Custom Fiberglass Dash / Interior
Instructor
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 246
Likes: 0
First the cup holders are for a poker table. All the gauges are dakota digital. And for how it was made, I used the original dash pieces as a frame. Made up some flat pieces by laying fibreglass matt over some tin foil on a table. Cut these pieces to the proper size and went from there.
Mike
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 3,028
Likes: 2
From: North NJ
Was watching MuscleCar TV the other day, not sure if it was an old episode or not. Lou had some guy come in and build fiberglass fender flares on his mustang track car. He did it cheap and turned out great.
He used floral foam that a florist would use.
Shaped that the way he wanted it then layered it with tin foil.
THen used fiberglass matt. Did 3 layers of matt then removed it. The fiberglass will not stick to the tin foil.
He sanded the fiberglass mat and used a fiberglass filler such as kitty hair to fill in the shallow spots and give the flare strength. Then sanded that down smooth and used bondo for any small dips and to fine tune it. Looked great when he was done.
I've used the tin foil approach and its great, never thought of molding it out of aqua foam/floral foam first.
Just some ideas.
Got any pics of the progress?
He used floral foam that a florist would use.
Shaped that the way he wanted it then layered it with tin foil.
THen used fiberglass matt. Did 3 layers of matt then removed it. The fiberglass will not stick to the tin foil.
He sanded the fiberglass mat and used a fiberglass filler such as kitty hair to fill in the shallow spots and give the flare strength. Then sanded that down smooth and used bondo for any small dips and to fine tune it. Looked great when he was done.
I've used the tin foil approach and its great, never thought of molding it out of aqua foam/floral foam first.
Just some ideas.
Got any pics of the progress?
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 473
Likes: 2
From: Champlin Minnesota
Here is what I got done this weekend, only put 6-7 hours into it. Spent more time ripping apart the Holley 950 wiring harness and making it fit better to my car than doing the interior.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 7,186
Likes: 45
From: detroit area
dont forget to make it removable.... get enough clearance...also find areas to secure the "unit" down.....i tossed a few screws into the trans tunnel and wrapped the washers in the same fabric i did the interior with....
b
b
Race Director
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 11,891
Likes: 3
From: Kansas City, MO ...I'd like to go fishing and catch a fishstick. That'd be convenient. - Mitch Hedberg
Don't forget about the carpeting that goes under the console sides. Hate to see that all finished and then get flexed because of the extra material.
Because of this thread I've started to have some very bad thoughts about a newly rebuilt dash/console and door panels. I also found some really cool forums dedicated to this kind of work today.
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
Top 10 Most Expensive Corvettes Ever Sold on Bring A Trailer
Brett Foote
10 Things Every Corvette Owner Needs (2026 Edition)
Michael S. Palmer
8 Most "Only Corvette Owners Understand" Quirks and Problems
Pouria Savadkouei
10 Reasons the C6 Z06 is Still A Performance Benchmark After 20 Years
Joe Kucinski
How Much Horsepower Every Corvette Engine "LOST" in 1972
Joe Kucinski
Top 10 DOs and DON'Ts for Protecting Your Convertible Top!
Michael S. Palmer
Top 10 Most Explosive Corvettes Ever Made: Power-to-Weight Ratio Ranked!
Joe Kucinski
150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter
Joe Kucinski
8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time
Verdad Gallardo
Le Mans Master
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 7,186
Likes: 45
From: detroit area
i left about 1/2" for the carpet tuck and also make sure if you plan on wrapping it/paint then allow for tolerances between detached pieces... the material will add up quick and then you'll be sanding and all that...... i would also recommend making your gauge unit as a separtate piece...this way you can access behind it and do all the wiring after the center is in..
b
b
Racer
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 343
Likes: 0
From: Davenport Ia
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 473
Likes: 2
From: Champlin Minnesota
Only had an hour to work on it tonight, then the fumes got to me. Will definately be picking up a respirator before doing any more glassing. I layed fiberglass cloth down and glued it in place with ca glue, brushed resin on it, then layed some chop mat down and brushed a little more resin into it. (Don't mind the 44 mag shells, they are there for weight only)
Team Owner
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 23,831
Likes: 10
From: Springfield MO
St. Jude Donor '07
Only had an hour to work on it tonight, then the fumes got to me. Will definately be picking up a respirator before doing any more glassing. I layed fiberglass cloth down and glued it in place with ca glue, brushed resin on it, then layed some chop mat down and brushed a little more resin into it. (Don't mind the 44 mag shells, they are there for weight only)
Le Mans Master
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 7,186
Likes: 45
From: detroit area
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 473
Likes: 2
From: Champlin Minnesota
After looking it over for the past hour or two I think I agree, its not really taking the look I originally wanted, I will try to come up with something else tomorrow....Any ideas or thoughts would be welcomed...
Le Mans Master
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 7,186
Likes: 45
From: detroit area
the trick is to "stretch" fabric to get the curves/etc..... thats how the mini-truckers/custom audio guys do it...... hardly anyone uses "kittyhair" for "morphed" setups.... maybe to strengthen the inside of the mold if needed.......
setup your "boxes" and stretch the polyester felt over it and just start messing with secured points and let it take form..... the polyester felt is cheap at the fabric store...... dont get nylon.... u need the polyester felt..about 1/16-1/8" thick or so......
b
setup your "boxes" and stretch the polyester felt over it and just start messing with secured points and let it take form..... the polyester felt is cheap at the fabric store...... dont get nylon.... u need the polyester felt..about 1/16-1/8" thick or so......
b
Instructor
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 246
Likes: 0
I would check out the location of the DVD player. Not sure how the view will be at that height. You may want to tilt it up wards or move it upwards. Also, make sure you account for the thickness of the fiberglass, bondo, fabric or whatever where ever you need to fit something in, ie your dvd player. I think you will find our cars are hard to get the nice curved surfaces you see in lager vehicles. I also wanted that smooth look.
Mike
Mike
Last edited by celeryman22; Dec 13, 2007 at 03:57 PM.