My bud has an old 86 sport coupe that we have already made fast, now he just wants it too look nice and clean on the inside. His dash is cracked, much like every other thirdgen and I had an idea. What if i fill the cracks with filler, then fiberglass the top and sand it down and make it smooth? That would make a "fiberglass dash" that looks nice and only cost a few bucks for the reisen and hardener etc. Where can I buy a fiberglass kit online? Also anyone have any good tutorials online about fiberglassing. I have a basic understanding, but I havent done anything as big as the dash pad. All help is appreciated!

 

Basic fiberglassing isn't hard. Just mix up the resin, similar to a bondo mix, and then saturate the fiberglass mat and put it on whatever you want to cover, and smooth it out, then wait to dry, and sand. Or you could cut the mat up and use the individual pieces instead.

It's when you get into carbon fiber, or more advanced fiberglassing and resins, that require baking and whatnot, and special formulas, that it gets more complicated.

You can buy a "bondo" brand fiberglass kit at walmart and drugmart, so any decent auto parts store should have something.

Mathius

 

it's really easy
just read the directions and follow them

 

i also know that in Florida you can get that same "bondo" kit at any advance autoparts, Discount advance auto parts, and Autozone.

 

As stated, fiberglassing is easy. It's making it look like it wasn't done by a 5 year old that's hard.

You don't want to just start laying 'glass and resin on top of the dash because you'll wind up with a lumpy, bumpy mess and you'll probably never get it flat again with all the sanding in the world.

I would suggest a different approach. Get the dash out of the car, and just use the fiberglass (or some plastic epoxy and spare ABS) to strengthen the area behind the cracks so that it doesn't continue to travel. If you do this well, the crack will be virtually unnoticable. If you still want that smooth dash look, just sand the plastic dash until it's smooth, and if the crack is still visible, use a thin layer of plastic epoxy over it and sand it smooth. Once everything is smooth, it's time for paint.

I really don't see fiberglass as an apropriate solution to your problem.

 

i think if ur guna go through the trouble of doing all that you should make it out of fiberglass. once you lay the fiberglass over it take it off evenly and put another layer of fiberglass inside of it so that the dash is made of fiberglass. Its the same amount of work (a bit more) and you save like 5 lb.s
im not sure if its worth it though

 

If your dead set of doing it, your best bet would to make a plug, then a mold. Most likely, you would do the top and bottom in two peices, then glass them together after. This would also set you up quite nicely for making a ton of them easily, and selling them You could also easily add things such as gauge pods, vents, etc

 

I'd also suggest pulling the dashpad out of the car, it's the only way you'll get a decent repair or part made. If your using the fiberglass mat from the parts store it should be about 6oz material which is good, about 4-5 layers will be strong enough for a finished part. 24 or 36 grit sand paper is great for smoothing the rough spots once the material is dry. There are a lot of great fiberglassing sites out there if you want to learn. The process is the same for fiberglass as it is for carbon fiber so any articles will be useful. There is a great step by step article on Turbomustangs.com where a guy made his own doors out of carbon fiber. Also try searching google for "how to fiberglass" or "DIY fiberglass"

 

If you're definitely set on doing this:
-- definitely pull the dash out of the car.
-- better yet, get another one to practice on, and determine
how to get what you really want.
-- as an alternative to painting, there are some basic color
pigments available, that can be added into the resin mix.
Sanding will leave it dull, but then a clear coat would probably
be more durable.
-- If you want top quality material, that is much more durable,
get West System marine products. (From experience with both...)

Before charging down this path, check out suppliers like "Year One"
& "Classic Industries" for OEM replacement parts -- you might be
surprised at a cost-benefit analysis of what's available.

Good luck, & keep us posted

 

maybe im a spaz but has anyone considered just recovering the thing, or are we saying the thing is broken?? im confused ;0

 

Been there, tried that. Gave it my all and it still looked like crap.
Waste of time

 

well, he got a new dashpad, so thats fixed lol.

I have been doing extensive body work with fiberglass, its really simple. First few times i put wayyy to much hardener and it dried in 30 seconds.

I'm going to make a simple sub box that sit real low in a camaro hatch. most of it will be out of wood, but i migh fiberglass the edges to make it smooth.