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Daystar Dash Panel Mod - Complete Write-Up

13K views 27 replies 20 participants last post by  smdogs3 
#1 ·
Let me begin with apologies to the original poster of this idea, over on JK-Forum. This is in no means meant to step on his toes, and I have to give full credit to him for posting this idea first... The original post can be found here: DayStar dash panel mod

I made a few tweaks, and wanted to document the mod a little better for those attempting it.

Items Needed:

  • Daystar JK Dash Panel
  • Bungee Cord variety pack (Bought at Lowe's)
  • Black Anti-Slip Drawer Liner (Purchased at Target)
  • Rubber Grommets (9/16 OD x 1/4 OD, Lowe's)
  • (2) 1/8" Wire Rope Clips (Lowe's)
  • (4) 10/24 Nuts with Nylon inserts (Lowe's)

Materials Needed:

  • Spray Glue (I used the 3M Super 77)
  • Masking or Electrical tape (to put on drill bit)
  • Paper Towels

Tools Needed:

  • Sharp Razor Blade (knife or raw blade)
  • straight edge ruler
  • Pick Set
  • Flat Screwdriver
  • Phillips screwdriver
  • needle nose pliers
  • socket set
  • lighter
  • Drill and drill bits

Let's Begin:

1. Here's what I started with:



2. In the Bungee Cord pack you will find this cord, if you are like me, it will be at the bottom of the can, never getting used:



3. Using the needle nose pliers, pull the knot out of the back of the plastic ball...



4. Then cut the knot off the ball.



5. As you can see this is the perfect color and length:



6. Here is the hardware I used:




7. The dimensions for the inserts are as follows:

Bottom Insert: 2" x 5 1/2"​
Top Insert: 2" x 8 1/4"​




8. Using your straight Edge ruler, cut to the dimensions... I did not glue them at this time, but here is how they look placed in it.



9. The backsplash measurements are as such:

Back Splash: 8 1/4" x 1 3/4"​

 
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#4 ·
10. I used the width of my small ruler and went in 1" on either side, marking the location with a straight pick.



11. Using your tape, section off the drill bit (I used a small one to start and went up to 5/8" for final hole) This is to prevent you drilling through the back of the back splash, which will really piss you off!!!



12. Result:



13. Now work the rubber grommet into the holes, be sure to check the back, sometimes the edges get bunched up, this will cause the grommet to not lay correctly. Here's how it looked:



For me, this was the biggest change, as I could not locate the grommets SJG used, and I thought the black rubber looked better, IMHO​

13. Pull the bungee through one of the holes, and lightly singe the ends with a lighter, this is to prevent them from falling apart.



14. With the rope clamps, I threw out the included nuts and went with the nylon inserted ones, this is to prevent the nuts from loosening up due to use and vibrations later one.

The fitment is tight, but they will go on, you might not be able to use your sockets to fully tighten them down, I had to use my pliers at the end.

 
#5 ·
15. This si the tricky part... You have to pull some tension in the cord when clamping on the other side... this will allow you to clamp the cord about 1.5 inches out from the hole, giving you some room to work. When you let the tension out of the cord, it will spring back and suck the clamp in the space...



16. Next I laid out some paper towels and sprayed one side of the liners. Let dry for about 15 seconds, then place on the panel.



17. DONE!!



18. Follow the install instructions Daystar provided and here is the result:

Before:



After:

 
#6 ·
I'm going to have to do this! My Daystar Dash panel looks like CRAP it's so old. Did they fix the bend at the bottom of it? Looks like it's not there anymore.
 
#9 ·
I was thinking the same thing, but I think he did that because it would be somewhat hard to get the knot in the right spot. I'm going to run wires through mine so I can hook my MP3 or phone to it =)
 
#22 ·
You have to remove and replace it with the daystar piece.

When I first saw this subject I kind of rolled my eyes but I must say I am really impressed what you did. Its a lot more functional now and looks way better. The write up was great as well :2thumbsup:
 
#15 ·
Great work!! I did the same thing minus the grommets. The grommets make it cleaner looking, I might have to grab some. I did just tie a couple knots in the bungee, works fine. I also added a couple led lights to get a bit of light up front.

 
#19 ·
I just picked up some single led lights from Advanced auto. I have the two in the daystar and two each in each footwell. I just tapped off the dome light wire. It's located on the passenger side, if I remember right it's white with a grey stripe.

Nothing high tech. Just drilled a hole just large enough to push the led bulb through but small enough to keep it in the hole. Wired it up and hoped for the best!

Your dash is impecably clean.
Sorry...I can't help it, ocd.:shhh:
 
#20 ·
this is great stuff.....been trying to figure out a way to modify...perfect
 
#23 ·
Metallic Interference with Compass Mod

Someone else mentioned it here. But, if you have the compass module those u-clamps will throw off the compass. Hand knots would probably work fine. If you don't have a compass, that's fine. Otherwise a nice and useful mod.
 
#25 ·
very cool, good job
 
#26 ·
Great mod....my Daystar on the way. Would like to get a black Jeep decal to cover that Daystar logo!
 
#27 ·
Completed mine...no pics, but looks the same as the rest. I avoided the grommets and the hardware, just tied the two ends together. It's nice a taut, and no addtl metal to jack up the compass. 10 minute upgrade AND install. Toughest part was getting those clips off the old panel to use on the new one.

For the poster that requested relo on the compass---not necessary. Daystar has the same mounting points on the underside for the compass box.
 
#28 ·
Just finished mine

I just finished and installed mine. I had one change. I did not want to buy the full assortment of bungee cords to just get the one. So I went to the hair accessories section at Walmart and found an alternative. It was less expensive ($0.97 for four) and flatter so it has a different look. Because this cord is thinner, I doubled it in the clamp and use nuts as spacers (as the nylon nuts would not thread down enough). I also move the LED light for my alarm to the front so that it can be easily seen through the windshield.
 

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