Custom Diy 60Mm Gauge Holder

[sky017]

so i thought id venture down the road of making a custom gauge holder and going the extra mile for once , rather then buying a twin pod pillar holder and have to worry about another reason to get defected. I took a lark with this ruining my air con vents and possibly having to buy a new fascia if things didn't go too well lol.

but to my luck and skill i managed to conjure up this gauge holder , which i now can fit 3 x 60mm gauges comfortably .

procedure : basically i removed the vent and cut out existing plastic in the center . I then grabbed 3 lids off of some spray can bottles , which were perfect to fit my 60mm gauges . i positioned the lids as i desired , and glued them in with some poxy over night to keep position . the gauges fit perfectly in the vent without any cutting .

once everything is dry i covered the back of the fascia / cups with some packaging tape ( which prepares for the spray of foam) basically i just filled the vent in with foam which drys and forms my substrate.

from then i used a dremil to shape the foam into my desired look . then the shit part comes into play , butter the foam with a good layer of filler/bog , shape the curves as best i could so i have less sanding . once dry basically spend my time with a dremil flattening the filler and shaping it so it is easy to sand . now an hour of good sanding .

finally on to spray , i packed it up with a few layers of thick 2k primer , and repeated a few light 400 grit sands in between coats . i chose to spray it gloss black with 2k .

I'm pretty impressed with my results , and i have no dicky gauge holder sitting on the dash or any pod pillars obstructing vision .

Edited August 14, 2012 by sky017

[34GeeTeeTee]

Nice work

[D.I.Y. Mik]

Im pretty impressed too...

Love it, concept and finish.

[CLNSKY]

Looks great mate!

[sky017]

thanks guys , good to see some appreciate the work

[UWISSH!]

That's mad, great work.

Now just make it in carbon n send it to me

[Adz2332]

haha feel like making any more!?

[Carbon 34]

Nice work looks quality

[sky017]

haha if the price is right . it definitly was a few good hours work in building the substrate .

[Carbon 34]

That's mad, great work.

Now just make it in carbon n send it to me

Lol no prob it would take a day to make out of carbon , did my gtt already ditched the cig and ashtray for 3 gauges out of carbon flush fit like a iphone screen and my in dash pop up tv was 5.6" now its a carbon fiber 8" wide screen and lots of other carbon goodness , photos will be posted after magazine shoot

[666DAN]

Space Invader is fantastic for fabrication But you're right with the 'buttering' technique being a bitch. It's good when you can get away with less organic shapes and just go for sheet metal cladding.

[1300]

Lol no prob it would take a day to make out of carbon , did my gtt already ditched the cig and ashtray for 3 gauges out of carbon flush fit like a iphone screen and my in dash pop up tv was 5.6" now its a carbon fiber 8" wide screen and lots of other carbon goodness , photos will be posted after magazine shoot

Have you had the shoot, would love to see photos!!!!

[30three]

That's awesome mate, well done. I really like it. Wish I wasn't such a lazy prick and done this.

[drifta1600]

Hi all.

I loved this idea soo much, I decided to copy it. heres a few picss of my version, its a little different. I used pvc fittings for the gauge holders, and the all angled towards the driver, but all in a line ..... if ya know what I mean. I used expander foam and body filler, just the same as you did, worked great. if the bog is to thin though, the foam makes it a little soft underneath, so id say, use the foam only to hold things in place, then mostly bog for the shaping. any way, have a look Thanks heaps for the idea!

[colourclassic]

That looks sweet! Only wish you could replicate the original orange peel finish, not a fan of gloss. Maybe some VHT wrinkle finish satin black would work.

[drifta1600]

That looks sweet! Only wish you could replicate the original orange peel finish, not a fan of gloss. Maybe some VHT wrinkle finish satin black would work.

yer, would be nice to get it looking original. ive used satin. Ill probly trt and vinyl wrap it soon, in something similar to original. the orginal paint is crap as, just rubs off ay?