http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n.../finished2.jpg

http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n...h/100_0489.jpg

http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n...h/100_0487.jpg

any questions feel free to ask

 

I take it this is a track car?

 

no its actually my daily driver. all seriousness

 

Not doing it for me. I don't know why you'd want to go with such a plain dash.

 

Any idea where all those wires go? lol

 

I thought you totalled your Iroc?

 

Not totaled I fixed it. The wires are all gone lol gotta show more pics

 

 

i think i like it!

 

It just ruins the interior. It's FAR worse than the stock dash.

 

it would be ok if it was an all out drag car but for a daily driver i dont think i like it...... what are the ladies going to say lol...

 

the stock dash weighs a lot and doesnt have good working gauges



im not here for the women. i have one. its a daily driven race car

 

I appreciate the creativity. If it works for you, thats all that matters. I think it would be cool if you got some local artist to paint some flames or something and then gloss it out. Except the top. DON'T gloss the top, you'll regret it everytime you drive in the day time...

 

im actually impressed that you actually made a custom dash.... i give major props to you... i could never do that...

 

Looks like it's well on its way to being a great parts/donor car someday...

 

You guys are cruel.

thirdgen.org is a tough town.

 

Flames? Seriously?

I like it. Simple, functional, and light. Looks good too. Plan to do something similar for my car.

What seats do you have? I got new seats just a couple weeks before I parked my car for the winter, then decided I wanted something lighter and gave them away, so I kinda need new ones now.

 

Well, I'm sorry but I don't like it. I like my original digital dash better and I don't care about the weight 'cause mine isn't a "race car" anyway. Just my

 

yeah but whats your woman gonna say!!! haha

not diggin it, props for taking care of the wires, hahahahaha

personally i would gut the stock dash except the necessitys if i was losing weight

 

thats funny. explain to me how?

because honestly all im getting from u is babble

 

I think it looks Gangsta I wish I could do that. Its like driving a stair step

 

If you're going to be sensitive about people not liking it, don't post it on a public forum...

 

vfn makes a nice fiberglass dash and top, just saying...

it doesnt look that bad, it looks functional, could use a little somthing to break up all the open space though

 

not very attractive!

 

Personally, I like it. It's "raw" and functional

 

I kinda like it. It screams functionality, just gets the job done and keeps weight down. I think it looks a little empty though. I think some sort of emblem or something on the passenger would look good, like a camaro or IROC emblem. Either way, good job, making a dash is no easy task.

 

I think it would look better if it didn't look like a box. If it still used the stock dash pad it might not look so......utilitarian.

What ever floats your boat.

 

Hey, you just gave me an idea, 'cause my dash pad is all cracked after being in the sun so long I looked at their website althought their pics are not too big, I guess I could redo my dash pad in fiberglass. I think I'll post a new thread about some help...

 

ya their fiberglass ones are what 300 bucks??

this cost me 20 dollars in aluminum paint and a cutting blade

 

Well yeah, and sorry, but that's what it looks like.

 

Yeah I'm sure your quarter mile times will improve a ton by removing the stock dash. In all seriousness, how much can the dash weigh? Most of the weight is in the wiring and what's underneath the dash which you seem to have kept. The HVAC system etc. The dash itself is mostly hollow plastic. The dash pad itself doesn't weigh much either and I doubt you'd ever notice improved track times from removing them. I know it all adds up but some things are worth keeping from a functionality standpoint. The dash, heavy or not is functional. It's not as bulbous or as heavy as a fourth gen dash either. In other words, you could do worse than the stock dash. As for the gauges, let's be realistic. Just how "precise" do you need them to be? Does your track performance really change by having a more accurate speedo or voltage gauges? I wouldn't even look at those gauges. The tach might be the only thing I'd find useful in a race. 99% of the time the stock gauges are perfectly fine. Accuracy is of course somewhat important in certain situations, but I can't imagine an after market gauges being "that much better" or even worth the removal of the stock dash and gauge cluster.

As for going for a "daily driven" race car, I can't say much on that as that's your thing. I wouldn't do it, but I'm not you. You are the only one who has to like your car ultimately.

 

I'll weigh the stock dash and dash pad tomorrow. My guess is about 40 lbs. Yes, that is a lot of weight, because it really all does add up. I'm sure the 6 or 7 lbs saved by putting on an aluminum front bumper or aluminum DS would have a similar benefit as the maybe 30 lbs saved with that dash, but those two things cost about 10x as much, and still so many people do those things.
It's all about cost vs. benefit.

