Chutney Posted November 27, 2011 Share Posted November 27, 2011 I am considering a little project for my 2008 focus. I want to possible create a binnacle to sit in the recess, where the ST / RS additional gauges sit. Ideally my plan will be to make a very lightweight pod that is finished in the same material as the dash top, to house a Sat Nav / MP3 unit. I spend a significant amount of time in my car (usually about 60-100hrs per month) so fitting and removing a sat nav to the screen everyday (plus the obligatory wiping the screen each night to stop opportunists breaking the window on the hope of finding a sat Nav, after seeing the rings on the glass) is a bit tiring. So I was planning to make a little lightweight unit that could be fixed to the top (like on th ST/RS) that would look like an original fitting. Biggest issue I have is trying to get hold of some material to cover it all with, so does anyone know where I could get some - or something as close to it as possible? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lenny Posted November 27, 2011 Share Posted November 27, 2011 I am considering a little project for my 2008 focus. I want to possible create a binnacle to sit in the recess, where the ST / RS additional gauges sit. Ideally my plan will be to make a very lightweight pod that is finished in the same material as the dash top, to house a Sat Nav / MP3 unit. I spend a significant amount of time in my car (usually about 60-100hrs per month) so fitting and removing a sat nav to the screen everyday (plus the obligatory wiping the screen each night to stop opportunists breaking the window on the hope of finding a sat Nav, after seeing the rings on the glass) is a bit tiring. So I was planning to make a little lightweight unit that could be fixed to the top (like on th ST/RS) that would look like an original fitting. Biggest issue I have is trying to get hold of some material to cover it all with, so does anyone know where I could get some - or something as close to it as possible? I hope you can make this happen mate, it would look great, although have you seen the air vent clips that hold your sat nav ? yes you would still need to drop it every night but would prevent stains on the windscreen also have you considerd fitting an additional 12v socket in the panel under the steering wheel where the OBDII port is, then you could plugh in the satnav and clip to the vent all on the driver side freeing up the centre console. just an idea even till you get the main project sorted, ive got a tomtom XL Live and purchased the clip vent holder on eBay. its a non genuine tomtom Part but geninely works Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chutney Posted November 27, 2011 Author Share Posted November 27, 2011 I have looked at the clips today at Hellfrauds, but not keen. I have seriously been thinking this evening about having an iPhone or Android device built into the 'pod' which then would allow for a multi-function pod that would be near invisible to window-peerers. Also knowing what is possible with apps on android and the iPhone it could make for a really great addition... But it would be the power and line-out feeds that would be the most tricky to hide. I am not going to be cutting or chopping anything on the car, as anything that could compromise the car's warranty is banned. But the most important thing right now is to find some material to cover it with... Without that nowt is going to happen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jgriff Posted November 27, 2011 Share Posted November 27, 2011 would it not be easier jus to get the head unit with sat nav built in? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chutney Posted November 27, 2011 Author Share Posted November 27, 2011 Possibly... But the Ford OEM part looks like a child designed it. :( Sorry to anyone with one, it is only my opinion. This whole idea started after looking at a replacement head unit, with built-in Sat Nav and iPhone connectivity... But I am not quite ready to rinse £500-£1200 on a head unit for a car only costing £7500. I have an iPhone already, I have plenty of wood and fibreglass to make a dash pod so the only real cost would be time, effort and a few cables. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Preee Posted November 27, 2011 Share Posted November 27, 2011 Why don't you buy the Titanium tray and have the screen swing forward as you open it on slides , that way you can take power from underneath and no one will know any difference, one thing to remember though in summer that part of the Dash takes alot of heat from the Sunshine Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chutney Posted November 27, 2011 Author Share Posted November 27, 2011 What is this "Titanium tray" to which you refer? Google provided no help Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Preee Posted November 27, 2011 Share Posted November 27, 2011 What is this "Titanium tray" to which you refer? Google provided no help Same place as the ST gauges , The Titanium has a popup storage tray see here http://www.ford.co.uk/Cars/Focus2010 Thumbnails to the right hand side Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chutney Posted November 28, 2011 Author Share Posted November 28, 2011 I had seen something like that on a car in one of the dealerships, but can't see how that could be retrofitted into my car, without having to remove the dash or cutting a huge hole in the top. I am quite happy for someone to point out the obvious and make me look stupid as to how it would be fitted easily... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lenny Posted November 28, 2011 Share Posted November 28, 2011 I had seen something like that on a car in one of the dealerships, but can't see how that could be retrofitted into my car, without having to remove the dash or cutting a huge hole in the top. I am quite happy for someone to point out the obvious and make me look stupid as to how it would be fitted easily... you would need to cut the das mate, somthing like the picture below, but if it wasnt cut perfectly straight it wouldnt be a problem as the top lip of the box is wider than the actual hole itself. and since its a genuine ford part your putting in, it wont effect the value of the car at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chutney Posted November 28, 2011 Author Share Posted November 28, 2011 Eeek.... Not comfortable with hacking parts off the car. Seen a partial solution to the iPhone connectivity issue, with the Parrot MKi9200, but would all depend on whether it can run music, whilst the multi-tasks and run my sat-nav app. Probably asking a little too much, but is a step in the right direction. Though creating a dash pod would still be something I'd like to try my hands at. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leemaxd Posted November 28, 2011 Share Posted November 28, 2011 Eeek.... Not comfortable with hacking parts off the car. Seen a partial solution to the iPhone connectivity issue, with the Parrot MKi9200, but would all depend on whether it can run Music, whilst the multi-tasks and run my sat-nav app. Probably asking a little too much, but is a step in the right direction. Though creating a dash pod would still be something I'd like to try my hands at. That's my dash above, it wasn't that bad at all to cut out, I was s**ting myself at the thought of it but once I got stuck in it was quite easy, I fitted the st pod in mine with different gauges in that actually work in my car. If you want a step by step guide on how I done it just let me know : ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steven33 Posted November 28, 2011 Share Posted November 28, 2011 watching this with much interest! leemaxd, your gauge pod and gauges look awesome B) i think they look better than the oem gauges reading this thread has made me want to fit either the titanium tray and fit my sat nav in there or go for what you've done and fit the gauges. ive been trying all day to find a guide and where to buy the tray but with no luck, any pointers where to look? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chutney Posted November 28, 2011 Author Share Posted November 28, 2011 I take you aren't running the 5cylinder Volvo engine then? Could that be the boost pressure running on a TDCi lump? Not sure what sort of boost a turbo gives on the diesel lumps, but had wondered whether it got close to, or indeed was higher than the turbos on the petrol models. They do look good. Thumbsup Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leemaxd Posted November 28, 2011 Share Posted November 28, 2011 I brought the dash unit and pod off eBay for I think it was about £30, you can buy the storage compartment option new for about £150 from ford I think but don't quote me on that, but if you buy the st pod new it is quite expensive, especially if the gauges are never gonna work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leemaxd Posted November 28, 2011 Share Posted November 28, 2011 I take you aren't running the 5cylinder Volvo engine then? Could that be the boost pressure running on a TDCi lump? Not sure what sort of boost a turbo gives on the diesel lumps, but had wondered whether it got close to, or indeed was higher than the turbos on the petrol models. They do look good. Thumbsup Yea my car is the 1.8 tdci Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steven33 Posted November 28, 2011 Share Posted November 28, 2011 cheers mate, £150 is steep for what is injection moulded plastic, i will keep an eye out on eBay and the scrappies Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leemaxd Posted November 28, 2011 Share Posted November 28, 2011 Yea exactly what I thought at the time of doing it, you will get on off eBay I reckon easy, good luck :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steven33 Posted November 28, 2011 Share Posted November 28, 2011 