I recently decided to upgrade my 1.5 DIN car radio to an Android head unit. I found a promising unit on AliExpress that looked like it would fit perfectly, and it was surprisingly affordable. It’s a solid system with all the modern features: Android Auto, Apple CarPlay, GPS, rear camera support, DAB+, USB playback - the whole package.
When I went to install it, I discovered it was just slightly too large - about 1mm (0.04 inch) taller than the opening in the original trim. Rather than modifying (and possibly damaging) the original trim, I put my 3D modeling skills to work and recreated the trim from scratch, with a slightly taller opening to accommodate the radio.
While doing that, I thought: why not take it a step further? I redesigned the front so that a faceplate can snap onto the trim, making it easy to change the color or finish. The base trim is matte black, so you can leave it as-is for a clean black look, or install a colored faceplate in under a minute (or however long it takes to unscrew/screw the 4 screws).
So far, I’ve printed faceplates in gold(-ish), red, and wood grain - and honestly, they all look great. Since the faceplates are 3D printed separately, I don’t need to reprint the whole trim when I want a new look - just the faceplate. It’s super easy to swap colors whenever the mood strikes.
Because the base trim is an exact replica of the original, it maintains the stock appearance, and you can simply reuse your original vents. In terms of sturdiness, the quality is equal to - or better than - the factory trim.
Would anyone be interested if I started offering these for sale? By default, I’d provide them with the original radio opening size, but I can also customize the opening to fit other units on request.
Pricing would be around $45 for the trim and $10 per faceplate which is even cheaper than used and broken trims I found on eBay.
Here are some pictures. The colors are a bit off, it lacks a lot of red, also 3D print quality will improve since these were all printed for testing.
The trim with 3 different faceplates (and vents installed):
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The trim close up:
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Back side of trim:
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Trim with red faceplate installed:
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Same, different angle:
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Wood (again, colors are off, it has a bit of more natural wood color):
Cliff these look really good. Nice job. I would be interested in the wood. I presume it would be shipped from Holland. Let me Know if you are going to move forward on this. I know you will have some logistics to work out as in money transfer and shipping. thanks sleek
I presume it would be shipped from Holland. Let me Know if you are going to move forward on this. I know you will have some logistics to work out as in money transfer and shipping. thanks sleek
I do have a PayPal account, so payments are no issue. Unfortunately, shipping from the Netherlands to the US is a bit pricey - around $20.
Right now, I’m focusing on improving the print quality even further. My goal is to make the front look as clean and professional as possible, so you can’t even tell it’s 3D printed.
Printing a full set (trim + faceplate) takes about 15 hours, so I’d be able to ship roughly one per day. If there’s real interest, I can start printing a small stock of trims in advance, since those take the most time to print (around 11 hours). Faceplates are quicker - about 4 hours each.
So if you print face down on a PEI bed, you'll remove the lines and have a slight textured finish. Then you wouldn't have to be concerned about the print lines as they're almost impossible to remove without post sanding.
[This message has been edited by IMSA GT (edited 05-11-2025).]
Yes, that's exactly what I had in mind! I'm actually expecting my PEI sheet tomorrow, so I'll be running some tests with that setup soon.
I did run into a small issue today while installing it in my Fiero. It's an easy fix, but it does require a slight redesign. The faceplate turned out to be just a bit too thin. It's only noticeable when you tighten the screws - there's a bit of flex, which can create a slight gap between the trim and the faceplate.
To fix it, I'm planning to make the faceplate one layer thicker and reduce the trim by one layer to balance it out. The trim is already more than sturdy enough, so that should work perfectly.
I do have a PayPal account, so payments are no issue. Unfortunately, shipping from the Netherlands to the US is a bit pricey - around $20.
Right now, I’m focusing on improving the print quality even further. My goal is to make the front look as clean and professional as possible, so you can’t even tell it’s 3D printed.
