Spent the afternoon making up a rough wire armature for the custom dash. Layed up the inside with tape, (which I'll coat with a releasing agent) leaving a few hopefully well sited holes to inject the expanding foam. I'll angle it round to face the driver a bit more before I do though. It should leave me with a good base to sculpt onto, fingers crossed! ;) Still got to make up ones for the passenger screen and the centre channel so they all flow "organically" into one another. Also got to cut back the plastic cowl over the clocks and the plan is to cut out the mountings for the control pods either side and mount them flush to the dash so they don't obscure the view (ideally I'd like to get rid of them completely and resite the controls but I think it may be a bit beyond my abilities to re-do the electrics). Really hope this all works! Lol! ;) :D

 

 

 

 

ok dragging this one up from the past.

 

this ever further on from here?

ok dragging this one up from the past.

 

this ever further on from here?

Lol! Trust you Chris! Er...how do I put this? Um...no. Bugger.

Bit of a case of too much going on all at the same time. Between health, music, V8's and unfinished bodykits it's been temporarily shelved as the above four are the priority. The fibreglass dash is still intact though and still fits like a glove (maybe fitting like a dash should be more what I'm aiming for...? ;)) and there's even an in-car computer ready and waiting to go with it....but alas, at the moment at any rate, the project is becalmed.

 

I should add though, that I do now have the schematics for a DIY flocking machine which is my material of choice to finish it. Sadly, I have the electrical knowledge of a small marmoset and am hoping that one day Senor Dixon may have time to put the bits I'm amassing for it's construction together...Unfortunately, I'm one of these annoying people that like's to have A LOT going on all at the same time as my attention span is a bit the mad professor side of hyperactive. ;)

think its a good idea, and was looking to see what it came out like. trying to fit all th modern day needs into the present dash is a bit much realy. Most of it looks completely out of place.

think its a good idea, and was looking to see what it came out like. trying to fit all th modern day needs into the present dash is a bit much realy. Most of it looks completely out of place.

The big question with it is whether it acts as a skin, sitting over the stock dash or as a complete replacement. At the moment it's the former but a little bit of fiddling could make it the latter. I quite like the idea of being able to fit it with the original in situ though. It would only be a small matter of adding piping to extend the blowers for example.

the reason i was looking into it was the weight issue of the dash. I was figuring the FG was a fair amount lighter. Wouldnt cutting out the frame of the old dash and fixing into the FG be an easy way out. You get teh mounting of the stock frame then just run some tube to the heaters etc.

the reason i was looking into it was the weight issue of the dash. I was figuring the FG was a fair amount lighter. Wouldnt cutting out the frame of the old dash and fixing into the FG be an easy way out. You get teh mounting of the stock frame then just run some tube to the heaters etc.

Yep, either way is viable with this dash. TBH Chris, it's probably going to be light as a feather when it's finished as the final mould will hopefully be one piece of ABS plastic rather than FG... By combining ABS with a suitable solvent (methylethylketone for preference, although Acetone is easier to get hold of) you get a substance that is can be brush applied or poured, that sets as one piece. The finished dash will essentially look like an OEM fixture. All I'm lacking is a supplier of cheap ABS off-cuts or, even better, ABS pellets or left over shavings. If anyone has any ideas on where to source them I'd be grateful (I'm going to phone round plastics firms in the New Year to see if they have any I can scrounge ;))

Surfboard shapers in Cornwall and Devon?...

do they use ABS?

the reason i was looking into it was the weight issue of the dash. I was figuring the FG was a fair amount lighter. Wouldnt cutting out the frame of the old dash and fixing into the FG be an easy way out. You get teh mounting of the stock frame then just run some tube to the heaters etc.

 

You ARE joking? Are you turning into Nelson Mainfella? Have you felt how light the stock dash is? You'd lose more weight by driving with your shoes off....

You ARE joking? Are you turning into Nelson Mainfella? Have you felt how light the stock dash is? You'd lose more weight by driving with your shoes off....

 

 

something seriously wrong with mine then, weighs a tun

You need to get to the gym then :rofl: ;) Honestly they weigh **** all :confused:

What happened with your custom dash project Friday? It looked like it was comming on a treat

What happened with your custom dash project Friday? It looked like it was comming on a treat

 

Been a fair old while since I touched it TBH. I finished sculpting it in fibreglass but I haven't got round to taking a mould as the V8 swap took over!

Been a fair old while since I touched it TBH. I finished sculpting it in fibreglass but I haven't got round to taking a mould as the V8 swap took over!

 

Will yoou ever get this thing finished before you go grey?

 

Oh no your already grey lol :x:

Will yoou ever get this thing finished before you go grey?

 

Oh no your already grey lol :x:

 

Chris...you utter, utter bar-steward.

 

(thank Christ for "Just For Men"...:p;))