The stock gauges are very inaccurate and unreliable. My stock temp and oil pressure gauges only worked sometimes, and before the temp gauge totally quit working it was way off. You have an electric speedo in your '85 TA, correct? Get in a pre-'89 Camaro and watch the speedo as you accelerate at WOT, you'll understand why it sucks. I've seen stock tach's off by as much as 1,500 RPM. If you really care about what your gauges are telling you, it's hard to trust the stock ones.

 

its not hollow plastic. the top dash pad weighs a ton.

i actually gained .05 IN MY 60' BECAUSE OF IT. ehh whatver. to each their own

dude really on the whole gauges????

u try shifting a car that spins 7500 rpm and not knowing exactly when to.

to do good on et u must shift well.

AND Ya stock gauges work fine. thats why autometer has only one style gauge. and theyre running out of business.

 

The dash pad doesn't way a ton. If you think it does you need to eat a sandwich. I've taken many of them out of cars. It isn't heavy unless you are 85lbs. and anemic. The rest of the dash is largely hollow. I've been all up into the dashes of my cars. It is the rats nest of wires that culminate in the bulk of the weight. That and the HVAC system.

Uh, whatever. :BS:

Uh, yeah.

This is true. If you actually read and understood my post you'd see I did make a concession regarding the tachometer and the need for accuracy where it was concerned. That's why many people have a supplemental tachometer and gauge pods. They don't usually rip out there dash and replace it with what amounts to an ugly metal box with zero style. Dude it's your car and you are the one that needs to be happy with the results. If you are then you shouldn't worry about or put too much stock into what a bunch of anonymous people on a web forum have to say about the subject. With that said if you can't handle criticism then you probably shouldn't post pictures of things like that on a public forum for all to see. When you do post pictures of custom mods like that you shouldn't expect everyone to like them because that's completely unrealistic.

My sarcasm meter is broken again but I'm going to assume that's what you were going for.

 

I like it, simple and gets the job done. I have watched what his car can do. So kinda doubting it would be dumb and childish.

Good work Kb.

 

aluminum = lighter than plastic? when the ***** did that get discovered? I was pretty sure that aluminum was heavier >.> to each their own but I would hate to face plant on that monolithic dashboard of yours in the event of an accident >.< seriousely though... how could anyone think thata dashboard that looks like a black file cabinet did a barrel roll into their car is appealing? would have been better off making a new dash pad and retrofitting new guages, because the dash pad is the bulk of the dash weight.... but to each their own i guess, points for actually trying it though

 

I don't care what his car can do. What he's claiming doesn't sound very likely. I'm sorry if I don't mindlessly accept such a statement without proof to back it up. It just doesn't sound right. The 0.05 difference he is claiming is more likely to be the result of other variables besides the weight of the dash pad. Air density changes in weather, other track conditions, tire wear, driver skill, engine tune, fuel conditions, and virtually anything else are much more likely responsible. It is impossible to prove it either way outside of controlled laboratory conditions.

It would depend on the thickness of the materials in question. Generally speaking plastic is lighter than aluminum. Assuming equal amounts of material in an identical shape the plastic will be lighter. This is one of the many reasons why firearms are switching to polymer frames.

 

for the mentally challenged in here. If you have a type of plastic weighing in at .5 pound per cubic feet and aluminum weighing in at .7 pound per cubic feet.....

there is 20 cubic feet of plastic and only 4 for aluminum...(not accurate but proportional)

that means there is 10 lbs of plastic and 2.8 pounds for aluminum..... that seems to make sense.

weight in the middle of the car is more dentramental than weight in the back or front. weight in the front and back are actually moving and doing something for the transfer of weight. weight in the front gives leverage to the rear. the weight in the rear plants the tires. weight in the middle does none, there fore it is dead weight.


now with the .05 eta gain do u wanna see my timeslips? my videos???


video before the dash. and a couple other wight mods.
http://videos.streetfire.net/video/K...end_649000.htm
http://videos.streetfire.net/video/K...ton_714560.htm


after..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j9A6nh9UUIw
http://videos.streetfire.net/video/7...-2V_726900.htm

 

