Refinished my dash...White Gauges & Carbon Fiber

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FASTBACK340

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Awhile ago I posted the beginings of my dash with white face gauges. Well, we're almost done.
dash1.jpg

This was all done with spray paint and a roll of adhesive-backed phony carbon fiber .

dash2.jpg

I blanked out the radio. I'd need about 1,200 watts to drown out the motor & exhaust, so screw it. Besides I have too much coin invested in the engine NOT to hear it....

dash5.jpg

I ground down the goofy fish on the glove box door and refinished the emblem.

So..... Wadda ya think?
 
Looks awsome John. Thats alot of work. Did you use an air brush or cans ? I used cans then remembered I have an air brush. Nice job hidding the radio what did you use ? I need to hide mine aswell as the heater.
 
AdamR said:
Looks awsome John. Thats alot of work. Did you use an air brush or cans ? I used cans then remembered I have an air brush. Nice job hidding the radio what did you use ? I need to hide mine aswell as the heater.
Click to expand...

Thanks Adam. I used DupliColor "chrome" in a rattle can. The black is Krylon semi-flat black. I polished the lenses with a polishing kit I have for my models that produces a great finish. Restores the lenses clear again. I blanked out the radio with a portion of a large NO TRESPASSING plastic sign I bought at home depot. I had made a template, cut the plastic, and applied the carbon fiber. Covered everything in one shot. I just bought a woodgrain kit for the upper section that I'm going to carbon fiber also and see if it's too much. I might blank-off the heater controls too since I never drive this thing in the winter.

Come to think of it, I don't drive this thing in the summer either. I gotta finished the motor....:?
 
John,
Nice job! I'm glad you posted those pics. I am right in the middle of experimenting with actual carbon fiber fabric to do the same thing to the dash on my son's '74 Dart Sport. It's a pain in the tush.

I'm saturating the fabric with epoxy resin and sandwiching it between two waxed pieces of 1/4" plate glass loaded up with weight. The end result is a very thin sheet of carbon fiber that I can cut into appliques, similar to the woodgrain kits on the market. I use AutoCAD for drafting and plotting the shapes as paper templates, which can be used for precise fitting to the dash components.

I'll try to post some decent pics, once I finish the project.

Jerry
 
Tell us more about that lens polishing kit. What is in it? Where do you get one? I need to polish the one-piece lens on my '74 Dart instrument cluster.

Another thing...
I tried a "chrome" spray paint (thought it was Duplicolor) and it never seemed to cure. Even after more than a year, it wipes off on my fingers. Have you not had any problems with it?

Jerry
 
[QUOTE='74 Sport]Tell us more about that lens polishing kit. What is in it? Where do you get one? I need to polish the one-piece lens on my '74 Dart instrument cluster.

Another thing...
I tried a "chrome" spray paint (thought it was Duplicolor) and it never seemed to cure. Even after more than a year, it wipes off on my fingers. Have you not had any problems with it?

Jerry[/QUOTE]

The polishing kit I used is from LMG enterprises. It's designed for model cars so you can polish out paint. It does a super job on clear parts as well. It starts at 1800 grit and ends at 12,000. Hit it with some plastic polish and your done. Any well stocked hobby shop should have it. If not, do a search for Detail Master and you should find it. As for the "chrome" paint, so far, so good....:thumbup:
amysvw.jpg
 
These look great.

Did you ever get these put on a disk? I have a 68 notchback I would really like to convert to white face gauges.

Also, have you had the chance to hook them up? I would be curious to see a pic of the illumination.

I think this might be my 1st post!
Keith
 
[QUOTE=khuebner250]These look great.

Did you ever get these put on a disk? I have a 68 notchback I would really like to convert to white face gauges.

Also, have you had the chance to hook them up? I would be curious to see a pic of the illumination.

I think this might be my 1st post!
Keith[/QUOTE]

I plan on making extra sets that I might send out to worthy board members :yawinkle:

Let me get them made up and I'll let everyone know when they are ready :thumleft:
 
Fastback340,
Do you have any pics of the dash lit up? I would really like to see them.
By the way, your PM box is full.

Keith
 
Fastback340 how did you prep the dash for paint? Dis you strip it, sand it or what. I'm currently redoing my rallye dash but can't afford a professional refinish. I like how yours turned out.
 
Hey FASTBACK... did you ever make templates for the dash? My '69 is in need of some custom cosmetics! :eek:)
 
340Duster,
Sorry I completely forgot about this post until now. My focus changed from the instrument panel to something else. Now that my son's Dart Sport is back home from the paint shop, we'll be pushing hard to put the interior back together. I'll be back to the AutoCAD templates soon and will pass them on to you.

Jerry
 
Hey '74Sport, I was reading your post on this thread from Nov 2005 & wondered if you had any photos of your carbon fiber gauge face that you made a long time ago ? Would you mind posting some photos if you have them & it's not too much trouble, I think folks would like to see. Thanks !
 
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