Dash Power Center Insert – 1988 Chevrolet Silverado

3D-printed replacement dash power center insert made for the 1988 Chevrolet Silverado: a simple way to replace a cracked, lost or hard-to-find original part.

About this part

I need a power center other than the cigarette lighter for my 1988 truck since the cigarette lighter is always powered on and I wanted to have an outlet that the power was switched with the ignition so items attached wouldn't run down the battery. This design provides for several options one of which is a cigarette style power outlet that I can use for my tire pressure guage. I found the USB charge port module that fits a Toyota that are an insert that simply pushes in and locks witch includes a volt meter - Very convenient for charging phones.

Dashboard insert for the 1U space under the center vent on a 1988 Chevy truck. I used a relay and connected the control line to one of the switched connectors on the courtesy panel under the dash on the drivers side so that all of the items on the panel turn off with the truck ignition.

I had to design new locking rings to hold the panel meter and cigarette lighter to the panel since there wasn't enough room to fit the rings that came with these items - I designed them in Fusion 360 and used the thread specification from the menu however I found that when they were printed, they were a little sloppy therefore I scaled them on the print to 99% which took out the slop.

The reason I used the Elk relay was that it's a compact size and has screw terminals which makes it easier for wiring. The Elk relay that I used can be substituted for a relay that handles more amps however it would probably need to be mounted outside of the insert.

I left a square hole in the back since I have a programmable ECM and I wanted to be able to string the (RJ7) connector through it.

I used 8 x 1" pan head screws to secure the insert from the front - One word of caution, the left screw is accessed through the Toyota power center hole. Once the power center is snapped into place, it's extreamly hard to get to the screw since the release for the power center is from behind. Be sure that you aren't planning on removing the insert without removing the Chevy panel and accessing the screw from behind since it's not gong to be easy (Sorry about that ). Maybe a better solution is to only use the center screw accessed through the opening.

Here is the part number to the screws I used from Panther RV:
STW-8X1-100 Stainless Pan Head Screw Philips Head White 100 Pk

I just happened to have these screws on my bench and they worked :-) Drill a small pilot hole in the back panel before screwing these through the insert which makes installation easier.

I'm not going to link to these items since they eventually break so I am putting the specifications and pictures here so that they can be found.

Elk Products Relay:
Contact Type Spdt
Current Rating 10 Amps
Mounting Type Door Mount
Brand Elk
Operation Mode Electric
Product details

Is Discontinued By Manufacturer ‏ : ‎ No
Product Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 1.5 x 2 x 0.5 inches; 0.01 ounces
Item model number ‏ : ‎ 912
Date First Available ‏ : ‎ July 15, 2010
Manufacturer ‏ : ‎ ELK Products Inc
ASIN ‏ : ‎ B002Z8GX92

Best Sellers Rank: #265,329 in Industrial & Scientific (See Top 100 in Industrial & Scientific)
#483 in Electromechanical Relays

Toyota Charge Port:
MICTUNING Upgraded Dual USB Port 6.4A QC3.0 Quick Charger with Blue LED Digital Voltmeter Replacement for Toyota, Compatible with Cellphone iPad PDA Laptop GPS (Surface Size 1.3 x 0.9 inches)

I hope you find this design useful - Thanks for looking.

Compatible vehicles

• 1988 Chevrolet Silverado

Always compare with your original part before ordering. Fitment can vary by trim level and production date.

Specifications

Print settings

Standard FDM printing settings:
- Layer height: 0.2mm
- Infill: 70%
- Supports: As needed

How to order

This part is in our catalogue and is printed on request. Send us a request with your vehicle details and we will reply with a price and delivery time.

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Design credit: original design on Thingiverse, licensed CC BY-SA-4.0.