1. gdavis2221's Avatar
    man that is a great look.
    12-29-09 09:51 AM
  2. 3CISSBB's Avatar
    Thanks for all the great compliments folks. I try to give everyone here on CB something nice to look at when taking pictures of my mods.

    I'm not done with my 9700 yet. I am still trying to figure out which direction I want to go in with the keyboard and the chrome separator trim pieces RIM decided to throw in there. I AM going to black those out as well, just need to figure out if it will get painted or if one of the several online suppliers will at any time offer black ones.

    But rest assured I'll have pics as soon as it's completed.

    Again; thanks all for the great replies.
    Last edited by 3CISSBB; 12-29-09 at 10:17 AM.
    12-29-09 10:15 AM
  3. knowledge_6's Avatar
    Hey quick question... i got my bezel, bottom and top cover from Truesupplier.. and i was wondering did u use the original top cover by just carefully taking it off? or did u use a new top cover?

    cause i notice the new top cover will not fit the new bezel flush and u get gaps around the edges..

    i was going to use the method mentioned by soldering the new top cover but i dont want to do that if there are gaps..

    so did u use the original top cover? or a new one?

    and if you did use a new top cover how did u make it sit so flush?

    thanks a lot ; >
    12-29-09 11:06 AM
  4. 3CISSBB's Avatar
    Hey quick question... i got my bezel, bottom and top cover from Truesupplier.. and i was wondering did u use the original top cover by just carefully taking it off? or did u use a new top cover?

    cause i notice the new top cover will not fit the new bezel flush and u get gaps around the edges..

    i was going to use the method mentioned by soldering the new top cover but i dont want to do that if there are gaps..

    so did u use the original top cover? or a new one?

    and if you did use a new top cover how did u make it sit so flush?

    thanks a lot ; >
    I used the original OEM top piece. I used precision tweezers on the plastic [prongs] holding it on and applied pressure to the parts that were glued. Mine came off without a hitch. Then I carefully reattached to the new bezel and used the tweezers to bend back the prongs and it came out flush.
    12-29-09 11:13 AM
  5. knowledge_6's Avatar
    I used the original OEM top piece. I used precision tweezers on the plastic [prongs] holding it on and applied pressure to the parts that were glued. Mine came off without a hitch. Then I carefully reattached to the new bezel and used the tweezers to bend back the prongs and it came out flush.
    thanks for the quick response.. i guess i will see it when i take it apart..

    but how did u bend plastic prongs? :>

    you didn't have to glue it onto the new bezel?
    12-29-09 11:20 AM
  6. 3CISSBB's Avatar
    thanks for the quick response.. i guess i will see it when i take it apart..

    but how did u bend plastic prongs? :>

    you didn't have to glue it onto the new bezel?
    It's very hard to explain in plain text. I have been modding Berries for years so things that the average user might find annoying or difficult just doesn't seem to bother me.

    No, I didn't have to glue it to the new bezel. I would never use glue on a Berry. Glue makes everything harder; harder to take back off, harder to put back on. I have seen some people talk about gluing pieces back on and I laughed at them for doing so.

    When you take it apart you will see the [prongs] that have been 'pushed' down to hold the top piece in place. Again; I used tweezers to 'straighten' those out and remove the piece, then reattached and 'pushed' those prong pieces back down. Fits perfect like OEM.
    12-29-09 11:25 AM
  7. xDAKx's Avatar
    Question for you.

    How much disassembly was required before you were able to remove your bottom cover? (the one below the keyboard with the carrier logo.)

    I'd kind of like to take mine off and replace it with either an unbranded cover, or one of a different carrier (Orange, O2 etc etc.) because I personally dislike the look of the T-Mobile US logo, I'm used to having logos from Vodafone and the like.

    On my 9000, It required me to remove the back mid-plate and the main-board before I could pry it out, and replace it with a new one, as I did when I did a bezel replacement for someone, and again on my own 9000.

    Looking at the 9700, I'm not entirely sure how much disassembly would be required to replace that small part, any insight would be appreciated. [:
    12-29-09 11:28 AM
  8. TrueHappiness's Avatar
    This is siiiiiiick!!! I thought I loved the 9700 before, but this takes the cake! I wish I had your expertise in modding BB's because I would totally do mine!

    Any way to change the BB color on the batt door to other colors or is red the only option?
    12-29-09 11:29 AM
  9. 3CISSBB's Avatar
    Question for you.

    How much disassembly was required before you were able to remove your bottom cover? (the one below the keyboard with the carrier logo.)

    I'd kind of like to take mine off and replace it with either an unbranded cover, or one of a different carrier (Orange, O2 etc etc.) because I personally dislike the look of the T-Mobile US logo, I'm used to having logos from Vodafone and the like.

    On my 9000, It required me to remove the back mid-plate and the main-board before I could pry it out, and replace it with a new one, as I did when I did a bezel replacement for someone, and again on my own 9000.

