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New A/C Panel Design Prototype - Thoughts/Suggestions?
Hello all! As there are more than several DeLorean AC panel/Double DIN design plans floating around that (in my own opinion) throw us in the direction of over-design or simply never get made, I thought I would have a little fun and attempt my own simple update. I'll skip the long step by step procedure and progress report I tend to love writing and try to just keep it simple ;)
So far... The decal is designed and have found a manufacturer ready to roll (graphic changes can still be made at this point) - the modified clear AC panel has been molded and ready for the plastic resin to be poured - the "el wire" lighting has been ordered and ready for install (this replaces the uneven "light tube" system) - lastly, the modification to the console bracket itself is the approaching next step (holding off until I decide on an HVAC mode switch direction - see below).
Here is a brief breakdown on what I set out to do:
a) Slightly update the look of the decal (get rid of the redundant word labels around the selector switch) while keeping with the overall design feel and integrity of the original car - more importantly, something I just personally liked
b) Chuck the rarely operational "fan fail" light
c) Add a back-lit DMC logo
d) Improve the overall back lighting from light tubes to "el wire"
e) Attempt to find and somehow integrate a more "common and dependable" HVAC mode switch - A super suggestion by Dave S
f) Do all of this without major surgery and keep to something that others in the community could do to their cars if desired
Here is what I came up with (see pic). I am very happy with it but wanted to share it with the community and welcome any suggestions or comments before I move onto actually producing a prototype.
A couple of questions:
1) Does anyone know of another HVAC switch that might easily work into this? Is it crazy or even possible to step away from the vacuum-type switch and somehow integrate a more modern non-vacuum switch?
2) Thoughts on overall design?
3) Unforeseen problems?
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UPDATE: Bracket complete! Plus other improvements...
Okay - my modified bracket is now complete! With the help of my Dremel, some scrap aluminum sheet metal, steel reinforced epoxy putty, black trim paint, and a few cool Home Depot finds (see below), we are in business!
Here is the new modified bracket ready to be installed:
Attachment 9545
Attachment 9546
Grommets and Spacers:
As you may know, the original clips that go in the light tube bracket holes are not available - so had to find an improved solution. While at Home Depot for a good hour, I found some grommets that work perfectly and snap right into the light tube holes. Since they are rubber and the perfect size, they should work better than the original metal rings to keep the bulb secure. As far as the holes for the "lock doors" and rear defrost bulbs (I opted to cut the holes to exact size instead of just knocking a square section out of the bracket as the original), I found a grommet and plastic spacer that worked perfectly together to keep any light from bleeding as well as hopefully hold the bulb sockets nice and snug (unlike the original which tends to just fall out if you don't wrap it in electrical tape). Below are is the information if anyone is interested as well as a view of the spacers snug in the grommets for the "lock doors" and rear defrost.
Attachment 9544
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Concerns/Questions:
I have only rough tested the grommets in combination with the bulbs and loose sockets as far as a truly "perfect" fit (so far so good) so am crossing my fingers it all works as planned. Another concern is that my grommets might melt due to the high heat that the bulbs produce. In that case, I have to ditch this plan or try LEDs. If I go with LEDs, does anyone have any experience swapping them out on this panel? Type or model number? Will it produce the right light to illuminate the decal colors correctly? Thanks everyone!
EDIT: I got brave and just tested the neopreme rubber grommet over a high heat open gas flame and there was no distortion or softening. It should handle bulb heat unless I am totally missing something...?
Decal design and progress update! (graphic overlay step-by-step)
All systems "go" and I have reached the final hurdle (a biggie) - the HVAC panel graphic overlay. I'm not sure if anyone else has had experience in this area, but have found it incredibly difficult to find a proper graphic overlay specialist to agree to take on this project. I did get one quote from a respected company but it ended up over the 3k mark to produce 5 prototypes. Yikes! This price even included the fact that I had prepared all of the design files. Unless I can convince 30 people to commit, I just can't see that being a rational choice especially since the whole fun of this project is finding creative ways to make it work low cost. So, I have ventured out into the "do-it-yourself graphic overlay" arena and might have cracked it, or at least found a respectable solution.
After a ton of research and experimenting with different materials, the following is what I have come up with:
I found a special high heat resistant 4mil polyester film used in silk screening (polyester or vinyl is also used for true graphic overlays) that comes "frosted" or rather "textured" on one or both sides - also compatible with laser printers. The texturing helps with toner adhesion and gives the decal the correct surface look. What I then did is I printed the reverse image of the AC panel graphic on the 8.5 X 11 film sheet using a laser printer. While this does not result in an overlay with the exact surface texture the original DeLorean decal had, it matches the texture and look of more modern car decals and am very happy with the outcome.
Now in terms of getting the image to look and perform correctly when illuminated, I had to go through several steps.
For the colored graphics on the overlay, it looked great after printing when placing the overlay on a white surface. Remember that for any graphic that is white in color, the printer went sans toner and is meant to rely on the white paper it is printed on. The black toner meant to block out light looked perfectly even but when shining light through it, the light bled quite a bit. To fix this, I simply altered the main graphics file so that all graphics were white and therefore left the first pass of color alone and only used black toner where needed. After running the film sheet through the printer 5 more times (again, only printing the areas where I needed the light to be blocked), I had achieved total "black-out" and no light penetration through the desired area. Now I have a "decal" that looks great sitting on a white sheet of paper but clear in spots that are suppose to be white and washed out in colored areas (due to the small amount of toner) when held up to the light or when backlit.
The next step is building up the light gels to adhere to the back of the polyester film to make it look color correct in daylight AND when backlit. As I just mentioned, the printed decal looks correct but needs a white surface to achieve the true color in areas where there is a thin layer of color toner meant to be backlit and white where there is no toner at all. I turned to a heavily frosted diffusion light gel as the next layer. This will not only take care of the needed white layer but will help with even light distribution. However, the decal will still look "washed out" when held up to the light again due to the micro thin toner.
To fix the "washed out" look when lit, matching color gels must be used as the 3rd layer to the decal to provide a rich color when backlit. Living in Manhattan, I was lucky to have a super mega supplier of light gels and took my time matching gels to each of the desired colors. This 3rd layer gave the overlay the correct look when lit - brilliant!
The last step (which I am currently on) is to adhere all 3 layers permanently and cut it out. Since the film and gels are meant to withstand high heat (and assuming the adhesive can do the same), I don't anticipate any issues with car heat deforming the decal. I am planning to throw the finished decal into my other car and let it bake for a month to be sure.
I'll follow up with step-by-step pictures after finishing it up in the next week or two - assuming I don't botch up the adhesive and cutting the darn thing out. Wish me luck!
For fun, here are the presentation blueprints for the decal I am going to go uber nerd on and hang in the garage.
http://www.dreamartists.com/FINAL-De...eLorean-4a.pdf
