HOW TO - MAKE A DOUBLE GAUGE DIN BLANKING PLATE

Submitted by - Andycaca

Disclaimer

This article is intended as a helpful guide and shows how I made a blanking plate. The author or the GT4 Drivers Club can not be held responsible for any loss or damage resulting from use of this article.

Safety

When working on a car always use the appropriate safety equipment, chock the wheels to prevent the vehicle from moving. When working underneath a raised vehicle always use axle stands.

Tools and Materials

Method

  This following guide is details how I made a very simple DIN blanking plate for my ST165. The 185 and 205 may differ in the allowed space, but the method should be the same
Remove the centre console thereby exposing the radio and support cage
Measure the amount of space you have available to fill. On my ST165 it was 180x60 and I chose a thickness of 10mm to allow it to be screwed to the support cage
Decide how many gauges you want in the pod. Its possible to fit 3x52mm gauges in the size available but I would recommend against doing this because the wood will become very weak. If you must have 3 gauges your best option is to buy a plastic replacement plate. If you’re still reading, that means you have chosen two or less gauges. Good choice!
  When marking out where the gauges should sit in the plate, be sure to take into account the exterior bezel which is normally a few mm larger than the gauge body. I chose to put my gauges at the very bottom of the plate and cut a very thin channel through the wood which allows me to feed the gauge wires through without needing to disconnect any wiring
Once the two gauge holes are drilled and you are happy with the finish, do a test fit of the gauge in your hole and the plate in the stereo support cage
If everything is OK, now is the time to refit the stereo to the car. Be careful the blanking plate doesn’t foul any wires or dash. Make sure everything is screwed back into place
This is how the finished article looks. The wood grain isn’t that noticeable and the gauge is nice and clear. Much better than flapping about loose as it had done for the last few months…

 

 

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