Jump to content


Photo

Custom Consoles Dashboard - Fuelled By Kenco


  • Please log in to reply
2 replies to this topic

#1 bizarreatheist

bizarreatheist

    Learner Driver

  • Noobies
  • PipPip
  • 12 posts
  • Location: Linlithgow

Posted 20 January 2014 - 01:49 PM

This weekend was about two things: installing a dashboard and finally getting some tunes in the Mini. And after quite an incredible amount of needless bloodshed, not enough coffee and a very cold Scottish day in the garage, the job is done. Sort of. Anyway, photos of where this all started:
 
DSCN2343.jpg
 
Last weekend - assessing the terrifying wiring mess already in the dash area left behind by the PO. Since owning the car I've simply zip tied the whole lot out of the way and ignored it, but the time is now...
 
DSCN2344.jpg
 
Eek. Dodgy bonus fuse. 
 
DSCN2353.jpg
 
Old wiring harness. To be honest I had hoped it might just slot into the back of my cheap-and-cheerful eBay stereo. I've never done this before so can't claim to have known any better!

DSCN2349.jpg
 
Speaking of which, looks like it may have been designed to go into a slightly bigger vehicle...
 
e219049a-b39d-46e2-98be-9a71aa2192d2.jpg
 
New harness temporarily in and testing the speakers which will go in the dashboard. I cannibalised these from some ordinary household stereo speakers that I've had for about 10 years, but which I don't use anymore and have had knocking around.
 
DSCN2386.jpg
 
It was then that I discovered that the live ran straight off the battery - I had been idly wondering what this was:
 
DSCN2390.jpg
 
In fact on the old harness both the live and the ignition ran to this cable. It was getting late and I'm not that bright, so rather than muck about finding a new decent live, and isolating an ignition source, I simply wired up a spare switch I've had knocking around which will stop the stereo draining the battery when the car's laid up for a week or two. Plus extra switches:
 
DSCN2391.jpg
 
Then on Tuesday the dashboard arrives. If the company have custom tape, their gear's going to be good, right?
 
DSCN2399.jpg
 
New dashboard and a speakerboard for underneath the rear seats
 
DSCN2401.jpg
Binnacle out, things are getting serious...
 
DSCN2405.jpg
I decided to ditch the front air vents in favour of the cannibalised speakers - but without any welding skills to properly block up the holes which open onto the inner wings, I decided that coffee is the answer, regardless of the question. Before:
 
DSCN2347.jpg
 
After (please don't hate me)
 
DSCN2348.jpg
 
Then the only genuinely terrifying part of the process - using a hacksaw to cut down the white tubes which house the indicator bulbs, whilst trying not to scratch the clock faces. Eep. Notice the rough edges - which luckily aren't on show when in the car.
 
DSCN2406.jpg
Prepping the dash, the clocks are screwed into this too.
 
DSCN2407.jpg
 
New cables running for the rear speakers (we nearly forgot to do this before fitting the dashboard, which would have been an immensely basic error...) - I'm glad we went to the trouble of hiding these as much as possible...
 
DSCN2409.jpg
 
Dash in. I can't tell you how awkward and stressful this was. For reference, we had to roll the car out onto the drive and open both doors to get enough elbow room... Happy with the results except that the clocks seem to point downwards so I can't really see the top of them. Good thing I never do anything like 70 mph...
 
DSCN2410.jpg
 
Curse word. Pictured: glamorous assistant.
 
DSCN2416.jpg
 
Speakers going in.
 
DSCN2415.jpg
 
Head unit in. Also note my hillbilly iPhone holder (it's a coke can and two zip ties attached to the heater hose).
 
DSCN2417.jpg
 
And the rear speakerboard in. I fitted the speakers to the rear because I ordered the wrong size and they wouldn't drop into the front. But they sound pretty good regardless. The fit was so tight that I didn't even bother with the brackets, just beat it into place with the bloodied stumps left where my fists used to be.
 
DSCN2426.jpg
 
Job done. It sounds immense. But - rather worrying - when I got back from the test drive I parked the car in the garage and with the engine running a thin vapour or possibly extremely thin smoke started wisping out of the screen heater vents. What the hell is that? I was too knackered to start investigating so it's parked up as a mystery. Any ideas?
 
Thanks for reading if you made it this far!
 
Dave

 



#2 cal844

cal844

    Crazy About Mini's

  • Members
  • PipPipPipPipPipPipPipPipPipPip
  • 9,482 posts
  • Location: Ballingry, Fife
  • Local Club: TFMOC

Posted 20 January 2014 - 02:25 PM

will be your heater matrix... looks like it was a PITA to fit... although i'd have used the brackets for the speaker board... it will move



#3 bizarreatheist

bizarreatheist

    Learner Driver

  • Noobies
  • PipPip
  • 12 posts
  • Location: Linlithgow

Posted 20 January 2014 - 03:50 PM

Never touched the heater matrix - any suggestions as to what to look for?
 
If the speakerboard does move it can always come back out and I'll reinstall with brackets. It became wedged against the rear bins on the way in to the point that I thought I'd have to start lopping bits off with a hacksaw to ever get it back out again, so fingers crossed it's not going anywhere too soon!





0 user(s) are reading this topic

0 members, 0 guests, 0 anonymous users