    Looking at the 9700, I'm not entirely sure how much disassembly would be required to replace that small part, any insight would be appreciated. [:
    Literally all you need is a precision flat head screwdriver and lift up on the edges of the bottom piece. Under the [ALT] and under the [ENTER] keys. That's all.
    12-29-09 11:30 AM
  10. knowledge_6's Avatar
    This is siiiiiiick!!! I thought I loved the 9700 before, but this takes the cake! I wish I had your expertise in modding BB's because I would totally do mine!

    Any way to change the BB color on the batt door to other colors or is red the only option?
    if you go the truesupplier site they have tons of colours..

    It's very hard to explain in plain text. I have been modding Berries for years so things that the average user might find annoying or difficult just doesn't seem to bother me.

    No, I didn't have to glue it to the new bezel. I would never use glue on a Berry. Glue makes everything harder; harder to take back off, harder to put back on. I have seen some people talk about gluing pieces back on and I laughed at them for doing so.

    When you take it apart you will see the [prongs] that have been 'pushed' down to hold the top piece in place. Again; I used tweezers to 'straighten' those out and remove the piece, then reattached and 'pushed' those prong pieces back down. Fits perfect like OEM.
    thanks.. i will take a look...

    yah i thought gluing it would ruin any change of replace it to a different colour when i get bored of the one i got ; >

    k i will keep my eye out for the prongs.. hopefully they don;t snap off when i try to straighten and bend back ; >
    12-29-09 11:36 AM
  11. 3CISSBB's Avatar
    Hope this helps:







    Last edited by 3CISSBB; 12-29-09 at 11:49 AM.
    12-29-09 11:37 AM
  12. ClintRo's Avatar
    Great Job... 3C... you beat me to it this time (What no video???)

    I am still OK with the chrome for now.

    Someone earlier asked about if you need to send it in for warranty and yes you would have to put the silver bezel back on to do this.
    12-29-09 11:38 AM
  13. 3CISSBB's Avatar
    Great Job... 3C... you beat me to it this time (What no video???)

    I am still OK with the chrome for now.

    Someone earlier asked about if you need to send it in for warranty and yes you would have to put the silver bezel back on to do this.
    Hey Clint. Thanks. Yea, looks like I beat ya to it this time . Sorry no video. I should really get on that as I now have a video cam that shoots in 1080p.

    And to the earlier question, you're right, you'd have to send it in with the chrome bezel for warranty work.
    12-29-09 11:41 AM
  14. thosialg08's Avatar
    Thanks for all the great compliments folks. I try to give everyone here on CB something nice to look at when taking pictures of my mods.

    I'm not done with my 9700 yet. I am still trying to figure out which direction I want to go in with the keyboard and the chrome separator trim pieces RIM decided to throw in there. I AM going to black those out as well, just need to figure out if it will get painted or if one of the several online suppliers will at any time offer black ones.

    But rest assured I'll have pics as soon as it's completed.

    Again; thanks all for the great replies.
    See I think those small bits of chrome are perfect accent pieces. Phone looks sick as h*ll.
    12-29-09 11:42 AM
  15. ClintRo's Avatar
    All we need now is the blacked out keypad and trackpad
    12-29-09 11:48 AM
  16. 3CISSBB's Avatar
    All we need now is the blacked out keypad and trackpad
    +1 on that. I love the 'blacked out' look like we both had on our 8900's.
    12-29-09 11:50 AM
  17. mandeepkavita's Avatar
    ^^ HOT!! Jigga - All black everything...black cards, black cars...all black BERRY-thing??

    Pure hotness. nice work OP!
    12-29-09 11:52 AM
  18. mandeepkavita's Avatar
    1.) Incredible. Just incredible.

    2.) RIM should put you on staff and make you their chief mod designer.
    +1 MILLION! I cant stop looking at the great pics! A 1080p video would be SICK!

    Try emailing these pics to RIM. RIM should capitalize on the customization market...and NO not just with skins!
    12-29-09 12:01 PM
  19. rmead001's Avatar
    I had tons of problems trying to attach the extra top piece to my new bezel. After trying to melt and whatnot I gave up. I couldn't get the piece on flush and have the buttons work. Wish I had read about the precision tweezers and went that route cause my roommate has that stuff in the basement with a giant magnifying light.

    I went ahead and ordered the black bezel with the bottom piece and the top piece all ready attached (at least it was in the picture and i'll be mad as **** if its not). Pretty sure my current black bezel is ruined from the melting process to even try to fit the OEM top housing in place.

    For the person asking about the gap, if you take off the stock OEM trim with the top attached you will see a gap. The gap is a necessary evil to let the top buttons function. When I had thought that my work was perfect I put it on my phone went to lock it and I didn't leave enough gap. Sure I could push the button down but every time I did it was a plastic on plastic scraping that created an AWFUL noise just from being less then 1mm out of place.

    Great job and I hope mine come together to turn out this nice.

