Bartman201

im looking for someone that can make this in fiberglass.

astroxtc

http://www.topshopheadliners.com

check out there custom work, they wraps things in carbon and fiberglass
i think theres a member on HT that works for this company

Bartman201

allanonjj

u could do it yourself. Its a lot easier than u think. hit me up if you want instructions.

Urban Camo

DIY im debating on putting my gauges there too

Bartman201

someone should make these and sell them. i know of tons of peps that will pay for something like that.

Bartman201

ttt

allanonjj

how much would you pay for one?? Painted?,,,vinyl??

Bartman201

ill pay 25 to 35 or more depends on how it looks. if you know how to make it you should post one with pics and peps will buy it.

. O M E G A

Autometer makes something similar . But I say DIY !

Bartman201

for the vents never seen one. post a link.

. O M E G A

I just looked on autometer's web site and its not there . They must of discontinued it . I know it existed cuz my friend had one . It holds a monster tach and two 2 1/16 guages . I'll try E-bay next .

Bartman201

if you find it just post it. thanks

. O M E G A

I swear I just saw it like a month ago on E-bay . Well that screws my idea , good luck ! If you get that thing mass marketed that your makin , IM me !

Bartman201

Urban Camo

the one that auto-meter makes holds a 5 inch tach and two 2 5/8" gauges i've seen one before with just two gauges and nobody knew who made it though.

92-LS-Civic

that pod is retarded, the one that hold the tach and 2 gauges. If someone were to come up with a nive looking pod like the one on top, you would have something going for you. You could make some money on that. Long as you dont have to do alot of cutting to put it in.

allanonjj

I will go ahead and make ONE to see how the response is. keep this thread in your watched topics

Bartman201

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by allanonjj &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I will go ahead and make ONE to see how the response is. keep this thread in your watched topics</TD></TR></TABLE>

thanks

DCnotTHEshoes

Some shops within MA that i been to that i believe are capable of creating

fiberglass modlings are...

http://www.stjamescustomautobody.com/ ..::springfield::..

http://www.prospecautosport.com/home.htm ..::quincy::..

I don't know if i was any help.

MA. Rep!

JDMlyfestyle

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by allanonjj &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">u could do it yourself. Its a lot easier than u think. hit me up if you want instructions.</TD></TR></TABLE>

why not post it up and help others as well?

allanonjj

the pic u posted had the holes cut flat, if you mounted gauges in those holes, they would be pointed straight towards the back seat, these instructions are gonna be to make them angled towards the drivers position, it will also have that "growing out of your dash" look. I also wnat to say that Ive NEVER done a write up before so if my wording is confusing, ask me and I will explain

O.K., here goes.

you are gonna need these materials:

1.piece of masonite ( you can use 1/4 inch mdf board if you can find it or pretty much any type of thin stiff wood, Ive even used the wood off of the back of an intertainment system)

2. a small piece of 3/4" mdf board (u can gat this at most any local hardware store,...same stuff u use for most speaker boxes/enclosures) u might have to buy a sheet of it,....about 20-25 bucks

3. an old sweater, fleece or even a thick t-shirt (it needs to absorbent enough to soak up the fiberglass resin)

4. fiberglass resin and hardener (auto zone, home depot,etc....)

5. wood glue

6. sand paper (just get the multi-pack with an assortment off paper in it)

U will also need these tools

1. jigsaw

2. pencil

3. measuring tape

4. Heavy duty stapler, prefferably and air-powered one

5.Duct tape

6.old bowl

7.cheap paintbrushes (5 or 6 of them)


Start off by removing your dash piece. It uses 2 screws mounted underneath the panel in front of the steering wheel as well as a bunch of "snap clips" around the rest of the piece. you will have to dis-connect your dash clock and hazard button before you can pull the piece off. [edit] theres also a hidden screw behind yourclock,....or is it the emergency flashers?,,,,, I dont remember but its behind one of them[edit] I always tilt my steering wheel all the way down before I try to pull this piece off. As you start to pull the piece off be carefull not to break it. If your car has seen a bunch of sunlight to the interior IT WILL BE BRITTLE.

After you get this peice off you will need to go ahead and make the template for the back board of what will be the gauge pod. What I would do is go ahead and cut off the directional vents located where your pod is gonna be mounted and sand down the edges to where you can run a pencil around the inside diameter of the hole. Take the dash peice and place it over the masonite and trace out the shape of the inside diameter. After this is done go ahead and re-trace a line about 1/4" to the left and right side of the back plate (the back plate is the peice you are making now),.. you will need this extra "lip" to hold the pod to the front of your air vent peice. Next, take your jigsaw and cut the shape out of the masonite. (take your time and remember, you can always go back and take ,more off,... you cant add more to it!!). Go ahead and test the fitment of the back plate against the front of the air vent hole. If you are satisfied, go ahead on to the next step.

