[PatchyBoy]

With the recent SC ruling and zero confidence about impelmentation, I decided to take matters into my own hands

Getting the sunfilm off was very easy. Here is a step-by step of what I did:

1. Made a soapy solution of Vim Dishwashing liquid and soaked some old newspaper in it

2. Parked the car in hot sun - with doors and windows open

3. Applied the soaked newspaper to the rear windshield and door glasses

4. Waited for 30 mins. Sprayed the newspaper with more of the soapy liquid to keep it from drying - every 6-8 minutes

5. Removed the newspaper and then pryed out one corner of the film with a wooden spatula. Once I had enough to grab with a pair of nose pliers, did just that and pryed some more, till enough film was off to grab with my fingers.

6. Now grabbed the film with one hand. While pulling the fim away from the glass, applying constant force with one hand, kept spraying the soapy liquid at the place where the film and glass were parting.

Thats it. I ended up with the film coming off the glass in one single piece and zero gum residue on the glass. I think the heat from the sun, the solvents in the dishwasing liquid helped. I had to make sure that the point where the film was coming off the glass was never dry.

Now, having done with the film, I wanted to continue finishing another DIY I had in mind. Here is what I wanted:

My palio has a curved pit on the passenger side of the dash. This is pretty useless due to the curved surface - one cannot even stick a car perfume bottle there. So, my requirement was

1. to build a dashmounted phone and ipod holder.
2. add another cigarette lighter socket to charge the phone.
3. move the amp to the rear parcel tray.
4. install the bottle holder that I had picked up during the last visit to US

Materials used:

1. Old iPod Nano box - free (I paid for the iPod )
2. Old mouse pad for cushion - free
3. Cigarette lighter socket - Rs. 300
4. 12 V to 5 V Cigarette lighter socket to USB adapter - Rs. 250
4. 4 mm MDF board - had some at home
5. Dragonplate Carbon fibre sticker sheet - got a sample in US - free
6. Bottle holder - US$ 9.95
7. Assortment of screws - had them lying around
8. Elbow Grease - free ofc
9. Joy on completion - priceless

Let me break this up into parts:

Part I - additional Cigarette Lighter socket:

First step, I made a hole in one end and cut out a slot in the other of the iPod container. I then fixed the cigarette lighter socket and the 12 V to 5 V USB converter into the box. It was a perfect fit. Since the USB socket needs to be visible outside for quick connections and I was planning on mounting it beneath the glove compartment on the passenger side, I stuck a piece of CF sticker to the front and also made a slot for the USB. For good measure, also drilled a hole for the LED indicator to be visible.







Then I fabricated a clamp from a piece of sheet metal from an empty can and cut the mouse pad to size for cushioning



Then I clamped and screwed the whole contraption under the glove compartment connected up the wires and this is the end result



to be continued.....

Rajan

[PatchyBoy]

Part 2 - Cup / Bottle holder

This does not actually qualify as a DIY, unless one considers marking, drilling and turning a couple of screws as DIY

Here is the product

And here is how it looks in the car


Being adjustable, it can hold a coffee cup to a 2 liter coke bottle. Not sure if it can handle the weight of the 2 lt bottle though. I drove close to 100 kms on Sunday with a 1 lt water bottle with no issues whatsoever. The fitting came as a boon, since the Palio does not have any cup holders.

more to come....

Rajan

[PatchyBoy]

Final Part - Dashboard mount

As I mentioned earlier, the curved pit on the dashboard was useless. So, the first step was to cut a piece of 4 mm MDF board to the same shape and size, so as to cover the pit and create a flat surface. Trusted contour guage to the rescue



I was so glad I picked this thingie up. Essentially it has a row of sliding wires, wedged between two flat plates. All one has to do is hold the guage against the curved surface and push the wires to line up against the surface. This gives the exact shape, which can then be transferred on to the work surface and cut.

Once I had the piece of MDF cut and shaped, I made 2 slots, that would hold 2 vertical pieces of mdf, one for the phone and the other for the iPod. Then I pasted rubber lining on the face of these vertical pieces - the kind that one usually sees in electronics packaging. Even an old mouse pad would suffice. This is the surface where the iPod / Phone holder comes in contact with this piece of wood. I mounted these on the flat piece previously created. I pasted CF sticker on the back surface, which would be visible from outside the car.

After this part was done, I drilled a hole in the dash, routed the cables - iPod cable to the head unit and the USB cable to beneath the glove compartment. Then I passed these cables out through the MDF board, and screwed the board down on the dash. Then the whole board was covered in CF sticker. As I was not very satisfied with the finish of the edge, I pasted a black woven strip - the type that backpack straps are usually made of - along the borders

Here are some pics

View from Driver's seat


From outside the car


View with passenger door open


Couple of pics of the glass after removing film



And yes, those door mounted speaker pods are the result of an earlier DIY project, unfortunately undocumented. They are fiberglass. I do not have any WIP pictures of those pods.

