Now youre probably wondering why would I install a computer into the car? Well, the PC allows access to:

-my collection of over 2,500 MP3's
-Around 30 movies (and growing)
-GPS navigation
-general computer functions

All using a 8" touchscreen LCD for input. The computer specs are as follows:

VIA SP-13000 Mini-ITX motherboard, 1.3Ghz VIA CPU
GEiL 512Mb DDR400 memory
100Gb Seagate Hard Drive
8" Lilliput VGA LCD with touchscreen
M2-ATX 160w DC-DC power supply
Soundblaster Audigy2 sound card

I decided one day that since I had an awesome car, why not have an awesome stereo to go with it! Then as I was thinking of all the stuff I wanted to install in the car, I realized that I was going to have to install a load of equipment. Instead of using a seperate CD deck, DVD Nav system, in-dash LCD display, etc. I could do all that and more cheaply by using a computer with a touchscreen interface.

Below is the gallery displaying the system in progress with a small summary of the image:

To make room for the large 8" LCD display, I had to relocate the AC control knobs. I spliced approximately 20" of wire into the stock wiring, and made all connections using solder and heat shrink tubing. The controls were moved to the glovebox.

The controls were mounted in this little wood bracket I fabricated from 3/4" MDF and 1/4" hardboard.

Here are the controls finished after I carpeted the bracket with some black carpet. See all the space I have remaining in the dash cavity now!

I screwed a sheet of black ABS plastic to the back of the cavity, and mounted the power supply to the top. The 3.5" 320Gb hard disk is mounted to the right side (since replaced with a 2.5" 100Gb) The round rubber piece was glued over the bottom metal mounting bracket of the ABS to prevent shorting on the bottom of the motherboard.

The Motherboard was mounted (minus the pink foam, it's ESD conductive foam- it can cause MB problems) Next, the screen gets mounted over it.

This is a pic of the stock radio trim bezel. I cut out the crossbar that seperates the AC controls from the radio, and filled in the gaps using plastic repair epoxy and a ABS plastic slurry made from ABS plastic grindings mixed into acetone solvent.

Next, I used some heat from a heat gun to fold some ABS pieces onto the top and sides of the stock piece to create a small hood to help protect the display from direct sun. The ABS was glued in place using the ABS slurry and epoxy.

The ABS bezel was sanded down into it's final form. It will be held into place using velcro.

The front face of the Lilliput 8" LCD was cut off, and molded into a piece of ABS plastic thet fits the dash opening. two USB and one Firewire ports were added beneath the screen as well (later removed) The LCD is being test fit here.

The LCD display controller was mounted onto the back of the LCD module using square wood dowels and Velcro. (I have since re-mounted it- screwing it into plastic stand-offs epoxied to the back of the module)

I painted both pieces using a black textured paint (Home Depot) and assembled them together in the dash. (also added new billet aluminum shift knob)

The touchscreen menu interface is skinnable.
The menu showed in the first pic, as all the various windows used to access all the features are a program called Road Runner. The software, called a "Front End" is built on Winamp, and allows for different skins for day and night settings. The first pic on this page is the main screen with the night skin, and the pic directly above is the main screen using the brushed aluminum day skin. Now that you've read through all this, you probably want to see it in action, eh? Well, here's a video featuring the car and the PontiacPC system. If you may be interested in building one of your own, pop over to the MP3car.com forums and start reading!

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