Young Beastly Posted April 12, 2009 Share Posted April 12, 2009 i am about to try and make a fiberglass dash for my Z. i was thinking of spraying something on the old one and using it as a form, or maybe designing a new one. my first question would be what could i spray on my current dash to make it into a male style mold? second would be the easiest way to mount the dash, i want to make it a total of 6 bolts to keep the whole thing in place. if anybody has any advice or prior experience, i would appreciate some help Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hoov100 Posted April 12, 2009 Share Posted April 12, 2009 you know they sell fiberglass dash's right? as for the bolts 2 on the bottom and 4 on top would work, but you still have the screws that hold the cover on the top. i would recommend the fiberglass dash and Zeus fasteners as that would be the most simple and less time consuming then trying to make a custom doo-hickey dash out of the stock one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zzeal Posted April 12, 2009 Share Posted April 12, 2009 You might find a similar outfit on your end of the country but this company, http://www.fibreglast.com is in Ohio, is excellent to deal with, and has the mould release you're asking for. (13-pva release film). Wax the dash first and start with a lighter (2 oz.) fabric, it'll will conform to all the contours. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Young Beastly Posted April 12, 2009 Author Share Posted April 12, 2009 thanks guys i appreciate it. this seems like its going to be fun and the stock dash weighs a TON. i had no idea that there was an entire steel sheetmetal structure under the factory dash, probably for deflecting bullets or something:mrgreen:. i would buy a pre made dash, but: 1) i have the skill and knowledge to make my own 2) $$$ 3) i can tweak the one that i make to my liking 4) $$$ 5) $$$ by the way happy easter, but more importantly happy MotoGP season, which started today. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Young Beastly Posted April 12, 2009 Author Share Posted April 12, 2009 i looked up fibreglast and they definitely know what they are doing. i heard aircraftspruce does good work too has anyone ordered through them? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hoov100 Posted April 12, 2009 Share Posted April 12, 2009 also take some bondo and fill in the cracks and then smooth it, if its a good enough dash wanna make another one and sell it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AkumaNoZeta Posted April 12, 2009 Share Posted April 12, 2009 I always thought if you gutted the factory dash it would weigh just as much, or maybe a tiny bit more than a fiberglass one, is this not the case? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hoov100 Posted April 12, 2009 Share Posted April 12, 2009 the problem is, there is the black dash pad is secured to a heavy metal frame which is what attaches it to the body. now you can ditch the dash pad and run the frame only but its uglier then hell. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AkumaNoZeta Posted April 12, 2009 Share Posted April 12, 2009 My dash has one of those covers glued on it over the old cracked one, previous owner installed it. I cant just cut out the metal frame and somehow just bolt the plastic dash to the car? I haven't looked under the dash or anything, and never taken a dash out of any car so forgive my lack of knowledge in this department. Is the metal frame a neccessity if keeping HVAC? Can the HVAC be put into the fiberglass dash without a frame? I'm sure guages are light enough to just be held up by the figerglass/plastic, right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MoNkEyT88 Posted April 13, 2009 Share Posted April 13, 2009 To start making the plug and smooth it out, I would spray on a tooling gel coat. Then you can use buffing compound and get a really nice surface. Then make your 3 to 4 piece mold. That's where the fun starts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
b0bnuts Posted June 16, 2009 Share Posted June 16, 2009 Is the metal frame a neccessity if keeping HVAC? Can the HVAC be put into the fiberglass dash without a frame? I'm sure guages are light enough to just be held up by the figerglass/plastic, right? Unfortunately, the metal frame holds the hvac controls Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nelsonian Posted June 17, 2009 Share Posted June 17, 2009 Any updates on this project? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2Zowner Posted June 17, 2009 Share Posted June 17, 2009 I have a dash mold being made on the S30 280z dash and will be doing a 240z dash next. I will be offing them in Carbon Fiber. I will post pics when they are finished and will be offing them forsale sometime this fall...just in time for Xmas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
b0bnuts Posted July 10, 2009 Share Posted July 10, 2009 would you happen to know the size bolts that bolt the dash to the body of the car? I do not have the original bolts and it's been difficult testing different sizes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crimsin Posted July 11, 2009 Share Posted July 11, 2009 2zowner, you can count me in for buying one Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ModernS30 Posted July 11, 2009 Share Posted July 11, 2009 My dash will be make of sheet aluminum, easy, really light, weld a couple tabs and Zeus it in. It doesn't basically you cut it to fit around the curve, bend it where you like it to go down, you can make a console piece as well, probably even manage to fit ac and radio components if you wish. You just have to make the mounts. Hole saw for your gauge holes, nice, clean, race car sorta look. 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.