14 replies to this topic

[Jackmorton]

As the title i am wanting to make a fibreglass dash by myself just for it to be abit diffrent. But not sure what Fibre glass it neeeded.

Is it all the same ?

Anyone got a rough idea how much i will neeed ?

I was looking as this fibreglass kit.http://www.ebay.co.u...=item27bf7438a1 Is it right ?

many thanks , Jack

[M_Brown_Mini]

Before thinking about the materials, you need a mould.
Once you have a mould, you can work out roughly how much you need.

The materials you've linked to should be suitable.
A good place to look would be carbon mods.
http://www.carbonmod...uk/Default.aspx

They mainly sell carbon fibre products however they also sell kevlar and fibreglass.
Have a look at there mould making kits and the videos, and then works out what materials you want.

To build a dash, you will need a large mould.

[Jackmorton]

Before thinking about the materials, you need a mould.
Once you have a mould, you can work out roughly how much you need.

The materials you've linked to should be suitable.
A good place to look would be carbon mods.
http://www.carbonmod...uk/Default.aspx

They mainly sell carbon fibre products however they also sell kevlar and fibreglass.
Have a look at there mould making kits and the videos, and then works out what materials you want.

To build a dash, you will need a large mould.

i dont think i need a mold as i was going to make it flat from the top dashrail and slope down to the bottom one with 3 clocks in the middle with the bottom set into the dash and the top out abit so that clocks are level. So i was going to masc of the area between the top and bottom rails and build up ontop of that as i'm almost certain ive seeen it done like that somewhere before.

[M_Brown_Mini]

That should work i guess.

One other way you could do it would be to make a dash identical to the one you want, but out of wood.
Once you have this, take a mould of it, and then apply the fibreglass to the mould.

This way, you have a mould that you can re-use and you will have a smooth front to the dash.

Your method should work, but it is unlikely that you would get a smooth finish without a lot of filler work and sanding.

Edited by M_Brown_Mini, 03 January 2012 - 10:54 PM.

[JustSteve]

M_Brown_Mini's way is how I plan on making a dash in the not to distant future

[M_Brown_Mini]

M_Brown_Mini's way is how I plan on making a dash in the not to distant future

Was planning on doing one for my mini.
Probably carbon fibre though.

[JustSteve]

M_Brown_Mini's way is how I plan on making a dash in the not to distant future

Was planning on doing one for my mini.
Probably carbon fibre though.

Carbon fibre's too bling for me... I'm thinking a charcoal suede and cream leatherette Not sure how it'l look, but I can give it a shot

[M_Brown_Mini]

M_Brown_Mini's way is how I plan on making a dash in the not to distant future

Was planning on doing one for my mini.
Probably carbon fibre though.

Carbon fibre's too bling for me... I'm thinking a charcoal suede and cream leatherette Not sure how it'l look, but I can give it a shot

Just wanted it for the weight saving.

[JustSteve]

M_Brown_Mini's way is how I plan on making a dash in the not to distant future

Was planning on doing one for my mini.
Probably carbon fibre though.

Carbon fibre's too bling for me... I'm thinking a charcoal suede and cream leatherette Not sure how it'l look, but I can give it a shot

Just wanted it for the weight saving.

I'm assuming you're quite knowledgeable in fibre products... do you know what the difference in weight is between glass and carbon?

[M_Brown_Mini]

M_Brown_Mini's way is how I plan on making a dash in the not to distant future

Was planning on doing one for my mini.
Probably carbon fibre though.

Carbon fibre's too bling for me... I'm thinking a charcoal suede and cream leatherette Not sure how it'l look, but I can give it a shot

Just wanted it for the weight saving.

I'm assuming you're quite knowledgeable in fibre products... do you know what the difference in weight is between glass and carbon?

Not off the top of my head, but i'll try to find out.

Edited by M_Brown_Mini, 04 January 2012 - 12:01 AM.

[M_Brown_Mini]

M_Brown_Mini's way is how I plan on making a dash in the not to distant future

Was planning on doing one for my mini.
Probably carbon fibre though.

Carbon fibre's too bling for me... I'm thinking a charcoal suede and cream leatherette Not sure how it'l look, but I can give it a shot

Just wanted it for the weight saving.

I'm assuming you're quite knowledgeable in fibre products... do you know what the difference in weight is between glass and carbon?

Not off the top of my head, but i'll try to find out.

I think its about a third.

[ibrooks]

The weight difference between CF and Fibreglass is almost nothing - the difference is in the strength of two pieces of the same weight and for a dashboard that's not an issue (if you're trying to save weight to that degree then simply don't have a dash). CF only works properly with the correct resins which ideally need to be compressed and oven cured whereas the polyester resins used normally for fibreglass can be cured in open air.

For making a dash the way you are talking about you may be better using fleece as the substrate. Stretch it over a frame to give it the shape you are after and then soak it with resin and allow to cure. You can make the shape you want from chicken wire and then drape almost any fabric over it for a dashboard where strength isn't a big issue. A thin top-coat of resin once the first one has cured will give you a surface to sand smooth. For ultimate weight saving you would then make a mould from this and create a second dash without the frame (or a minimal frame if necessary) and using laminateed sheets of FG matting rather than fleece and/or chicken wire but it's not absolutely necessary unless you are taking it to the nth degree. You would likely use gel-coat on this second dash which should give a reasonable finish. If the gel-coat isn't good enough or you simply use the prototype then either paint it or cover with your desired finish (leather/leatherette/vinyl wrap/flock). I have a FG dash that I'm going to paint with a textured paint so it'll look vaguely like leather grain (stonechip can give a similar looking finish too).

That kit seems a little expensive for the quantities but then I usually buy the resin by the gallon from a wholesaler. If you were to buy the same value of resin and half of it goes off before you've used it then there isn't any real saving.

Iain

[Jackmorton]

Thanks for the advice guys. I'l look into it abit more in the next couple of days :)

[screech]

I always get my fibreglass products from here .... http://www.cfsnet.co.uk/

Hope this helps.

[AndyR]

Just to add my 2 pennys

I would not use chopped strand mat, it is very messy and difficult to get a flat/smooth surface if you are using a positive mould - especially if you have not used it before. If it were me i would use wove glass fabric - its slightly more expensive but you wont have to use that much, probably 4 layers for a dash.

http://www.easycompo...ass-fabric.aspx

It can be cut to lengths easily and layed flat easily. It will give a nice flat and fairly smooth finish off the bat, and it wont fly into the air like the chopped mat will. Most importantly - you wont have to use so much resin to saturate the fibres, which ultimately will reduce weight, improve strength and reduce the thickness of the final product.

The method you suggested for making the dash is not ideal - masking tape is not rigid enough to hold the weight of wet fibreglass, it will sag in the middle and you will not have a nice flat dash. As M_Brown_Mini suggests, i would use a piece of MDF to make the bridge and then just cover that with PVA tape to prevent the fibreglass sticking.

Also, use epoxy resin. The polyester in your kit will probably go off in 15 mins and that wont give you very much time to work with your part. Epoxy will take about an hour to harden with a 40 min working time, and will have a self leveling effect. If you dont want to use epoxy you may be able to look around for a slow cure acrylic - and you will be able to make adjustments after it has cured by heating with a heat gun.

Hope this is of some help

Andy