Is it safe to drill dash between buttons and cubby?

[mvaldes]

Does anyone know if there's anything vital under the area where I have this controller knob? It's fine now with adhesive, but if it loosens, I wonder if I can mount it with its screw mount. All I can see looking from behind and under the dash is something that looks like a cardboard insert of a consistency similar to an egg carton. If anyone has had their buttons out or has seen this area when upgrading their head unit, please let me know if there's anything that I would damage by drilling here. Along those lines, does anyone have any experience/tips regarding drilling through the fabric covering the dash. Are there any special precautions needed?
Thanks in advance,
Michael

[forestacademy]

Not knowing what's behind the dash, I would be woried about tearing the cloth.

[chieftmc]

Just "pop" out the button section and take a look

[Ron F]

I installed a secondary light indicator for the Area 451 cruise control and drilled a hole in the dash for it. I removed the instrument cluster (just give it a tug, the whole unit comes out) and drilled a 3/32 pilot hole followed by 3 1/16 hole. Worked great and looks fine. I suggest you use sharp drill bit that won't snag the fabric. The hole is between the instrument cluster and the center left air outlet.

[mvaldes]

Thanks for the thoughts. I haven't pulled out the buttons only because of the brushed aluminum onlay I put on them. I'm afraid of damaging/warping it.
Ron F, I saw the pics of your installation and it really does look good. Did you notice if you can see down where I want to drill when the instrument cluster is out. Pulling that and using a sharp new drill bit sound like good ideas. Did you put tape or anything similar over the fabric to stabilize it before drilling?

[DowneasTTer]

Hey Mvaldes, Noticed the HD drive and play in your pic of the button bar. How does the harman kardon drive-play-total-ipod-controller work in the smart? do you have both the controller and the screen installed?

Thanks
Downeastter

[mvaldes]

Originally Posted by DowneasTTer

Hey Mvaldes, Noticed the HD drive and play in your pic of the button bar. How does the harman kardon drive-play-total-ipod-controller work in the smart? do you have both the controller and the screen installed?

Thanks
Downeastter

The unit works great in the Smart. It's one of those things that you use for a while and then wonder how you lived without it!
I have the screen mounted on the back wall of the cubby (with the adhesive) to the left of the steering wheel. It's easily visible when driving, unobtrusive and leaves most of the cubby free for other stuff. I ran the wire from it and the one from the controller into the steering wheel cover and back (a la the Area451 cc install) under the dash and across to the passenger side. I used a little wide male velcro on each side of the "brain" and mounted it on the "shelf" in the passenger footwell. (some female velcro on my iPod case lets me easily connect and remove it from the system.) Drilled a 1/2" hole in the back of the glove box and ran the iPod connector through there and down to the brain. (A grommet in the hole you drilled finishes it off nicely.) Initally I just plugged into the 12v outlet and tucked the wire on top of the plastic center post. Eventually, I got around to running a wire to the fuse box and eliminated the plug. Now, all you can really see is the screen and the controller. If you really look for it, you can see an inch or two of wire running from them into the steering wheel cover.
If anyone is looking for one, there's a guy on eBay with about 5 for sale. They've been selling for $3-12 plus 8 to 10 in shipping.
eBay Store - MonsterDiscounts: iPod
They also have them on Amazon for about $27 shipped.