    Want to add in too, for anyone doing this at home be careful. When gentry prying the chrome bezel up there are 2 tabs, 1 on each side of the Send and End key. I couldn't figure it out and both of my tabs snapped. I have ordered a new back housing since I can't deal with the 1mm gap it left leaving keyboard light shining through. Just be careful and take your time. Luckily these parts are order-able but this has turned out to be an expensive modification on my part. Lucky with a new trim and back housing on the way mine should look perfect once I replace the guts.
    Last edited by rmead001; 12-29-09 at 12:16 PM.
    12-29-09 12:09 PM
  20. 3CISSBB's Avatar
    I had tons of problems trying to attach the extra top piece to my new bezel. After trying to melt and whatnot I gave up. I couldn't get the piece on flush and have the buttons work. Wish I had read about the precision tweezers and went that route cause my roommate has that stuff in the basement with a giant magnifying light.

    I went ahead and ordered the black bezel with the bottom piece and the top piece all ready attached (at least it was in the picture and i'll be mad as **** if its not). Pretty sure my current black bezel is ruined from the melting process to even try to fit the OEM top housing in place.

    For the person asking about the gap, if you take off the stock OEM trim with the top attached you will see a gap. The gap is a necessary evil to let the top buttons function. When I had thought that my work was perfect I put it on my phone went to lock it and I didn't leave enough gap. Sure I could push the button down but every time I did it was a plastic on plastic scraping that created an AWFUL noise just from being less then 1mm out of place.

    Great job and I hope mine come together to turn out this nice.
    The whole key is to be patient. Sit down and take your time. If people rush it then you'll only get frustrated and impatient. Be calm and if pieces don't fit right or feel 'off', step back, breathe and try again. These are plastic pieces so they have a little [give] in them. You can bend them (to a point) if you need to. I bent mine in order to remove the OEM top piece from the bezel.

    Just take your time and it'll turn out great.

    Sorry your first attempt didn't go so well. Maybe the one whole piece you ordered will be the one that works out for you. I hope so.
    12-29-09 12:15 PM
  21. rmead001's Avatar
    The whole key is to be patient. Sit down and take your time. If people rush it then you'll only get frustrated and impatient. Be calm and if pieces don't fit right or feel 'off', step back, breathe and try again. These are plastic pieces so they have a little [give] in them. You can bend them (to a point) if you need to. I bent mine in order to remove the OEM top piece from the bezel.

    Just take your time and it'll turn out great.

    Sorry your first attempt didn't go so well. Maybe the one whole piece you ordered will be the one that works out for you. I hope so.


    Ya I tried to be as patient as possible. There were a lot of things that just didn't match up. There were extra pieces of plastic sticking out from the top piece I ordered that I had to remove, which I melted and just overall it wasn't a smooth process putting them together. I'm hoping this whole kit works out because the blacked out look is too nice to give up on.
    12-29-09 12:36 PM
  22. 3CISSBB's Avatar
    Here is an illustration to maybe help:



    Small plastic [prongs] on the OEM or aftermarket top cover go through here as 'guides', then the [prongs] can be bent down or you can 'melt' the very tip of them with a heat gun. I would strongly caution AGAINST glue as it would prevent future mods without damage.

    Sorry about the mouse pointer in the pic. My demo skills need some sharpening.
    Last edited by 3CISSBB; 12-29-09 at 01:06 PM.
    12-29-09 01:02 PM
  23. rmead001's Avatar
    Here is an illustration to maybe help:



    Small plastic [prongs] on the OEM or aftermarket top cover go through here as 'guides', then the [prongs] can be bent down or you can 'melt' the very tip of them with a heat gun. I would strongly caution AGAINST glue as it would prevent future mods without damage.

    Sorry about the mouse pointer in the pic. My demo skills need some sharpening.
    Ya thats exactly what I was doing, I was following a guide from a post a few weeks ago. The top replacement part was the problem as I didn't reuse my OEM one. It came and has a "bubble" that was just a plastic orb sticking out right in between the 2 contact sites in the top middle. This cause it to not sit very well. So trying to remove that and melting the top in place over and over was not very good for the plastic and even eventually went right through. I highly stress caution using a "melting" technique.
    12-29-09 01:09 PM
  24. 3CISSBB's Avatar
    Ya thats exactly what I was doing, I was following a guide from a post a few weeks ago. The top replacement part was the problem as I didn't reuse my OEM one. It came and has a "bubble" that was just a plastic orb sticking out right in between the 2 contact sites in the top middle. This cause it to not sit very well. So trying to remove that and melting the top in place over and over was not very good for the plastic and even eventually went right through. I highly stress caution using a "melting" technique.
    Sounds like maybe you got a part with a defect. And as you stated, I don't recommend melting either.
    12-29-09 01:11 PM
  25. rmead001's Avatar
    Another reason i'm glad I reordered the parts is that I originally got them from sw-box which was great to order from. Took maybe 1.5 weeks from Hong Kong(I think?) which is speedy and it was exactly what I ordered. The bezel is the flat black which matches very nicely with the sides and back of the phone. But your bezel looks like it has some shine to it and I actually like that more. The bottom carrier piece was a flat black as well and I would have rather used the ATT logo because the flat black just looked awkward on the front with the top, screen, keypad, trackpad and everything looking shiny to be complimented by a flat color at the base.
    12-29-09 01:15 PM
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