new to fiberglassing

If you have a face model of some sort already (model head, mask, etc), cover it with masking tape and/or heavy duty foil and cover it with mold release (been told PAM cooking spray works too) Then cover it with speaker cloth and apply the resin to that. That will make the face for your project. Once the resin has cured fully, GENTLY pry/lift the piece off the head. Apply chop mat and resin to the back side for reinforcement.

A box is probably one of the best projects to get started. If you are still nervous, then you can try this project:

That way you can see what effects FG will have as it cures and you can accomidate for them.

Good Luck!

Yeah, that is an advanced level of FG. That S10 looks familiar...

Start with the box and/or panel, then maybe consider possibly going on to the dash.

For the dash, your framing will be absolutely crucial along with your tolerances. (For dashes, you'll only have at most a 1/16" tolerance if you want it to look decent. Top installers try to work within 1/256" - 1/128" tolerance especially if they are going to paint with it. If you are going to go for skins (vinyl, suede, etc) you'll have more room for tolerances. 1/32" - 1/16" if you are looking to flush fit sections together. Make sure you take into account everything when planning (shrinkage, wood thickness, paint thickness, etc.)

Start with the box and panel. The key, again, will be your framing. The stronger and more secure it is, the less chance you'll have fitting issues.

Good Luck!

definitely quite the undertaking.  Like everyone else said, start small and let the creativity and built-in know how that you seem to have show you what you can do.  I find that builds a lot of confidence in an installer just starting custom.  If you bite off more than you can chew you'll likely get very frustrated and lose confidence in yourself, this is bad.

By the way, bellsracr, very nice write up man.  I typically just give new hires a written test about installing but a hands on kinda things sounds like a great idea.  Anybody can recite what they read in a book, but not everybody can make it come to life, atleast not without some guidance.