Busy Miata day today.
First on the agenda was to remove the remove the “old” Sony CD changer from the trunk. Ever since installing the Blaupunkt MP41 San Jose MP3 player in the dash at Christmas the Sony has not even been on. Trunk space being at a premium to begin with in a Miata, a CD changer eats up a big chunk of it, it is nice to reclaim that room. All I have to do is fill in the carpet where I cut out a couple holes to mount the changer.
Second up was prettying the Blaupunkt install. When I first got it, I was so excited about installing it that I just used the kit that you get from Crutchfield. Functional, but it just didn’t look right, made the unit stick out of the dash about 1-1/2″ and was dropped down about 03/4″ from the top of the opening. Also I had a tendency to hit the face with my knuckles when shifting into 3rd gear. Took out the center console (removed 5 screws, remove the shift knob & unhook two wiring harnesses.) Took out the center radio surround (pop out the eyeball vents and remove 3 screws.) Then I could pull out the radio and the Crutchfield mounting plate. I then pulled off the trim piece from the head unit. measured carefully to see if this would work. Yup. Pulled the bracket off the stock radio and screwed the Blaupunkt into it and put it back in the dash. One down side was I now had a 03/16″ gap on either side of the unit (the trim piece hid that.) No hill for a stepper. Got an old stock blank off plate I had laying around cut 2 slivers of it and epoxied them to the console, not bad. The other down side to this was now I had a DIN and a half opening in the dash. I think Mazda makes some stock blank off plates in that dimension, just won’t be able to get one until at least next week. I would have ridden around with the hole there, I’m a guy, but my wife felt I should hide it some how. Used some of that old redneck multi-purpose construction material – cardboard. Sprayed it flat black and it doesn’t look too bad.
Third was finishing the dash lighting. It used to have green back lighting and all that is left of that is the light shining on the ODOs spots in the indiglo blue gages. Decided to make that light blue to match. Pulled the dash apart and popped out the bulbs, I then removed the green plastic condoms and exposed the bare bulbs. When I started to apply the blue glass paint I had bought this afternoon, it didn’t stick too well, but I kept at it. Two coats consisting of two applications of paint later, it was time to put them back in and try it out. They lit up sort of blue, but still looked greenish. SHIT. Pulled the dash apart again. Fortunately, because the paint didn’t stick too well in the first place it was relatively easy to remove. Put the bare bulbs in and now I have white light illuminating the ODO which is better than the green stock or aqua painted.
Started down, still down.
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