Big Blue's Transformation

[Gary Lewis]

Chris - The way Bill did it, and I'm going to do it, is a lot of work. Something like the Holley Sniper system would be easier for the EFI. But if you want a modern automatic tranny you'll need a computer to control that as well.

All - Here's a closeup of the extra switch I have and the inside of the rocker. The LED protrudes a bit so it may not be easy to stick a LightDim on it, or maybe not easy to get it to adhere. But I think I can put it on the back side of the lens.

Ok, I think I figured out how to mount the radio. This may be Plan D or E. But I looked at how to secure the sleeve to the original side mounts, and that doesn't look easy and wouldn't give much support since it would be just about 1/2" back of the bezel.

But in the back of my mind I remembered a part for a rear mount that I got from some previous radio. I found it and it screws right into the back of the Sony that was in the truck, so presumably it will screw into the new radio. It is an M4 stud with a large rubber bushing pushed over it.

So if I put the mount in place, pull the rubber bushing off the stud, put a drop of paint on the stud, and slide the radio in place it should put a dot where I need to drill a hole big enough for the bushing. Then I can put the bushing back on, lube it a bit, and slide the radio in place and it should have good rear support.

And if the rear mount wants to move around on the brace I can put a couple of screws through it to keep it in place. Or, if it doesn't go high enough then I can fashion my own mount and attach it to the brace with screws.

Thoughts? Problems? Improvements? http://www.garysgaragemahal.com/uploads/6/5/8/7/65879365/thinking-26_orig.jpg

[Gary Lewis]

Did you read what they said about them not working well with some coloured LED's?

I hope those dimming stickers work out for you!

I've always hated DIN cages and am really glad the Bricknose trucks used little tabs on either side, rather than the fiddly knob & shaft mount.

It looks really tricky to get that bottom mount to work with one.

Jim - Ships/night. No, I didn't read that about not working well with some colors. Oh well, $6 isn't too bad to lose if the LightDims don't work. But it'll be an easy thing to try. And, if not I'll drop back to the resistor approach.

Which brings me to a question: How do our eyes vary with respect to color? In theory they must accommodate that in a camera in order to get a good picture. If so, then plan is to light each individual switch such that the camera wants to shoot at the same f-stop, aperture, and shutter speed. That way they should all have have essentially the same brilliance. But will that look even to my eyes?

On the mount, I agree that using the rear mount attached to the radio looks difficult. But I'm liking the latest plan. The sleeve/cage attaches very securely to the bezel, and if perchance this sleeve fits the new radio I won't even have to swap. But either way, with it and a rear support I think it'll be solid.

Your thoughts?

[1986F150Six]

Jim - Ships/night. No, I didn't read that about not working well with some colors. Oh well, $6 isn't too bad to lose if the LightDims don't work. But it'll be an easy thing to try. And, if not I'll drop back to the resistor approach.

Which brings me to a question: How do our eyes vary with respect to color? In theory they must accommodate that in a camera in order to get a good picture. If so, then plan is to light each individual switch such that the camera wants to shoot at the same f-stop, aperture, and shutter speed. That way they should all have have essentially the same brilliance. But will that look even to my eyes?

On the mount, I agree that using the rear mount attached to the radio looks difficult. But I'm liking the latest plan. The sleeve/cage attaches very securely to the bezel, and if perchance this sleeve fits the new radio I won't even have to swap. But either way, with it and a rear support I think it'll be solid.

Your thoughts?

Follow through with your current plans, Gary. If they do not work, but I believe they will, you/we can come up with another plan.

[Gary Lewis]

Follow through with your current plans, Gary. If they do not work, but I believe they will, you/we can come up with another plan.

Thanks, David. I appreciate you taking a look at the plans. It helps to have other eyes and brains to think things through.

[kramttocs]

Follow through with your current plans, Gary. If they do not work, but I believe they will, you/we can come up with another plan.

Well said David and I agree.

There are a lot of different ways/opinions on how to mount the radio and most of them will work just fine.

I don't see any reason your plan wouldn't work. Simple yet effective.

Just to answer your question below though-

Mount the sleeve to the factory side mounts, make the connections through the sleeve, slide the radio into the sleeve, and reach around behind to attach the rear mount. Then install the bezel and the trim ring. I think that's what you were suggesting, right?