Now you will need to begin making the rings for your gauges. If the guage didnt come with a template, you can use the actual gauge itself to make the ring. Place it face down on the mdf and trace it out using the pencil. Most gauges have a ring that butts up to the pod u are putting it in to hold it in place. Look at the gap between the outer diameter of that ring and the outer diameter of the gauge housing. Here is where some artistic talent can be usefull. You can either free hand another ring on the inside of the ring you just traced or measure the gap and make individual dots inside that ring to make your ring perfect. ( i just free hand mine because the guage is gonna cover up any im-perfections) Once you are satisfied with the inner line, cut it out with the jigsaw. Next you will need to trace the outer diameter of the ring. MAKE SURE YOU DONT TRACE IT TOO SMALL (less than 3/4" thick) BECAUSE WHEN YOU SHOOT THE STAPLES THROUGH IT, IT WILL SPLIT. Dont worry about it being to bulky looking because you are gonna sand down the edges to give it that smooth look (imagine cutting a doughnut in have vertically, this is how the ring is gonna look). Once you have the outer diameter of the ring traced, cut it out with the jigsaw (be extra carefull on this cut). Take the ring and test the gauge's fitment before continuing. If you are content, repeat all the previous steps to make your additional rings for your other guage/ guages(this write up applies to a 1,2 or 3 guage pod) then, proceed to the next step.

O.K., So now you have your back plate and ring/rings made for your guages. Next you will need to decide how you want them angled. I would mount the backplate on the vent hole with duct tape(just to hold it there for a little while while you get the guage placement) Next, place your guage inside one of the rings and put it up against the back plate to judge the angle you want it mounted. If the guage seems like it is sticking too far out of the dash, go ahead and cut a hole in the back plate to allow the housing of the guage itself to fit through. Keep in mind that the guage will be angled so dont cut directly behind the ring. OK,... so now youve got the guage inside the ring, angled like you want it. Take your measuring tape and measure the distance from the back of the ring to the front of the back plate where the measurement is longest (most likely is gonna be to the right side a little lower than midways). This measurement is gonna be the length of the peice you are about to cut. Take your jigsaw and cut a strip of wood off the mdf 3/4" wide and about a foot long. Then take the strip and cut it at the length you just measured. This peice will be the "leg" that holds the ring in position on the back plate. U will propably have to cut this "leg" shorter a couple of times to get the length just right, also, I would cut one end at the same angle that the ring is sitting in relation to the back plate so it would be butted up completely to the back plate. Repeat these steps with the other ring/rings you made untill you have all three rings and "legs" at the desired angle.

Now take your wood glue and apply it to the ends of the legs and put them into position one at a time against the back plate. Staple (or finishing nail/nailgun will work) the peices together at the ring and at the back plate. Staple the ring itself to the back plate where they are touching each other. After you have done that, you should be looking at a decent frame to wrap.

almost forgot....... you will need to break out the sand paper and round off ALL edges before proceeding.....especially the outsides of the rings (doughnut cut in half vertically). This will keep the shape looking liquid.

The rest is fairly simple, take your material (sweat shirt, fleece or thick t-shirt) and wrap it around the bottom side of the pod. streetch it tight (untill no wrinkles) all the way around the frame and staple it to tha backside of the back plate (make sure it is tight,...no wrinkles). Cut off the excess material from the back and continue.
{if you have a local stereo shop, they may sell you some fiberglass soaking material(instead of sweatshirt, t-shirt, fleece)... if you can get it,.... GET IT!! It will save you from having to put several coats of resin on}

Now you should be looking at the shape of the pod,... if you arent happy with the shape or angle, now is the time to fix it. If you are content, go on to the next step.

Take your fiberglass resin and pour about 3 cupfulls into a bowl( a bowl that you dont need). Then mix in the hardener (this is where experience comes into play, if you put in too much hardener it will harden before you get the resin down......too little and it either wont harden up all the way or it will take forever for it to harden, I like to get extra hardener to speed up the process once the resin has been wiped on the cloth) You are gonna have to wing it the first time because I dont know how muct to tell you to use(I could tell you in person though) I would guestimate about 1 teaspoon per cupfull. Now you have to work briskly covering the form with resin. Use the paintbrushes to do this and dont get any on you(it suxx trying to get it off). apply one thick layer and let it sit untill hard. If it takes more than 20 minutes, brush on some more hardener too speed it up. You will need to apply at least one more coat to make sure that it is thick enough.

After all that is done and hardened, you should have a nicely formed guage pod ready for vinyl or paint prepping.

Now like I said previously, this is my 1ST write up so sorry if its not up to par, however,.... if youve got questions, I would be more than happy to explain.

Good luck!!

92-LS-Civic

keep us informed. i would probly by one if you can get something going. Keep us informed. get us some pictures

RHD WANTED

i say DIY...will give you experience, theres plenty of write ups

Cee_mon

Already sent him the pic, but here is my DIY