Okay so I am going to completely redesign a new dash for my car, I cannot find a good spot for my laptop for my MSnS so this is probably what its going to be unless someone has a better idea. Yes it wont look like an eclipse dash anymore, but I dont care, because if you know me, everything I usually do is different from everyone else. Anyway, this pic just sucks cuz I blow at photoshop, but the basics will be this: The cluster hump will be relocated to the middle of the dash, somewhat angled towards the drivers seat and will not be as deep as the original dash is. The lap top will be right underneath it and it will be somewhat counter-sunk in and be kind of deep into the dash so the keyboard isnt all hanging out real far. In front of the driver will be my 7 gauges, Boost, A/F, EGT, Fuel Press, Oil Press, Oil Temp and Volts. Where the airbag "was" will be my Turbo Timer and Headunit, where the cruise controls were will be my Engine Start button and on top will be two 6" coaxial speakers. This is not going to be your ordinary Eclipse or Talon dashboard obviously and probably will not look right until its painted or primered. So in 2 weeks, this project will start and hopefully be finished within 5 days.

Criticism welcome :)

http://imageshack.us>

Yea...that pic and your photochopping DOES suck LOL.

Originally posted by edxmon
Yea...that pic and your photochopping DOES suck LOL.

yea i know but what do u think of the idea?

Are you going to be able to remove the laptop or will it be there permanantly. I'd be pretty worried if my laptop was just sitting there all the time, alarm or no alarm.

You could do that... but I kinda was thinking and read the other thread.

What if you took this idea...


And modify it. Leave the dash a bit more stock-ish (without thehuge hole i nthe center for a laptop,and have the laptop on a swingout table (like the pic) that swings out from underneath the glove compartment (or remove the glove compartment completely to make space for the laptop when its folded and not in use. Then it swings out when you want to use it.

Yea the laptop would be removable for sure.

I dont know if I like this, lol

Originally posted by eclipse982nrRST
Yea the laptop would be removable for sure. I dont know if I like this, lol

The idea sucks ass to tell you the truth. Laptop molded into a dash = techghetto. If you want to tune with a laptop fine. but dont mold it in. What happens if:

1.) the laptop dies and you have to get a new one = wont fit
2.)the keyboard (mobo, ports, dvd drive, ram, pcmia slots, pretty much everything) will be hanging in space.
3.) it will hit the shift knob.

4.) using a laptop for a permanent computer install is just lame.

With that being said...
Just suck it up and build or buy a CARPUTER.

I havent used a laptop OR a headunit in my car for 3 years now.

Heres what I have at my disposal currently:
All touchscreen BTW:
FM/AM radio with Tivo rewind/ record.
XM radio
MP3
DVD
CD
TV
Recordable 3 vid cameras (including reverse cam, front cam, and soon to be installed wheel cam)
INTERNET
GPS (including Google Satellite and maps!)
PC GAMES
Nintendo EMU
PS1 EMU
Sega EMU
OBD-2
Megasquirt
Zeitronix
Heater & A/C controls
Phone control via Bluetooth (all cell phone calls show up on screen and mute music, and Text messages etc.)
Wifi Internet.


My point, if you are gonna do it, do it right. Hit me up for details if you need them. Pics of the old setup are in my sig, pics of the new 8" screen and controls aren't up yet.

I don't usually talk up my car, but I know what I'm talking about here and can't let you WeakHack this shit. You've already wasted like 10gs in that POS, lol, why not finish it the right way.

yea i didnt want to be an ass, but ^^^ is kinda right on the money :P

what IF you just make a small platform for it in the middle? Our dash is deep enough i think. Or if you are just going to glass a whole dash, make a small flat spot in the middle over the AC stuff to mount it.

But for the love of god dont put the gauge cluster in the middle and make it look like a fricken Yaris in there!

Yeah the whole cluster in the middle is the ugly. Very, very, ugly.

how will you change cds as your driving?:shrug Thats just my .02 cents.. .ask that guy how to do it, because when i get some cash together, i know i will!


(oh and i dont think ur cars a piece of shit, i got the same widebody..i support ya hahaha)

why don't you just put make a little angle piece for the passenger seat? that way you can just put the laptop there when need be.

agreed with DJ.

the screen has to fit in with the whole flow of the dashboard, like it was meant to be there. if you put a huge laptop screen in there, it says something that you don't want people to hear.

DJ get those new pics up soon. CBCCs think alike :thumbsup

You should do something like that 350z/G35/Eclipse dash in the other post. Leave the gauges where they are at and do the center console like the like the 350z/G35/Eclipse. Put your own spin on it though.
-Todd

I want to see dj's setup. Sounds nice.

you could try this. Use dvd head unit and run your laptop video out to the dvd screen. use a bluetooth folding keyboard with built in mouse to navigate. You could keep the laptop safe, mounted in the trunk or under the seat. Anything would be better than that dash. My bro runs that in his vw corrado and it looks sick.

I'm unfamiliar with the Megasquirt system do you HAVE to have the laptop at all times or are you going for the "bling factor" again?

No you dont HAVE to have it in there at all times, but I would like to so I can watch everything :) I am weird like that.

I may just keep the dash I have now but I would really like to incorporate it into the flow somewhere.

Question though, on laptops, can you remove the monitor from the keyboard, extended the wiring, and it still work? Or are there ribbon cables and shit? Does anyone know?

This dash is deff not going to happen.

On theory you COULD separate the LCD from the rest of it. But then if you ABSOLUTELY wanted to go this route, ide advice on getting what i call a "FragBox"? its a Pc case in the form or a VERY small cube, and then just run a video-out line to a remote display. A compact wireless keyboard would be perfect for this too, like mentioned above, ill add pics in just a sec.





But if you ALREADY have the laptop, ignore my comments.

Go to www.mp3car.com and learn. You can use a 8inch touch screen and make a carputer alot easier and cleaner then that. When I ran msns in my 2g I made a custom center consol with a carputer that worked great. On the spot tuning and it was molded into the consol and never had to go anywhere. I also had a wireless network around my house so I could auto strart my car from my house and get all the datd from my carpc to my home pc. Then just turn the car off. This was all very easy to do.

Originally posted by selmerguy2003
Go to www.mp3car.com and learn. You can use a 8inch touch screen and make a carputer alot easier and cleaner then that. When I ran msns in my 2g I made a custom center consol with a carputer that worked great. On the spot tuning and it was molded into the consol and never had to go anywhere. I also had a wireless network around my house so I could auto strart my car from my house and get all the datd from my carpc to my home pc. Then just turn the car off. This was all very easy to do.

I am going to look into this.

Thanks!

Carputers are just soo much fucking money!

Man, if you made that dash, I swear... your car would weigh a 100,000,000 lbs!! :P

Originally posted by saikou
Man, if you made that dash, I swear... your car would weigh a 100,000,000 lbs!! :P

Nothing I make weighs more than the factory panel usually to tell you the truth. I use MOLDS from the factory panels and as you know, fiberglass is lighter than heavy plastic usually :)

That dash is NOT hapening though, I dont even know what in Gods name I was thinking!

I have a lil something up my sleeve though now and I shall keep it a secret until its done.

Mike, I built mine for under 600 dollars. It did everything!!!!!! You just have to find the right deal. It also depends alot on space. You can get away with a a bigger motherboard and hard drive if you can make a nice case and find a good place to put it.

what about a tablet PC?

My boss has a banks system in his ford turbo diesel and it all runs off a palm pilot, what about something like that if it would work? Came with a mount that goes on the dash.