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Custom Fiberglass dash progress.


Guest Aguyandaredhead

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Guest Aguyandaredhead

Just wanted to post up a few pics of the dash I am currently fabing up. Decided to either paint body color or overlay in carbon fiber, but I am about 150hrs away from that decision. Started over the long weekend and have about 25hrs into it so far. If you have any ideas lay them on me. I mean about the design, I have the fabrication methods down so no need to comment on that. I will try and keep updates going but I am working in spurts depending on available time. There will be a 8" touchscreen and a XP pc in the car as I have a Haltech E11v2 for standalone managenent so the tuning on the fly will be done on the touch screen as well as all navigation and audio.

 

Let me have it. likes dislikes.

 

Jeff

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Guest 280ZForce

looks like a h*ll of a lot of work, but i'm sure it will to out excellent. cant wait to see it covered w/ cloth to give it some shape. *kudos* on the effort so far

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That does look nice! So youll have like a built in laptop in the dash that will continually run so you get instant tuning? Will you be able to go from different modes, economy, race, drag, etc. Pretty neat I dont think I could get all the fancy equipment working, and the maintain it.

 

Will it be wired to the speakers?---- "Danger Manifold, Danger Manifold!!!" "Shut up!!" JK

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I like it a lot. I've been planning mine, but I like the way you've made the center console more predominant, bisecting the dash. Consider that look yoinked. Also, pvc tubing for gauges ... hmmmm

 

Have you thought about dash vents from a Matrix or Scion dash, they're round, small, and easily adjustable.

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Guest Aguyandaredhead

Yes I will have a PC in the car 24/7, it is a purpose built incar unit that is made to handle the day to day use in a car and so forth. The monitor is a touch screen and it will function as a mouse and keyboard as well. It is not a modified laptop it is more like a desktop that is micro size for 12v use.

 

 

it just happened that the PVC I found is a perfect fit for the gauges, Keeping me from having to cut out several rings. I guess I was just trying to save a few Hrs. in a long process.

 

Jeff

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Guest Aguyandaredhead

Yes Mario, I am familure with Mini-box. I plan on buying a few items there. It will be a mini ITX style pc. I was planing on using a Xenarc 10.2"ws but I just cant make room for that and it look right. So I decided on the 8" touch screen instead.

 

I am amazed at the posts I have gotten for replys I figured there were too many purists as far as the old school look for the interior here. seems most like it. it has been sorta slow on the replys however which does suprise me because of all the usual posts about a new dash on this site. Well I better quit typing and get back to the fab of the dash I only have 12 days and counting befor I have to start on new door panels andthere I only have a week to get it done before the car is off to paint Jail.

 

Thanks for the input.

Jeff

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Hmm, I would run as big as a display as possible.

 

I've run a Lilliput 7in touchscreen (yes... cheapest of the cheap) and there's no way I can/would use it in an automotive application, especially to tune.

 

I want to do the same with one of my cars eventually, i've got a few mini-itx motherboards and lots of laptop parts to make a very small PC. I'm also thinking about rewiring or hacking a small external numpad and trackball mouse to put in the center console to facilitate data entry and MP3/GPS usage.

 

Good luck, can't wait to see some progress!

Mario

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  • 3 weeks later...
Guest Aguyandaredhead

OK after a week off due to being out of town at a trade show I finally got back to it. For those of you watching this thread sorry for the fuzzy pics, the photos are off my Motorola Sliver L7. This thing takes crappy pictures. Well the first few pics show the rest of the bones for the structure, you can notice the inserts that are removeable that I thought it needed to break up the dash and give it some contrast. I will remove them to fiberglass the dash and then trim this section out to make room for them. I will either paint them body color if I decide to do the main body of the dash in a Carbon Fiber overlay, or I will do them in Carbon Fiber if I decide to paint the dash the body color. Or hell maybe I will wrap the entire dash in black Suede. I have not made this decision yet. The area on the pass side that looks flat is just slightly flat and will be rounded with rage gold filler upon final sanding. It is a very slight flat spot on the upper and lower section.

 

You can see that I made a rabbit for the factory trim to mate up to, being careful to leave enough space for material build-up. I am out of MEK so the first soak of the material in resin will have to wait untill Monday. After that I will start laying it up with small sections of fiberglass mat that I tear into small pieces. Once I have built up about 3 layers (more would be better but I am trying to keep weight down) then I will spread a very even layer of Dyna Hair over that. All this goes on and cure's fully before you can remove it from the car as it will warp if you remove it and it is not bolted in as it will be in the car.

 

Ok enough typing here are a few poor pics.

 

Jeff

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looks nice! i have an 10.4" lilliput in my 260z which is just plugged into a laptop that sites behind/under the passenger seat, and have it for the same sorts of reasons you're going to have yours, just i don't have any of the engine stuff atm, just entertainment, and probably gps soon for if i ever need it

 

i went for a 10" lilliput that just does 800X600 instead of the 1024X768 one just as with that high a res everything would be way to hard to touch on the screen since the front ends out there aren't made for that sort of res, and also the extra $$, however the screen must now have a loose connection in it as it sometimes goes all green, but tapping it seems to make it work for now :s so yeah lilliputs aren't the best...but they work?

 

my only suggestion would be to have another form of input such as a hacked up joystick/touchpad etc, or another way to get a few buttons as there's times where you really need to do something without looking, or there is to much light on the screen to see and its to hard to try to block it while driving! also at night having such a large screen lights up EVERYTHING, where as a 7" widescreen i think would be a nice size for most cars, however i wanted something that filled up the gap nicely, and i haven't yet moulded it into the dash as i didn't want to void the warranty, i need somewhere for the air to come out, and i haven't been bothered

 

dash_274.jpg

 

drivers_seat_206.jpg

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I wonder if there is a way to wire up a laptop into some amps and speakers and just use winamp as a stereo. Now THAT would be cool! No tuner but Im sure thats not hard to fix as well. Maybe build a nano size computer instead of a laptop. Ahhhh, the possibilities are endless!

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Guest Aguyandaredhead

THis is possible, I will not have a traditional head unit unless after completion there is a sound quality issue. There will be a touch screen keyboard and also a bluetooth one with integrated mouse that can be used. I am also looking into flushing a trackball mouse into the console. The mini setup you are refering to is called a ITX case.

 

I will be applying first coat of resin tomorrow so I should have first pics of Glass in the next few days.

 

 

Jeff

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