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fiberglass dash???

C

contour_Krazy465

New CEG'er
Joined
Jul 18, 2009
Messages
29
ok well now that i have got everything on my car mechanically sound (i hope:crazy:) i am gona start on the little stuff i don't like about it...first things first is the dashboard. ever since i got it the passenger airbag was peeling away and there is a big tear right below it and the driver side door has a big rip in the arm rest...and ive decided that i wanna do something on the lines of a fiberglass on my dash...first is this a good idea cuz i have seen it done before and i am quite confident in my fiberglassing skills to be able to achieve the effect i want. only thing is i dont want to do a whole new fiberglass dash if i dont have too i wanna cover up the bad spots and then sand it all down and give it some new paint... now what im asking is if you guys would think this is a ok route to go or would it be better just to do a whole new one. and while im at it im gona go ahead and do all my doors to match...either way ill be starting and hopefully finishing this week so i may need help if i get stuck taking out or putting in the dash and door...and there will definitly be pictures:cool:

so let me hear your opinons on what i should do

o and i thought i would put up its a black 99 contour se mtx
 
i would like to try...i figured since im not doing it all in fiberglass and just some places it would go quicker...plus i got a lot of time on my hands this week. i have no work after today and no where to go so basicly my hours are unlimited.
 
i dont know if just doing parts of the dash would look good
 
your going to want to pull all of the upholstry off of it and then start laying your glass on. or they make a spray on stuff you can have painted on so to speak that you can sand smooth for paint and it will have the look of fiberglass. I hope you work fast if your going to use glass cause a week for all you want to do I dont see as enough time.
 
Yea I was planning on sanding the whole dash down after doing the pieces of the dash then prime and paint and see what it looks like if I don't like it then I'll end up doing the whole thing with the glass... As for time I've done a few projects like this before and got it done in a week maybe a few days more, and haha I plan on doing it less than a week but if this is like anything else on this car it will take longer hhah. But we will see after tomarrow cuz I'll be staring hopefully sometime tomarrow mourning
 
Good luck with the project make sure to post pics.
if you run into any problems or have any questions just ask
 
The dash isn't hard plastic. It's wrapped. Sanding it will not yield good results. Bagged is right- glassing only parts of the dash will not look right/look good in my opinion, and I can say also that even working around the clock with the ability to speed up the layers of glass curing, to do this correctly, you're not going to be able to complete this job in your time frame, or if you do complete it you'll be disappointed with the results. To do it right, you're going to have multiple layers of glass, multiple layers of primer, multiple thin layers of filler, and a ton of spot putty work...tedious, patient back to back sanding, spot putty, and primer will give you what you want, but once again, a month is a much more realistic time frame.

To change the color of the dash in your time frame, spend quality time removing it, thoroughly remove all silicates (oils, armor-all, etc.) out of the texture, and use a reputable vinyl dye. You'll have a long-lasting, glossy finish, and you can give the dash a realistic curing duration. While you have it out you can sand major hard plastic surfaces up to 400-600 grit paper, prep them and shoot them with Krylon Fusion or use adhesion promoter and a good acrylic enamel. Combined, it's possible to complete the change in your suggested time frame.

There's nothing worse than seeing someone take the time to work on a serious fiberglass project and getting rushed/impatient and not finishing it with justice to the project.

^Just my opinion.
 
glassing a dash is a long process and you run into alot of things depending on how far you get into it.

u could either a:
remove the entire dash and start over from scratch. Hardest
b:
tape off the whole dash and make a mould of it and then build off of that. Hard
C:
make a mould of small areas that you would like to cover up and up something there like a tv or a logo and paint it to be totally different? easiest

as long as shes not your daily driver go ahead and take it all out and start over. the options are limitless
 
i have had a few changes to my previous statement haha... first i never got started...second i dont know who on here said it but these cars do know when it is pay day.:nonono: i was driving down the road the other day minding my own business when i put the brakes on and noticed smoke pouring past my window and the passenger side window...long story short i had to swap out brakes pads and rotors. i figured when i bought the car that would be one of the first things i was gona have to do so shame on me to try and do something aestetic first :crazy:. but yeah now that i got those done i will start to attempt at the dash...which im sure you will be glad to hear i am gona do the whole thing and make this into a nice long prodject:cool: i guess i decided instead of just trying to fix the rip i am gona go ahead and just do my own thing...like i said im not worried about the fiberglassing part cuz i have done some things with that before for school and other stuff. and so has my pap and dad. the only thing im worried about is getting it so that it fits. what would you recommend to do. use the current dash to mold onto or just make my own frame...im thinking useing the current dash will be easier but im not sure. so yeah thats all the new news for now so yeah let me know what ya think about the way to do it:shrug:
 
take the current dash and pull all the material off of it and you should have a hard plastic dash underneath. scuff it and then glass the dash. not a hard concept really.
 
you could also go to a junk yard and pic up a dash there so that you dont have to drive around forever without one in your car.
 
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