No I don't want to see your time slips or videos. Again anything done in the streets or at the strip isn't going to be scientifically accurate. If you believe that removing the dash pad alone gains you that much then keep believing that. I'm going to continue to doubt it. By your own admission you did additional weight reducing modifications to achieve those results. I believe that the combined efforts of what you have done certainly can amount to the improved performance you've claimed to see in your car. With that said I just don't buy this crap about the dash pad "weighing a ton" because it's :BS: . It's a couple of pounds and little more. Removing the dash pad by itself won't amount to jack squat. Removing the entire dash amounts to a more substantial gain but again I doubt it's easily measured. I couldn't put up with all the hideousness of such an interior on a daily driven vehicle. To each their own. I've said all that I can say about the dash. Also for those who lack reading comprehension as a skill, I did say that plastic weighs less than aluminum assuming equal amounts of material. I am well aware that the dash uses more plastic than your dash uses in aluminum.

I do not question that there is weight savings in what you've done. In totality I'm sure the removal of the carpet, dash, pad, etc. did amount to gains. This is irrefutable as weight savings has been proven to increase vehicle performance time and time again. If I were building a pure track car I'd do something similar myself. So don't think I can't appreciate what you are doing here. I just think there is some exaggeration going on in regard to the weight savings of the dash removal alone. The functionality of the solution in a daily driven car is also somewhat dubious, but that's your problem and no one elses.

 

u werent the mentally challenged i was referring to aluminum and plastic. however the dash weighs ALOT.

literally like 20-30 pounds i presume. someone weigh it please....

 

I will weigh mine one of these days. I'm taking it out of my 85. I'm doing a complete restore/rebuild starting from the chassis/uni-body up. I'm still stripping it down right now so that I can do paint and body work. I'm extra curious about the weight of the thing now.

 

Then why dont we all perform a middle "dead weight" delete and keep the usefull parts of our cars!!!!!!

bet ya ill be first to the finish line if i do that, man it makes you fast!

 

the whole dash (dash pad, dash itself, gauges and all the other misc stuff with it) is 25lbs max.
NO i did not weigh it. thats just how it feels to me.

The 4th gen dash (without airbag and some of stuff i removed before i swapped it into my car) IS alot lighter with the gauges than the 3rd Iroc dash I took out.

Im pretty sure my 4th gen dash weighs less then your custom made dash and in my opinion looks alot better too.

But hey its not my car so whatever I just wanted to add something to this.

 

def doesnt weigh less than what i did. but whatever floats ur boat

 

im sure that dash you made is more than the 10lbs my 4th gen dash weighs.

and even if it did weigh 1 or 2lbs more it still looks a he!! of alot nicer.

i wasnt putting your work down i was simply stating a fact

 

A stock dash, from a '85 Camaro, 100% stripped, a dash pad, and stock gauges weighs 19-20lbs. Sorry I can't give a total weight, including brackets, and all the other pieces, it would take a while to find them all. That 19-20lbs is probably about how much weight kowboy removed.

 

and then put back at least 15lbs back putting in that dash he made saving him maybe 5lbs. not enough to notice any difference in speed, 1/4 mile and 0-60 times.

 

I was thinking the exact same thing!


Can you honestly say that your new dash board helped your timeslip by .05? Because That is the most rediculous thing I have ever heard...Period! You sure it wasn't a headwind, or a harder launch, or anything? That stock dash and pad can't weigh 25lbs tops!

I don't know....I can run 10's all day long with a stock dash full of heater equiptment.

 

It looks like a friggin' microwave.
But i'm going to be constructive with my critisiszm.
You definitely need to spice it up, get creative.
Stencil C A M A R O across, make a custom dashmat for it. (or just use a welcome mat )
Use old logos or anything, screw a cup holder in for gods sake.
Spray some texture paint or bedliner put a monitor in, if this is your daily drive its a third gen its supposed to get you the ladies, not have them scrape thier legs agaist a rectangular dash. lolz in all seriousness TGO is just here for feedback and opinions, you made a custom dash, all jokes aside is very awesome. Once you find some style to add to it, it'll just be more to brag about.

 

yes because weighing 6 pounds wth the gauges in it reallyequals 15 but GOD you would know since you made one right?????

why the **** did it launch harder??? maybe better weight distribution.????


yes you run super high tens. with afrs. I made ur times look like complete **** with crappier heads too