Guest 400 ci 280z Posted January 16, 2002 Share Posted January 16, 2002 my 280z dash is cracked like crazy and was wondering if anybody knows how hard it would be to make a fiberglass dash. i was going to put one of the covers on there but i read in another thread that they crack fairly easy. also i am thinking about doing the console the same way because some one took a hacksaw to it to make some room. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted January 16, 2002 Share Posted January 16, 2002 i was thinking of using carbon fiber, just don't feel like taking the dash out! a cover would be much easier...but anything is possible...a complete dash would be a pain. i'm sure someone here has the know-how to do this...not me! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 400 ci 280z Posted January 17, 2002 Share Posted January 17, 2002 i already have the dash out but i am wondering what the best way to make a mold is also Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted January 18, 2002 Share Posted January 18, 2002 There are kit car makers that make a fiberglass dash cover for their Ferrari 250 GTO that is based on platform of a 1st generation Z. Thunder Ranch,Stable Auto Works, and Vello Rossa.. Search for : Ferrari 250 GTO replica and you should find them easily. Apparently Vella Rossa and Stable Auto works is under new management But Mr. McBurnie at Thunder Ranch has been around a long time. One of the websites on the GTO replica (search) details installing a dash on a Vella Rossa that made the magazine cover of a kit car magazine.You may have to e-mail the prospective dealers to obtain a price quote. Let us know what you find out since the GTO places the Datsun guages in front of the steering wheel and is an improvement Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 400 ci 280z Posted January 18, 2002 Share Posted January 18, 2002 i dont exactly want to buy one. i was just trying to fing the best way to make a mold. does anyone have any tips. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Locutus Posted January 18, 2002 Share Posted January 18, 2002 The Vello Rossa kit is made by John Washington and I have is Alpha Dash. It is a nice deal but it does not go easily onto an early model dash. it is made for the later style. This is not a stock replacement dash it doesn't even look close to the same it is meant for those who want an Italian design look to thier dash. All the gauges are centered in front of the driver. If you want something different then I would recomend this if you want the Z styling of the orginal dash then those dashes are not what you are looking for. Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 400 ci 280z Posted January 18, 2002 Share Posted January 18, 2002 i want the dash out of the 280z but i dont want to buy the cover or buy a new dash. i want to mold the 280z dash and make a fiberglass dash. i need to know the best way to mold this dash that i have that is cracked. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted January 19, 2002 Share Posted January 19, 2002 Hey i was thinking the same thing before and asked around. If you can get a large peice or pieces of styrofoam use that for a mold. YOu cut it to the shape you want, mold over it, scrape/disolve the foam. You could use your dash as a model to shape or even use it as part of the mold. You can do "bodywork" on a dash to make it flat again and go from there. When I talked to my shop he said the bodywork first then lay the cap on or it won't lay down nice. This help? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted January 19, 2002 Share Posted January 19, 2002 Thats what I was going to suggest. The mold must have a perfect copy of what your looking to reproduce. So yeah, you'll need to use fillers for the cracks, maybe a bit of bondo or whatever to get the surface smooth. You'll then want to paint or get the surface covered with something so the mold will not stick to it. smooth paint with mold release will do the job. The mold media will probably have to be like plaster or something like that, I can't tell you because I've never pulled a mold. Once the mold is poured and dried, the original are removed. The mold is checked for flaws and they are fixed if any are found. It would probably need gel coat sprayed first, probably some loose fiberglass in the hard to get at corners and such, mat would probably be layed after that, maybe two layers. Thats just a brief overview, I wish I could remember which magazine, but just recently some rod mag did an article on plaster molding. In closing I wish you luck, and if you turn out a product please shoot us a picture to see the result. Regards, Lone Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 400 ci 280z Posted January 19, 2002 Share Posted January 19, 2002 thanks guys for the info. also if you have more just e-mail it to me or post it if you wouldnt mind racerx. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 400 ci 280z Posted January 19, 2002 Share Posted January 19, 2002 also could you just fix the cracks and put mold release on the original dash. then lay several layers on that to make the mold? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 400 ci 280z Posted January 19, 2002 Share Posted January 19, 2002 dont worry you have not confused me. when i said i was going to add layers i was talking about fiberglass. i was going to use several layers of 2oz. glass then go to higher ounce stuff. thanks alot for the help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Locutus Posted January 20, 2002 Share Posted January 20, 2002 If you make a mold of the dash, when you are done all you will have is essentially the outer layer of the dash. if you look at the dash in your car it is about 1 inch think. It is Vinyl over a foam that has mounting points that attach to the steel skeleton underneath. This is not as big a problem as you might think. You will have to buy some of that expanding foam from Home Depot or Lowes. The stuff for sealing cracks in your walls. You take the fiberglass shell attach it to the skeleton with sheet metal screws. The screws should be used in hidden places like under the vent guard at the top of the dash towards the windshield and on the bottom of the dash where it isn't seen in normal viewing(this doesn't include your girlfriend on a hot date at lovers lane). Once it is mounted to the skeleton slowly fill in the spaces with the foam. Remember this stuff expands 10 times its initial size. If you add to much it will bow the fiberglass and you will have to start over. If you are careful when you are done it will be a soild replica of the orginal dash. Just to keep everything on the up and up, this is basically the intructions I recieved from John Washington for use with his Alpha dash replacement. It is a fiberglass dash that uses the orginal steel skeleton. Unless you are just damned and determined to have a datsun looking dash, I highly recomend his dash replacements they are affordable and easy to work with. Last I heard they were only for 260's and 280's though I know of at least one person that adapted it to fit a 240 dash. Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 400 ci 280z Posted January 20, 2002 Share Posted January 20, 2002 i kind of want to make my own for some reason. i was going make fiberglass blocks to put over the origanal screw holes and then fill in with the foam. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted January 20, 2002 Share Posted January 20, 2002 I'm peeling the old cover off and just going to re-cover the original frame with glass and then gel-coat. Still looks factory style but can be modified wtih later model controls and guages. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 400 ci 280z Posted January 20, 2002 Share Posted January 20, 2002 does anyone have any other tips or suggestions? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavyZ Posted January 21, 2002 Share Posted January 21, 2002 Yes, I have a suggestion: Don't throw away the dash, but fill in the cracks with Bondo or whatever and then overlay the dash with carbon fiber. There is an article about CF at http://www.bryanf.com/info/carbon2.htm and look at the overlayed dash--that would be a trick way to go and it would NEVER crack. I would first practice on something else first, then do the dash. Buy some books on the subject as well. Good luck. Davy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 400 ci 280z Posted January 22, 2002 Share Posted January 22, 2002 well i dont think i will make a real sturdy mold because i found out how much supplies were. i will most likely do about 2 layers of mat then put on some 24 ounce stuff to make it sturdy. but if someone else might want one later on i will probaly make it stronger. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted January 24, 2002 Share Posted January 24, 2002 ..i dont know..sounds real labor intensive to me...i have a coverlay dash cover($80)...theyre pretty tough...you can buy a new "real" dash for $6-700 and you'll prbly have much more than that in fiberglass,styrofoam,sandpaper and pigment...and unless your time's worth no more than $0.50 an hr it'll be a whole lot more..theres a lot of screws that go into the dash..mounting gauges,switches,and the braces etc will be rough...you could get a dash overlay and fiberglass the underneath side of it...but it really dont need it...but if it does crack.... pull it off and in 2hrs you can have another one on it...theyre made to be put on w/o removing the old dash.....s Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Posted January 24, 2002 Share Posted January 24, 2002 Sorry to get in late on this thread, but I thought I would throw in my .02 worth. Due to the complex shape of the dash you will not be able to use a fiberglass mold. For example all of the different angles and recesses would simply lock the new part in the mold permanently. What we do in these situations is use a soft mold made of urethane or silicone. Once you have the original dash perfectly repaired, this is your plug, you then apply the mold release, paint on a thick layer of your soft material and back that up with a fiberglass "mother mold". The trick to the mother mold is that it will have to be layed up in sections with built in flanges. When you go to demold your part you will remove the mother mold in sections and then peel away your silicone or urethane. I'm not sure if I've explained this process very well, so feel free to ask questions. The one draw back to this is how expensive the materials are. Good luck with your project. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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