Fiberglass Console for Alpine B200 Nav Unit - How-To

This is the stock dash of our Nissan Titan.

Our first objective is to make a mold of the backside of the cradle.

The cradle has a small speaker built in, which would be covered up in this project. To avoid losing sound, unhook this speaker so we can connect the existing center dash speaker in its place. To do this, use the same plug from the original speaker and solder an extension lead to reach the center speaker terminals. We'll connect it later. This will give us the sound we want.

Since a speaker will no longer be in the cradle, grind down the hump made for it on the backside of the cradle to make it symmetrical on both sides. This will also make it easier for the cradle to slide in and out of the mold.

Cover the cradle with aluminum foil and begin the mold process. After rolling out all possible wrinkles in the foil, tape up the power cable to protect it from any excess resin.

After applying a few even layers of mat by brushing fiberglass resin onto it until all of the air bubbles have escaped, let the resin cure and pop the cradle out of the mold. Now you can peel the aluminum foil off the mold.

With the cradle out, you'll notice an outline around it that you will need to cut down to. A small grinder works well in this application.

After you've ground down to the outline formed from the resin, place the cradle back into the mold to make sure the mold is flush with the outside edge of the cradle. Next, cut out sections in the back to allow for necessary connections (i.e., GPS antenna, Bluetooth microphone, and power plug). After the holes are cut, we're ready to place the mold in the preferred location.

Before attaching the mold, scuff the plastic with 80-grit sandpaper to help the fiberglass adhere. Drill holes around the lip with a small drill bit as well.

Now stretch grille cloth and affix it with superglue until all wrinkles have been stretched out. Trim the excess cloth with a razor blade.

Since this application is so small, spread a thin coat of superglue along the entire cloth and spray it with instant activator to strengthen the surface.

Grind down any unnecessary imperfections.

Flip over to the underside of the dash and cut out the plastic around our mold. This will allow us to apply a couple layers of mat and resin to increase the strength. When the resin has cured, grind down any excess mat.

Next, tape over all surfaces of the cradle and place it into the mold. Spread body filler (Rage Gold, then Icing) over the entire work area to fill in the imperfections. After spreading the filler and allowing it to cure, begin sanding with 80-grit, then 180-grit and finish off with 220-grit sandpaper.

After you finish sanding with 220-grit, tape off the areas around the part of the dash you are working on and spray it with a few coats of primer. Make sure there are no pinholes or other defects that need to be fixed. If so, fill them in and prime again. After the primer has fully cured, wet-sand with 400-grit sandpaper.

Blow off and wipe down any unwanted dust. Spray with your desired color of paint.

While the paint is drying, unscrew the cradle to plug in the speaker extension lead.

Once the paint is dry, slide the cradle into the mold and connect the speaker lead to the existing center channel.

You have now finished the dash, so install it back in the car and enjoy your new portable-yet-custom navigation system.

Here's a similar install set off with wood-grain trim.