Very close. I am thinking of making it like how Ford did it. The radio + sleeve + side brackets + rear mount would all be connected outside the dash. The only hitch is that the mic would need hooked up before the rear mount in your case but that would still be done outside the dash.

With all of those pieces connected you'd put it up near the dash, make the wiring connections, slide it in so the rear mount clips on and then use the 4 factory side mount screws to secure the front. Then install the bezel and trim ring.

There would need to be some adjustments done before the final install regarding depth. The depth of the sleeve isn't too critical but the aim would be to have it as far out as possible without touching the bezel. Once it's all adjusted odds are there will be a hole or slot in the sleeve that lines up with a threaded hole on the radio. So the radio would be clipped to the rear mount and machine screwed to the sleeve. The sleeve would be riveted (two to each side in a vertical line) to the side mounts and the side mount screwed to the dash.

Then install the bezel and clip on the trim ring.

Again, this is just another option of many

[Gary Lewis]

Well said David and I agree.

There are a lot of different ways/opinions on how to mount the radio and most of them will work just fine.

I don't see any reason your plan wouldn't work. Simple yet effective.

Just to answer your question below though-

Mount the sleeve to the factory side mounts, make the connections through the sleeve, slide the radio into the sleeve, and reach around behind to attach the rear mount. Then install the bezel and the trim ring. I think that's what you were suggesting, right?

Very close. I am thinking of making it like how Ford did it. The radio + sleeve + side brackets + rear mount would all be connected outside the dash. The only hitch is that the mic would need hooked up before the rear mount in your case but that would still be done outside the dash.

With all of those pieces connected you'd put it up near the dash, make the wiring connections, slide it in so the rear mount clips on and then use the 4 factory side mount screws to secure the front. Then install the bezel and trim ring.

There would need to be some adjustments done before the final install regarding depth. The depth of the sleeve isn't too critical but the aim would be to have it as far out as possible without touching the bezel. Once it's all adjusted odds are there will be a hole or slot in the sleeve that lines up with a threaded hole on the radio. So the radio would be clipped to the rear mount and machine screwed to the sleeve. The sleeve would be riveted (two to each side in a vertical line) to the side mounts and the side mount screwed to the dash.

Then install the bezel and clip on the trim ring.

Again, this is just another option of many

Thanks, Scott. I think I now understand your plan. And you are right, there would need to be some adjustments to get the height and depth right. Plus shimming as the sleeve isn't as wide as the factory brackets. But it could all be done. So if my plan doesn't work I have another in waiting.

As for what I did today, other than strategize about how to install the radio and dim the LEDs, I did some wiring for Mission Control. I found the W/P wire down by the fuse block where it splits and one leg goes up to the 4WD indicator and then on over to the clock and the other leg goes out to the aux power relay. I cut the latter off the former and ran a piece of W/P from it up to the switches. That is going to allow me to determine if I want the aux power to come on with the key, which is the normal way, or turn it on w/o the key so I can power things w/o the engine running. That would have been the case if we'd have needed it for the furnace.

Then I fished two more wires through the grommet in the firewall and ran them up to Mission Control. One of those will be the wire from after the reverse switch in the transmission and the other is the wire from the switch in Mission Control out to the to-be backup lights relay. That way I can chose to have the aux backup lights on with the factory backup lights, off, or on all the time.

Typing all that out makes it sound easy, although it was anything but that. The grommet I'm using for the wires is the one that the hood release cable goes through, and it is way up under the dash in a particularly difficult to get to spot. And I had to remove the dash pad/cover so I could run the wires along with the other wires and ducts.

Here's a shot of the wires as I'm pushing a piece of convolute down them. Perhaps tomorrow I can connect them to the switches.

[ArdWrknTrk]

Jim - Ships/night. No, I didn't read that about not working well with some colors. Oh well, $6 isn't too bad to lose if the LightDims don't work. But it'll be an easy thing to try. And, if not I'll drop back to the resistor approach.

Which brings me to a question: How do our eyes vary with respect to color? In theory they must accommodate that in a camera in order to get a good picture. If so, then plan is to light each individual switch such that the camera wants to shoot at the same f-stop, aperture, and shutter speed. That way they should all have have essentially the same brilliance. But will that look even to my eyes?

