Fox W.

I was wondering if anyone knew if there is enough space under the rear storage deck to fit something that is: Height: 71.5mm (2.8”)Length: 344mm (13.5”)Width: 250mm (9,8”) ? Thanks!

The one time I let someone borrow my Reatta, they called me telling me someone rear-ended it. The person who hit it had fled, saying they had no insurance.. The story my friend said is that the other car, which was a Toyota or something of the like, crumpled up enough in the front that the hood was bent. While the Reatta, as I saw when he arrived, was as if almost nothing happened.. The rear bumper pad that a scuff, that was all. I since restored my car so even that is gone now. I guess the trick is having something newer and less stiff hit it, their cars absorb all the energy.

No depth problem where the LCD is, only the screen is there, when I said 'squishing it in' that was under the passenger seat. I've since relocated everything to the trunk, all hidden behind the side-carpets. I ran the wires in the same conduit paths the factor wires run. Everything is shielded and I finally cleaned up 100% of any human detectable noise in the audio by using a ground-loop isolator, a filter for the alternator noise, and a high quality power supply using the Linear LTC3780 chip. (Keeps voltage solidly at 12v and also got rid of all noise too)

I'll post more sometime about the other things I've changed if you are interested, mostly involving the audio. I can't count Streets and Trips since it doesn't do 3D voice turn-by-turn nav last I knew. I hung around 'gpsunderground' site for awhile and found 4 of the 7 main turn-by-turn Windows XP/7/8 apps were either end of life or coming to be. The remaining ones are heavily focused on Android, Win Mobile, etc.. It just seems there is little market there anymore for PC.

Thanks for the compliment! I don't have a lot to say really, since you already know what is what. I can only say I agree really. My direction is even harder in some ways because the navigation software for full x86 platforms also dried up. The market of the 'CarPC' died in favor of embedded devices like Android or Raspberry Pi. I went with my direction because after months of research I found there was still no better solution for my purposes than a PC to back the LCD.. Too much to explain everything here.. but for one was cost, the laptop I'm using was free and on hand.. the other reasons are software and resolution limitations.. you'd be amazed how hard it is to find any embedded system that will display everything properly at 800x600, which I had to do for the LCD I chose.. The IGO app I use for navigation actually accepts a number of standard map formats such as those by Street-atlas, and so you can use the very latest even if the application is years older. IGO is a very popular nav. app that comes with many of the embedded CE devices on the market. My friends Chevy Silverado 2500 has a 2-DIN that uses a Samsung ARM9 400 with WinCE, with IGO, very typical. Most of those devices accept an SD card, so there is a little flexibility to add things, and ways to get admin/root access on most I think. I guess one good thing about the Chinese stuff is everything is unlocked, so to speak. I had to work a lot with Aliexpess/Alibaba when getting my screen and the controller, I'll say it really wasn't bad! Alibaba acts as a escrow, the seller does not get paid unless you get your item, and if you don't get your item they refund you without question.

Yeah that makes things easier of course. Like I said, I wanted something that fit the 88/89 tape deck and had to go from there.

Below I said I'd be posting what I've been working on, here it is: http://forums.aaca.org/showthread.php?t=271506&page=2&p=1273984#post1273984

Version 2: Previously posted in this thread you can see what I did years ago. The result was far less impressive than the description of what it took to make it usable. I never wanted to use a slow embedded GPS appliance, what I wanted was a screen that I could connect to anything, either a powerful generic PC, or a suitable embedded system that could do far more. The limiter was my desire to maintain a very OEM appearance, with no external modification to the trim. For a long time I hunted for a screen that was an exact match to the tape opening (which is the same as the CRT opening) ; this would be a display that is exactly 7" 4:3 ratio. I was unable to find that, plus a controller for it, plus a touch membrane. I was able to find smaller screens though, but I was not satisfied. Finally I found a database that let me search every screen out there and I found a perfect match.. For months I worked on getting a controller for it and with assistance from a friend who is good with making hardware was able to get everything together. The result is a 7" 4:3 ratio touch screen that is backed by an Intel i7 processor, a Asus U7 quality sound device, and a echo cancellation processor for OEM quality hands-free operation via bluetooth to my phone. It looks and works nicely. See below: The operation is quite nice in regards to automatic startup and hibernate. After turning the ignition off, the system will hibernate after 15min. When external power resumes, it wakes up. The system has a fast-resume of only 5-seconds. Problems: Limited space for all the gear, not easy to squish it all in. Screen is not sunlight readable like the CRT, this is a problem for most LCD's that people don't consider when they think of adding one. The CRT is actually quite superior for readability. Sunlight readable LCDs are available but none that I could get a controller for. Screen does not adjust brightness automatically for night. You end up with an LCD screen that is too bright at night, and would have to manually lower this each time. Most elegant solution would be to program the controllers' firmware to reduce brightness to some specified level when a photo sensor detected some specified ambient light, just as the stock system does. This would require figuring out if you could get a photo sensor to interface with the realtek chip on the controller. (When I say controller, this is what many refer to as the 'driver' (hardware/firmware) for the LCD screen itself.)

