Dashboard project.
Printed From: the12volt.com
Forum Name: Fiberglass, Fabrication, and Interiors
Forum Discription: Fiberglass Kick Panels, Subwoofer Enclosures, Plexiglas, Fabrics, Materials, Finishes, etc.
URL: https://www.the12volt.com/installbay/forum_posts.asp?tid=31069
Printed Date: August 13, 2025 at 12:04 PM
Topic: Dashboard project.
Posted By: hersheyloc
Subject: Dashboard project.
Date Posted: April 26, 2004 at 3:29 PM
Hey, Im planning on fiberglassing a new dashboard for my 89 civic. Im gonna have the new dash go all the way down to the center console, then to thge back seats, so its all one big piece. That way it'll have a nice sleek look with no seams.I wanna take out the existing dash completely, map out a plan for a new one, make a frame for it, cover it in fleece, then glass it. After its all done, i wanna know how I'm supposed to attach the new dash. The contours may cover up the existing places where the screws used to go. Also, I dont want the eyesore of the screws ruining the affect of the sweet new dash. Just an idea. Im gonna relocate all the vents too, its a big job. Lemme know what you think.
Replies:
Posted By: sam1
Date Posted: April 26, 2004 at 5:42 PM
it might be a little tough to make it all one solid piece and still be able to fit it back in your car unless you make it inside the car, which i wouldnt recommend. another thing, it might be easier to just take the original dash, slice and dice, and use that as your base piece. that way, you dont have to figure out a way to attach it. you can just use the original places. but it would be easier to do that and figure out a way to hide the screws, than it would to make a completely new dash. it sounds like a good project tho. take pics when you get it done. oh, and welcome to the forum.
Posted By: OHsolow
Date Posted: April 26, 2004 at 9:02 PM
i dont know if any one seen that blue alpine sponsored civic hatchback from about 2 years ago? well they built their frame inside the car and covered it with fleece/speaker cloth and did most of it in the car...if your worried about gettin any resin on any of the car just cover it up....i would suggest you build and glass it inside the car so you get that seemless/screwless look that you want. if you attach the frame then fleece over it you wont have to worry about attaching it because it would be attached under the glass
Posted By: defective
Date Posted: April 27, 2004 at 7:52 AM
and your car will never smell the same -------------
Posted By: hersheyloc
Date Posted: April 27, 2004 at 12:37 PM
Hey thanx for the replies. My buddy and I just took out my entire dash last night. It was a b**** to take out since we didn't wanna take out the steering wheel. Couple cuts and blisters later its all done. Now I'm riding with my guages duct taped on. It's truly heroic. Im thinking that I'll go with Sams idea. I'm gonna use the original dash. That way I wont have to figure out how to relocate the vents and whatnot. Im still gonna make it one sild piece though. It shouldn't be too hard to fit back in as long as I take out the steering wheel.I'm also thinking about removing the glove compartment completely. I'll try to get some pics posted maybe later today. Keep replying though, I'll need some more tips if you guys ot any.
Posted By: Thack79
Date Posted: April 27, 2004 at 1:18 PM
Definately less of a pain to take the wheel off. We cracked my friends windsheld trying to wedge his out. 
Posted By: OHsolow
Date Posted: April 27, 2004 at 8:28 PM
well true but it would not smell like that forever. and he did say he wanted that screwless seamless look right? well i would think it would be kinda difficult to get a dashboard with center console attached...and that thing is gonna weigh who knows how much
Posted By: hersheyloc
Date Posted: April 28, 2004 at 3:25 AM
I finished wrapping my dash with fleece. It was kind of a pain, but I got it all done. Some minor wrinkles, but nothing a little bondo wont fix. I've decided against the whole fiberglassing al the way to the center console. The main reason being I didn't have enough fleece . I got some pics but my digicam batteries died. I'll get them up asap. Do you think one coat of resin soaked into the fleece will be enough. Im not too sure. After all, its only the dashboard. It's not like a sub box which takes a beating from the subs. I guess I'll just have to wait and see how tough it is. One more question, will 1L of resin be enough? I've heard of ppl using a ridiculous amount of that stuff to do projects, so I wasn't sure. Holla at me. Some pics of the stripped dash. -----> https://groups.msn.com/Hersheylocsgroup/carmods.msnw?albumlist=2 Hersh
Posted By: sam1
Date Posted: April 28, 2004 at 10:35 AM
just doing my two fg boxes, ive used almost a gallon of resin. your dash and console together will probably take at least 2 or 3 cans, since you only need a couple layers of mat. thats another thing. id put on at least 2 or 3 layers of mat for your dash on top of the fleece. also, if you still want the seamless look, you can use the plan and do it all in pieces, and then just lay some mat over the seams once its all in. that would be the easiest way to do it with the seamless look i think. although the you would have to paint it inside the car, which would be interesting. oh, and i like the idea of removing the glove box. that would look good. id put something inside that area tho so it doesnt look too plain. maybe like an amp or a ps2 or whatever. good project. should be fun
Posted By: djdaveoc
Date Posted: April 28, 2004 at 12:17 PM
This is pretty much what mine looked like too. I'm going to do a dash for my 2000 Dodge Dakota. I'm going to take the plastic off and wrap it in fleece and probably glue it so it stays wrapped tight around the plastic. Then I'll resin the first layer outside the truck. Once that's dry I'm going to install it back in the truck and do the rest of the glassing while it's in the truck and put a layer of Maraglass over the glass also for added strength. Then I'll take it out again and finish it and put it back in when it's done. -------------  Plan, Research, Do
Posted By: hersheyloc
Date Posted: April 28, 2004 at 12:19 PM
Since it's only my first real fiberglassing project, I think Im gonna just leave the glove box as it is. I'm just gonna paint it in another accent colour. As for the PS2, if i had the money, I would do that for sure. I think I'll just keep it simple. Did I mention I'm selling my car?lol. I dont wanna do tooo much work on it, and then sell it. Also, should I get 3 cans of 1L resin? Or just go get a 4L can? I think I'll get a couple 1L cans, then see where I go from there. Any tips on painting and wetsanding?
Posted By: djdaveoc
Date Posted: April 28, 2004 at 12:30 PM
I will probably go through about 3 or 4 of the $25 containers of resin for everything that I'm going to do, maybe more. It seems to me this stuff goes fast and it's not cheap. But I'd rather spend $500 on supplies than spend $5,000 for someone to do this work for me. It's my first time doing anything like this but I've read pretty much every post and all the replies on this whole forum. I recommend that you do so too, you'll learn a lot and get links to other tutorials and info. ------------- Plan, Research, Do
|