zohanisback Posted December 2, 2012 Share Posted December 2, 2012 (edited) I don't know if we're "allowed" to post progress threads, but I'm doing it for the heck of it and if it's not allowed, just delete it. That said, I didn't put it in the interior section since it's more of a general update and nothing technical. Idk... Screw it. Decided to remove my dash because I needed the metal frame to form a reverse mold of a fiberglass dash I am building. Something more modern and with double din in it. Will require heavy behind-the-dash modification, but it will be worth it. Trying to aim for something along the lines of a PVC leather wrapped RX8/WRX dash. Anyway, it's going to be tons of work, but I've seen exactly zero pictures of modern dashes in Z cars (save that one 240sx dash someone did that was just OK), so I'm going to hopefully be one of the few... Here are pics of it pulled. Wow was it dirty. And man, these dashes are a pain with all the little wires and controls everywhere, lol. Edited December 2, 2012 by zohanisback Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
78Z/250GTO Posted December 2, 2012 Share Posted December 2, 2012 Take the opportunity to replace your heater cor while its broken down to this point. Its easy when you don't have to stand on your head. rock auto.com for the best price JIM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nelsonian Posted December 2, 2012 Share Posted December 2, 2012 I'm all for your approach on the custom dash. I like the overall shape of the original, but hate the cheap hard plastic feel of it, as well as the need for more gauge provisions. I don't mind the 240sx swap but dislike how it matesd up to the lower windshield portion. Will be watching this thread and hoping for good results. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zohanisback Posted December 2, 2012 Author Share Posted December 2, 2012 I'm actually swapping in more powerful parts, adding A/C, reconfiguring the wiring, etc. It's gonna be tons of work, but I want more powerful climate controls. The goal is to mount everything to the interior "firewall" or custom brackets, then just pop the fiberglass dash over it and hook up an "umbilical cord" running from the dash controls to the firewall. Hopefully I can hook up one big bundle of connectors and call it good. As far as climate control knobs go, still working on that part. I would like to be able to swap in vacuum controlled actuators, but that's still up in the air. As far as gauges go, I need to work on a sketch, but I basically want a rounded style main instrument cluster with the gauges more coherent, then a 3-gauge pod above middle console, and maybe 2 more to the left of the center console. We'll see. Suggestions? That said, I'm swapping in an LS1 engine and was thinking of upgrading heat cores. How powerful are the stock ones? I always noticed mine was pretty warm, but still took a while to heat the car (could have been clogged, who knows?). But I will start a build thread in interiors once I start the mold making. Keep you guys updated! I'm in med school right now...so not a lot of time. Every other weekend except for breaks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pac_Man Posted December 2, 2012 Share Posted December 2, 2012 Nice to see you're tackling this. Looking forward to seeing how this turns out. Good luck with not only this job, but also with school! Quite an undertaking on both accounts. - Pac Man Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1 tuff z Posted December 2, 2012 Share Posted December 2, 2012 Never had any issues with my heater-usually works better than my other cars! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
miky360 Posted December 2, 2012 Share Posted December 2, 2012 Oddly enough I'm doing a leather wrap on my dash too. Il post pics as soon as I'm done and maybe it will help you out Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zohanisback Posted December 3, 2012 Author Share Posted December 3, 2012 Oddly enough I'm doing a leather wrap on my dash too. Il post pics as soon as I'm done and maybe it will help you out Do it! I would love pics. I've already contacted some members here and on other z forums to see what ideas they have some up with. One guy did a double din in the center console part of the "dash." Looked awesome. Nice to see you're tackling this. Looking forward to seeing how this turns out. Good luck with not only this job, but also with school! Quite an undertaking on both accounts. - Pac Man Thanks! I have had a blast so far with both (though both are hard)! But seriously...there are thousands of Zs out there and I can't believe there are no build threads with custom or newer dashes swapped in. Time to shake off the old dust and upgrade (especially with the way my dash looked. Never had any issues with my heater-usually works better than my other cars! Ok, I'll stick with the stock heater core than probably. Though if I could find an equally effective, smaller one, I would not mind cutting down on size. This project is going to require some serious reduction in under-the-dash components. Removing the old gauge clusters will be a good start. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pac_Man Posted December 3, 2012 Share Posted December 3, 2012 I know it's a bit early on, but do you have any idea what the price might be for one of these? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zohanisback Posted December 3, 2012 Author Share Posted December 3, 2012 Oh man... No idea whatsoever. From what I've seen on other forums with people making custom dashes, they sell them for about $400-900 if they're fast and experienced at fiberglassing. I would imagine if I get a good mold, I would like to shoot for somewhere in there. I have Christmas break coming up, then I would like to get the mold roughed in. It's too early to tell. I figure I have a solid week in labor just to get the mold ready for bondo and a catalyst sealer. The trick with this is that I have to build the mold and keep in mind the actual fiberglass dash will be slightly larger. It won't be hard to calculate in the mounting points, but I want the dash to fit tight, so I need to design the dash mold 1/8" too small all the way around. Gauge pods, screen locations, etc all have to be worked just right. And since I plan to PVC leather wrap it, I need it a little sloppier yet. The main problem is basically the new dash will be such a deviation from the old dash style. Gonna just unscrew the vinyl dash from the metal frame and start building onto the metal frame. The important question at the moment is....what should the gauge pod sizes be? I'm thinking standard 52mm. Hmm.... Ok, maybe time to think about moving this thread to Interior. lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pharaohabq Posted December 3, 2012 Share Posted December 3, 2012 That Heater, If you want a really warm well working one, you could swap in one of the Jeep wrangler heaters, they're made for rag tops and definitely get warm. I don't know the fit though, so sticking with stock might be best. you should have a Rad shop check it out, the old cores have been known to get pinholes. New cores are availible from multiple sources. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zohanisback Posted December 3, 2012 Author Share Posted December 3, 2012 I'm not too worried about fitment issues because I am going to strip it down to the firewall, then build in a custom rack of sorts to hold under-the-dash components a little tidier than they are currently kept. The great thing about old cars is they use larger components for just about everything. Swapping in some newer stuff should make it easier to shorten the dash a tiny bit when I put it back on. Are the Wrangler cores the same size or smaller than the current Datsun cores? My core is toast anyway, so might as well upgrade if I can. It's definitely a great idea. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
78Z/250GTO Posted December 9, 2012 Share Posted December 9, 2012 Check out the dash conversion unit that fits over the stock Z dash frame used in the 250GTO Z conversions. Its solid fiberglass and bolts right up. All guage positions are blank so you can configure any set up you please Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zohanisback Posted December 11, 2012 Author Share Posted December 11, 2012 I like it a lot. Did some googling and found a picture on car domain. The dash you are talking about has the pain instrument cluster and deletes the gauge pod over the center dash, correct? I think it's awesome, but the dash I am working on will bring the Datsun into the 21st century. An RX-2N gauge from a motorcycle will be the highlight of the instrument cluster, along with oil pressure, voltage, and transmission temp gauges. A 3 gauge pod cluster will keep the remote resemblance to the Datsun dash, but from there all else is modernized. The vents will be round bezels, a double din space will be added, and climate controls will be upgraded to electronically actuated doors. Don't get me wrong, I love the GTO style dash, but it still looks like a 60s car. QUESTION: What do you guys think would be better: 1. A fiberglass dash that bolts onto the dash frame with a little modification of the frame, or... 2. A fiberglass dash that bolts directly to the frame mount points (eliminates frame, lightens the car by about 15lbs) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tooquick260 Posted May 25, 2013 Share Posted May 25, 2013 Bolts directly into the frame would be great. How is this going ? Have you finished or made head way Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zekialstone Posted April 5, 2014 Share Posted April 5, 2014 I guess he gave up on the project lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom Posted April 10, 2014 Share Posted April 10, 2014 Your stock heater will be plenty for where you live. Mine is more than sufficient for up here in WA. The issue you will have is AC. The original Z AC's are insufficient and the controls are not configured to allow you to run the AC with the defroster. Simple fix but has to be thought through. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Six_Shooter Posted April 12, 2014 Share Posted April 12, 2014 I've seen a number of modern dash swaps in S30s, including several 240SX dash swaps, R33 dash swap (In the White Common Snapper Z), there was a 350Z dash swap in a silver S30, that had many other (questionable) changes, along with a few others that slip my mind on the specifics. While I like the way the 240SX and R33 dash swaps flowed, I just can't find a better looking dash than the original 240Z dash. I did have a plan at one time to make a custom dash, but other than one design, that was basically a Volvo P1900 dash, I couldn't come up with anything that suited the car better than the stock dash. Getting a MINT 240Z dash also helped sway me away from building the custom dash too. lol I do hear you on the radio thing, while I'm not a fan of double din radios, especially in small interior cars (they just look unproportional), it would have been nice if the radio position could allow for a fold out. The only fold out that I can see working is a Kenwood with the "Z mechanism" if they still use that. It was very adjustable, and would likely work. White common Snapper Z dash (R33): 350Z dash swap: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.