All great points as usual. I'd like to add that the brightness/dimming control would likely be lost from the factory slider. Most LCD panels fall short in comparison to our CRT in regards to contrast and being sunlight readable. This is because our screen is exceptional, aviation-grade I'd say. But there are sunlight readable LCDs, just hoping that will be a standard requirement for this. I remember the v-sync, I think it is a yellow wire on the harness to the CRTC. The price is cheap for something custom like that, if it worked out well. Always excited to hear about custom stuff being done. I'll post some things on the new screen I have where the tape deck was.

This is what Jim taught me too. He also taught me that you can try keeping it on the car and let it sit in the sun until the trim is soft and hot, loosen all nuts and then as Kevin said start in the center and move outward evenly on each side. The body shop didn't do this quite right and so mine looks perfect when cold, but gets a little distortion when it expands. I'll eventually get around to making it better.

Yeah those specific bushings are not a problem to replace if the rod is still usable.

Oh I understand but my observation believes rev. 2 of the stock switch is less blue, more white, at any intensity via the slider. My mental comparison takes intensity in to account. On the other hand, the new EL I used to replace my shift indicator is a perfect color match, but indeed more bright than all the rest. That seems a fair comparison.

I see. Restoration should include new EL. I also wanted to get in to my new switch and see if the problem with color is the EL or the diffuser. But I am sure it would ruin the switch decal now.

Yeah I replaced the outer one. Mine were too rusted between the outer bushings so I got a couple replacement assemblies from Roger (Reatta Parts Online - Providing replacement parts for Buick Reattas) ; Rust free and almost new looking paint even. I didn't replace the inner bushing though, I think the one on it looked to be decent still. Replacing all of the sub-frame isolators and various other bushings really made a huge difference in this car. I didn't expect it to do so, but it removed a lot of 'floaty' feel when turning. The car feels much more confident and stiff. I had seen that some of the old bushings were pretty much gone, most especially bushing #28 here:

Kevin, how hard is it to get to the EL membrane on these for replacement?

When you guys say inner bushing is that the which goes here? :

Yeah I've thought about the same, if I had NOS switches I would protect them. I haven't had the luck of finding such though.

Wow Kevin, I'm always impressed. That really looks pretty darn good.

I understand that, like Kevin said I tend to obsess once I get involved in something. I don't like putting effort in to changing the switch out for a result I found disappointing, even if the condition was great. Until I get used to it the switch stands out to me and looks after-market. I think if both switches were just solid black background I would be happy. What bothers me is that this switch is -trying- to look like the rest, and off enough to get my attention.

Still, I really am thankful that you've tried. I keep hunting for a method myself but it is the letting cutouts that makes it hard. Even with the switches matching they no longer match the console. Aw well.

Anyone wants to see what I mean, look here:

Thanks, I am. It is one of the most pleasing parts because she really did so well.

No they did not do the wheels. I will ask my body shop who they used, thanks.

It is shiny but not too shiny, bumper looks much like the original. The wheels however have such a thick clear coating on them now that I think they look a bit different than original, not sure.. Never seen a new original one. But anyway, I tried finding a single picture of my wheels from before and I couldn't find a good one. I never wanted to show case them i guess, since they had lots of curb rash. Every defect and bit of curb rash is gone now.

The original right-side is fine, the original left-side was binding and not fully collapsing. The new hinge behaves very differently, it drops and collapses the hood very tightly down. Once down, if you try to wiggle it up/down at that corner there is zero play. My right-side has a tiny bit of play. I still admit that I am not sure why or what exactly happens to the hinges that can make them do this. It happened to others that I have talked to as well. In my case my only guess is the paint itself on the original hinges caused the issue with one of them.