some updated pictures of the install
01-22-2009, 10:30 PM
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some updated pictures of the install here are a few updates. Progress is going a bit slower then I'd like, but considering I'm juggling being very busy with work, and spending time with my 2 year old son, I can't complain.
To recap, this is the progress I've made over the past couple years (there's actually been more, but alot of it was scrapped as I decided to take the car in a different direction).
welded 1/4" steel enclosures for the front speakers:
welded steel frame for the new dash. HVAC and airbags will be retained. In this picture, you can see that I built the frame to go over a modified stock hvac vent assembly, but since then, I've decided to scrap that for a completely custom vent assembly to allow more room for the double din head unit that will be installed. The point of rebuilding the dash was to make it physically smaller, so as not to protrude out as much over the kickpanel speakers, and to have smoother curves and transitions to help prevent unwanted reflections. The dash gives about 2 to 3" more space between it's bottom and the floor, and sticks out about 2" less then stock. The guage cluster bezel also only protrudes off of the guages about 3", instead of the 6 to 7" the stock one does.
grill cloth stretched over the metal dash frame. It will be coated with fiberglass resin to form a base to build up the rest.
next, I built the sides of the dash with 1/4" plastic, and made all of the openings for the guage bezel, head unit and hvac controls with 1/8" plastic. My goal is that no wood is to be used anywhere in the install. Only metal, plastics, and composite materials.
To get to the rough shape of the final dash, I poured 2 part urethane foam over the frame, and cut and sanded it down to shape. The foam is very lightweight, and if the need ever arrises, should provide some decent impact protection if the cars occupants ever meet the dash head on.
the foam is covered with a layer of carbon fiber, and a little bit of body filler to smooth out the final shape
Recently, I finished the final sanding of the dash and wrapped it in vinyl.
here's the finished dash installed it the car after being wrapped in vinyl. I still have to finish the guage bezel and radio/hvac bezel. I'm probably going to paint them in a dark silver. I thought about a bare clearcoated carbon fiber finish, but I had that in my last install and thought it was a bit much.
here's the beginnings of the amp rack frame and battery enclosure. Two batteries will be located where the rear seats would normally be. There will be no battery under the hood.
2 12" subs will be installed in the rear of the car. Here you can see me test fitting the 3/4" aluminum baffles that subs will bolt to.
1/2" aluminum plates were machined to form mounting baffles for the front speakers. All holes were tapped so that the speakers will mount with machine screws.
this is the mock-up I made for my custom center console. It may look like it has an opening for a 1 din head unit, but that's actually where the head light switch, and the Firehawk dash plaque will be.
this is the process I use to make most of my custom interior pieces. First, I make a mock-up of the part.
the mockup of the center console is made from wood, cardboard, some fiberglass, and lots of body filler. The goal is to make the shape of what I want, regardless of materials used, weight, strength, or functionality.
next, I cover it in several layers of fiberglass to make a mold.
this is the mold with the mock-up removed. If I was making a mold for something I wanted to reproduce several times, I would have used a gel-coat, as that gives a smoother, tougher surface. But since this is for a one-off piece, I was not concerned with minor surface imperfections.
here, you see the fiberglass center console, freshly pulled from the mold. It will need some minor touch-up work with body filler, then a nice coat of primer before being wrapped in vinyl.
while waiting for the fiberglass of the center console to cure, I worked on the battery enclosure. I used 1/4" thick wood to form the side walls, which I'll then fiberglass over (after covering everything in foil). Once the fiberglass is cured, I remove the wood panels, leaving a fiberglass enclosure and steel frame.
hope to have some more progress this weekend, so look for more pics on monday or so.
To recap, this is the progress I've made over the past couple years (there's actually been more, but alot of it was scrapped as I decided to take the car in a different direction).
welded 1/4" steel enclosures for the front speakers:
welded steel frame for the new dash. HVAC and airbags will be retained. In this picture, you can see that I built the frame to go over a modified stock hvac vent assembly, but since then, I've decided to scrap that for a completely custom vent assembly to allow more room for the double din head unit that will be installed. The point of rebuilding the dash was to make it physically smaller, so as not to protrude out as much over the kickpanel speakers, and to have smoother curves and transitions to help prevent unwanted reflections. The dash gives about 2 to 3" more space between it's bottom and the floor, and sticks out about 2" less then stock. The guage cluster bezel also only protrudes off of the guages about 3", instead of the 6 to 7" the stock one does.
grill cloth stretched over the metal dash frame. It will be coated with fiberglass resin to form a base to build up the rest.
next, I built the sides of the dash with 1/4" plastic, and made all of the openings for the guage bezel, head unit and hvac controls with 1/8" plastic. My goal is that no wood is to be used anywhere in the install. Only metal, plastics, and composite materials.
To get to the rough shape of the final dash, I poured 2 part urethane foam over the frame, and cut and sanded it down to shape. The foam is very lightweight, and if the need ever arrises, should provide some decent impact protection if the cars occupants ever meet the dash head on.
the foam is covered with a layer of carbon fiber, and a little bit of body filler to smooth out the final shape
Recently, I finished the final sanding of the dash and wrapped it in vinyl.
here's the finished dash installed it the car after being wrapped in vinyl. I still have to finish the guage bezel and radio/hvac bezel. I'm probably going to paint them in a dark silver. I thought about a bare clearcoated carbon fiber finish, but I had that in my last install and thought it was a bit much.
here's the beginnings of the amp rack frame and battery enclosure. Two batteries will be located where the rear seats would normally be. There will be no battery under the hood.
2 12" subs will be installed in the rear of the car. Here you can see me test fitting the 3/4" aluminum baffles that subs will bolt to.
1/2" aluminum plates were machined to form mounting baffles for the front speakers. All holes were tapped so that the speakers will mount with machine screws.
this is the mock-up I made for my custom center console. It may look like it has an opening for a 1 din head unit, but that's actually where the head light switch, and the Firehawk dash plaque will be.
this is the process I use to make most of my custom interior pieces. First, I make a mock-up of the part.
the mockup of the center console is made from wood, cardboard, some fiberglass, and lots of body filler. The goal is to make the shape of what I want, regardless of materials used, weight, strength, or functionality.
next, I cover it in several layers of fiberglass to make a mold.
this is the mold with the mock-up removed. If I was making a mold for something I wanted to reproduce several times, I would have used a gel-coat, as that gives a smoother, tougher surface. But since this is for a one-off piece, I was not concerned with minor surface imperfections.
here, you see the fiberglass center console, freshly pulled from the mold. It will need some minor touch-up work with body filler, then a nice coat of primer before being wrapped in vinyl.
while waiting for the fiberglass of the center console to cure, I worked on the battery enclosure. I used 1/4" thick wood to form the side walls, which I'll then fiberglass over (after covering everything in foil). Once the fiberglass is cured, I remove the wood panels, leaving a fiberglass enclosure and steel frame.
hope to have some more progress this weekend, so look for more pics on monday or so.
02-20-2009, 12:16 AM
#4
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Holy Crap!!! That looks like a daunting project. By the looks of your work you are up to it though. Looks like it is well thought out and really good quality. Waiting to see the finished project.
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02-21-2009, 11:51 PM
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Excellent work man. By the looks of those things, make some reproduction parts would likely net you a pretty penny from some of the folks on this board and others.