While this project is pretty much complete and fully functional, there are some more things to do

1. The screws that I used for clamping the USB charger are protruding into the glove compartment. Have to find another way of clamping.

2. There is residual gum left on the dashboard along the strip that I pasted. Have to clean that off

3. The wiring to the USB charger has come loose and is hanging. Have to use proper ties and tie them up

4. The iPod is now held up by a rubber band. Have to find a more visually pleasing solution

All in all, a fulfilling weekend.

Thanks for reading

Rajan

[dajay0]

Hi Rajan,

Thanks for the details. What I really appreciated in the whole post you made was the passion with which you were at this project. Everyone has these problems, but few go after them like you did . Kudos to you.

Can you tell me a little bit about where exactly did you connect the other ends of the wires for the USB port? I was thinking it will be a parallel connection to the existing lighter outlet in the car. Is that correct?

ajay

[PatchyBoy]

Ajay,

Yes. That is correct. It is a parallel connection. This setup allows me to charge my Omnia, while my wife can use the other socket to charge her Nokia. Also, as the USB gives out 5 V, it can be used to charge any supported device.

Thanks,

Rajan

[Klub Class]

PatchyBoy, nice DIY guides. Thanks for sharing

How about concealing the wires to the USB port? It looks odd, IMHO

[PatchyBoy]

Klub_Class,

Thanks. Yes I agree with you. I had used a piece of insulation tape to stick the wire behind the glove compartment. Just realized that it had come off when taking those pics. I will use some proper ties to dress it properly, so it is not an eysore

Rajan

[ghpk]

Nice D.I.Y.
you gave me a reason to start working on my pending work of having a USB charger in my car.

To install the Charger I would use the default location lighter socket along with Belkin charger.

Link
I bought this charger today and will post the D.I.Y. details if I plan to make it integrated somewhere inside the car.

Don't you think your phone holders may attract theft if phone left on it in hurry and car parked somewhere isolated ???

[bejoy]

Hi Rajan, Thanks for sharing the DIY. You are absolutely right about the dashboard of Palio. Good thought about using the space for charging point/holders.

Also the bottle holder is solely missed in Palio. Is it screwed to the floor (metal?) Did you do any precaution while drilling? Will the hole end up rusting?

Now you need to fix a handrest for your car!

[PatchyBoy]

Originally Posted by ghpk

Nice D.I.Y.
Don't you think your phone holders may attract theft if phone left on it in hurry and car parked somewhere isolated ???

Thanks. Yes I am sure it would attract theft as much as a windshield mount . I am planning on getting detachable sun screen for the windshields, so that should take care of it. Of course in a hurry in an isolated spot and forgetting mobile is asking for it.

Originally Posted by bejoy

Hi Rajan, Thanks for sharing the DIY. You are absolutely right about the dashboard of Palio. Good thought about using the space for charging point/holders.

Also the bottle holder is solely missed in Palio. Is it screwed to the floor (metal?) Did you do any precaution while drilling? Will the hole end up rusting?

Now you need to fix a handrest for your car!

Yes, the bottle holder is screwed to the floor. I did not think about rust though. Good point. I have underbody rust protection done, so I am hoping it will be safe. Only time will tell. Will keep checking for rust whenever possible, though. Thanks.

As for the handrest, nope. I am an old school guy who drives with both hands on the steering, except when shifting. Even if I had a handrest, I doubt if I will ever use it

Rajan

[petroheadd]

Originally Posted by ghpk

Nice D.I.Y.

To install the Charger I would use the default location lighter socket along with Belkin charger.
Attachment 925078
Link
I bought this charger today and will post the D.I.Y. details if I plan to make it integrated somewhere inside the car.

Even i would use the very same belkin charger, since i am not so good in DIY and usually end up messing things.

There is also a two USB output charger available.


I am badly dying for a mobile and tablet holder.
Can someone throw some light on what can i use to hold my tablet , it is a 9 incher. I basically use it in car for the maps.

@Patchyboy, great work . I really like the enthusiasm with which you have done it. Just a few touches here and there and it would look great too.

[rk_sans]

First, excellent DIY and thanks for sharing it.

Placing the amp on the rear parcel tray, will this not make the amp become more hot during summer drive ? It would designed to take the heat but direct sunlight heat + working heat ?

[veyron_head]

I saw a backpack-like bottle holder in a cab today that was put on the back side of the front passenger seat. It looked good to hold at least 2 one liter bottles. The material was just like one of those wildkraft backpacks.

Does someone know where I can get this?