jorhelj

Ok So I bought my Lexus GS300 3 years ago and after having it for a year and watching a lot of Soundman and Mighty Car Mod videos on youtube I decided to install an Ipad2 in the dash. Now the first time around it looked pretty good and everyone has been asking me to do a write up, now the install was actually not very elaborate all I did was use an Ipad hard case and a piece of ABS plastic and some CA Glue with Kicker (accelerator) pretty much it worked with only 2 setbacks one I was not able to fit a charging cable and 2 I had to use a small pry tool to pop it out it basically just snap in place. As for the sound I used a 1 din JVC El Kameleon using wireless Bluetooth (for the wiring on that its just like a regular aftermarket install there are plenty of write ups on here).

Ok so now I decided to replace my Ipad 2 with an Ipad Air then I saw a new Samsung 9.7 tab which has the same dimensions as the Ipad Air and cost less and has the option to ad an SD card and then one day at Borders and I saw a 10.1 Samsung Tablet and it was close enough in Size that i might just work as a replacement to my current setup, and on sale for $200.

kamlung

iTrader: (8)

looks good... carputers have come a very long way... can you take some closer pics to show the fitment and corners... does it sit pretty flush to the dash?

jorhelj

ok so the first step is get the measurements for the Tablet you want to use trace them on to a piece of cardboard and size it up in your dash or if you have a tablet already take it to your car and see where it would best fit.

Now if you have access to a table Saw and table router then you got the hard part out of the way. All I used was a razor blade, ruler, Sharpie and a dremel to do all my cuts.

next you will need CA Glue and Kicker (accelerator)

ABS plastic sheets 12x12 should do it I used 1/8 and 1/16

a little Bondo Spot Glazing putty might be needed and some Primer and you can use your choice of trim color I m using Dupli Color Dark Charcoal Black to me its the closest I could find to the Stock color to match the AC Controllers.

all the Supplies were purchased on Ebay

jorhelj

now the next step can be done one of two ways you can use a ruler or tape measure to get the size. the way I did it was I used Masking Table (blue) to cover my tablet so that i would not Damage or Scratch it then i laid it down on the piece of ABS plastic, I measured the width of my tablet mine was 8mm I then cut out Strips of the ABS the size of the height and width mine was 176 mm x 243mm then I glued them along the border of the tablet (on The ABS not the tablet) making a Frame

jorhelj

the next step after creating a border I cut out 1/2 in from the top of the abs bezel and then I made a 10mm step this is to allow the tablet enough room to tilt when it goes in or out . what Im basiclly making is a modifide version of Soundmanca.com Side Slider kit I call mine the "Top Slider"

Than I used a Metra kit )I think thats what its called the listing was "RADIO DASH INSTALL KIT DOUBLE DIN W/ POCKET"

and chopped it in half for to glue on the bottom of the frame I just made

jorhelj

at this point you might wanna do a test fit

jorhelj

now I'm not gonna lie this **** was an extremely tight fit I had to use Brut yet delicate force to get the bezel in, it was at this point that I realized i would need some reinforcement to keep it from buckling in the middle so I added more pieces of ABS in the back of the kit.

jorhelj

So my next step and this one is just for the purpose of being extra i decided to add a 7in Monitor for those rare occasions when I happen to forget my tablet at home. This Screen serves as a monitor for my Back up camera and if I ever need to watch a DVD. using my ruler, Sharpie and an Exacto knife I made the cut out.

jorhelj

I added some Abs Strips to hold it in place and it sits just flush to not obstruct the tablet going in or out.
I also cut out a small notch at the bottom for the Charging cable

jorhelj

Now since this is a redo of my Ipad set up my main vents where already cut so that all that was left was my Hazard button and my clock, for some people this is where they would forget this whole DIY, I live in Southern California so its never 2 hot or 2 cold to where I need my main vents. In the Summer I don't like cold air blowing in my face so not having the center vents did not affect me one bit plus this also serves a dual purpose of keep my tablet cool and in the winter I just have my lower vents on when i use the heater.

so now everything must get Glued together, now for those of you who are not familiar with CA glue and think "Why not use Fiber Glass or any other type of Glue?" will CA glue is like Cement once you spray the Kicker its sandable and fills in Gaps and pretty much holds eveything together, My old dash kit lasted 2 years with no issues.

jorhelj

So we are getting close to the end some more ABS and CA Glue to fill in Gaps and strengthen the kit

jorhelj

as for the AC controls there are options, you can either mount them down under the Tablet, in the dash or like I did at first (and this is not for the faint of heart) trim the sides using a Dremel this part takes a steady hand I used tape as a guide. and I made a template out of cardboard before actually cutting.

Now all this stuff fits so tight that I didn't need use any type of screws to mount it, it's pretty much held in place by pressure, trust me it will not move , but if you need to have mounts, the bottom 2 screws of the Metra kit should hold it in.
place. its up to you if you want to Glue the Clock and AC controllers to the Bezel I only did the Clock the AC is not attached.

Now time for another Test fit

jorhelj

we are almost done Next part requires a lot of Sanding what Grit I used i don't remember but not too coarse not too light maybe 1500 I'm not sure I guess enough to bring the CA glue down and then another to Smooth it out.
I mean if you can't figure this part out don't even start I guess, Sorry.

Then a coat of primer to see where you are at . Make Sure you dont spray the Charging Cable tape it up

jorhelj

And this is where I'm at now

It still needs some light Glazing putty sanding and another coat or 2 of primer before paint. Hopefully I can knock it out tonight and post more pics.
but form this point you're pretty much done.

It took me 4 days and 16 hours to get it to this point, one more day should do it, but again with a table router and Table Saw you can save some time or also if you buy a prefab kit from Soundman or Fifield Fab.

jorhelj

yes it fits super Flush to the dash, in this picture the lower part where the radio is at looks a little but out its just because i haven't adjusted the wires behind the radio at this point but to me it looks great im not gonna get any better fitment than this it was almost impossible to do this the 10.1 tablet is too big the Ipad2 was pushing it an Ipad air or Samsung 9.7 would be as gig as I would suggest for someone to do. More pics coming soon