Printing a full set (trim + faceplate) takes about 15 hours, so I’d be able to ship roughly one per day. If there’s real interest, I can start printing a small stock of trims in advance, since those take the most time to print (around 11 hours). Faceplates are quicker - about 4 hours each.
$20 shipping? That's not as bad as I was expecting. It would add up and be pricy, but I'd be interested if there were a full kit, the shift surround silver piece, the instrument panel face, and radio face (and rally gauge face for those with that)
If you check eBay, even a half-decent original trim - usually warped, scratched, or with broken tabs - can easily go for around $80, not including shipping. The cheapest one I found was about $40, and it was barely recognizable as a center trim.
What I’m offering is a brand-new, clean, and accurate reproduction - based on the original but improved to support modern head units, with the added bonus of customizable, swappable faceplates. No damage, no brittle clips, no scratched plastic. And if your radio isn't a standard size, I can even adjust the opening to fit your setup.
So when you consider the condition, precision, and customization options, I think $40 for the trim and $10 per faceplate is very reasonable - especially compared to what’s out there.
Also, yes, I do plan to add matching parts in the future, like the shift surround, instrument cluster face, and rally gauge panel. I want to eventually offer a full cohesive interior kit.
If you check eBay, even a half-decent original trim - usually warped, scratched, or with broken tabs - can easily go for around $80, not including shipping. The cheapest one I found was about $40, and it was barely recognizable as a center trim.
What I’m offering is a brand-new, clean, and accurate reproduction - based on the original but improved to support modern head units, with the added bonus of customizable, swappable faceplates. No damage, no brittle clips, no scratched plastic. And if your radio isn't a standard size, I can even adjust the opening to fit your setup.
So when you consider the condition, precision, and customization options, I think $40 for the trim and $10 per faceplate is very reasonable - especially compared to what’s out there.
Also, yes, I do plan to add matching parts in the future, like the shift surround, instrument cluster face, and rally gauge panel. I want to eventually offer a full cohesive interior kit.
I'm not saying what you currently have is pricey, but if/when you offer the "full kit", that would add up and be pricey.
Ah, yes, you're right - it’s not exactly "cheap", but it’s still way more affordable than buying a full kit used. I’ve seen complete sets go for over $450 on eBay, and that’s for kits that are only in moderate condition at best.
That said, I’ve still got a few things to work out before I can offer anything - let alone a full kit. For example, I just discovered that the faceplates can warp if exposed to direct sunlight for too long. I had a few test pieces sitting in the window sill, and they actually warped around whatever they were resting on. In the car, the effect should be less severe since they’re mounted upright (so gravity won’t pull on them the same way), but they might still flex a bit due to thermal expansion.
To counter that, I’ve already made the faceplate one layer thicker, which should help with rigidity. I’m also switching over to ASA for printing, which is much better suited for automotive use - it’s UV-resistant and handles heat well. ASA comes in a range of colors, though unfortunately not in "wood", so for wood-look faceplates I’ll need to experiment with materials like PETG or maybe even post-processing techniques.
So, it’s going to be a little while before everything’s ready. I want to test the parts properly in my own car first - especially now that summer’s around the corner. We've already hit 75–80°F here, and my car sits in the sun most of the day, so it should be a great test environment.
Nicely done! I'm not in the market just now, as I have a few ideas of my own, for stuff I'd like to see. But the real problem is that I already have a bunch of stuff on my plate, so I don't have a lot of free time to do things.
I printed a trim with ASA and it prints a lot cleaner than PETG. If you put the original next to the ASA print, it's actually hard to tell which is which.
That said, printing with ASA is... a challenge to say the least. It always warps at the corners, and it shrinks about 1% as it cools. That small amount is enough to make the piece not fit. I’ve ordered an enclosure to help with the warping, and I’ll have to scale the model up a bit to account for the shrink. Shouldn’t be too hard, but it’ll take a few test prints to dial it in.
