OlderThanMe Posted July 15, 2006 Share Posted July 15, 2006 I have a few options for covering my aluminium dashboard. I tried driving around with it uncovered but that is pretty insane at about 6-7 in the evening as it reflects through the passenger window and off the aluminium and into my face. I want to cover it and it look nice but be able to remove the covering for shows etc. Attached is a pic of the dash covered in black felt and my center cover piece. The center piece is to hold down any fabric so that it stays tight. I have also thought about using oiled dark brown "tool" leather. The felt will be hard to clean I think. The leather can be re-oiled to keep it protected from the sun plus it has a nice smell. I may end up making several covers so I can change the look in just a few minutes. I will be using a 3"x10" Dakota Digital guage cluster behind the steering wheel. Here is a pic of the bare dash Ideas, comments, questions? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lunar240z Posted July 15, 2006 Share Posted July 15, 2006 i had an idea to use a half cap just on the top, sice thats where most of the glare is coming from correct? and since yours is flat it'll be easy. get some fiberboard, some thin foam and some leather, mount the leather to the foam and wrap the fiberboard, and staple it on the opposite side. not sure how to mount it to the dash though. steal some clips from the interior doglegs or door panels maybe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMortensen Posted July 15, 2006 Share Posted July 15, 2006 Crinkle paint. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OlderThanMe Posted July 15, 2006 Author Share Posted July 15, 2006 Unfortunately the face is angled back at just the right angle (30 degrees) that the face and top both reflect. The top just reflects on the windshield making it impossible to see out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OlderThanMe Posted July 15, 2006 Author Share Posted July 15, 2006 crinkle is a good idea but I want the cover to be removable... *edit* is there crinkle coat powdercoating? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lunar240z Posted July 15, 2006 Share Posted July 15, 2006 yes there is http://www.eastwoodco.com/shopping/product/detailmain.jsp?itemID=36&itemType=PRODUCT&iMainCat=844&iSubCat=846&iProductID=36 you dont have to make a half cover either, you could make a full one. maybe attach it with magnets, [and because aluminum isn't magnetic, epoxy some to the inside of the dash. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OlderThanMe Posted July 16, 2006 Author Share Posted July 16, 2006 hmm... that is a good idea Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
660Z Posted July 16, 2006 Share Posted July 16, 2006 Orange shag carpeting! And a disco ball to hang from the mirror... HOOOT HOOT RAISE THE ROOF!!!!... HOOOT HOOT RAISE THE ROOF!!!! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OlderThanMe Posted July 16, 2006 Author Share Posted July 16, 2006 I was actually contemplating using black shag carpet as a headliner...a long time ago... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbk240z Posted July 16, 2006 Share Posted July 16, 2006 I was actually contemplating using black shag carpet as a headliner...a long time ago... I think someone has watched Saturday Night Fever one too many times..........lol j/k! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twoeightythreez Posted July 16, 2006 Share Posted July 16, 2006 Why not paint it flat black? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kennysgreen280zt Posted July 16, 2006 Share Posted July 16, 2006 I say get some fake aligator skin, they have material that looks like it.... or you could use something more normal. ok so you could use some velcro to attach it. It would be removable to show off the aluminum dash, and would block the reflection when its installed. The velcro should be strong enough if you used like a 1/2" strip around the edge of the dash. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jackhammer Posted July 16, 2006 Share Posted July 16, 2006 Here is an interesting product. It comes in a clear and can be used over a color or on the aluminum. Depending on mixing and how it is applied you can give it different feels. They say it is not for private use etc... but I bought a quart of it for less than $100.00 with shipping. Check out some of the other paint products and films they make. Some pretty neat stuff. http://alsacorp.com/products/softtouch/softtouch.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
veritech-z Posted July 17, 2006 Share Posted July 17, 2006 Why don't you use like a scotch brite pad to take the shine off the aluminum and make it a dull finish? or get a cookie wheel on a drill and do the swirl finish all over the whole thing? Then you could get some candy paint and put a tint on it, that would look pretty cool depending on what color you chose. My vote is for wrinkle finish. You could always get some camo netting so it will match your roll-on camo paint... that whole back and forth about the shag reminds me of when I first got my car and had just stripped out the interior. A friend of mine had a z that he talked about but nobody had ever seen before. He asked what I was going to do for carpet, and I said I was going to get astroturf to put down. He got quiet, and was like: "you know i've got that in my car, right?" I said:"BS!" He brought in pictures, and I eventually saw it with my own eyes. Sure enough, my man had blue indoor/outdoor carpet for his interior....I was just trying to pick the craziest material I could think of, and evidently it was what he had thought of too... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavyZ Posted July 17, 2006 Share Posted July 17, 2006 Why don't you use like a scotch brite pad to take the shine off the aluminum and make it a dull finish? Bingo!. Car Craft just had an article last month that included lightly sanding or scuffing aluminum shiny parts to give them a unique, muted 'shine' that keeps people looking at it! They said a Scotchbrite pad was the thing to use. I don't remember the details offhand, but if you intend to go that way and want more info, I'll go look it up; just PM me. Davy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RB26powered74zcar Posted July 17, 2006 Share Posted July 17, 2006 Bingo!. Car Craft just had an article last month that included lightly sanding or scuffing aluminum shiny parts to give them a unique' date=' muted 'shine' that keeps people looking at it! They said a Scotchbrite pad was the thing to use. I don't remember the details offhand, but if you intend to go that way and want more info, I'll go look it up; just PM me. Davy[/quote'] I was thinking on doing that to my new CCW wheels to get rid of the "polished lip" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
veritech-z Posted July 17, 2006 Share Posted July 17, 2006 I got that idea from watching one of those bike build-off shows on discovery. Exile choppers does that to all their chrome by hand to make it look satin finish, that way it matches the flat black they always use. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaleMX Posted July 18, 2006 Share Posted July 18, 2006 I say Hard Anodize it the color of your choice. I have a small setup for anodizing at work and it's really not that hard but its a really hard matte surface that would be awesome in the Z. Do a google on anodizing aluminum. I use 10% H2S04 that I cool to 40 degrees with 2 aluminum cathodes and a 50 amp rectifier. You can do the same with a double boiler setup using garbage cans, Ice and a car battery or charger. Maybe if Z dreamland was close enough you could use my setup, you would just have to get some dye and a container large enough for the dash. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cygnusx1 Posted July 18, 2006 Share Posted July 18, 2006 My vote is for black suede stitched at the seam. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OlderThanMe Posted July 23, 2006 Author Share Posted July 23, 2006 Just got back from a trip to the mountains. Thanks for the replies guys! the scuffed would be nice and I may do that but I wil still need to cover it because of the face angle of the dash. I think the dash is too large to anodize effectively. I may get the little cover piece that goes over the center of whatever covering material anodized or powdercoated. I have a few ideas bouncing around. I may get a hybridZ logo powdercoated onto the center piece. That would be pretty cool. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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