pmb692

Here's an update with pictures of what I did with the heater vent lever in the dash. If you look at the pictures of the vent lever closely you'll see my solution to being able to use the vent flap as it's supposed to be used. First, I extended the arm of the lever by maybe a quarter inch or so. I did this by sacrificing a second pivot arm, drilling a hole into the center of each part and using a nail coated in 5 min epoxy inserted into the hole. That part of the fix isn't cleaned up yet because I want the epoxy to dry for 24 hrs. Tomorrow, I'll be using my soldering point to plastic weld the 2 pieces across the joint to make the arm one solid piece. You'll also see that I relocated the holding bracket and screw hole up a little bit from where it was originally placed. I used small washers to fill the open spaces as necessary. This all looks like a simple fix, but it actually took a lot of thought, a little geometry, and a good bit of trial and error (because my geometry sucks) to get the look I wanted and have it function properly. Like I said at the very beginning of this thread, I wanted to keep as much of a factory look as I can, and in the picture of the completed vent, I think you'll agree that I did just that. I'm very happy with the result, and it works like it's supposed to. I also took a picture of the vacuum actuator behind the stereo to show how I modified that. If you look closely, you'll see that I moved it to the right just a little, and how I modified the metal arm to make it work with the flat side out. I made some relief cuts in the arm, heated it to red, and twisted the u shape from the front to the side. I then made whatever adjustments were necessary to make it work properly. It's getting there.

pmb692

I couldn't get the pictures to load yesterday, So I'm going to try again.

Ninespub

Continuing to watch with great interest! (as are many others). Just a thought....have you considered having the extended/modified pivot arm modeled and then duplicated as plastic printed piece?

pmb692

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pmb692

Thanks for your interest. Sorry about all the dust, but that will all get cleaned up before it goes into the car. To answer your question Paul, yes I plan on having the part done in one piece, and have already started the design in a 3D printing program. Now that I have a part that actually works, I can put exact measurements in.

pmb692

I just noticed that in that last picture of the vent all put together, the lever looks strange, more like a gears teeth than a thumb wheel. It has to be something with the upload because what's in the pictures above, is what's underneath. Also, the holes you see in the test vent frame, are the holes I drilled from the underside so I would know where to drill the holes in the mounting plate to insert the little white pressure bushings that hold the vent in.

Ninespub

Great minds think alike! I kinda thought you would think about that too because your analytics on this have been spot-on. You probably are trying to see if you can duplicate the metal arm too......right?

pmb692

You are exactly right about me wanting to replicate the metal arm on the vacuum actuator. I don't think it would be too difficult. I even thought about doing it in a hard plastic. I mean, as I was working the actuatoe thing out, I noticed there's no real pressure needed to open and close the flap, so I think plastic would be fine.

Ninespub

I'll bet that means you already anticipate extending the knurled end of the vent adjustment lever so that it protrudes more through the vent unit since you're already making the rest of it. Damn I love this stuff!

pmb692

On the vent lever, I could have raised the knurled end a bit more, and I tried a few different positions before putting it where I did. I really like it where it sits now as it's a little lower which to me gives it a clean look and it works great. What I will change in the 3-D program is the thickness of the extended arm. I would beef it up a little just to make sure the extra leverage wouldn't hurt it.

Ninespub

Once again, great insight! In any case it looks like you are close to assembling a true DIY "Kit" that is marketable in appearance, presumably not dirt cheap but gives you an appropriately-earned return on your effort and most importantly, something that a mechanically-challenged individual (like me) can probably install utilizing your already detailed information without effing it up......at least not a whole lot.

pmb692

I'm getting close to having a fairly complete set of parts and fixes to problems that I believe could be marketable. Once I get my car back together, and have the parts in for a while (we'll call it a "shake down" phase) to make sure that my design is sound, I may consider trying to produce this. Providing I can keep the cost of manufacture down for a low number run, (because I don't envision thousands of 928 owners wanting to make this change) I think I'll try to combine a complete set of parts that should work in any 928, as well as a detailed series of instructions that anyone can understand. That's the part that might take a while. This is where I could use some honest input from anyone out there watching this thread. Can you all let me know honestly what you think about what I'm doing here, and if there's interest in doing something similar in your own cars. That way I can do a cost benefit analysis. Feel free to send me a private message if you prefer to communicate that way.

