1-DIN gauge holder for GQ

[patrol_maverick]

Now for the bending. The plastic needs to be heated in order to be bent. Acrylic will shatter if you try to bend it cold. Polycarbonate can be bent cold but it's best to heat it as it will give you a sharper fold.



There are commercially available heaters for bending plastic, but it's cheap enough to build your own. I bought a strip heater ($19.00) and 2 ceramic floor tiles ($2.50 each), both from Bunnings. All you have to do is assemble them as shown with a 5mm gap between the tiles. I had the gap above one of the heating tubes in the heater.


To bend the plastic, simply place it over the gap so the fold lines are receiving the heat. If you haven't done this before I would suggest practicing with some scrap plastic first. Too much heat will cause bubbling within the plastic, and not enough heat obviously won't allow the plastic to bend.
I used 2 rulers to help keep the bends straight while bending. Hold down one side of the fold with one ruler while lifting up under the other side with the other ruler (if that makes any sense without picts.


Bend the top first, then bend the sides in.


Use a straight edge to align the face of the holder & radio, then mark out and drill the locations of the side mounting holes.




Install the gauges into the holder, then install the holder to the radio brackets. Now you just have to fit the wiring & hoses and fit everything back in your truck.

Finished.