My tips to those who want to try this DIY:
- Use more fiberglass than bondo putty, and allow everything to dry fully before you sand, it will make things easier later on.
- Make sure it is sanded first with an electric sander and then lightly by hand. If you try and do all the sanding by hand, it will take forever, you will waste a lot of sand paper, and the piece will be smooth but the lines won’t be straight, it will look bubbly.
Now, onto the process:
Head unit relocation
1) Cut the entire plastic section of the cigarette adaptor piece out with a dremel tool or strong cutting pliers.
2) Wrap the stereo mounting cage with wire tape or a piece of cloth to ensure that no bondo, fiberglass, or paint gets into it. Glue (I used JB weld) it into the hole at the highest angle it will go. This is so the cup holder lid can flip open easily.
3) Now the fiberglassing begins… Put a generous layer of fiberglass over the entire cage. Just make sure you put an even amount on all sides. Sand down the fiberglass with an electric sander and you could even put on another coat if you would like. You want the fiberglass to be relatively flat, but it doesn’t have to be totally smooth. I used 220 grit paper.
4) Use a THIN layer of bondo glazing putty to the fiberglass just to even it out. Use a putty spreader, its a lot easier. Allow that to dry for about an hour and sand it lightly with the electric sander and then finish it by hand.
5) Fill in the splinters and holes (if there are any) with little dabs of bondo and sand once again. When you finally think its perfectly flat and smooth, put some generous coats of filler primer on, then sealer primer (keeps paint from sinking in from heat) and finally the coat of paint with a clear coat. I used black wrinkle paint used to paint valve covers because it looks more stock and resists heat better.
6) Installation: The only piece I had to cut out was the little black piece of plastic that the wires hide under. If you do it right you should not have to cut any metal. Put the piece into position and SLOWLY slide the stereo into the cage. It will get stuck at some point, I almost guarantee it! Do not spaz…when it gets stuck, lift up easily on the stereo and apply some pressure. There were two metal brackets that were in my way, but I lifted up on the stereo and eventually it slid in and snapped into the cage. The only suggestion I have is don’t become impatient and try to slam it in, I had the bondo crack a little on me and it wasn’t fun. Also, don’t worry about the entire bottom of the piece, you won’t even see it. Really, the only part you should see of the piece is the top trim part and the top parts of each side. That’s all for that….
Monitor Install
1) The first step is obvious, take the center piece out and take out all the controls and the plastic bracket in the middle. Squeeze the frame of whatever monitor you are using into the plastic pieces that were originally used to hold the big metal bracket thingy. I used the Xenarc 700 series 7” monitor and I bought an extra frame just in case I messed up or needed it. The extra frame cost $20. Glue it into place ( I made the monitor frame angle in to avoid some glare.
2) After the frame is in place and isn’t moving, I used a technique I haven’t seen anyone use yet. I cut out four pieces of plexiglass and glued them in at angles to make the four different “walls” for the monitor. This was an experiment that worked amazingly well and saved me a lot of time and mess.
3) Next, fill in the spaces with fiberglass and smooth out, just as with the stereo relocation. Again, I used a combination of layers of Bondo glazing putty and Dolphin Glaze, which explains the cow print type thing I had going on in the picture.
4) Now it should be ready for primer. I put on a coat, sanded it down, put on another coat and sanded it down, and then put on a final coat of primer sealer to keep the paint from sinking in the heat. Then install the piece into your civic. This way you can put as much pressure on it as you want to get it in, and if it cracks a little bit it doesn’t matter because you can fill in the minor cracks with bondo before you put on the final coat of paint. Leave it in for a day or two, take it out, do what you need to do, and then paint it. I wish I would have gone about this the first time I put the piece in. I wouldn’t have had to redo the paint twice because paint lines will show if you put too much pressure on it. Also, if possible use the black wrinkle paint on this project, it hides minor imperfections much better than the glossy silver paint. I have made these in silver, gloss black, and wrinkle paint black depending on the preferences of different people who have bought them off me. I put pics of the black wrinkle and silver.
5)Finally, assemble all the needed parts and reinstall. Enjoy your show…
SEE THE ATTACHMENTS!
