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Here...looks better like this: Link to site for the pic. http://www.geocities.com/type_r_delsol/howto.html HOW TO MAKE A LOWER DIN AREA GAUGE PANEL FOR A 2G ECLIPSE ----- READ this whole article before attempting/starting this project. ----- These directions assume that you are installing (3) 2 1/16" gauges. You can alter these directions to suit your application. This project WILL NOT WORK if you have to have your head unit in the bottom DIN slot. ----- MAKING THE TEMPLATE FOR YOUR GAUGE PANEL You will need Masking or Duct Tape, a utility knife or razor blade, a straightedge of some sort(ruler...etc.)and a piece of THICK cardboard for this part. With your trim piece, head unit and its surround installed, tape across the trim piece flush with the bottom edge of your head unit assembly.(RED LINE) Keep taping so you cover the entire bottom part of the trim piece below your head unit. Do not trim the tape yet. Now remove the taped trim piece, and with a utility knife, or razor blade...trim the tape so its even with the outside edges of the trim piece. Now, lay a piece of cardboard on the edge of a table. Place the face of the lower part of the trim piece against the cardboard, and trace the ouside edges of the piece, and trace the top of the tape. (KEEP THE TAPE ON, YOU WILL NEED IT ON THERE LATER) Now remove the trim piece, and with a straight edge; fill in the lines that were from the top of the tape to the outside edges. If you cut this piece out of the cardboard, it is the base of your template. Now with your head unit and its surround still being in your car(don't install the trim piece for this part)...hold the cardboard piece into where it will go. Make sure it is even with the bottm edge of the console as if it were mounted in there. If it fits...GOOD...If not, you will need to keep trimming the cardboard until it sits in there nice. You may have to make another template if you mess up and cut too much, but I made 4 because I'm very picky....don't feel bad. When you are happy with your piece you can move on to the next section. ----- TURNING YOUR CARDBOARD TEMPLATE INTO ALUMINUM (Get the Aluminum piece cut at a machine shop to save alot of trouble) First, you need a piece of 9" x ***" piece of aluminum that is 3/16" or 1/4" thick. The "***" is your exact height of your template that you made earlier which is also represented in the picture as the BLACK line with arrows. "***" should not be any less than 2 5/16" for structural purposes. Mine was exactly 2.5". I would suggest that you measure your template from #1 to # 1 in the picture, and from #2 to #2. Whichever has the bigger dimension is the size of the "***". You can gradually trim the excess off of the shorter side after the holes have been cut. The piece will end up being around 8 1/2" wide, but it differs from car to car because of warpage and age. You will need to shave the edges of the aluminum piece later to fit your console. Once you have your aluminum piece cut and in rectangular form, you can place your template on top of it, and trace the outline of it onto the aluminum piece. Do not shave the edges yet. Go to the next section first.
MEASURING AND CUTTING THE HOLES (If you are having a machine shop do this then refer to this section, print it, and give it to the person at the machine shop along with your individual measurements and/or your template/s.)
Now you can do this next part if you have a drill press with a vise, and a 2 1/16" metal hole saw. You need to find the center of the piece. Take a straight edge and a pencil and draw an "X" from corner as perfect as you can get it. With a ruler; check that the center of the "X" is acually centered horizontally and vertically. Once you are sure it is centered you can make a dot in the center with a pencil, fine tip permanent marker, or a center punch if you have one. The center of the piece is representd by the YELLOW X in the picture. From the center; you will measure 2 3/4" to the left and make a centerpoint, and 2 3/4" to the right and make a centerpoint. These centerpoints are where the center of your holesaw will be placed to cut your 3 holes. The idea is to have an 11/16" gap (GREEN lines) between the gauges.
SHAVING THE EDGES For this part you will need a belt sander with 40 or 80 grit sandpaper or an air grinder of some sort. If you choose to use a bench grinder with grind wheels...you will clog the wheel with aluminum! You have been warned. you are going to remove the excess material from the rectangular aluminum piece so that it matches up with your cardboard template. The area you will remove is represented in the picture as the YELLOW areas. Once you get close to the lines you traced from your template...try to fit your piece in your console. This way you won't go too far and ruin your piece. As you keep knocking the material down...keep test fitting it until you are happy with the fit. When you are happy, sand down the whole piece with 180 grit sandpaper until the texture is nice and even. You're almost finished.
MOUNTING THE PIECE You want to get your piece mounted before you prime and paint it. This way you don't risk scratching it up. You may want to find your own way to mount yours, but I'll quickly tell you how I mounted mine. I had holes drilled and tapped at the centers of the area in the upper left and right corners. I also had holes done at the bottom edge of the piece centered between the 1st and 2nd gauge hole, and between the 2nd and 3rd gauge hole. Then I put stainless screws through the holes and attached brackets to the top holes that mounted to where the storage box used to mount. I simply used a flat piece of small steel scrap that I bent at a 90 degree angle to mount to the panel, then bent them to meet the holes where the storage box mounted. I also drilled holes in it where it mounted. The screws that went through the bottom of the piece sat into grooves that I cut out of the inside lip of the console so it would sit evenly. Once the panel was mounted at the top, I simply slid rubber grommets over the bottom screws to secure the panel and help prevent vibration. Feel free to copy, print, or modify these instructions at your discretion. ...Oh, and have fun!

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