's wet and cold. Blech...

I did manage to do something...I stripped the material off of the passenger door panel and flattened it for use in modifying. Somewhere I read that brake cleaner works good for removing the carpet...Holy moley, was that ever right. It's like the brake cleaner re-activates the glue. It all pulled right off. There's still a lot of very sticky glue, but I can work with that. I didn't have a heat gun, so the vinyl was a little more difficult, but no big deal. I cut out the raised portion of the panel, screwed the whole thing to a piece of plywood to keep it flat and filled in all of the openings with glass (something I failed to do on the first one - I left the armrest hole open).
Pic of finished mods:


Hopefully I'll get a little more done today...

Bob

[This message has been edited by RCR (edited 10-30-2006).]

RCR OCT 30, 06:31 PM
I mocked up the rearview mirro and the camera yesterday. I figured out how/where to run the cables, and I mounted and tested the camera. I decided to mount the camera in the passenger compartment so I wouldn't have to worry about exterior dirt on the lense. I figured iot was easier to keep the window clean. I also mounted the camera on the passenger side looking back across. This is to eliminate the blindspot on the driver's side. I made a bracket out of .020" aluminum plate. I measured it out, and used a wood boring bit to cut a 1" hole (didn't want to wait to borrow a Greenlee). Once the hole was made, I cut it to width and bent it in the vise. It broke in two.... So, remembering a trick I saw Jessie James mention, I made another piece and this time heated it with a propane torch before bending it. Worked perfect.


A little black paint and some sheet metal screws and it was ready to go. Here it is form the inside:


And the outside:


I'm not too worried about the headliner because I have to modify it anyway. I'll shape the headliner around the camera to hide it more, plus I'm planning on speaker pods up there, too.
If the shot of the mirror would have come out, the view would look something like this:

The cardboard "post" to the right is the corner of the car, so visibility is very good.

Bob
Amida OCT 30, 08:32 PM

quote
Originally posted by RCR:

This is the newest toy to add to the build:


It's a rear view monitor (7"TFT Sharp LCD) with back-up camera. I'll use it to replace the rearview mirror and integrate it into the headliner some how. I should be getting it in a few days. I'll add updates on the install once I get it in.

Bob



Bob, does that screen double as a mirror also? Rob
RCR OCT 31, 07:16 AM
Rob,
Yes it has a reflective surface that the monitor shines through. If the monitor is off it works fine as a mirror, it's just not quite as reflective as a regular mirror.


Talk about a mental gap...I noticed this morning that I usually have my mirror pointed towards the passenger side blind spot, not the driver's side. I may have to move the camera. Once I have a seat and mirrors on the car, I'll have to see what works best.

Bob
RCR NOV 01, 04:58 PM
For good or bad, these are my new seats:


I hope they fit. They are 2004 Mazda 3 seats, very similar to the seats in my 6. If they fit, I will add them to the seat thread I started.

Bob
Amida NOV 01, 10:52 PM


Hey Bob, Very nice job on the door panel. The other side won't take as long to do. On the Firebird dash, is the hook up of all the controls & instruments fairly straight forward? It seems like the dash fits in the Fiero pretty well. Rob
RCR NOV 02, 07:06 AM
Hi Rob,
I don't expect the passenger side to take as long. I already have a few ideas to try to help speed things up. Too bad the way the car is sitting right now, I can't open the door all the way....
The Firebird dash is pretty straight forward from what I understand, but I think you meant to ask Grand Am dash...That is not straight forward. Can't use the existing cluster without major mods. Had to rebuild the HVAC controls. New ductwork. Other than that, it's a snap.

Bob
RCR NOV 05, 08:07 AM
Had some fun at a couple junk yards yesterday. I've got a few things to work on now. I picked up the power mirror connector I needed, so I can finish wiring that up. I picked up a complete glovebox, and altough way too deep to fit, I've alread cut and modified it to go on. Just need to redo the hinges on that. I also picked up a shifter surround from a 2001 Grand Am (imagine that, more Grand Am parts). I will need to modify the shifter for it to fit properly, then I can start on the console. I could kick myself too, for lo and behold, there was a 2004 Mazda 6 with seats just like the ones I just bought, but in black, for $65 cheaper than I just paid for mine. Oh well...

Also, I will probably be adding another Fiero to the stable today. Short term project to get on the road. Long term? Who knows.

later...

Bob
RCR NOV 05, 12:52 PM
First pic of the console (to be). Here is the new shifter surround. This pic shows how high it is. I will have to chop the shifter up a bit to get it down another 1 to 2".



Bob
Amida NOV 05, 01:53 PM
Bob,

What's involved in getting that HVAC controller to work in the Fiero?

Rob