Ninespub

Although probably accomplished earlier by others, the most documented 2-Din mod was by Keith Widom. It was attractive and as well done as could be on a "cut and paste " concept and served well as a guideline for all to follow. And as you are aware, there have since been a few well-respected individuals before you, most notably Hans and Jerry Feather who have each attempted to put together a more sophisticated and organic look for a 2-DIN acceptance into our 928. Neither have had any market success for what IMO is somewhat the same reason. Both are/were excellent concepts but complicated designs right from the onset, suffering even further from feature creep and resultant higher costs, thereby ending up as an expensive modification that required installation procedures way beyond the scope of the average person. More recently there is another individual who is developing a single facia piece design that would accommodate additional gauges, etc. that also has some legs, especially if one has a supercharged engine or desires more real-time operating information.

This is where I think you are different. If I am over-simplifying the process, please tell me, but be assured, I am NOT underestimating the effort of what you are doing. Although requiring a substantial amount of your thoughts and development time, your "system" is primarily comprised of the redesign and reproduction of several pieces of plastic and requires relatively minimal invasive surgery or movement of other parts. From what I understand of the info that you have posted and utilizing the most rudimentary of instructions and photographs that you already have, I feel comfortable that even I could accomplish (with your parts) the installation on my 928 without dis-emboweling and hacking up my entire console and still be able to retain a semi-factory look. That's HUGE!

What's the financial value to me? Without any further scope of the pieces involved I wouldn't think twice about any amount under a couple hundred $$ and probably wouldn't flinch if it were more. It sure seems like a lot less grief and aggravation than the other options out there and that by itself is priceless. At the end of the day, in my pointed little head there's probably 20-30 who could/would pop quickly for this mod and then until there are a few very visible units on the pages of Rennlist, the process of selling them would be slower. As you are well aware, it seems there is always something competing for our discretionary time and $$ when you own a 928. Please keep the program moving forward.

pmb692

Thank you for your input, and appreciation of the effort I'm putting in. From the onset, I wanted to have a "look" in my dash that didn't vary too much from the original factory look. So, that's where I've tried to keep my focus. I also wanted to be as simple and effective as I could with my effort because I'm just a guy working in his garage at home. As for the cost of development so far, I've probably got about $1500.00 into the trial and error part, purchased consoles, multiple 3-D prints, adjustments, and reprints of the parts I'm using. Not a lot of money in my opinion for something that could have a positive impact on other 928 owners. Once everything is ironed out, and the design is usable without fail on the multiple consoles I have, I'll concentrate on the fit and finish parts. What I'm thinking so far is that a complete "kit" would have 5 pieces manufactured in ABS. 1. The vent lever. 2 & 3. The mounting brackets/spacers to attach the components to. 4. A cover plate to hide the mounting screws. 5. A new arm for the vacuum flap actuator. There may also be other parts some might want. Things like the ashtray setup I have, a newly made shortened shift surround (the part that held the rear AC controls and clock) because it's a pain in the *** to modify one to make it look right. These are things I'm going to work on this winter. Though I removed my rear a/c setup, I'm also going to try to come up with a good solution for the relocation of the controls. Someone here on Rennlist suggested they go on the rear a/c housing. That seems like a great place for them, so I'm going to make it happen.

Now, on an additional side note. As I mentioned before, I put the XM, and GPS antenna in the rear brake light housing. Initially, I was going to run everything along the same path as the FM antenna cable. This all worked well but the GPS antenna cable is shorter than the XM cable and I wasn't happy with how little slack there was to get it to the head unit. I would have had to run the GPS antenna under the rear seat carpet and up the passenger side of the tunnel. Doing this would get to the head unit, but with very little slack in reserve. So, what I did was run the GPS antenna under the edge of the headliner, the A pillar cover, and behind the dash. This works great. There are places to zip tie the cable to, and it comes out right at the back of the head unit with a little slack to boot.

pmb692

I apologize for not posting an update for a while. I went on Vacation, and just got back today. God I miss Miami, and can't wait to get back home. Anyway, after everything I'm doing in the car, and how things are coming. I'm trying to make everything so it will work in any 928. All in all, I think Paul's right about the price point. I'd like to eventually be able to have the pieces I'm working on injection molded. The hardest piece to figure out is the vinyl over foam surround (the one that houses the rear a/c controls). It has a complex shape, and has to be changed to allow for the differences created once the double din is added. If I can do that at a reasonable price, I think the whole kit should be very affordable to almost anyone who wants to update their cars. I'll keep you posted.