Joined
·
170 Posts
I bought a Pioneer double-din touchscreen recently, and soon got paranoid about someone breaking in and stealing it. Since I don't have an alarm right now, I just covered the screen with a cloth whenever I parked.
Well, after seeing fake faceplates on other vehicles, I decided to try it out myself.
What you need:
-OEM Head unit
-Storage pocket cover (the thing under the stock HU)
-Various small screwdrivers for dis-assembly
-Liquid superglue
-Rotary tool with cutting and grinding bits
-Adhesive Velcro
-About 3-4 hours
Step 1: Take apart your OEM stereo, making sure you keep track of any buttons or knobs that pop out. It's not hard to figure out where they go, just hold onto all of them.
Step 2: Begin gluing.
I did this by dropping a button into its place and brushing an initial coat of superglue between it and the frame. Hold each button in place and allow it to set.
Once you have all of the buttons glued into place, begin re-enforcing them with additional coats of glue, especially within cracks and seams.
The two knobs are are a little trickier to get into place. If you have any plastic laying around from the HU, break off a couple of thin pieces roughly 1" in length. Glue these along the back side of the knob holes, then glue the knobs to these pieces. Be generous with that superglue, you don't want these falling off.
Step 3: Trimming.
After gluing, you'll notice that there is a bunch of stuff sticking out from the back side of your faceplate. All of this has to go if you want it to sit flush against your stereo bezel.
You're going to want to do this in a well ventilated area, as the superglue and plastic will release all kinds of fumes when you take a rotary tool to them.
Plug in your rotary tool and put on the most durable cutting disc you have, and go to work. Start by trimming off the biggest pieces, even the backs of buttons.
Now would also be a good time to cut the actual storage area out of that under-stereo pocket. Focus on getting this as thin as possible.
Next, put a grinding bit on your rotary tool and start thinning the sides of the faceplate as much as you can. This step is crucial, as anything sticking out there will cause the faceplate to poke out. I grinded mine at the highest speed my tool allowed, sort of sculpting the protrusions out of the plastic.
Step 4: More gluing.
Glue the cover piece of your storage pocket to the bottom of the fake faceplate. Start out with small amounts of glue on the back and hold it in place. After this dries, liberally apply glue wherever you deem necessary, just try and avoid getting it on the front of the faceplate as it hurts the appearance.
Step 5: Test fit.
Make sure all of your glue is dry and go put your faceplate up against your screen. Note any areas where the back protrudes and trim them off.
Step 6: Installation
I went with adhesive Velcro to secure my screen, but I'm sure there are other, less ugly options. All you need to do is trim your velcro down to whatever size you want. I used four little squares on the corners of the bezel.
Put the two sides of velcro together before you trim to ensure the correct shapes. Next, remove the adhesive from one side and apply it to your stereo bezel. Once you're satisfied with their positions, peel of the other side of the Velcro adhesive and position the faceplate. Push it onto the velcro and hold it there for a moment so the adhesive has a chance to set.
Now, peel it off, and enjoy this added bit of theft-deterrent.
PHOTOS
Here's how my screen looks with faceplate off:
![]()
Here's the final product:
![]()
And here's the back side:
![]()
Closer:
![]()
This is how my stereo looks with the faceplate on:
![]()
How it looks to someone passing by my car:
![]()
It ain't too pretty (scratches and leaked glue on the front, carnage on the back) but it seems to work.
Props to Harlowe for installing my stereo and helping with the creation of the faceplate :wave:
Well, after seeing fake faceplates on other vehicles, I decided to try it out myself.
What you need:
-OEM Head unit
-Storage pocket cover (the thing under the stock HU)
-Various small screwdrivers for dis-assembly
-Liquid superglue
-Rotary tool with cutting and grinding bits
-Adhesive Velcro
-About 3-4 hours
Step 1: Take apart your OEM stereo, making sure you keep track of any buttons or knobs that pop out. It's not hard to figure out where they go, just hold onto all of them.
Step 2: Begin gluing.
I did this by dropping a button into its place and brushing an initial coat of superglue between it and the frame. Hold each button in place and allow it to set.
Once you have all of the buttons glued into place, begin re-enforcing them with additional coats of glue, especially within cracks and seams.
The two knobs are are a little trickier to get into place. If you have any plastic laying around from the HU, break off a couple of thin pieces roughly 1" in length. Glue these along the back side of the knob holes, then glue the knobs to these pieces. Be generous with that superglue, you don't want these falling off.
Step 3: Trimming.
After gluing, you'll notice that there is a bunch of stuff sticking out from the back side of your faceplate. All of this has to go if you want it to sit flush against your stereo bezel.
You're going to want to do this in a well ventilated area, as the superglue and plastic will release all kinds of fumes when you take a rotary tool to them.
Plug in your rotary tool and put on the most durable cutting disc you have, and go to work. Start by trimming off the biggest pieces, even the backs of buttons.
Now would also be a good time to cut the actual storage area out of that under-stereo pocket. Focus on getting this as thin as possible.
Next, put a grinding bit on your rotary tool and start thinning the sides of the faceplate as much as you can. This step is crucial, as anything sticking out there will cause the faceplate to poke out. I grinded mine at the highest speed my tool allowed, sort of sculpting the protrusions out of the plastic.
Step 4: More gluing.
Glue the cover piece of your storage pocket to the bottom of the fake faceplate. Start out with small amounts of glue on the back and hold it in place. After this dries, liberally apply glue wherever you deem necessary, just try and avoid getting it on the front of the faceplate as it hurts the appearance.
Step 5: Test fit.
Make sure all of your glue is dry and go put your faceplate up against your screen. Note any areas where the back protrudes and trim them off.
Step 6: Installation
I went with adhesive Velcro to secure my screen, but I'm sure there are other, less ugly options. All you need to do is trim your velcro down to whatever size you want. I used four little squares on the corners of the bezel.
Put the two sides of velcro together before you trim to ensure the correct shapes. Next, remove the adhesive from one side and apply it to your stereo bezel. Once you're satisfied with their positions, peel of the other side of the Velcro adhesive and position the faceplate. Push it onto the velcro and hold it there for a moment so the adhesive has a chance to set.
Now, peel it off, and enjoy this added bit of theft-deterrent.
PHOTOS
Here's how my screen looks with faceplate off:
Here's the final product:
And here's the back side:
Closer:
This is how my stereo looks with the faceplate on:
How it looks to someone passing by my car:
It ain't too pretty (scratches and leaked glue on the front, carnage on the back) but it seems to work.
Props to Harlowe for installing my stereo and helping with the creation of the faceplate :wave:
