older car, custom dashboard?

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philadelphia

Member - Posts: 2

Joined: August 11, 2005

Location: United States

Posted: August 11, 2005 at 6:17 PM / IP Logged

What have you guys been doing to glass older dashboards..Im polanning on molding in a 17 LCd monitor on the passenger side of my 78 malibu's dash and possibly lowering it on the same side to house a mini mac..

In the past ive used DAP construction glue on the dash and glued down felt..This gives me the ability to trim the felt on the complex curves and contours..Then after that dries i glass the felt and then reglass it with just resin..Its always worked for me as ive hardly seen the dap glue release if the part is prepped..

In order to save cash im wondering if i could just use the resin..id have to go slower but the felt as you guys know keeps it thick..

My dash looks like a monte ss dash without the plastic trim on the passenger side..It looks plain so im hopeing with the monitor and a custom gauge cluster it will look good..For the cluster i plan on taking some 4" PVC and cutting halfmoons and using them as the ends..Then connecting them with a wall aty teh top and bottom..Installing my gauges in that..(========) kinda looking like that with the equal signs at the top and bottom..

You guys got any tips?I cant strip the vinyl off the dash because its all foam and vinyl..

78 chgevy malibu with just a stock vortec 4.3 v6..Getting the all show treatment unlike my many other cars..

5150azn

Silver - Posts: 584

Joined: June 21, 2004

Location: United States

Posted: August 12, 2005 at 12:11 PM / IP Logged

I've done a car similar to that one. But I put the 10" monitor in that center area where the factory radio is. But it was for like a cutlass or something like that. But anyhow, on your particular dash I suggest stripping it all down. Rip out all the vinyl and padding then fabricate everything.

Tell the Snap-On guy I'm not here!

philadelphia

Member - Posts: 2

Joined: August 11, 2005

Location: United States

Posted: August 15, 2005 at 12:50 PM / IP Logged

well if you have ever looked at the dash design you will see that I cant do that..The dash is all foam..Harder than what you new schoolers are used to working with..If you pull it all off or even some then you lose the original shape..Something that i dont want to do..Luckily newer cars have hard abs and epdm plastic frames..Thanks for the suggestion though..

78 chgevy malibu with just a stock vortec 4.3 v6..Getting the all show treatment unlike my many other cars..

Crispix396

Member - Posts: 26

Joined: June 22, 2005

Location: United States

Posted: August 15, 2005 at 1:54 PM / IP Logged

lots of tape, foil and fiberglass, make a mold and then make a new glass dash all together. would be my idea, or just soak that foam dash with lots of glass and make it a solid.

nothing amazing yet, but its coming

5150azn

Silver - Posts: 584

Joined: June 21, 2004

Location: United States

Posted: August 15, 2005 at 2:03 PM / IP Logged

Yeah you definately have to recognize if you want to keep the shape or keep the foam. You can keep the shape just like Crispix said. Vinyl wrapped fg and bondo is just as good as Vinyl wrapped foam.

Tell the Snap-On guy I'm not here!

blufab

Copper - Posts: 62

Joined: July 25, 2005

Location: United States

Posted: August 15, 2005 at 5:38 PM / IP Logged

I have heard of other fabricators in this predicament that would drill holes in the dash. This would allow resin to seep into the dash thus anchoring the glass piece in.

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older car, custom dashboard?

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