Fiberglassing Dash

[Flash89]

hey hey peeps

i have pulled out the dash out of my 180sx, and it has the usual cracks and stuff. i have been thinking of laying some fiberglass over it and while i am at it have my gauges molded in

just wondering what the go with this, i have notice that there is a layer of foam under the vinyl so i was thinking of just cracking off all the vinyl and just soaking some resin and a layer of mat on top of the foam

also been thinking of getting it carbon fiber if possible

im not trying to get a show effect here just neat as this is my drift car

thanks all

[Pezhead]

Check out this site: Fibreglass Forums

You have to sign up to get into the forums and see the pics but it's well worth it. Plenty of good inforamtion in there. I did a lot of reading before I tackeled my Carbon over Fibreglass front lip project.

[dasic1]

Just go over the top. It will save a lot of hassle

[Craved]

test it out, alot of foams cannot handle the glassing process, you may need to strip the foam and outer vinyl then lay it over the plastic/board that's below.

[Erelyes]

Have you thought about flocking it? You "might" find the fibreglass is a bit glare-y.

[StevenCJR31]

test it out, alot of foams cannot handle the glassing process, you may need to strip the foam and outer vinyl then lay it over the plastic/board that's below.

^^^yep, i reckon the fibreglass resin will disolve the underlying foam big time

[Flash89]

thinking of painting it matt black when i do it

[Fry_33]

Check out this site: Fibreglass Forums

You have to sign up to get into the forums and see the pics but it's well worth it. Plenty of good inforamtion in there. I did a lot of reading before I tackeled my Carbon over Fibreglass front lip project.

I second this, look up anything done by Nexson. He is very good at making this look OE and perfect (ie lot's of filler and sanding ). Might need to joining the forum to search but well worth it. I do recall going through a massive thread regarding a dash 'upgrade'.. quite ridiculous but still a great display of skills to do what he did.

[_5C077Y_]

Fiberglassing is pretty easy, I'm self taught through forums, videos, trial and error, have made dashes, trims, HEAPS of repairs and even custom body kit parts.

The foam is best to be taken off, can be frustrating to tear off at times but if you slap glass and bog over top you'll have a lot of fitment issues.

The actual shape of the dash under the foam can differ a lot from what you see on top but you can fix all that and shape it how you like with MDF and cloth =)

This is a dash I'm currently making for a mate, nearly ready for primer, filler and final sand before paint =) It is different but yea =P

Also pays to FIX the fiberglass to the actual dash to prevent cracks or movement, for example, rough up the plastic with the roughest sandpaper you can get or drill a few small holes here and there to make an anchoring point and glass a little underneath, or even rivets or flat headed screws.

[Silvia GTR]

Thats looks freaking awesome dude!! I'm self taught too, but I havent made anything custom. I want to do something like that but in carbon.

[_5C077Y_]

cheers =) I've never looked into carbon or even know how it works but I might have to look into it sometime.

[Pezhead]

Carbon overlay on fibreglass isn't too difficult but you have to use the right epoxy resin and make sure that the curves are subtle. Complex curves require a vacuum pump. Check out the carbon thread on the fibreglassforums.com. You can also check out my carbon lip build thread.

I'm self taught too thanks to some work my dad taught me and those forums.

[Flash89]

im thinking of making it light weight now, any ideas on how to use the dash as the mould? was thinking al foil and some type of mold release to make a fiberglass mold, then the mold release on the inside of the mould then glassing the inside.

if you understand what i mean

[koe]

I was going to do that as well.Just by taking the wrap and foam off exposing the bare plastic of the dash board. Then you can add a layer of carbon fiber. But then I thought about shinny paints don't do well. It could have a massive effect on your vision while driving.

So all I did was made this huge pod until I have the time for visuals.

Edited October 1, 2011 by koe

[Flash89]

a friend gave me the idea of using some sort of fencing/chicken wire and pressing it onto the dash the make the shape of the dash, then using al foil inside the wire then glassing.

im not going to be using any of the air vents so i dont have to worry about the complex shape for them

good idea?