cheers mate, had a quick look but nothing yet, might shamelessly ask for some pointers when i get one Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lenny Posted December 1, 2011 Share Posted December 1, 2011 watching this with much interest! leemaxd, your gauge pod and gauges look awesome B) i think they look better than the oem gauges reading this thread has made me want to fit either the titanium tray and fit my sat nav in there or go for what you've done and fit the gauges. ive been trying all day to find a guide and where to buy the tray but with no luck, any pointers where to look? I made a fantastic find today, found a seller on eBay selling the ST Gauge Pod and all the dash required to fit it in to a non ST model for £50 :o yes £50 + £10 Uk Postage i bought one myself, so now theres 2 left for anyone who like me wants to have a dashboard the same as Leemaxd, told the seller i would recommend him on here so feel free to mention me when purchasing Click Here Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
macachia Posted December 1, 2011 Share Posted December 1, 2011 yes pls, a guide how to cut the dashboard up to fit the pods & holder would be grand for my older focus! Cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chutney Posted December 2, 2011 Author Share Posted December 2, 2011 Good find... Had seen that ad myself and was going to give it a go, but the thought of chopping my dash is a complete no-no. Plus my second set of measurements made me doubt whether it was possible to do what I wanted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leemaxd Posted December 2, 2011 Share Posted December 2, 2011 Right here goes for all who want to cut in a st/titanium compartment. This is how I done it. Tools needed, angle drill with an 8mm drill bit, Sharp stanley knife, a few mini hacksaw blades, pliers and a Hoover. First remove drivers side vent and the two central vents: It's done buy putting a screw driver in and pulling the two lugs down inside the vent, then the vent should just pull out. Next is to remove the clocks, Pull the steering wheel out as far as it will go, then unclip the cover, this then reviles two screws undo these and then pull the clocks out, unplug and put in a safe place. If you now place your new compartment ontop of the dash, Now get a torch and if you look up at the underside of the dash above the steering wheel you SHOULD be able to see some rectangle markings on where you have to cut in the bit above the steering wheel, these are just rectangle holes as in the picture below. The dash made of a soft foam at the top and a hard ish plastic below. The way I cut these out was to mark the centre of the hole using the marks on the underside of the dash, drilling up or down then just cut the rectangle out of the foam using the Stanley this then will just leave you the plastic, drill the hole as big as you can to match the rectangle below and then just make it into a rectangle using a mini hacksaw blade. Work your way round all the holes, keep offering up your dash mount and looking down on it through the windscreen to see if it's lining up ok. Next is the big hole on the left hand side, get your stanley knife and cut the foam just inside thd bowl about 2-3mm around the flat part and up to where it starts to rise over the steering wheel (keep offering up you new mount to get it right), get rid of all your foam first to just leave your plastic. Then drill a few holes along where you need to cut and then get a mini hacksaw blade and start cutting, it took me about an hour to do this bit. Then when it's all cut you should end up with this Remember as long as you stay within the bowl area there is room for error because it all gets covered up. Once all the holes are ready place the mount on top and start pushing the legs through make sure it looks like they are all gonna line up because it goes in tight and is hard to get out again, also if you have the st pod remove it, get a pair of pliers and pull the legs through unill they clip into place. That's it really it's not that hard just needs lots of patience and take your time, remember stay within the bowl area. O and have a Hoover on standby the foam goes everywhere. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lenny Posted December 2, 2011 Share Posted December 2, 2011 Excellent guide mate, cant wait till mine arrives now and i get cutting, what did you use to fill in the gaps between the face's of the new gauges ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leemaxd Posted December 2, 2011 Share Posted December 2, 2011 Excellent guide mate, cant wait till mine arrives now and i get cutting, what did you use to fill in the gaps between the face's of the new gauges ? I just got a black piece of hard plastic and drilled two holes in it to house the gauges then just trimmed it it fit in the pod. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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