Surf RHD stereo bezel swap

[IronYuppy]

Hey all

Just completed a TDI + 5-speed swap on my '97.

Full instrumentation is a must, so I've planted oil pressure and turbo boost gauges on the A-pillar, but I wanted to add oil temp/water temp/EGT gauges as well (proper analog ones, not part of a multi-meter like a ScanGauge because I want real-time access to data).

A Hilux Surf stereo bezel seems like a good jumping-off point because it's a triple-DIN set up. Room for a row of three gauges either above or below the double-DIN head unit, and a nice clean look.

Best part is I already have a Surf stereo bezel sitting on my workbench

Easy-peasy, right?

WRONG.

Here's what I have discovered so far:

1) the mounting tabs for both 4Runner and Surf bezels are asymmetrical, and opposite. All of the tabs must be relocated. To do this I have a donor 4Runner bezel I'll be cutting tabs from and using epoxy to fasten them to the Surf bezel. Going to have to eyeball it and hope it works!

2) Because the upper vents are on opposite sides (4Runner has clock on left, vents on centre and right; Surf has vents on centre and left, clock on right), the plastic duct work is opposite. HOWEVER, the metal ductwork attached to the firewall is also side-specific (left side of the 4Runner), so if you want to run duct work from a 4Runner to a Surf bezel, you'll have to make it from scratch.

3) Because nothing about this is going to be easy, the stereo mounts are also different. The Surf head unit mounts slightly to the left of the 4Runner mounts, so some kind of relocation bracket will have to be made. So what I plan to do is reposition the head unit in the bottom two DIN spaces, with the three gauges in the top space. Not ideal, but as accessing the head unit is secondary to viewing gauges, this is the plan.

4) because if the increased "flat" area of the Surf bezel (to accommodate three DIN spaces), it doesn't follow the exact same contour of the 4Runner dash. There will be a small gap on each side, right about at "knee" position. Pondering what to do about that right now...

So stay tuned for what will surely be a baffling and frustrating experience conducted for no real reason.......

 

[Rushthezeppelin]

Lol if it was me and I realized all that stuff was needed I would give up and just mount some gauges on the dash. I'm lazy though and a touch scared of that level of fabricobbling. Definitely interested to see how this goes together

Sent from my moto g stylus 5G using Tapatalk

 

[HiluxSurf SSR-G]

the center bezel swap/conversion has been done before by a few members in here. sorry but I forgot their names
but based on what you said, you're going the difficult route. I would look for the relevant posts and go from there.
perhaps somebody can provide a link to that write-up

 

[IronYuppy]

the center bezel swap/conversion has been done before by a few members in here. sorry but I forgot their names
but based on what you said, you're going the difficult route. I would look for the relevant posts and go from there.
perhaps somebody can provide a link to that write-up

yeah would love a link. I did a search but didn't come up with anything. Maybe it's buried in a multi-page thread about general interior mods.

If there's an easier route, I'm all ears. For starters I was thinking about mounting the head unit to the bezel itself instead of the dashboard frame. It's a fixed double-DIN screen but it has a single-DIN chassis and is quite light. No CD player = no mechanical weight.

Still the issue of the tabs not lining up. I have a donor 4Runner bezel and I was going to Dremel those tabs out and glue them to the Surf bezel. I can't think of any other way to do "invisible" fasteners, but maybe there's a stereo install guru here with some ideas.

If I were to just run duct work to the upper centre vent (ignoring the one beside it) the original duct piece would work (with a little trimming). I was thinking of deleting one upper vent and making a two-switch panel to go in its place. Running out of real estate for switches.

 

[HiluxSurf SSR-G]

I think one was sikhiluxsurf. it could be in his build thread.

 

[phattyduck]

If there's an easier route, I'm all ears.

It seems like the right route is to just take the center/lower section of the triple DIN opening and graft it on to the LHD bezel. Those clips take a lot of stress on install and removal, I'd want them original to whatever I'm prying on to remove and install the faceplate.

Still a ton of work, no matter what way you go.

-Charlie