APX 6000 Rehousing project

[Binger511]

I plan on rehousing my APX 6000 and it seems relatively straightforward. However, all the housing kits on flee-bay come in 3 pieces and all the tutorials I've seen have the whole thing as 1 piece. Do they "snap" together to create a single piece or is it a completely different part?

 

[GTR8000]

All 6000/8000 housing are 3 pieces as of a number of years ago. You hold the sides against the chassis, then put the back piece on, flip radio over while holding together, reassemble. It's the 6 housing screws that hold it all together. It's pretty obvious once you have the radio apart. You'll need a regular T8 Torx bit/driver for the screws. Do not overtorque them when reassembling. You want them snug + 1/4 turn, no more.

Oh and the aftermarket $20 kits from China on eBay are hit or miss, and chances are that the back piece will crack at some point near the middle screws where the plastic is thinnest, because they're not made to OEM tolerances and the screws put too much stress on them when tightened.

 

[Binger511]

All 6000/8000 housing are 3 pieces as of a number of years ago. You hold the sides against the chassis, then put the back piece on, flip radio over while holding together, reassemble. It's the 6 housing screws that hold it all together. It's pretty obvious once you have the radio apart. You'll need a regular T8 Torx bit/driver for the screws. Do not overtorque them when reassembling. You want them snug + 1/4 turn, no more.

Oh and the aftermarket $20 kits from China on eBay are hit or miss, and chances are that the back piece will crack at some point near the middle screws where the plastic is thinnest, because they're not made to OEM tolerances and the screws put too much stress on them when tightened.

Thanks for the info. I don't see why anyone would put a cheap housing on an APX anyways... Its a several thousand dollar radio, and just to put it in a 20 dollar housing, which is cheaper than a UV5r seems silly. To each their own I guess.

 

[GTR8000]

The APX housing is really not much more than a superficial skin and provides minimal protection on its own, and has nothing to do with the water tightness of the radio. All of the o-rings and seals are contained within the chassis itself, the housing simply holds it all together by providing the 6 nuts for the screws. So from that standpoint, as long as the screws are secure to hold everything together, the plastic is largely irrelevant.

That said, I get the allure of a $20 housing that comes in every color of the rainbow, when the OEM housing color choices are limited and not cheap. Last I checked the cheapest OEM 6000/8000 housing will run you around $105-$150 depending on the color. If someone wants to slap a pink housing on an 8000, more power to them. I certainly wouldn't put any of the aftermarket junk on a radio that's being used in real life for public safety, but for a desk queen or hambone/buff eBay special? Meh.