Ok so I was browsing a site that had tons of pictures of crazy computer case mods and links to different sites and people’s projects. I came across some pictures of a Mazda (I think it was a Mazda), and my mouth dropped as I read through all the computer goodies this guy had put into his car.
I google’d “CarPC” and came to this wonderful site… and the rest, as they say, is history!
On with it then.
I’ve taken so much inspiration from the site and all the different projects and worklogs, and finally decided on which way I’m going to go. So planning is mostly done, and all that is left for me is to make final decisions on which brands and such that I’m going to use and place the orders.
The main thing I knew from moment one, was that I had two requirements for this project: 1. I wanted it to look OEM. and 2. I wanted to be able to return the car to stock.
In my searching I found This Thread (http://www.mp3car.com/vbulletin/fabrication/68452-complete-bolt-screen-cpu-hd-ps-indash.html), and immediately I had the answers to my 2 requirements all in one! Since he has an ‘06 Mustang, and our two vehicles have the same radio, this is the perfect solution for me!
This fella here is one smart cookie! I’ve been talking to him in private messages and he’s going to be fabricating one of these custom aluminum chassis which I can drop right in to my dash without changing anything.
So here’s the overall plan-
The image below is a “stock photo” of my car (I’ll be putting up pics of mine tomorrow), and the plan is to replace the stock head unit with the custom aluminum chassis which I’ll be purchasing from blk02si (http://www.mp3car.com/vbulletin/members/blk02si.html). I’m also going to be cutting a small hole (as small as I can make it) in the back of the storage compartment that sits above the radio console, so that I can feed in the cables for a slim line DVD burner, USB hub, and external HDD enclosure for storage. In the pic below, you can see it above the air vents in the center. The little circle in the lower part of the lid is the release button.
Image: http://www.autospectator.com/uploads/Lincoln-Mercury/2007/Milan/2007Milan_dash.jpg
My hope is that I’ll be able to set it up so that the DVD drive sits just far enough back so the lid can latch closed. So when you open the compartment, you press the button and the tray will pop out and extend past the front lip, directly above the air vent. I think that’ll be sweet!
The biggest amount of research and planning for me will be in wiring up the amplifiers for this build. I’m going to stay with the stock speakers and amplify them from the on-board sound card of the MB, and of course a 12″ sub in the trunk with it’s own amplifier. Also I want to be able to use the volume control and Next/Previous Track buttons on the steering wheel with the computer, and I have absolutely no idea how I’m going to go about making that dream a reality. It’s going to be interesting though.
So for the rest of my work night (6 hours left) I’ll be finalizing my decisions for the components I’m going to use. Then tomorrow I’m going to disassemble the dash and check the clearances and see how much room I’ll have to play with. And of course figure out where/how I’m going to cut that hole for the cables to the upper compartment.
And of course I’ll post pics tomorrow, both of my car and the torn-apart dash.
This whole concept of car-computing is a wet-dream come true for a nerd like me. I can’t wait to see this done.
More to follow…..
