Thanks to eveyrone on here showing the incredible installs of a double din nav unit I decided it was a must have. I found a second bezel on EBAY for a steal of 31.50 a few weeks back. I decided to purchase one different form the one that is in the car and in perfect condition (in case I mess it up!) to cut up and modify to allow the Avic D2 I will be putting in the car. After seeeing the Avic D3 I could go that route as well since it seems they both are the same size.

I borrowed the trim peice for the Avic D2 from a friend to get the measurements needed to start to bezel transformation. This seems pretty simple so far with cutting out the cross bar from the old location of the radio. The measurements in case you are wondering are 4 1/2" x 7 1/2"


Having removed that piece from the bezel i then had to measure and see how low I had to make my marks to cut to replace the section back where it was now needed. I did read it was best to leave some of the side part attached to the section so when it goes back in it has more support so it will not break as easily when putting back together.

After getting the bezel cut and placed where It needed to be I took some masking tape and held into place so I could check the fit of the radio trim.

With this section all done and evertything looking like it will line up straight and factory like. It will now be time to lower the controls a few inches and repeat process from above.
This is all I could manage time for today. I will update once I get the controls lowered, ash tray removed and ready to start the ABS sludge process.

This might be repeat information for some, but I found I could not read enough info on the process while I was lookign how to do this. Thought I would share the work to hopefully make it easier for the next one of you to try this.

 

Looking good so far. Keep up the great photos. I'm doing mine soon. Or having C5Kidd do it. How are you going to finish it?

 

lookin good so far. the more pictures, the better

 

I looked into having C5Kidd do mine as well, he does awesome work but I decided I wanted to save the $$$ and attempt this myself. As far as finishing goes, I have a friend who does interior work on cars and he is going to finish it for me when I get it done. Should look just like factory made it. He has a business that repairs damaged interiors, its kinda amazing what the finished product looks like.

 

I think this is the best way to do this.


http://forums.corvetteforum.com/show....php?t=1257749

 

this is looking great. what are you going to put in the ~1/2 din opening?

 

the flux capicitor controler, duh

 

If it turns out like factory, maybe I could have your friend do mine. If you don't mind, ask him how much it would cost. I've got an extra bezel to experiment with and i know a lot of others who want the factory look.
Hey Kidd, you out there? Maybe this is another option you could offer.
Btw, I'm also going to try and do my own 'cuss I love playing and doing my own mods...
Thanks!

 

if he can't deliver for you, try www.leathermagic.com they do my consoles and it looks oem.

 

Thanks Scott. Do you know how much they charge for a modded bezel? Also, is it better to sand smooth the whole bezel or just the areas effected by the mod?

 

they charge $65+shipping and i've always sanded the whole thing but you may be able to just sand the affected area...i'd call them first.

 

I will let you know cletus how it turns out when I am done and a price. If its nice you can always send to me and i will take it to him. This again is why i bought a second bezel in case it doesnt turn out the way i want it the first time.

 

Thats why I have stopped for now. I am un decided if I want to leave the extra 1/2 din opening there and move to bottom and fill in. I had a thought about looking for one of those factory cup holders form another vehicle, the pull out ones, and try to install as a place to put a beverage(soda of course) while driving. If I dont find one that works for looks and size I will have that 1/2 din extra space your talking about moved down to where the ash tray was and filled in. Anyone thought about this idea before, if so let me know if it will or could possibly work.

 

that cup holder is a neat idea


i'll look around and see what else can fit into a 1/2 din slot

 

you can get a half din 'pocket' that is sometimes handy (can fit cd jewel cases) or you can get a half din dvd player :-) you could also contact the guy who makes the lit up "humounts" (www.corvettecaraudio.com sells them) and see if he'll make you a 1/2 din 'blank' with the lit up 'corvette' or... crap..i'm all out of ideas

oh... you could get a preamp/eq to put in there. soundstream makes a nifty tube version:
http://cgi.ebay.com/SOUNDSTREAM-MTUB...QQcmdZViewItem