ideas for my fiberglass dash

[corax]

I test fit the dash and found that certain areas had to be trimmed for it to fit properly - all of the trim work was done with a sharp utility knife which made things easier.

The screw holes and edges here . . .

. . . sit on here. See the plastic slot under the screw tab that the dash slides into? I had to sand the fiberglass just a hair thinner than it was to get it to slide in properly


the fiberglass that I originally had wrapped around was cut along this line so the dash will sit on the forward shelf properly

I also had to cut small notches for these clips . . .

. . . . which slide into the dash here


so now that I know the dash fits with the fiberglass on it, it gets one very thin coat of bondo to fill any pin holes or irregularities before final sanding and paint

[Small_words]

Keith. You Rock!!! I'm serious when I say you're my inspiration.

[corax]

Thanks - just kinda bored and unemployed at the moment, trying to find cheap projects to occupy my time
(how stir-crazy do you have to be to take FEMA online training courses just for $4its and giggles?)

[Seanz0rz]

those fema courses are actually pretty good. especially if your job includes safety and response to emergencies, even if those emergencies are small like an injured person. safety is a huge deal for companies

oh and i fricken love the dash. maybe ill try something like that on the vw.

[Small_words]

Two of my friends made the switch from trades to construction safety because they were bored and unemployed. Fewer safety directors than fitters. If you want to spice up your boredom viewing, enjoy OSHA.

http://www.oshacampus.com/

[DHC6twinotter]

Looks great Kieth! I've never done fiberglass work, but I've been contemplating a small project for my 3rd gen.



How did you make that clip pocket?

[corax]

The clip pocket was already there on the metal frame of the dash, I just had to cut an opening for the clip would be able to slide into it

Give it a whirl. The materials aren't so expensive that you'd feel bad making a mess of something - $5 for 8 sq feet of cloth, $20 for 29 oz can of resin. It looks like a lot of people use 1/4 ply for a frame. Hi end speaker boxes are started with poly-fleece stretched over a frame and soaked with resin. There's plenty of opportunity to be creative. Case in point, my favorite custom center console (and if I don't get hired soon, maybe my inspiration):

[corax]

On the 1st gen 4runner, the hardest thing about yanking the dash is taking out the far side passenger vent to get to one of the mounting bolts. One of the quick things I did to make dash removal later easier is break off the locking tab on the dash vents, spring tension from the clip will keep it in place anyway.


3 coats of Rustoleum Hammered and I slid it back into place. It's a bit glossier than I wanted, so I'm gonna live with it for now and I might respray it with dark grey interior paint later - otherwise, the color match came out pretty good

View from the driver's seat

Passenger's side


Since the vents sit recessed in the dash a bit I want to wait 2-3 days for the paint to completely cure before I put them in to avoid scratching the paint.

[Seanz0rz]

to keep the color, cover it with a matte clear coat. you will despise the gloss in a matter of minutes.

thats actually why i dont clean the dust off of mine, keeps the glare down!

nice work though, looks great!

[corax]

Cool, thanks for the tip about the clear coat. I'll pick up a can next time I run by a hardware store