On the mount, I agree that using the rear mount attached to the radio looks difficult. But I'm liking the latest plan. The sleeve/cage attaches very securely to the bezel, and if perchance this sleeve fits the new radio I won't even have to swap. But either way, with it and a rear support I think it'll be solid.

Your thoughts?

I have no idea what dyes are used to achieve 55-60% opacity.

This is why I said a halftone screen would definitely work (and be accurate in its reduction of transmitted light)

My eyes are all scarred up.

So much like a Lasik patient I then to get flares from points of light.

I guess that's why I would prefer a diffuse emblem than a faceted one.

When we were kids dad would bring home bead chains full of ~2" discs of the huge spectrum of translucent colors of acrylic available.

And some of those discs had various polarizing filters, grid effects, Fresnel lenses.

Some had different opacity (in white) and some had varying tones, typically lampblack.

DIN cages work because they are universal.

But I'm intrigued by what you're calling side mounts.

If that is indeed similar to the pin and two screws tabs I have on my radio then I can vouch for how it's working for me.

 

[ArdWrknTrk]

I have no idea what dyes are used to achieve 55-60% opacity.

This is why I said a halftone screen would definitely work (and be accurate in its reduction of transmitted light)

My eyes are all scarred up.

So much like a Lasik patient I then to get flares from points of light.

I guess that's why I would prefer a diffuse emblem than a faceted one.

When we were kids dad would bring home bead chains full of ~2" discs of the huge spectrum of translucent colors of acrylic available.

And some of those discs had various polarizing filters, grid effects, Fresnel lenses.

Some had different opacity (in white) and some had varying tones, typically lampblack.

DIN cages work because they are universal.

But I'm intrigued by what you're calling side mounts.

If that is indeed similar to the pin and two screws tabs I have on my radio then I can vouch for how it's working for me.

I slipped off a tangent there...

It was very interesting to see how the different chips effected one another.

Like a circular polarised filter and a linear polarized one stacked.

Interesting too, that dad had worked with Ed Land (of Polaroid fame) who wanted to offer polarized windshields for automobiles.

Imagine how much trouble that would be today!

I can't even see my radio display of I have my RayBan's on

I used to have some of their correspondence, from when he was making Polaroid backs for Hasselblad cameras.

A lot of that 'self developing' technology was used on the early surveillance satellites.

[Gary Lewis]

I have no idea what dyes are used to achieve 55-60% opacity.

This is why I said a halftone screen would definitely work (and be accurate in its reduction of transmitted light)

My eyes are all scarred up.

So much like a Lasik patient I then to get flares from points of light.

I guess that's why I would prefer a diffuse emblem than a faceted one.

When we were kids dad would bring home bead chains full of ~2" discs of the huge spectrum of translucent colors of acrylic available.

And some of those discs had various polarizing filters, grid effects, Fresnel lenses.

Some had different opacity (in white) and some had varying tones, typically lampblack.

DIN cages work because they are universal.

But I'm intrigued by what you're calling side mounts.

If that is indeed similar to the pin and two screws tabs I have on my radio then I can vouch for how it's working for me.

LOL! Tangent? I think the whole thing is a tangent.

I, too, played with polarizing filters. Dad always wore polarized sun glasses, frequently Ray Bans, and I used to as well. But you are right, they don't work well with LCDs.

On the scarring, I've had cataract replacement and that made a huge difference. So the points from the lenses don't bother me as much as they would have previously. But I can see how that would bother you - seriously.

On the side mounts, these are the things I'm talking about:

[ArdWrknTrk]

LOL! Tangent? I think the whole thing is a tangent.

I, too, played with polarizing filters. Dad always wore polarized sun glasses, frequently Ray Bans, and I used to as well. But you are right, they don't work well with LCDs.

On the scarring, I've had cataract replacement and that made a huge difference. So the points from the lenses don't bother me as much as they would have previously. But I can see how that would bother you - seriously.

On the side mounts, these are the things I'm talking about:

Yes, I've had a lot of corneal abrasions and a good amount of arc flash which I notice most with a pitted windshield at night.

I see now how those clips are meant to fit the mid-sized (DIN and a half?) Ford radios common in the 80's.

Maybe you had a look at how Huck's radio mounted?

I'm not sure how much (if any) of the interior came with that clip.