started on my next project.

My last fiberglass project didn't exactly go so well. I started off WAY too big and it turned out like crap... air pockets everywhere, nothing smooth even after hours of sanding, etc. That was a few years ago and I decided to give it another go. So far this one is going a lot better. It will eventually be a gauge cluster for my STi. I could not find one that I liked so I decided to try to make my own. So far its just the base, which follows the contour of the factory dash above the factory instrument cluster. It is currently about 2 layers thick of resin and mat throughout with a 3rd layer around the outside where it will eventually be screwed down. I don't want to mold it into the dash so that I can easily remove it if I so decide. In the end, it will be covered in black vinyl to match the factory dash as close as possible.
Here are the pics from today (just started on the project). I'll try to keep this updated as I work on it.
The dash before. I bought an extra dash for $20 so I could work on it in the garage and not stink up my car.:


All taped off:


And yes, I completely forgot to lay down foil, but other than some tape staying attached to the underside of the fiberglass, it all turned out ok.

Fiberglass down:


Base removed from dash to allow the underside to get air to help cure it:


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Kenny
Owner / Technician
KKD Garage LLC
Albany, NY 12205

Looks good so far. I tried a sub enclosure out of fiberglass a few years back. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't good either. I had air pockets as well. I've watched and read a lot since then and soon I'll give it another try.

I like the fact that you found a spare part to do it with instead of inside the car. I would imagine that it would have been a pain to do that on the dash that is installed.

Good luck.

Great name btw

-Kenny

HEY!!!
Are they my brake shoes?
(They are not in my car, but that's another story...)


I agree with advanex - looks good, and the wiseness of using a spare.


And the fumes inside the car aren't good either - I find body deadener much better.

Yea, I found the spare for $20 and figured it was well worth it. I can use that to get everything but the actual gauge holders (PVC fittings) mounted. I'll have to glue the fittings in place with the mold in my car so I can make sure to get all the angles correct. But then the rest of the glassing can be done in the garage and I'll still have a fully functioning car for getting to work... lol.

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Kenny
Owner / Technician
KKD Garage LLC
Albany, NY 12205

Made a little bit of progress today. Spent forever trying to get the PVC fittings perfectly spaced yet somehow it seems like they still aren't quite even. So I may have to heat up the hot glue and adjust them a bit before they go under some more glass to lock them in place. So far I am liking the look of it a hell of a lot better than any purchased pod options for my car. And yes, all 6 slots will be filled with usefull gauges... not just "hey look at me" gauges. I have an AEM Tru-boost, AEM UEGO wideband, Aquamist DD3VS Methanol injection flow gauge, and I am picking up oil pressure, oil temperature, and EGT.
Pics:
Fittings glued on:


Rough initial trim just to get close to the lines of the dash:




So far I'm liking it. Now I just need to get a flux capacitor... lol.

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Kenny
Owner / Technician
KKD Garage LLC
Albany, NY 12205

Made a little more progress this weekend. It was a weekend full of blood, sweat, and a lot of cursing. I started off with just putting a FMIC on my STi and that turned into about 20 different small projects in order to get the piping to fit just right and not look "thrown" together. So I didn't get a ton done on the cluster, but its getting there. I will probably run this a bit to make sure that it does not limit my field of view while daily driving and to make sure I am going to like it before I spend the time / money on finishing it up.




The little "dot" in the center on top is the microphone for my AVIC Z2 screen.

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Kenny
Owner / Technician
KKD Garage LLC
Albany, NY 12205